Throughout his career, Valentino Rossi encountered several formidable opponents, engaging in many memorable rivalries – some more healthy and amicable than others. Particularly with Marc Márquez, there was an unhealthy animosity.
Uccio Salucci, one of Il Dottore’s closest friends, spoke about the rivals Rossi faced during his career. Regarding the rivalry with Márquez, he dismissed it: ‘That’s not even a rivalry’, he said on YouTube’s Mig Babol.
The current team director of VR46 then spoke about the showdown between Rossi and Max Biaggi: ‘The most beautiful, healthy, and authentic rivalry was with Biaggi. He was a deity in Italy, always on television, had won three titles, chose to leave the Aprilia 250cc in 1997 to move to Honda in a lower displacement class and still win. In 1998, he debuted in the 500cc and won on his debut in Suzuka, ahead of [Mick] Doohan, which deserves praise’.
This was a rivalry that initially unfolded across different categories, until Rossi entered the premier class as Salucci recalled: ‘Up to that point, it was an underlying rivalry between different categories, but I knew sooner or later the clash would come. The year 2001 was beautiful, genuine, with lots of banter, yet with underlying mutual respect’.