Valentino Rossi News

Following his debut season with Ducati in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi was behind four wheels for the Monza Rally Show in Italy.

During the 2011 edition of the Monza Rally Show at the famed race track near Milan, the 32-year-old Italian VR46 finished second behind eight-time World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb.

Rossi, who finished 2011 MotoGP in seventh position overall, raced a Ford Fiesta RS WRC at the classic three-day, nine-stage event. The car donned a tribute to Rossi's dear friend, the late Marco Simoncelli.

Ninety-seven drivers were on track with Valentino Rossi throughout the Monza Rally Show, including including World Rally champions, five European Rally champions, an IRC Rally title holder, 11 champions from the Italian Rally series, and three title winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

MotoGP says: "Rossi put on an excellent display of his ability to race four wheeled machinery, beating the specialists in two of the stages while sporting a tribute to his friend and fellow MotoGP racer Simoncelli on his car. The final results saw the Ducati rider finish 24 seconds behind Frenchman Loeb, with Dindo Capello, one of the title winner of several editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, coming in third."

Other known Italians of MotoGP also competed in the 2011 Monza Rally Show, including Davide Brivio who finished seventh overall, Uccio who came in 31st, with riders Andrea Dovizioso 54th, Claudio Corti 60th, and Andrea Iannone in 70th place.