Motorsport: Rossi Valentino, the king of motorcycling

It always had its erotic appeal; the sport of stretched leather and thrusting pistons, performed in an arena heady with the scent of scorched rubber and spent fuel. Primarily, though, it has seduced its hard core of aficionados - until the advent of Valentino Rossi.

In the six years since he won his first championship, the Italian with an earring, perpetually laughing, translucent blue eyes and Harpo Marx hair has given motorcycle racing a universal sex appeal.

Even the lads' mag Nuts, which normally stimulates its readers with such delights as "Real Girls in Wet T-shirts", was sufficiently persuaded to dispatch a reporter along to a rare public appearance of the six-time world champion rider in his adopted city.

Quite why the world's ninth-wealthiest sportsman - last year he earned a reported £18.75 million ($48.2 million) - has chosen to live in London's Knightsbridge, potent paparazzi territory, since 2000 in order to preserve his privacy, only he knows. But it works for him.

They say that back in his homeland the pressures of celebrity would be impossible for him to withstand. So, it is probably as well for the 26-year-old Yamaha rider that he has not been persuaded to emulate John Surtees and translate his two-wheeled talents into Formula One. That really would be sexy.

It was not the first time Rossi had been interrogated on the plausibility of such a future. "I have spoken in the past about F1 because four wheels is another of my great passions," he explains. "I started with go-karts and it was always my dream to become an F1 driver. But I don't know if it's possible. I think it's very difficult and for me it's better to carry on riding a bike."

Rallying is apparently a different matter, though. "I have one or two races at the end of the season, and maybe that will become my sport."

For the moment, the rider who this season boasts seven victories from nine races continues to confirm the impression that he is the finest rider of not only his generation but that of every other.

What other rider could have moved from Honda to Yamaha, who had not won a championship since 1992, and proceeded to win nine of the 16 grands prix in his first season with them, last year?

He possesses an affinity with his sport which makes his achievements appear easy, though he protests that they are not.

His closest championship challenger is Marco Melandri and he insists: "It is always difficult, with rivals like Melandri."

The truth, however, is that Rossi has the ability to recover from minor errors which would prove punishing to others. Though he has had his celebratory moments - discarding his bike and hurling himself into the crowd after one triumph - his post-match demeanour tends to be one of restraint.

"If I win or if I don't, I feel like being quiet. If I don't finish first, like at Laguna in the US [his last grand prix, where he finished third] I just try to understand why."

His countryman Melandri is reported to have commented recently that it was easy to be friends with Rossi while you were the slower rider. Lay down a serious challenge to him, and things change.

"It's not true," Rossi says and goes on to explain, referring to Max Biaggi, the Honda rider and third Italian in this championship-leading triumvirate, who once claimed that Rossi was "a boy in a man's world".

Rossis says: "When, this year, Melandri started to go fast the Italian journalists especially tried to put some bad blood between us, to say it was like me and Max Biaggi.

"But I've known Marco since I was 10, from mini-bikes. We are friends from many years ago. I don't like a bad relationship."

Rossi is not afraid to talk of fear, both on the track and off it. He concedes that he is troubled by the London bombings, but not scared enough to contemplate leaving the city. "I was scared of the Tube even before the bombs," he adds wryly.

Fear

As for his fear on the bike, he not only admits it exists, but insists it is a positive. "The clever riders will always be scared, because our sport is dangerous," says this member of a fraternity who produce speeds in excess of 320km/h and corner at 225km/h with their protective suits centimetres from the asphalt.

"To be scared is important; it means you understand the limits. You try to go quite near those limits, but never over them."

He supports the plan to reduce the maximum size of engines from 990 to 900cc in 2007.

"For me, it is a good idea. If not, the bikes become too fast, too dangerous," Rossi says. "Every year, the bikes become faster and faster. Four-stroke development between 2002 and now has been incredible: speed, acceleration, power. It is never-ending."

Born and raised in Tavullia, near Urbino in eastern Italy, his early mentor was, and still is, his father, Graziano, a works rider who won three grands prix.

In 1982, Rossi snr was in a coma for three days after a crash at Imola, although that was in a rally car. He is always remembered as being somewhat erratic.

"It's true. He was quite crazy," says Rossi jnr. "He always made big mistakes when he raced. But he's very important to me, because he gave me the passion to ride bikes.

"Also, when I first started, he knew a lot of people, and that made it easier for me. He's clever, and always gives me good advice. At the beginning, when I was younger, he would say something but I didn't hear a lot. But now I listen to him more."

Rossi has had the occasional spill, but nothing serious. One was at Donington Park in 2002. A head injury put him out for a day. He still won.

He regards Donington as his second home, after Mugello, his home circuit. He has been successful there in 1997 (in 125cc), 1999 (250cc) and in MotoGP in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

"Riding the bike at the limit is my passion," he says. "The taste is different when I win compared to when I'm second. That's the biggest motivation for me. When that taste is different, maybe it is time to finish."

Racing-bike enthusiasts will be praying that he retains that appetite.

Career Highlights

1996: World championship debut at the 125cc Malaysian GP riding an Aprilia in Scuderia AGV. Final championship position: 9th with 111 points - 1 victory.

1997: Second youngest 125cc champion riding an Aprilia for the Nastro Azzurro Team. Final Championship position: 1st with 321 points - 11 wins.

1998: Moves up to 250cc class riding an Aprilia for the Nastro Azzurro Team. Final championship position: 2nd with 201 points - 5 wins.

1999: Becomes the youngest 250 World champion riding for the Aprilia Grand Prix Racing. Final championship position: 1st with 309 points - 9 wins.

2000: Moves up to the 500cc class riding a Honda for the Nastro Azzuro Team. Final championship position: 2nd with 209 points - 2 wins.

2001: Takes the 500cc world Championship riding a Honda for the Nastro Azzuro Team. Final championship position: 1st with 325 points. - 11 wins.

2002: Wins revised format MotoGP world Championship riding all-new four stroke Honda RC211V for the Repsol Honda Team. Final championship position: 1st with 355 points - 11 wins.

2003: Wins his second MotoGP world championship for the Repsol Honda Team. Final championship position: 1st with 357 points - 9 wins.

2004: Moves to Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha and wins the MotoGP World Championship. Championship position: 1st with 279 points after 15 of 16 rounds - 9 wins.

2005: Leads championship points standing after 7 wins from 9 races.

- INDEPENDENT