Rossi loved beating Biaggi almost as much as winning World titles. Riding with that legendary 46, which had been his father Graziano’s racing number. he followed up the 125 and 250cc World titles with seven premier class crowns thanks to 89 wins on both Honda and Yamaha machinery. Only eight other riders in the 74-year history of Grand Prix racing have had their race numbers retired from the entry lists: Kevin Schwantz (34) and Loris Capirossi (65), while Jason Dupasquier (50), Luis Salom (39), Shoya Tomizawa (48), Daijiro Kato (74), Marco Simoncelli (58) and Nicky Hayden’s (69) race numbers were withdrawn in a tribute to their memory.