It all began way back in 1996, when a fresh-faced 17-year-old lined up 13th on the grid in Sepang, Malaysia. Riding Aprilia’s RS125, Rossi earned himself a top six finish, catching the eye of plenty of onlookers that day. A string of impressive performances followed which eventually culminated in a first podium at the Austrian GP, and then a maiden victory at the Czech GP two weeks later. It was the next year when Rossi eventually came into his own, blowing the competition away in 1997 to romp home to the 125 cc World Championship, taking 11 wins in 15 Grand Prix.

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