Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography

by Stuart Barker

'AN EXCEPTIONAL READ' - Motor Cycle News'STUART BARKER IS TO WRITING WHAT VALENTINO ROSSI IS TO RIDING [...] A MUST-READ FOR ALL BIKE NUTS' - DAILY MIRROR'At high speed everything becomes more difficult and more beautiful. When you're racing at 180mph, the semi-bends become bends, the little holes become big holes, everything becomes extreme and bigger. And then it becomes beautiful.'Valentino Rossi is an the most successful and most loved motorcycle racer of all time, he has transcended MotoGP to become a symbol of courage, risk and daring. To race for twenty-three years at the very highest level of the world's most dangerous sport is unprecedented. But then, there has never been a motorcycle racer like Valentino Rossi. He is a modern-day gladiator, a man who still risks his life every time he throws a leg over a motorcycle.Yet for all his two-wheel talents, it is Rossi's endearing character that has seen him transcend the sport. His popularity is phenomenal. For Rossi, every race is a home race. He turns MotoGP grandstands across the world a sea of yellow - his traditional lucky colour. In more than two decades of Grand Prix racing, Rossi has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of his unprecedented success, serious injuries, fabulous wealth, the greatest battles ever seen on two wheels, the infamous on and off-track clashes with his fiercest rivals . . .Using exclusive new interviews with those who have been part of Rossi's story from start to finish, critically-acclaimed and bestselling motorsport author Stuart Barker has produced the most in-depth book ever written about the Italian superstar - a tale of speed, love and loss, told in full for the very first time, in all its adrenalin-charged, high-octane glory.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2020

About the author

Stuart Barker was born in Galloway, Scotland and graduated from Strathclyde University in 1996. A lifelong motor racing fan, he worked at Motor Cycle News, first as a news reporter then as a feature writer and road tester. After four years, he became a freelance writer and has been published in many magazines including FHM, Superbike, Two Wheels Only and Biker. He has co-written books with Niall Mackenzie and Steve Hislop and wrote a bestselling biography of the late Barry Sheene.

Reviews

[Ming Wei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book, covered allot more topics and areas of Valentino Rossi life than I was expecting, at the start of the book you learn that his father was also a very good motorbike racer, and that an accident stopped him reaching the top of the sport, thus said his father still performed very good and was a highly respected racing driver, adored by the women! The book then switches its focus onto Valentino, and you get the typical biography life path from youngster showing great potential and thriving to follow his dream, to a grown adult that reaches world wide famous acclaim, despite becoming one the most famous people on the planet, he remains humble and down to earth not letting fame go to his head. The book goes into great depth about the pressure endured by Rossi, along with all the career highs and lows. The book is very rich in detail, and very interesting, it is a book that is much more than just a motorbike racing book, you get to nuderstand the person more and more with each page you read. Nice front cover, no editorial erors that I found, eight pages of photos inside, showing clips from his youth years, career, private life, and experiments on four wheel racing. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Marcin Szynkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zacznijmy od tego, że polskie wydanie książki bardzo ładnie wyszło marketingowo - angielski tytuł "The Definitive Biography" sugeruje, że mamy do czynienia z kompletną biografią. Ta biografia nie jest "Definitive". Brakuje w niej choćby informacji o samym zakończeniu kariery przez Rossiego, które wydarzyło się w tym samym roku, co wydanie tej książki. Brak tu też szerszego opisu jego kariery w wyścigach samochodowych, ale też jest to spowodowane po części tym, w którym momencie została ona wydana.

Przechodząc jednak już do samej treści, autor bardzo sprawnie przeprowadził mnie przez kolejne etapy kariery Rossiego, nie wgłębiając się w szczegóły i niepotrzebne rzeczy.

Na tylnej części okładki znajduje się zdanie: "Stuart Barker pisze tak, jak Valentino Rossi jeździ". Zgadzam się z tym zdaniem. Biografia jest poprowadzona dynamicznie, bez większych dłużyzn. Wyjaśnione zostały co ważniejsze punkty kariery, spięcia pomiędzy zawodnikami i walki, które na zawsze odmieniły jego jazdę. Pozwoliło to też spojrzeć na to, jakim Rossi był człowiekiem i zdystansować się od uwielbienia jego ponad wszystko. Książka zawiera bardzo mało zdjęć, znajdują się one tylko na środku książki, a jest co pokazywać.

