2012 Monza Rally Show
Once again, Valentino Rossi was the highlight of the Monza Rally Show this past weekend.
The nine-time World Champion impressed the more than 30,000 fans at the Milanese circuit with not only one, but two wins at the 90th edition of the Monza Rally Show.
Driving the Team VR46 Racing’s WRC-Spec Ford Fiesta with co-driver Carlo Cassina, Rossi won not only the Stage Rally win, but also the Master Show.
En route to his third Monza Rally Show title, Rossi, who rejoined the factory Yamaha MotoGP team after two years with Ducati, finished 2.8 seconds ahead of four-time event winner Rinaldo Capello (Citroen WRC DS3). This was following nine stages of the race.
Speaking of the event, one of Rossi’s main sponsors Monster Energy says “with a smile on his face the whole way through the weekend, the fans not only got up close to their hero in the paddock on his numerous trips out of the garage, where he inked memorabilia and posed for photos, but he drove the Master Show in front of the jammed grandstand with immense confidence.
“Run on the start-finish straight and in honor of the late, great Marco Simoncelli: the head-to-head format saw Valentino set fastest times in his heats. Picking his way to the final, he came up against fellow MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso who couldn’t find quite enough to stay with him. The final run saw him square up against Capello one more time but over the three-lap run he blazed to the win by over 8.5 seconds. Meanwhile, it was Andrea Dovizioso who claimed the third spot on the box.”
“Team VR|46 Racing’s outfit depart Monza with a medal haul thanks to Valentino’s exploits but plenty to celebrate in the form of Robby Brivio and Uccio Salucci’s results as they stormed home to 9th and 13th respectively in the Stage Rally format. Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso will no doubt fancy another crack at four-wheel racing thanks to a super solid performance throughout, scoring fifth place in the Stage Rally as well as his Master podium.”
