Valentino Ro🎶ssi 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 dropꦗping 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 to sixth position - just ahead of reigning champi𝓡on 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 5🌌00," Rossi recalled.

"I made a bad start but after I did the fastest lap of 🦄the race with the Honda 500 two-stroke.

"When I arrived t𒊎o the group in front and I though🍨t, '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 Sepang, before finally reaching the chequere✃d 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 mu🦩ch you can push."

But Rossi soon turned it around:🍸 His first premier-cl♛ass podium came at Jerez (round four) and first win at Donington Park (round nine).

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