Rossi is aiming for his first title-winning MotoGP bike from Honda

Valentino Rossi spoke with team head Alberto Puig about his hopes for Honda to provide him his first MotoGP title-winning 500cc bike, which he won in 2001.

The nine-time world champion retired from MotoGP at the end of last season, completing a 432 GP career that lasted 26 seasons.

Rossi won championships with Aprilia in the 125cc and 250cc classes, Honda in the two-stroke 500cc and four-stroke MotoGP classes, and Yamaha in MotoGP during his tenure.

During the Valencia finale, a special display of all of Rossi’s championship-winning bikes was set up in the paddock for him, with Rossi owning the majority of them.

The Honda NSR500 on which Rossi won his first championship in 2001 and the RC211Vs on which he won championships in 2002 and 2003 are the only bikes missing from his collection.

Rossi’s relationship with Honda deteriorated in 2003, when he believed his contribution to HRC’s success was underestimated, and the Italian signed with Yamaha for 2004.

Rossi said he was supposed to get the 2001 500cc Honda bike years ago but it never arrived, and he hopes HRC would change its mind one day.

“I speak with Alberto and I asked for – minimum – the 500, also because that 500 is my 500,” Rossi said.

“It’s the bike that Honda was supposed to give to me and I was ready to take, I had already the place at home [for it].

“But for some reason the bike never arrived. I’m happy if Honda change the idea and gave me that one.

“For sure, the bike will stay well, at a good temperature and have a good place at my house.”

“Well, it’s a complicated story,” Puig said when asked if Honda would consider Rossi’s request.

“So, I cannot answer, but this bike is also very important for us because we have it in a museum.

“Honda is very proud of the titles that we got, and also with the titles that Valentino got for us together.

“So, I’m sure we want to have this as a very important trophy in our house to show to our fans that we were capable of winning that title with that bike.”

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