Valentino Rossi holds the all-time record of 89 500cc/MotoGP race wins, but he was left empty handed 🧔on his premier-class debut in the 2000 Africa's Grand Prix.

The young Honda♐ rider had qualified a competitive fifth and, after dropping to 13th on the opening lap, began carving 📖his way up the order.

Rossi set what would be the fastest lap of the race on lap 5 and had climbed toไ sixth position - just ahead of reign🐼ing champion Alex Criville, pictured - by lap 11 of 28, with the leaders in sight.

But Rossi never reached them…

"My first [premier-class﷽] race was in South Africa with the 500," Ross🌞i recalled.

"I made a bad staﷺrt but after I did th🔯e fastest lap of the race with the Honda 500 two-stroke.

"When I arrived to the group🦄 in front and I thought, 'why are they going so slow?' And I 🤪crashed!

"So at that moment I understand maꦏybe they have the good pace and I♏ was a bit too fast."

Rossi also crashed out of the next round at Sepan♋g, before finally reaching the chequered flag with an eleventh place in Japan.

"For me, [the main difficulty with the 500] was managing the power and acceleration, which was a lot more than the 250," Rossi explained.🐼 "And also understanding the limit of the front, because the bike was a lot more heavy.

"It was difficult to understand how ♋much you can push."

But Rossi soon turned it ar﷽ound: His🐷 first premier-class podium came at Jerez (round four) and first win at Donington Park (round nine).

The rest, as they say, is history....