Rossi set for Wales Rally drive

11-10-2008, 10:07 AM

Six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will switch from two wheels to four next month when he drives in the Wales Rally GB.

The 29-year-old will race in a Ford Focus which will carry logos in support of the BBC's Children in Need appeal.

Rossi, who is said to be interested in a long-term switch to rallying, first raced in the Welsh Rally back in 2002.

"I am hoping for a good result at next weekend's Monza Rally to prepare for the forests of Wales," said Rossi.

"I'm also delighted to be supporting BBC Children in Need, which does such vital work in the UK.

"It's a great charity and one I'm very pleased to be involved in."

BBC Sport's Peter Scrivener
The charity will hold a charity auction on Friday 5 December, as well as collecting money over the course of the action.

"It's a tremendous honour to have Valentino Rossi promoting the charity," said Children in Need spokesman Marc Phillips.

"We have had a remarkable response to this year's event on 14 November - and this will be a fabulous final flourish for us."

Rossi made his World Rally debut in Wales in 2002 but crashed out on the second stage, while he finished 11th in the 2006 Rally New Zealand.

Rossi's first foray into the WRC was at the Wales event in 2002
He has also competed in the last three Monza Rally races, winning the 2006 and 2007 events.

Rossi has also been linked with a move to Formula One recently having tested for Ferrari, but he has signed a two-year contract to keep him at Yamaha until 2010.

Wales Rally organiser Andrew Coe added: "He is a supreme ambassador for all forms of motorsport, as well as a remarkably-gifted sportsman.

"We look forward to seeing him take on the challenges of the Welsh forests."

Rossi's co-driver in Wales will be his 48-year-old compatriot Carlo Cassina, with the event starting on 4 December and running for four days.

RoadracerNC · 11-10-2008, 10:52 AM

Michelin will do anything to get him back, huh?

BlackWidow · 11-10-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadracerNC

Michelin will do anything to get him back, huh?

??

Rossi's started on 4 wheels - he's just good a 2 wheels. He's always said at all stages of his career that he'd rather be on 4 then 2.

I believe eventually he'll go to Ferrari.

RoadracerNC · 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackWidow

??

Rossi's started on 4 wheels - he's just good a 2 wheels. He's always said at all stages of his career that he'd rather be on 4 then 2.

I believe eventually he'll go to Ferrari.

It appears he's on 4 michelins now..........

I don't expect him to jump to four wheels. I think he might just consider it a hobby. Both playing with the 4 wheels and playing with our emotions.

I would only expect him to jump to some sort of 4 wheeled racing when he retires from 2. I don't see that happening anytime soon.

11-10-2008, 05:12 PM

He (the Doctor) has made no secret of his love of rallying.
Subaru have been very "generous" to him in the past, looks like Ford are trying to get a piece of the action.
I read he's negotiating to test the F1 Ferrari again but ultimately I think rallying is where he'll go when he finished whooping the best 2 wheel pilots in the world.

11-11-2008, 06:50 AM

The date and location of Valentino Rossi's return to a Ferrari F1 car has now been confirmed as November 20-21 at Mugello.

The outing, which Rossi insists is purely for fun, will mark the newly crowned six-time MotoGP world champion's first F1 drive since an impressive performance at Valencia in February 2006.

The Valencia test was Rossi's fourth in a Ferrari Formula One car, but his first with other teams and drivers present - after private sessions held at Fiorano and Mugello.

Rossi finished the Valencia test twelfth and within 1.5sec of fastest man - and reigning F1 champion - Fernando Alonso (Renault). Rossi's best lap was just 0.711secs from fellow Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher.

However, direct comparisons were difficult because most drivers were using the new-for-2006 2.4 litre V8 engines, while Rossi was given a 3 litre V10 engine "limited to reproduce the conditions set out in the 2006 regulations". Rossi's chassis was also of an older design.

The only other driver thought to have been using a V10 engine was McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa - and Rossi outpaced the experienced Spaniard by 0.095sec, despite several spins.

Speculation that Rossi would quit MotoGP for F1 reached fever pitch in the weeks and months that followed, but the #46 committed his future to MotoGP on the eve of his home Italian Grand Prix - also at Mugello - in early June of that year.

Rossi now has a Yamaha MotoGP contract in place until the end of the 2010 season, by which time he will be 31-years-old.

