APRILIA TUAREG RALLY CHAMPION FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TIME IN THE ITALIAN MOTORALLY CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THOMAS MARINI

MARINI TAKES THE TITLE IN THE G-1000 CLASS ON HIS DEBUT WITH THE APRILIA TUAREG RACING TEAM’S TWIN-CYLINDER. THIRD PLACE IN THE CLASS FOR MARCO MENICHINI, BRINGING THE SECOND TUAREG RALLY ONTO THE CATEGORY'S FINAL PODIUM

Thomas Marini #5.

Milan, 14 September 2026 – For the fourth consecutive year, Aprilia Tuareg Racing claims the title in the 2026 Italian Motorally Championship, doing so alongside Thomas Marini at the end of a season spent as absolute protagonists. The final round, held in Umbertide (Umbria Region, Italy, 12-13 September), saw the San Marino rider secure the title in the G-1000 class dedicated to twin-cylinder bikes.

An extraordinary season for Thomas Marini, who captured the Italian G-1000 title in his debut season aboard the Aprilia Tuareg Rally. From the very first round, the Aprilia Tuareg Racing team rider dominated the top of the category: in Alassio, he swept every special stage of the weekend, while in Olbia and Gioia dei Marsi he claimed a day victory, consistently maintaining the lead in the overall class standings. Added to this is the historic overall victory on the second race day in Gioia dei Marsi, demonstrating the competitiveness of the twin-cylinder machine from Noale.

Marco Menichini #14.

An excellent season as well for Marco Menichini, who closed out 2026 by taking third place overall in the G-1000 class. His weekend in Umbertide was extremely solid, featuring two excellent second-place finishes across the two race days that allowed him to consolidate his position in the standings, putting another Aprilia Tuareg Rally on the category podium. Paolo Pettinari also had a great season, finishing third in the Italian Rally Championship GPX.

Paolo Pettinari #603.

The Aprilia Tuareg Rally bikes, developed in close collaboration with the Guareschi brothers' GCorse, confirm their status as a benchmark, demonstrating competitiveness and reliability on all types of terrain and writing a historic new chapter in the Italian championship with the overall victory in Gioia dei Marsi and the fourth consecutive Italian title in the G-1000 twin-cylinder class.

Thomas Marini #5.

THOMAS MARINI: “I’m really very happy to have managed to win the Italian Motorally title in the G-1000 category, especially because it’s my first year riding the Tuareg Rally—a new bike for me—which makes it mean even more special. This also highlights the value of the Tuareg Rally because it proved to be truly competitive. The weekend had a few ups and downs, but I never gave up until the end, and I’m glad to have finished with an overall podium as well. The season was challenging because the level of the riders is extremely high and keeps rising every year, making the races very hard-fought, but I’m really satisfied with the result. I want to thank the entire Guareschi team for their exceptional work; the bike was flawless and they always put me in the best position to compete. Thanks also to the entire Aprilia team who supports us and gives their all to help us perform at our best. Now, full focus on the upcoming desert races because a lot of work lies ahead.”

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VITTORIANO GUARESCHI: “It was a truly fantastic Motorally season. This year’s result was our best team performance in these four years: we won the title for the fourth consecutive time with Thomas and secured an important third place with Marco, bringing two Tuareg Rally bikes onto the category podium for the first time. On top of that, we achieved an overall day victory in Gioia dei Marsi—following the one in Bussi sul Tirino last year—and a third-place finish in the overall GPX Championship with Paolo Pettinari. We are very satisfied, but now we get right back to work ahead of the 2027 Africa Eco Race. In Umbertide, we already started our lead-up to the race by running a bike in desert setup in the FX category alongside Francesco Montanari.

Francesco Montanari #28.

In October, we’ll head to Morocco for testing and will then be at the start line of the Addax Rally to prepare the bikes as best as possible, also in view of Jacopo’s return. The goal is to ensure he has the bike in peak condition for the Africa Eco Race.”

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APRILIA TUAREG RACING:
https://www.aprilia.com/en_EN/aprilia-racing/aprilia-tuareg-racing/