Tuesday, 20 September 2011 19:18 by Ernesto Emmi

Marco Simoncelli is another rider with a passion for rally racing. Here he is driving the Ford WRC in England.  It seems as though Marco acquitted himself rather well, as Ford offered him the chance to drive the car in the Monza rally, where Sic could challenge his good friend Valentino Rossi.  Unfortunately the Gresini Honda rider has another commitment for the event, and so he had to decline.

Marco was driving the car of Mikko Hirvonen, a member of the Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. And it's a winning car, considering that the Finnish driver is currently third in the WRC standings, just 15 points behind Sebastian Loeb.

Simoncelli was quick to adapt to the new spec WRC, featuring a less powerful 1.6 liter engine, fixed axle differential, and reduced electronics.

"I had tremendous fun - Simoncelli said afterward - it was a very useful experience in light of the Monza rally.  Driving a car is very different to riding a bike, and as fun as the sliding is, it can sometimes cost you time.  Hirvonen was seated next to me in the navigator's seat, and that put a little pressure on me not to make a mistake, but in the end everything went well.  When he drove I took the opportunity to ask him for some advice.  I really liked the way he drove and I tried to pick up some of his tricks."