11-17-2008, 07:14 AM

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi saw his hopes of winning a third Monza Rally title in a row end with a mistake on day two, but he still charged up the order to finish in second position.

Driving a Ford Focus WRC car, Rossi was leading the rally heading into Saturday's second stage - the third stage of the rally - when a mistake cost the eight-time world champion 27 seconds.

Rossi dropped to sixth in the overall standings as a result, but had climbed to fourth by the end of the day.

Victory in both of Sunday's stages then enabled The Doctor to leapfrog Alessandro Caffi (Peugeot) and Piero Longhi (Subaru) on the very last stage. Rossi thus finished second overall, 20.3sec behind event winner Rinaldo Capello (Ford) and 3.6sec ahead of Longhi.

In the 'Master Show' competition, which features a one-on-one knockout format, Rossi reached the final, but was beaten by Longhi.

"Unfortunately the error yesterday caused me to lose a lot of time," said Rossi, who won four of the eight stages. "I'm sorry about that, because we had the potential to win. However, today [Sunday] went well, I won both stages and I got to the final of the Masters Show, where Longhi was just too quick for me. That's ok though; for next year we'll sign up again to win the MotoGP world championship and finish second in the Monza Rally!"

Rossi's friend and newly crowned 250cc world champion Marco Simoncelli finished sixth in the S20 class (and 27th overall). Rossi's team manager Davide Brivio was one place behind in the same class, with Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo three places further back in S20 (and 38th overall). All three were driving Fiat Punto S2000s. Meanwhile, Valentino's father Graziano drove a Ford Mustang to twelfth in the GT class (78th overall).

Rossi is scheduled to test a Ferrari Formula One car later this week while his next rally outing will be at Wales Rally GB, the final round of the 2008 World Rally Championship, from December 5-7.

2008 Monza Rally:

1. Rinaldo Capello/Luigi Pirollo Ford Focus WRC 1hr 11min 11.5sec
2. Valentino Rossi/Carlo Cassina Ford Focus WRC +20.3sec
3. Piero Longhi/Luca Cassol Subaru Impreza WRC +23.9sec

Mustang rally car???????????????? I'd like to see that

BlackWidow · 11-17-2008, 01:08 PM

What's next?

All the F1 guys wanting to try out for the MotoGP class?

11-17-2008, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackWidow

What's next?

All the F1 guys wanting to try out for the MotoGP class?

that would be reality check for them wouldn't it

11-10-2008, 10:07 AM	#1
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a	Rossi set for Wales Rally drive Six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will switch from two wheels to four next month when he drives in the Wales Rally GB. The 29-year-old will race in a Ford Focus which will carry logos in support of the BBC's Children in Need appeal. Rossi, who is said to be interested in a long-term switch to rallying, first raced in the Welsh Rally back in 2002. "I am hoping for a good result at next weekend's Monza Rally to prepare for the forests of Wales," said Rossi. "I'm also delighted to be supporting BBC Children in Need, which does such vital work in the UK. "It's a great charity and one I'm very pleased to be involved in." BBC Sport's Peter Scrivener The charity will hold a charity auction on Friday 5 December, as well as collecting money over the course of the action. "It's a tremendous honour to have Valentino Rossi promoting the charity," said Children in Need spokesman Marc Phillips. "We have had a remarkable response to this year's event on 14 November - and this will be a fabulous final flourish for us." Rossi made his World Rally debut in Wales in 2002 but crashed out on the second stage, while he finished 11th in the 2006 Rally New Zealand. Rossi's first foray into the WRC was at the Wales event in 2002 He has also competed in the last three Monza Rally races, winning the 2006 and 2007 events. Rossi has also been linked with a move to Formula One recently having tested for Ferrari, but he has signed a two-year contract to keep him at Yamaha until 2010. Wales Rally organiser Andrew Coe added: "He is a supreme ambassador for all forms of motorsport, as well as a remarkably-gifted sportsman. "We look forward to seeing him take on the challenges of the Welsh forests." Rossi's co-driver in Wales will be his 48-year-old compatriot Carlo Cassina, with the event starting on 4 December and running for four days.
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a

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11-10-2008, 10:52 AM	#2
RoadracerNC Former Dragon Slayer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Pearland Feedback Rating: (0) Posts: 7,250 Experience: 8 years Trackdays: 10+	Michelin will do anything to get him back, huh?
	__________________ "The liberties of none are safe, unless the liberties of all are protected." -Justice William O. Douglas