Muszę też pochwalić tłumaczenie Pana Bartosza Sałbuta, kolejne już w jego dorobku. Bardzo sprawnie wszystko się czyta, nie ma żadnych zgrzytów. Panie Bartoszu - dziękuję.

Dużym plusem tej publikacji jest także znajdujący się na końcu spis wszystkich sezonów, w których Rossi startował, jakie miejsca zajmował w wyścigach i na którym miejscu kończył w ostatecznej kwalifikacji.

Kariera Rossiego zasługuje też na prawdziwą "Definitive" wersję, która mogłaby mieć z 700 stron, opisującą dogłębniej jego fenomen i wszystkie aspekty jego kariery.

Polecam wszystkim fanom Rossiego, ale także fanom MotoGP w ogóle czy motocyklistom.

[bookolożka · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 🌟

Niezwykła książka o niezwykłym człowieku. 🙌
VR 46 ❤️

[Raluca Apostol · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of it being an easy to read biography, it delivers. It is structured in clear chapters, includes interviews and it's easy to follow even for someone like me, who isn't a major fan of non fiction.

But in terms of it being non-biased, as someone mentioned below? Yeah, no. Sure, it's not completely biased, but I kept wondering whether the author is a major fan and can only see Rossi through rose tinted glasses or if Rossi's staff wouldn't allow anything in the book that doesn't paint him in a perfect life. The man seems delirious enough.

I've been a fan of Rossi since I started watching motorcycling in 2004, but the human quality of the guy is at the very least questionable. That part isn't presented in the book. For example, it keeps saying what a nice guy he is and how he's always there for the fans but fails to mention the scandal from 2016 when he bumped a fan with the scooter. They couldn't avoid talking about the incident with Marquez and in the author's defense, they did try to say that some say it wasn't right, Rossi's team claims he didn't do it, bla bla, so at least that part shows both sides.

Overall, it was better than What I have never tried it because it includes a larger portion of his life, post his winning streak and incredible smugness. To me, it showed a lot about how Rossi is as a character and it made me like him less from that aspect. He was still a fantastic rider though.

[Hilda Czyta]

Mega ciekawa książka, dużo fajnych smaczków o Vale. Końcówka trochę za mało szczegółowa, ale nadal jest to must read każdego fana Rossiego 💛

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuart Barker is brilliant at capturing the high emotions of motorcycle racinng, and Rossi is a fascinating subject. Rossi was, and still is, a pheneomendally popular rider with a following that transcends the sport. It is clear that Barker admires him immensely, but he doesn't shy away from relating Rossi's darker side. Every top sportsperson has a ruthless streak, and Rossi's was a mile wide.

[Luca Pelorosso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lettura scorrevole sulla storia di Valentino Rossi. Naturalmente gli eventi sportivi l’ha fanno da padrone ma esce fuori la persona valentino dietro lo sportivo Rossi.

[Klaudyna Maciąg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skończyłam lekturę grubo po północy, bo nie mogłam się oderwać.

Biografia Valentino Rossiego przeniosła mnie w czasy dzieciństwa i dorastania, gdy niedziele spędzałam przed TV, podziwiając swojego uwielbianego przez tłumy idola – bezsprzecznie najlepszego motocyklisty w historii, a przy okazji przesympatycznego, uroczego człowieka.

Taki przynajmniej był w oczach fanów, ponieważ Stuart Barker, mimo iż docenia umiejętności, inteligencję, dobre serce i waleczność Vale, nie waha się wspominać o jego najgorszych cechach charakteru, krzywych akcjach i skandalizujących zachowaniach.

To nie laurka, to nie pieśń pochwalna dla bożyszcza milionów – momentami jest bardzo gorzko. I za to tak bardzo tę biografię cenię – za rzetelność, wierność faktom, niekoloryzowanie, a przy okazji też za obszerność. To kawał naprawdę dobrej lektury – nie tylko dla fanów motosportów, ale sportu ogólnie.

[Toby Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I wanted. Despite being a MotoGP fan for the last 5+ years, and a Rossi fan at that, I didn't know a lot about his history.

This biography delivered that on a plate. A chronological look at Rossi's career in motorcycle racing, his success and journey to GOAT status, and the intense rivalries with Biaggi, Gibernau, Lorenzo, Stoner, and Marquez.

I haven't thought about this before, but the benefit of a biography in comparison to an autobiography is that you get a balanced argument with the views of several contributors. Very important especially when discussing Rossi's rivalries.

