Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Autosport Plus

The top ten MotoGP riders of 2009

Toby Moody gives his verdict on the top ten riders in this year's typically hard-fought MotoGP championship

1. Valentino Rossi

Yamaha
Starts: 17
Poles: 7
Wins: 6
Championship position: 1st

Again, there were times when you thought he was beaten, but then he fought back to be the champion. See his win in Jerez after a duff start to the year, for example. The magic they found to transform an off the pace Saturday bike to a winner on Sunday was truly amazing. Rossi just has the touch required to turn it around, but for how much longer can he keep doing that before the others suss it all out? That is his trick. As Mick Doohan said, 'It's all about experience.'

Although he fell in three races, all his costly disasters seemed to happen at Le Mans, when it was just not his day at all. Everything went wrong, so he didn't waste time worrying about it and just moved on. Far better to have a bad race early on, then you know it is out of the way, unlike Lorenzo whose bad race was three from the end in Australia. Rossi's luck of falling at Donington but still extending his title lead was just that - luck.

Previous article The 2009 MotoGP season review
Next article Suzuki impressed with Bautista

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe