Rossi gets to sport his favoured No 46

[totalmotorcycle]

Rossi gets to sport his favoured No 46
03 November 2006 - Stuff - stuff.co.nz



Seven-time motorcyling world champion Valentino Rossi will sport his favoured No 46 when he competes in Rally of New Zealand this month.


The Italian ace is swapping the two wheels of his Yamaha for the four wheels of a Subaru Impreza in the penultimate round of the World Rally Championships in the Waikato from November 16 to 19.

Organisers said yesterday that motorsport's world governing body, FIA, had agreed to let Rossi have the number that British production car driver Nigel Heath had campaigned with this season.

Heath, who also drives a Subaru, will instead take No 44 in New Zealand.

Rossi, 27, has used No 46 throughout his career, despite the tradition of a reigning world champion assuming No 1 the following season.

He has said he chose the number because it was used by a Japanese wild card entry who demonstrated great skill in wet conditions in a race he saw on television.

It was also the number Rossi's father, also a motorcycle racer, used for the first three GP wins of his career.

AdvertisementAdvertisementRossi began his world championship haul in the 125cc and 250cc class.

He has also won five premier class world titles, but missed out on a sixth in a row last weekend when uncharacteristic errors in the final MotoGP round at Valencia saw him pipped by American Nicky Hayden.