German GP: Rossi hits a milestone

VALENTINO ROSSI CELEBRATES 150TH GRAND PRIX IN SACHSENRING

ROSSI CELEBRATES 150TH GRAND PRIX AT SACHSENRING

Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi celebrates a milestone achievement this weekend as he makes his 150th Grand Prix appearance in the tenth round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship at the Sachsenring. Rossi made his world championship debut as a fresh-faced 16-year-old in the 1996 Malaysian Grand Prix, guiding his 125cc machine to sixth place. A lot has changed since then, with Rossi now established as the finest rider of his generation and one of the all-time MotoGP greats, with no fewer than 75 victories, 110 podiums and 40 pole positions in all classes. Here are a few other facts about his career:

* In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins.

* Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins.

* In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles.

* Rossi's debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers.

* After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times for Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers.

* Rossi also became only the seventh rider ever to win the MotoGP World Championship four times, joining Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Mike Hailwood, Eddie Lawson and John Surtees.

* Rossi's total of nine victories in 2004 was the highest number of wins in a season for any Yamaha rider in history.

* His victory at the 2005 Dutch TT made him the first Yamaha rider ever to win five consecutive races in the premier-class.

* Rossi's pole position at Donington Park was his 30th in the premier-class, one more than Kevin Schwantz and second only to Mick Doohan's total of 58.

* Rossi has gone on to win 25 of the 30 premier-class races he has started from pole, a ratio equal to 83.3%.

* Rossi's victory at Donington Park last weekend was his 75th from 149 starts. Only three riders have stood on top of a Grand Prix podium on more occasions: Giacomo Agostini, Angel Nieto and Mike Hailwood.

* Rossi's win in the first round of the season at Jerez made him the only rider other than Agostini to win the opening race of the year on five consecutive occasions.

* Rossi's current advantage is the biggest by any rider after nine rounds of the premier-class World Championship since Mick Doohan in 1997.

* In the 25 races since he joined Yamaha, Rossi has taken 16 victories, 20 podiums and an average of 20.6 points per start, his best record from the three manufacturers he has raced with.

-gyt-