11-10-2008, 05:12 PM	#5
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a	He (the Doctor) has made no secret of his love of rallying. Subaru have been very "generous" to him in the past, looks like Ford are trying to get a piece of the action. I read he's negotiating to test the F1 Ferrari again but ultimately I think rallying is where he'll go when he finished whooping the best 2 wheel pilots in the world.
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a

11-11-2008, 06:50 AM	#6
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a	The date and location of Valentino Rossi's return to a Ferrari F1 car has now been confirmed as November 20-21 at Mugello. The outing, which Rossi insists is purely for fun, will mark the newly crowned six-time MotoGP world champion's first F1 drive since an impressive performance at Valencia in February 2006. The Valencia test was Rossi's fourth in a Ferrari Formula One car, but his first with other teams and drivers present - after private sessions held at Fiorano and Mugello. Rossi finished the Valencia test twelfth and within 1.5sec of fastest man - and reigning F1 champion - Fernando Alonso (Renault). Rossi's best lap was just 0.711secs from fellow Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher. However, direct comparisons were difficult because most drivers were using the new-for-2006 2.4 litre V8 engines, while Rossi was given a 3 litre V10 engine "limited to reproduce the conditions set out in the 2006 regulations". Rossi's chassis was also of an older design. The only other driver thought to have been using a V10 engine was McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa - and Rossi outpaced the experienced Spaniard by 0.095sec, despite several spins. Speculation that Rossi would quit MotoGP for F1 reached fever pitch in the weeks and months that followed, but the #46 committed his future to MotoGP on the eve of his home Italian Grand Prix - also at Mugello - in early June of that year. Rossi now has a Yamaha MotoGP contract in place until the end of the 2010 season, by which time he will be 31-years-old.
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a

11-17-2008, 07:14 AM	#7
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a	MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi saw his hopes of winning a third Monza Rally title in a row end with a mistake on day two, but he still charged up the order to finish in second position. Driving a Ford Focus WRC car, Rossi was leading the rally heading into Saturday's second stage - the third stage of the rally - when a mistake cost the eight-time world champion 27 seconds. Rossi dropped to sixth in the overall standings as a result, but had climbed to fourth by the end of the day. Victory in both of Sunday's stages then enabled The Doctor to leapfrog Alessandro Caffi (Peugeot) and Piero Longhi (Subaru) on the very last stage. Rossi thus finished second overall, 20.3sec behind event winner Rinaldo Capello (Ford) and 3.6sec ahead of Longhi. In the 'Master Show' competition, which features a one-on-one knockout format, Rossi reached the final, but was beaten by Longhi. "Unfortunately the error yesterday caused me to lose a lot of time," said Rossi, who won four of the eight stages. "I'm sorry about that, because we had the potential to win. However, today [Sunday] went well, I won both stages and I got to the final of the Masters Show, where Longhi was just too quick for me. That's ok though; for next year we'll sign up again to win the MotoGP world championship and finish second in the Monza Rally!" Rossi's friend and newly crowned 250cc world champion Marco Simoncelli finished sixth in the S20 class (and 27th overall). Rossi's team manager Davide Brivio was one place behind in the same class, with Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo three places further back in S20 (and 38th overall). All three were driving Fiat Punto S2000s. Meanwhile, Valentino's father Graziano drove a Ford Mustang to twelfth in the GT class (78th overall). Rossi is scheduled to test a Ferrari Formula One car later this week while his next rally outing will be at Wales Rally GB, the final round of the 2008 World Rally Championship, from December 5-7. 2008 Monza Rally: 1. Rinaldo Capello/Luigi Pirollo Ford Focus WRC 1hr 11min 11.5sec 2. Valentino Rossi/Carlo Cassina Ford Focus WRC +20.3sec 3. Piero Longhi/Luca Cassol Subaru Impreza WRC +23.9sec Mustang rally car???????????????? I'd like to see that
Grinchy Guest Posts: n/a

11-17-2008, 01:08 PM	#8
BlackWidow The Doctor Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Sugar Land Feedback Rating: (8) Posts: 2,886 Experience: 5 years Trackdays: 10+ Bike(s): A Ducati A KaToom Several Yamahas... Some Kawis No HONDAS! ;)	What's next? All the F1 guys wanting to try out for the MotoGP class?
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