Editing Valentino Rossi (section)

=====2015=====
[[File:Valentino rossi COTA 2015.png|thumb|Rossi during an autograph session in the [[2015 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas|2015 Grand Prix of the Americas]]]]
With a season of consistent podium finishes – including two wins in San Marino and Australia – there were once more hopes that Rossi might be able to win his tenth title this year. He started the 2015 season – his 20th in World Championship level – by taking victory in the opening race in [[2015 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix|Qatar]]; it was his first win in a season-opening race since the 2010 Qatar race. Rossi held off Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to cross the line 0.174 seconds ahead and complete his 109th Grand Prix victory while Dovizioso's teammate [[Andrea Iannone]] finished third, completing an all-Italian podium – the first since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/217083/1/vintage-rossi-outwits-ducati-for-qatar-glory |title=Vintage Rossi outwits Ducati for Qatar glory|date=29 March 2015|website=Crash|access-date=22 August 2020|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927183548/https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/217083/1/vintage-rossi-outwits-ducati-for-qatar-glory|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motorsport/32109292 |title=Valentino Rossi wins season opener in Qatar|publisher=BBC Sport|date=29 March 2015|access-date=5 April 2015|archive-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017014823/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motorsport/32109292|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MotoGP records destroyed in the desert|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/04/05/motogp-records-destroyed-in-the-desert/173124|date=5 April 2015|access-date=5 April 2015|work=motogp.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|archive-date=11 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411234637/http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/04/05/motogp-records-destroyed-in-the-desert/173124|url-status=live}}</ref> In the second race in the Americas, Rossi scored his first third-place podium. He moved up into second place but couldn't match the pace of polesitter and eventual winner Marc Márquez and lost second position to Dovizioso in the late stages of the race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/217561/1/marquez-completes-motogp-treble-in-texas |title=Marquez completes MotoGP treble in Texas|date=12 April 2015|website=Crash.net|access-date=23 April 2019|archive-date=22 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422164330/https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/217561/1/marquez-completes-motogp-treble-in-texas|url-status=live}}</ref> His second victory of the season came in [[2015 Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix|Argentina]] where Rossi and polesitter Márquez had a clash after a battle for the lead, causing Márquez to crash out of the penultimate lap and handing Rossi the race victory. This win consolidated his championship lead, becoming the first rider to win a race using an extra-hard [[Bridgestone]] rear tyre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/217930/1/rossi-rules-as-marquez-crashes-on-penultimate-lap |title=Rossi rules as Marquez crashes on penultimate lap|date=19 April 2015|website=Crash.net|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref>

He recorded his fourth podium finish of the year, eighth successive podium finish – and the 200th of his Grand Prix career – with a third place in [[2015 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix|Spain]], then kept the run going with a second place in [[2015 French motorcycle Grand Prix|France]] and a third place on home soil in [[2015 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix|Italy]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lorenzo puts on master class to claim Jerez win|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/05/03/lorenzo-puts-on-master-class-to-claim-jerez-win/175051|date=3 May 2015|access-date=3 May 2015|work=MotoGP.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|quote=Unlike in Argentina he managed to respond to keep the Italian in bay with Rossi eventually crossing the line in third, a further six seconds back, to claim his 200th World Championship podium.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/218946/1/lorenzo-holds-off-rossi-at-le-mans.html |title=MotoGP Le Mans: Lorenzo holds off Rossi in Le Mans|date=17 May 2015|access-date=27 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/05/31/lorenzo-delivers-master-class-to-make-it-three-in-a-row/176886 |title=Lorenzo delivers master class to make it three in a row|work=MotoGP.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|date=31 May 2015|access-date=31 May 2015}}</ref> In [[2015 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix|Catalunya]], Rossi finished second after a late charge on teammate and race winner Jorge Lorenzo to maintain the championship lead over his teammate by one point.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motorsport/33127468 |title=Jorge Lorenzo beats Valentino Rossi|publisher=BBC Sport|date=14 June 2015|access-date=14 June 2015}}</ref>

Rossi took his first pole position of the season in the [[2015 Dutch TT|Dutch]] race – his first pole since the 2014 Valencian Community round and 61st pole position in Grand Prix racing – and achieved his third victory of the season after a race-long battle with Márquez where the pair once again collided on the final corner on the last lap.<ref>{{cite news|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/220532/1/motogp-race-director-talks-rossi-marquez-incident.html |title= MotoGP Assen: Race Director talks Rossi, Marquez incident|date=28 June 2015|access-date=28 June 2015}}</ref> It was his first win from pole position since the 2009 San Marino Grand Prix and his twelfth successive podium. He also extended his championship lead to ten points over Lorenzo, who finished third.

