Valentino Rossi: Motogenius

Updated to tell the story of the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP seasons, here is the compelling story of Valentino Rossi, arguably the greatest motorcycle racer ever - certainly the most entertaining. The cheeky-faced Italian, who has a massive fan base outside the sport as well as within motorcycle racing, has already proved his sublime talent. Aged 24, he conquered the three Grand Prix World Championship titles in just five seasons, winning the 125 crown in 1997, the 250 crown in 1999, and the (very last) 500 title in 2001. He also won the inaugural MotoGP Championship in 2002. All that speed and, against the morass of anti-personality stars that prevail today, he's such a cool dude. The book covers: why he grew up so fast and so funny, with input from his parents (father was a GP winner in the late 1970s); year-by-year career history, from riding minibikes aged 10 through to the 2003 MotoGP season - the victories, the defeats, the rivals, the crashes; the bikes, the riding techniques; how he adapted his spectacular riding style to maintain his dominance as the two-stoke 500 GP class gave way to four-stroke MotoGP for 2002; Rossi at play, post-race partying and the Valenteenieboppers who chase him around; and the infamous Rossi hairstyles, happenings and phrases.