The 2001 500cc World Championship not only delivered a scintillating season of elbow-to-elbow racing, it was also a landmark year. This was the end of the historic 500cc era, as well as the first premier class championship chapter in a legend known simply as Valentino Rossi.
From the opening round, Honda-mounted Rossi made it clear he wanted another crown to add to his 125 and 250cc World Championships. The young Italian devastated the opposition to take three wins in a row, his dominance only broken when old rival Max Biaggi found form and closed the title race down to just 10 points. With seven rounds to go, it seemed the pressure got to Yamaha’s Biaggi, who ruined his championship chances with a series of falls. Rossi secured the title in one of the most spectacular races of the season. Needing only an eighth-place finish he battled Biaggi to snatch victory by just 0.013 seconds.
The 2001 season showed the man who would become known as The Doctor was something special. He took a stunning 11 wins, and won the title by more than 100 points from his nearest rival – total Rossi dominance. The season also saw stunning rides from Alex Barros, Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi, plus Britain's first Grand Prix winner for 15 years.
The Official Review delivers fast and furious action from all 16 rounds of the roller coaster championship, with trackside, aerial and on-bike cameras capturing every vital moment. Interviews with every race winner and informed commentary ensure comprehensive coverage of an historic MotoGP season.
Plus, this Official Review includes highlights from every race in the 125cc and 250cc classes. As ever, each championship produced thrilling action and genuine drama – and we witness all the best moments as stars of the future like Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elias, Marco Melandri and Alex de Angelis do battle, and the much-missed Daijiro Kato takes 11 wins on his way to a deserved World Championship.
“In a great collection of DVDs, covering one of the most exciting periods in Grand Prix history, Duke Video have captured the evolution of top flight racing, from Eddie Lawson’s final fling through to Valentino Rossi’s rise to dominance. Action-packed footage, interviews with the stars and round-by-round coverage delivers the most comprehensive reviews of a decade of red hot Grand Prix racing. It is easy to forget the highs of Grand Prix; the Doohan years, when the Australian seemed unbeatable, and the lows, like Wayne Rainey’s career-ending crash, but they are all here in hour upon hour of great memories. And you will be reminded of the forgotten heroes of the period too, such as Alex Criville, who shared the podium with Doohan on 10 occasions in 11 races during the 1996 season, pushing him all the way for the title” Classic Racer