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Today's your last day to submit your bid to buy a unique piece of motorcycle racing history. The Aprilia RS125R that Valentino Rossi rode to victory at the 1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno, his first ever world championship win, is up for auction by Sotheby's.
Rossi rode the Aprilia in his first year of world championship competition in the 125 class, back in the two-stroke era. Sotheby's said the RS125R has only had three owners, including the original Aprilia race team. The motorcycle was sold after the end of the race season to a private owner, who kept it until 2013, when it was sold to the current owner who has put it up for auction. Sotheby's said the ownership chain is fully documented and the bike also comes with documentation from the Aprilia race team of the races it was part of during the 1996 season.
The motorcycle is up for bid without reserve and estimated to be worth €100,000 to €150,000 ($117,000 to $175,500). Sealed bids must be submitted by tomorrow.
Rossi won the 125 championship in his second year in the class, won the 250 championship in 1999, his second year in that class, and went on to win seven more titles in the premier class and a total of 115 races, putting him second on the all-time win list behind Giacomo Agostini. But of course there's nothing like that first win. As you can see in the video below, the 17-year-old was so excited after crossing the finish line that he nearly crashed into the pit lane wall.
The video not only shows how Rossi came back from a terrible start that dropped him to 15th place in the race to narrowly beat Jorge Martínez to the finish line, but also documents how the then-teenaged Rossi came into that battle in the Czech Republic with some history already with the much more experienced Martínez.