I really enjoyed this and read the last third of the book this morning just to get it over the line. Marked down slightly as mega Rossi fans may want something more comprehensive. Seeing as you can't rate in half-stars on Goodreads, it's a 9/10 for me!

[Vasco Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Very complete biography, which would be expected given that it takes advantage of infinite references (articles, books, interviews, documentaries) produced over more than 20 years, and still includes exclusive interviews.

I'm not really a fan of the writer's style, especially when it comes to the preview (spoiler?) he does between each chapter. (even if we all know what Valentino did.)

He approached, as expected, the creative celebrations that marked Valentino's style. He didn’t just talked about the disruptive side, that changed the rigid and closed mentality that existed in the sport at that time, but explained many of them in detail, so we could get to know better Valentino's life, feelings, and way of thinking. Thus, I think it was a failure to not include the celebration of his last race for Honda, one of the most memorable and thrilling of his career, along with the first celebration for Yamaha (which is reported perfectly by the autor).

Still, a very good read.

[Mrs Pauline A Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!
This biography was very informative and completely non-biased. I would describe myself as being an avid fan of Vali, but there was a lot in this book that I didn't know. The interviews with other riders, past and present, were very interesting and made more so by the fact that not all were Vail fans! An absolute MUST for all Vail fans.

[Gregory van Hoeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

As somebody who comes from a sport of Motocross background and vaguely heard his name back in the day, and recently been exposed more to Rossi through following GT3 racing (BMW Team WRT). It's been a pleasure to get to know more about his life, who he is as a person, and all his remarkable achievements in MotoGP.

All in all very enjoyable read.

[alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best sports biographies I’ve read so far, perhaps second only to Marc Priestley’s The Mechanic. While not all-encompassing - really, what could be - it made for a fantastic read nonetheless. Would be great for fans new to the sport.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read littered with glaring errors. “Harder rear tyre which offered more grip but less durability”, “Yahama”, duplicated words, etc. Otherwise a decent summary of Rossi’s career until 2019.

[Jo Cleobury · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read, just disappointed that it was cut short at the end.
The ending felt rushed and didn't do the book justice, also very disappointed that Rossi's retirement from MotoGP wasn't included. It would of been a five star review if the ending had been different.

[Michael MacRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book tries to put a lot of emphasis on how Rossi became a phenomenon beyond motorcycling, but it still seems hard to explain how the number 46 became larger than MotoGP in many places and hearts.

[Chris Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid read and comprehensive account of a legend. It did feel like it was missing some more personal stories and information about Vale though. Worth a read though

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. Great insights from a fabulous career. Thank you, Stuart Barker! Grazie, Vale!

[Darcey Coates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Leaned a lot about him and his journey. His heros and rivalries. Amazing.

[Wyktor Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well-written book on the life of the greatest motorcycle racer ever. An in-depth insight into Rossi the man, the racer, and the legend. Thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended.

[Jed · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written!

[Dirtbag Diesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The GOAT of motorcycle racing. Outstanding bio about the man. Finished in an insomnia fueled binge.

[Damiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ottimo libro e molto ricco

[Georgia Handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite insightful, but only makes me dislike him even more. Egotistical to the extreme. Marc is the real GOAT 🐐

[Mark Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but good bio. For me I can never forget Valentino for the "kick".

[Decimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, but I'm not a fan of his and this definitely doesn't change my mind.

[Roberto Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un inglese che scrive di Valentino? Eh sì, ed anche bene. Un capitolo per ogni stagione sportiva dalla classe 125. Io non sono un esperto ma alcune gare di motoGP di Valentino era imperdibili.questo libro mi è servito per mettere in fila i fatti ,dargli un senso ,ricordare episodi dimenticati e scoprirne di innumerevoli. Forse un appassionato li sa già ma credo possa comunque essere piacevole per dargli un ordine cronologico e consequenziale. Non sapevo avesse avuto così tante fidanzate conosciute!ma questa è solo una divagazione finale, il resto è sport e fatti durante le stagioni dei gran premi. Sono contento di averlo letto, pensa se non ci avessi provato.....come Valentino!

[la_biblioteca_di_angelica]

📚Scrivere di una persona di un certo calibro come Valentino Rossi sicuramente non è facile, ma in questa biografia sono uscite tutte le sfaccettature : dalla persona, al personaggio al campione. Dai lati migliori a quelli peggiori.

📝Una lettura scorrevole, piena di avvenimenti e aneddoti consigliata a chi è tifoso di Valentino Rossi oppure vuole semplicemente saperne di più.