We don’t want this to sound too cocky, but people who drive and ride are usually more experienced than those who only drive or ride. Some guys are even better than the rest, as they took both riding and driving to the next level, and are successful riders AND drivers at the same time, Valentino Rossi being only one of these amazing chaps.
But if you thought that all the praise he gets is only empty hype, you’re so wrong. The Doctor is a 9-time world champion on two-wheels, but he’s no stranger to four-wheeled podiums, either. Well, maybe not at world-level, but a podium is a podium, anyway. However, we’re talking about die-hard rally events such as the Monza Rally Show, and beating top WRC drivers at their own game is definitely not an easy feat… not even for other WRC top names.
Rossi claimed second position, but the show was great
Rossi has claimed three victories in the Monza Rally Show and was looking forward to a win in this year’s event, but a mistake which cost him 10 seconds allowed Polish Robert Kubica to catch up with him. Plus, the weather did not help the Doctor too much, as he declared after the event that he had no feel in the tires.
Still, Rossi added his 6th runner-up position to his name, after a wet racing weekend which saw certain moments with a huge awesome factor. You can see one of these moments in the footage below, recorded by one of the guys in the audience.
Some argued that Rossi’s overtaking maneuver was a tad too risky and could have easily ended with a crash. Well, this is kind of true, as everyone is taking serious risks when lining up at the start of a road race.
As far as we can tell, Rossi’s overtake did not seem illegal to us, especially when you observe the blue flag being waved at the track when the two cars approach the segment before the U-turn. The blue flag tells the driver in front that a faster car is approaching from behind and he or she must let it pass as soon as the race configuration allows it.
Now, with an 180-degree turn ahead, we didn’t see this one coming. Of course, turns are one of the best places for overtaking in MotoGP and F1 alike, and rally racing is not different. Still, seeing Rossi coming in so hot and making the call in such a tight situation was truly amazing and spectacular at the same time. He was only the second-best driver this year, but this pass will definitely be remembered.
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