Driving a Ford Focus WRC, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi won four of the nine stages which made up the annual Rally di Monza event, to finish 17 seconds behind winner Dindo Capello, an Audi endurance racer. Rossi beat former World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm, who took fourth place in his Subaru Impreza.

Other MotoGP riders did also well as Loris Capirossi was 15th and rookie Marco Simoncelli impressed with a seventh place finish.

The Rally di Monza consists of nine short (<3km) special stages run entirely within the Autodromo di Monza park, to facilitate viewing for on-site spectators. This annual event showcases Champions in various racing disciplines on dirt and pavement surfaces.






Photo Credit : Yamaha, www.valentinorossi.com