Rossi finished ninth in his first 125cc season on an Aprilia before he started to dominate. He won his first world title in his second year in 1997, then needed only two more years to win at 250cc.

Valentino Rossi, one of the greatest ... He has stood on the podium 235 times in his career, the first coming in Austria in 1996 with third place on a 125cc Aprilia.

His 250cc Aprilia went to another Italian rider - Melandri, who was then just 18 years old. “I arrived at Aprilia to replace Valentino, who had just won,” Melandri told Relevo .

Valentino Rossi, one of the greatest ... He has stood on the podium 235 times in his career, the first coming in Austria in 1996 with third place on a 125cc Aprilia.

Aprilia, for its part, has stated that nobody outside the team has access to rider data. Valentino Rossi, Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images ...