Valentino Rossi's salary still highest in MotoGP

Valentino Rossi may have taken a pay cut to return to Yamaha this season, but his salary remains the highest in MotoGP - according to the latest Forbes list.

The Italian's earnings are estimated at $22 million, divided $12 million for Salary and $10 million for Endorsements.

That puts the seven time MotoGP champion 51st on this year's Forbes World's Highest-Paid Athletes list.

Rossi, who is the only motorcycle rider to make this year's top 100, had been 20th on last year's list, when his income at Ducati was estimated at $30 million ($17m Salary/$13m Endorsements).

The highest ranked motorsport competitor is Ferrari F1 driver Fernando Alonso, in 19th place with an estimated $30 million. New Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is 26th ($27.5 million) while Red Bull's reigning triple F1 champion Sebastian Vettel is below Rossi, in 89th place, on $18 million.

Tiger Woods tops the list with $78.1 million.