Capirossi Third in Rally Race

Driving a Suzuki Swift with his familiar number 65, Capirossi pushed through the muddy, rain-soaked forests and military training grounds around Aldershot, England and emerged with a third place finish in the Swift Sport Cup and ninth overall in the two-wheel drive section of the Tempest Rally.

Capirossi and his co-driver Craig Thorley held a steady pace in the early stages as the MotoGP rider gained confidence behind the wheel of the Swift. As the race continued, Capirossi made his way through the ranks and reached the race leaders. The Bologna, Italy native continued to press but could not catch eventual race winners Mark Gamble and Steve Link or runner-up finishers Niki Bjerg and Arly Larsen. Capirossi finished just 14 seconds short of the winners.

As I got more confident with the car my times improved and I was able to go a lot quicker and I think if we could have done a couple more stages I might have caught the leader, but I am really pleased with third in my first rally.

Capirossi also won bragging rights over his boss, Rizla Suzuki team manager Paul Denning who crashed out of the race at the fourth stage. Denning and co-driver Jemma Bellingham made a mistake at the end of a fast straight and wound up in a ditch. They were unable to get their car back on the road within the designated time limit and were disqualified. Denning was allowed to take part in the four afternoon stages.

It was a shame that Paul crashed out, because I think our times were very close and it would have been good to have had that extra bit of competition with him, but I think I would have beaten him anyway, says Capirossi.

Denning took Capirossis ribbing in good stride.

Related Reading
Capirossi to compete in rally car race