Making MotoGP popular my biggest achievement, says Rossi

Rossi started his career in the 125cc category and won a world title in 1997, followed by the 250cc championship in 1999; he moved to the premier class and won seven titles between 2001 and 2009

Seven-times MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi said he was pleased with his achievement in a glittering 25-year career of popularising the sport as he prepared for his final race at the Valencia Grand Prix.

The 41-year-old Italian will make his 432nd Grand Prix start this weekend having amassed a record 89 wins and 199 podium finishes in MotoGP.

"I think that the most positive thing in my career is that a lot of people started to follow MotoGP to follow my career from the beginning, and the sport became bigger, more famous in Italy but also all around the world," Rossi told reporters on November 11.