Top Five MotoGP Racers of All Time

I chose the following five MotoGP riders as my favorites. They represent patriotism for their homelands and professionalism on the tracks. They have suffered adversity and criticism yet always prevailed. They promote safety
on the tracks and loyalty to their sponsors.

Mick Doohan,born June 4,1065 in Brisbane, Australia is former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. He won 5 consecutive 500cc World Championships. He is considered to be one of the best motorcycle racers in the history of the sport.

Doohan competed successfully throughout the early 1090s and was headed for his first world championship when he was seriously injured in a crash before the 1992 DutchTT.

He suffered permanent damage to his right leg and risked amputation of the leg. After a long recovery Doohan returned to racing. He struggled through 1993 and in 1994 won his first 500cc World Championship. By the end of 1998, he had won five consecutive championships.

In June,1996 Doohan was inducted as a member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the sport of racing. In 1999 Doohan suffered another accident, breaking his leg in several places, forcing his retirement.

Following his retirement, he worked as a roving adviser to Honda's Grand Prix race effort. At the end of 2004, Doohan left Honda and married Selina Sines. They have two children, Alexis and Jack.

Valentino Rossi was born Feb.16,1979 in Urbino, Italy. Rossi won a total of 9 Grand Prix World Championships. Sports Illustrated quoted Rossi's earnings as one of the highest in all sports personalities in the world. His 2007 earnings boasted $34 million.

Rossi started racing in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first world championship the following year. Rossi stated that when he retires, he hopes to move into rallying.

In March, 2010, the Italian minister Franco Frattini awarded Rossi the first Winning Italy Award for the image he portrays of his country on an international level.

Casey Stoner started his racing career at the age of four. He competed in his first race in the under 9s category at the Hatcher's dirt racing track on the Gold Coast. By the age of six he had won his first Australia title.

After winning many races in England and other countries abroad, Stoner got his chance at racing in MotoGP. He was twenty years old. Stoner is now one of the leading contenders in the 2010 lineup.

Giacomo Agostini is considered perhaps the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time. He has had a successful career of 17 years. Among his wins are 15 world grand prix titles, 12 Isle of ManTT crowns, and 122 Grands Prix.

Born in Brescia, Italy in 1942 "Ago", as he became known, claimed the 500cc world title in both 1966 and 1967. His last career victory came at the Nurburgring, the Germany venue where he had won his very first Grand Prix race in 1965.

After retirement, Agostini became team manager Yamaha's and later Cagiva's Grand Prix racing squads. Among his many awards he was recognized by the World Sports Academy.

Born July 30,1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, Nicky Hayden is an American road racer. In 1999, he won his first Grand National Championship race (Hagerstown Half Mile) and took Rookie of the Year. He won his first MotoGP World Championship in 2006.

In 2008 Hayden left Honda and joined the Ducati Marlboro Team. Early in the 2010 season, Hayden noted the pressure from the American to win a race. Nicky averages a MotoGP win every 39 races. He is the reigning world champion. Hayden has two brothers,Tommy and Roger Lee, both professional motorcycle racers, and two sisters, Jenny and Kathleen.

References:

Sources: Wiki Encyclopedia