INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008 He is one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time. He has rock-star status throughout Europe and is mobbed by legions of fans wherever he goes. His venerable number 46 adorns decals on passenger vehicles, hats and T-shirts across Europe, much like NASCAR fans display their heroes’ numbers in America. His skill and charisma have made him one of the highest-paid athletes on Earth, as Sports Illustrated estimated his earnings at $34 million in 2007. He is Valentino Rossi, and he is coming to America. Five-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi, from Italy, is bringing his speed, daring and unique, larger-than-life personality to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 12-14. He leads the MotoGP point standings entering Indianapolis as he aims for his sixth MotoGP title and his eighth overall world title, as he won championships in 250cc and 125cc competition before moving to the top class. “Valentino Rossi is a true global icon,” said Joie Chitwood, IMS president and chief operating officer. “With his incredible talent and larger-than-life personality, Rossi has become the ambassador for his sport on the level of Formula One’s Michael Schumacher or soccer’s David Beckham.” The numbers surrounding Rossi’s career are staggering. He has 93 career victories combined in the MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc classes since debuting in the 125cc class as a 17-year-old in 1996. Rossi also has recorded 68 career victories in the premier MotoGP class since climbing to that level in 2000, even with all-time leader and fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini. Rossi, who has six victories in 2008, has averaged 7.5 victories per year in his nine seasons in MotoGP. Even the great seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, the all-time statistical leader in nearly every F1 category, averaged only 4.8 victories per season through the first nine full seasons of his F1 career that featured schedules of similar lengths as MotoGP. Rossi took little time to make an indelible mark on every class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. He won the championship in his second year in each category 125cc in 1997, 250cc in 1999 and MotoGP in 2001. Rossi won five consecutive MotoGP titles from 2001-05. “Superlatives can be easily thrown about when talking about sporting greatness, but they truly don’t suffice for Valentino Rossi,” said Gavin Emmett, communications director for Dorna Sports, which has held exclusive commercial and television rights to MotoGP since 1992. “Already one of MotoGP’s all-time legends, he has helped take the sport on to new heights thanks to his magnificent achievements on track, and his charming and electric personality off it. “He is a true champion, Italy’s highest paid and most-famous sportsman, and an icon across the world. He’s probably the greatest sportsman to be unheard of outside his sport in the USA.” Statistics alone would cement Rossi’s legendary status. But Rossi also has that hard-to-quantify “X factor” that has endeared him to millions worldwide. There are many spices in recipe for the Rossi mystique. First, his nickname “The Doctor.” There are numerous tales about how Rossi received the nickname, including his clinical defeats of opponents, the honorary title of “Doctor” that anyone in Italy who receives a degree is entitled to use, or that the name Rossi is a common surname for physicians in Italy and that Rossi kept hearing the name “Dr. Rossi” being paged often in airports. Second, his rivalries. Rossi has developed some fiery rivalries during his MotoGP career that have fanned intense flames among various fan factions. Rossi’s rivalry with fellow Italian Max Biaggi was passionate and intense in the late 90s and earlier this decade. After that feud ended, Spaniard Sete Gibernau became Rossi’s top challenger. Rossi vowed after one Gibernau victory that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the Spaniard never won again. That’s exactly what happened, which only increased Rossi’s legend. The rivalry between Rossi and 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner ignited after a tense duel between them at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix this July at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. A unique, fun-loving quirky personality is the final ingredient in the Rossi mystique. His post-race victory celebrations are the stuff of legend. During his victory laps, he has carried on his bike an angel, a giant rubber chicken and someone dressed like a doctor. He has appeared on the victory podium wearing a large wig and a college graduate’s mitre cap. When Rossi won his seventh world title by capturing the 2005 MotoGP crown, he was greeted on track by eight people dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That flamboyance also has extended to his protective gear. Rossi loves fluorescent yellow, and it always appears on his leathers and helmet color schemes. His helmet and leathers always feature the sun and the moon on opposite sides, while an image of his face with eyes and mouth wide open covered the entire crown of his helmet at a race this season. Rossi’s motorcycle always carries decals that include a caricature of his bulldog, Guido, and a mock-up of his insurance documents. *** Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008. Three-day tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Single-day general admission tickets will be available at the gate Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. The one-day tickets are $10 each Friday and $20 each Saturday. These tickets only can be purchased at the gates with cash.