Excellent debut for Aprilia Tuareg Racing in the opening round of the 2026 Italian Motorally
THOMAS MARINI WINS ALL THE STAGES OF THE WEEKEND IN THE G-1000 CLASS. MARCO MENICHINI TAKES SECOND IN CLASS ON DAY 2
The Italian Motorally Championship got underway in Alassio, the venue for the season opener, with Aprilia Tuareg Racing dominating proceedings. Thomas Marini was the standout performer. He won every stage over the weekend and secured first place in the G-1000 class on both days of competition.
In his debut with Aprilia Tuareg Racing, the San Marino rider immediately demonstrated his affinity with the Tuareg Rally. He effortlessly navigated the challenging stages in the Ligurian countryside. This positive debut bodes well for the first round of the European Tout Terrain Rally Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Spain from 12–18 April. There he will compete alongside Jacopo Cerutti.
It was also a positive weekend for Marco Menichini, who finished second in the G-1000 class on the second day of racing. This result secured a 1–2 finish for Aprilia Tuareg Racing. It also improved upon his Saturday performance where he narrowly missed the podium. Francesco Montanari also delivered a solid performance. He finished with a double sixth place in the category. Moreover, he secured valuable points for the G-1000 general standings, which now sees Marini in the lead ahead of Menichini.
Overall, the Alassio round confirmed the formidable competitiveness of the Tuareg Rally—a motorbike that perfectly combines reliability, performance and innovation. The next the Italian Motorally appointment is scheduled to take place in Olbia on 16–17 May.
THOMAS MARINI
“It was a fantastic weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. I managed to put together two great days, taking two class wins and consistently finishing in the overall top five. The special stages were very technical and the bike performed beautifully, giving me immediate confidence and a great sense of security, which allowed me to ride at my best. We did a great job with the team, testing different solutions to further tailor the bike to my style, also ahead of the first European Championship race in two weeks. It’s only the beginning, but the potential is certainly there and I am truly happy.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI
“We are very satisfied with this first round. Despite never having raced a twin-cylinder bike before, Thomas Marini was fast from the outset, finishing in the top five overall, which is a promising sign ahead of his European Championship debut. Marco Menichini also performed well, bouncing back from fourth place on Saturday to achieve an impressive second position on Sunday. Overall, it’s a very positive result: we have two riders in the top two positions of the class standings and, above all, we have restarted the Italian Motorally exactly where we left off last year with Jacopo Cerutti, demonstrating the consistent competitiveness of the Tuareg Rally.”