Valentino Rossi is a MotoGP legend and is loved by many fans all over the world. But do you know how his MotoGP journey began? Let’s take a look at his first-ever race in the premier class.

The Beginning
Valentino Rossi raced in the 125cc and 250cc classes before he moved up to the premier MotoGP in 2000. He joined Honda’s factory team, riding the Honda NSR500. At that time, MotoGP was still called the 500cc World Championship, and the bikes were extremely fast and difficult to control.

The First Race of the Season: South African Grand Prix 2000
Rossi's first race took place on March 19, 2000, at the Phakisa Freeway circuit in South Africa. Fans were excited to see how the young Italian would perform against experienced riders like Kenny Roberts Jr., Max Biaggi, and Alex Crivillé.

The race itself was not easy for Rossi. He started strong but soon struggled with the power of the bike. The 500cc bikes were much harder to handle than the 250cc bike Rossi was used to. Unfortunately, Rossi crashed during the race and could not finish. It was a disappointing start, but Rossi did not give up.

However, the race itself turned out to be thrilling, with Garry McCoy emerging as the unexpected winner. McCoy started from 9th place on the grid but made an impressive charge through the field to take the win.

The Aftermath
Even though Rossi retired from the race, his debut was an important milestone in his career. The race highlighted not just Rossi's potential, but also the unpredictability of the sport. It showed that anything could happen. For Rossi, it was a learning experience, but it didn’t change his determination.

Even though he didn’t finish his first race, Rossi managed to improve after the first few races. He began getting better results and by the end of the 2000 season, he won his first MotoGP race in Great Britain. He finished second in the championship, showing that he was a future champion.