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Marcellino Lucchi, Aprilia Grand Prix Racing 250cc 1998
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In 1998 Marcellino Lucchi ran in Imola as a wild card in the Aprilia Grand Prix Racing as a compañero de Valentino.
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Valentino Rossi, Aprilia Grand Prix Racing 250cc 1998
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In 1998 Rossi raced at Imola wearing a special livery on his Aprilia, in the colors of the Italian flag.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Tohru Ukawa, Repsol Honda Team 2002
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In 2002 Rossi was a member of the official Honda team and, for the first time, he shared a full-time box with another rider, the Japanese Tohru Ukawa.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team, 2002
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After two years with a Honda in the Nastro Azzurro team, in 2020 Rossi made the leap to the official HRC team.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 2003
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In 2003 Hayden made his debut in the MotoGP World Championship and did so with the official Honda team together with Valentino Rossi
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team 2003
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Rossi’s second year in the Repsol team was shared with Nicky Hayden
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha, 2004
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In 2004 Rossi made his debut with the Yamaha Factory Racing team, sponsored by Tabacalera and with Carlos Checa as a teammate. By marketing strategy, Rossi wore the colors of one brand of cigarettes, and Checa of a different one.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Carlos Checa, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha, 2004
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Spaniard Carlos Checa was Rossi’s first teammate on Yamaha
Photo by: Fabrice Crosnier
Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards, Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2005
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Presentation of the 2005 Yamaha team, with Edwards and Rossi
Photo by: Gauloises Fortuna Racing
Colin Edwards, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2005
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Edwards arrived at Yamaha in 2005, becoming a teammate of Valentino Rossi, and with whom he shared three seasons, until the end of 2007.
Photo by: Gauloises Fortuna Racing
Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, FIAT Yamaha Factory Team
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In 2008 Yamaha signed a very young Jorge Lorenzo, who came to become Valentino Rossi’s fifth teammate in the World Championship.
Photo by: Yamaha Motor Racing
Jorge Lorenzo, FIAT Yamaha Factory Team, 2008
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Lorenzo made his MotoGP debut in the 2008 season with Rossi as teammate
Photo by: Yamaha Motor Racing
Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team, 2011
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Rossi left Yamaha to race for Ducati in 2011 and 2012, where he met up with an old friend, American Nicky Hayden.
Photo by: Ducati Corse
Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team, 2011
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Nicky Hayden signed for Ducati in 2009, remaining with the Italian team until 2013, and again coinciding with Valentino Rossi in 2011 and 2012, after having done so before at Honda (2003).
Photo by: Ducati Corse
Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Team, 2013
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In 2013, after his bad time at Ducati, Rossi returned to Yamaha Factory Racing, where he met Jorge Lorenzo, now a two-time MotoGP champion (2010-2012), the couple remained together until 2016.
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2013
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Lorenzo became Valentino Rossi’s partner again after the Italian’s return to Yamaha, where they spent a total of seven years in two stages.
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2017
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In 2017 Maverick Viñales arrives at Yamaha and becomes the sixth and, until now, the last teammate of Valentino Rossi in MotoGP.
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2017
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Viñales has been Rossi’s teammate since 2017 and until 2020, the Italian’s last year in the official team. In 2021 both will separate and Fabio Quartararo will replace Valentino.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli initially shared a team on the Petronas Yamaha SRT in 2021
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Photo by: Petronas Yamaha SRT
Garett Gerloff replaced Morbidelli at Assen
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Cal Crutchlow was Rossi’s teammate at both 2021 races in Austria
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Jake Dixon rode the Petronas Yamaha M1 in Great Britain and Aragon.
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Andrea Dovizioso finished the 2021 season on the Petronas Yamaha SRT as the last teammate of Valentino Rossi in MotoGP
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Photo by: SIC Racing Team
Valentino Rossi burst into the World Championship like a gale, blonde hair in the wind, intense blue eyes and a dazzling smile, just like his driving style, which has enchanted millions of fans over all these years.
His debut in the 125cc championship came in 1996, with an Aprilia and strong support from sponsors Nastro Azzurro and AGV . The Italian was a diamond in the rough, a jewel that had to be taken care of because he pointed to superclass ways.
Aprilia prepared an individualized structure for Rossi, who always rode his four years in the minor categories without a partner, something that was quite common at that time.
Even in 1998, when he made the leap to 250cc as 125cc world champion, Aprilia, the great dominator of that time, put three full factory bikes on the track, forming a team with Loris Capirossi and Tetsuya Harada , and a second individual formation with Valentino, all three with identical material.
The only time Rossi had another rider in the pits during those four years was at Imola 1998, when Marcellino Lucchi rode as a wild card in Aprilia Grand Prix Racing as Vale’s teammate.
After winning the 1999 championship, Rossi made the leap to the premier class in 2000 on a Honda, again sponsored by Nastro Azzurro (beer), and again in a structure separate from the factory team and with a single driver, himself.
That same year he was second in the 500cc World Championship and in 2001 he took the title, which led the official HRC team to claim him for the factory structure.
It was therefore in 2002, in the Repsol Honda , that Valentino had, for the first time in the championship, a teammate in the same box, the Japanese Tohru Ukawa .
In 2003, his last at Honda, Rossi shared the box with the American Nicky Hayden , with whom he would coincide again years later at Ducati.
In 2004, Rossi made the leap to the Yamaha team, where he shared a garage with the Spaniard Carlos Checa , who in 2005 was replaced by the American Colin Edwards, who remained at Rossi’s side until the end of 2007.
In 2008, Rossi had already become the absolute dominator of the World Championship but at Yamaha they decided to recruit a young rookie to underpin the future: Jorge Lorenzo , who has been, until now, the toughest teammate for the #46.
In 2011 and 2012 Valentino went to Ducati, where he once again coincided with the sadly ill-fated Hayden.
Following his return to Yamaha in 2013, Rossi was back with Lorenzo until 2016 and since then with Maverick Viñales .
In 2021, Valentino left for the Petronas Yamaha team, where he had his good friend Franco Morbidelli as a new partner. However, an injury to the Italian-Brazilian and his subsequent promotion to the official line-up resulted in Garrett Gerloff , Cal Crutchlow , Jake Dixon and Andrea Dovizioso becoming his boxing neighbors at some point.
