Editing Valentino Rossi (section)

===Early career===
Rossi was born in [[Urbino]], in the [[Marche]] region of Italy.<ref name="MotoGP.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Valentino+Rossi |title=Valentino Rossi |publisher=MotoGP |access-date=1 September 2008 |archive-date=24 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624095731/http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Valentino+Rossi |url-status=dead}}</ref> While he was a child, his family moved to [[Tavullia]]. The son of former motorcycle racer [[Graziano Rossi]], he began riding at a very young age.<ref name="yamaha-racing1">{{cite web |url=http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/rider_team/rossi.jsp |title=MotoGP&nbsp;– Valentino Rossi |publisher=Yamaha Racing |date=16 February 1979 |access-date=1 March 2010 |archive-date=7 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707154107/http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/rider_team/rossi.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rossi began with [[kart racing]] rather than minimoto racing due to his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.serabutan.com/2020/02/antara-lorenzo-rossi-dan-motogp-2021.html |title=Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and MotoGP 2021 |date=29 January 2020 |publisher=serabutan.com |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217061721/https://www.serabutan.com/2020/02/antara-lorenzo-rossi-dan-motogp-2021.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rossi won the regional kart championship in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/rider_team/rossi.jsp# |title=MotoGP&nbsp;– Valentino Rossi |publisher=Yamaha Racing |date=16 February 1979 |access-date=1 March 2010 |archive-date=7 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707154107/http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/motogp/rider_team/rossi.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> After this, he took up [[minimoto]] and, before the end of 1991, had won numerous regional races.<ref name="yamaha-racing1"/>

Rossi continued to race karts and finished fifth at the national kart championships in [[Parma]]. Both he and his father thought about transitioning to the Italian 100cc series and the European series, which could have potentially directed him toward [[Formula One]]. However, the high costs associated with kart racing led them to choose to focus solely on racing minimotos.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}