Rossi further extended his championship lead in [[2015 German motorcycle Grand Prix|Germany]] with third and continued his podium streak with third-place finishes in [[2015 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix|Indianapolis]] and the [[2015 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix|Czech Republic]].<ref>{{cite news|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/221066/1/rossi-title-charge-is-on.html |title=MotoGP Germany: Rossi: Title charge is on|date=13 July 2015|access-date=13 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/221868/1/rossi-we-knew-we-had-to-suffer.html |title=MotoGP Indianapolis: Rossi: 'We knew we had to suffer'|date=9 August 2015|access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/222030/1/lorenzo-rossi-title-battle-starts-from-zero.html |title=Lorenzo, Rossi MotoGP title battle 'starts from zero'|date=16 August 2015|access-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> Lorenzo's win in Brno gave him the championship lead over Rossi, by virtue of more wins in that point.

Rossi regained the championship lead with his fourth victory of the year in [[2015 British motorcycle Grand Prix|Great Britain]] after Márquez – who had been chasing him for the majority of the race – crashed out in wet conditions on lap 13 while Lorenzo finished fourth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/08/30/rain-master-rossi-rules-at-silverstone/183092 |title=Rain-master Rossi rules in Silverstone|work=MotoGP.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|date=30 August 2015|access-date=30 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/222487/1/rossi-wins-dramatic-wet-british-gp |title=Rossi wins dramatic wet British GP|date=30 August 2015|website=Crash.net|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref> The podium streak of 16 races ended with a fifth-place finish in [[2015 San Marino and Rimini's Coast motorcycle Grand Prix|San Marino]], but Rossi extended his championship lead to 23 points after Lorenzo crashed out.<ref>{{cite web|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/223017/1/rossi-wanted-to-cry-but-important-result.html |title=MotoGP Misano: Rossi 'wanted to cry', but 'important result' |date=13 September 2015|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> Lorenzo won the [[2015 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix|Aragón]] round with Rossi finishing in third to cut the gap to fourteen points with four races remaining. The pair's results were enough for the [[Yamaha Motor Racing]] team to clinch their respective title, their first since 2010.<ref>{{cite web|work=Crash.net|publisher=Crash Media Group|url=http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/223583/1/rossi-i-played-all-my-cards-and-more.html |title= MotoGP Aragon: Rossi: I played all my cards – and more|date=27 September 2015|access-date=28 September 2015}}</ref>

In [[2015 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix|Japan]], Rossi extended his championship lead to eighteen points with a second-place finish to Dani Pedrosa – his first win of the season – in drying conditions. Lorenzo had started on pole but faded to third with tyre issues.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/10/11/peerless-pedrosa-takes-his-50th-gp-victory-at-motegi/186727 |title=Peerless Pedrosa takes his 50th GP victory in Motegi|work=MotoGP.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|date=11 October 2015|access-date=11 October 2015|quote=Dani Pedrosa rides a superb race to take victory in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan while Rossi extends lead over Lorenzo to 18 points.}}</ref> Lorenzo then cut the lead to eleven points in [[2015 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix|Australia]] by finishing second to Rossi's fourth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121387 |title=Marc Marquez beats Jorge Lorenzo on last lap|work=Autosport|publisher=Haymarket Publications|date=18 October 2015|access-date=18 October 2015}}</ref>

Lorenzo further cut the lead to seven points after a second-place finish in [[2015 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix|Malaysia]]; Rossi finished third after a controversial collision with Márquez, in which he accrued three penalty points – enough to enforce a start from the back of the grid for the final race in the [[2015 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix|Valencian Community]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/10/25/pedrosa-wins-as-lorenzo-cuts-rossi-s-lead-to-7-points/188359 |title=Pedrosa wins as Lorenzo cuts Rossi's lead to 7 points|work=MotoGP.com|publisher=Dorna Sports|date=25 October 2015|access-date=25 October 2015}}</ref> Rossi accused Márquez of deliberately trying to harm his championship, something Márquez repeatedly denied.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121708 |title=Rossi: Marquez embarrassed MotoGP by helping Lorenzo win|magazine=Autosport|date=8 November 2015|access-date=11 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121712 |title=Marc Marquez 'insulted' by accusations from Valentino Rossi|magazine=Autosport|date=8 November 2015|access-date=11 November 2015}}</ref> Rossi made it up to fourth in the race but with Lorenzo winning it, he took the championship by only five points.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motorsport/34760108 |title=Jorge Lorenzo beats Valentino Rossi to win third title|date=8 November 2015|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref>

The controversial rivalries between Rossi and Márquez appeared to end in the [[2016 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix|2016 Catalan Grand Prix]], when Rossi and Márquez shook hands in the parc ferme. However, during the [[2018 Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix|2018 Argentine Grand Prix]], controversies reared up again following some disputed maneuvers carried out by Marc Márquez before and during the race, where he tried a very risky overtake on Rossi that resulted in a crash for the latter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/argentina-motogp-crutchlow-start-confusion-marquez-rossi-penalty-1023759/1400711/ |title=Argentina MotoGP: Crutchlow wins crazy race, Marquez hits Rossi|website=Motorsport.com|date=8 April 2018 |access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref>