PRESS RELEASE
20 May 2026
Historic victory for Aprilia Tuareg Racing with a production-based Tuareg Rally in the Italian round of the European Baja Championship
SUCCESS FOR JACOPO CERUTTI AND THE STOCK TWIN-CYLINDER BIKE IN THE OVERALL STANDINGS.
A POSITIVE SUNDAY ALSO FOR THOMAS MARINI AND MARCO MENICHINI IN THE ITALIAN MOTORALLY, FINISHING FIRST AND SECOND IN CLASS ON DAY 2 IN OLBIA.
The European Baja Championship made its stop in Italy, in Olbia, with Aprilia Tuareg Racing dominating proceedings. Jacopo Cerutti was the standout performer, taking a historic victory on a production-based Tuareg Rally in the overall standings of the European Baja Championship.
It was a great weekend for Jacopo Cerutti, who lined up at the start of the Italian round of the European Baja Championship on a production-based Tuareg Rally. His goal was to prove the bike’s solidity and his own competitiveness in all conditions, even with a stock twin-cylinder machine. A bet that proved successful from day one, which ended with an excellent second place in the overall standings. From then on, Cerutti made the difference, taking the lead in the general standings and maintaining it until the end of the final special stage.
Overall, it was a positive weekend for Thomas Marini as well, who closed the second round of the Italian Motorally Championship with a day victory in the G-1000 class. He continues his growth aboard his Aprilia Tuareg Rally, bouncing back in the best possible way after a complicated first day. Furthermore, the San Marino rider put on a strong performance in the first round of the Rally Raid TT, also held in Olbia, triumphing in the RT5 class and finishing third in the overall standings.
Marco Menichini also performed well, finishing second in the G-1000 class on the second day of racing, securing a one-two finish for Aprilia Tuareg Racing and improving on Saturday’s result, which he had finished in third position in the class standings. A solid round for Francesco Montanari as well, who finished with a sixth and a fifth place in his category, bringing home precious points for the G-1000 general standings, which still see Marini in the lead. Consistent weekend for Paolo Pettinari too, author of two podium finishes in the GPX class.
Overall, the final balance for Aprilia Tuareg Racing at the conclusion of the Olbia weekend is decisively positive: the Tuareg Rally confirms itself once again as a winning and reliable bike, capable of perfectly combining performance and innovation.
The next appointment for Aprilia Tuareg Racing is the second round of the European Tout Terrain Rally Cup, scheduled on 25–31 May in Pefki Evia, Greece. The team will then be at the start of the third round of the Italian Motorally, scheduled in Gioia dei Marsi on 20–21 June.
JACOPO CERUTTI
“I am very happy. Lining up at the start with a stock bike and being immediately so competitive proves that the Tuareg is a truly capable machine for off-road riding. Aside from the first day, where we got absolutely drenched, I had a lot of fun for the rest of the event and we tackled some beautiful special stages—enjoyable and fast-flowing. It was a positive weekend, which also served as great training ahead of the next race in Greece.”
THOMAS MARINI
“Overall, it was a positive weekend, featuring truly beautiful and varied special stages, with both fast and technical sections. Friday went very well, I managed to win the class and secure third place overall thanks to three excellent stages. On Saturday, unfortunately, I crashed, picking up a few aches and being forced to finish the stage completely without brakes, which cost me a lot of time. On Sunday, I gritted my teeth and managed to put together an excellent performance, winning the class again and finishing fifth overall. I am happy because we worked really well. I want to thank the whole team for the massive job they did on Saturday night to rebuild the bike, which was badly damaged after the crash. Now we get back to work to arrive ready in Greece.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI
“We are very happy, we went well beyond expectations. The goal was to perform well, and in the end, we won. It was a fantastic international debut for a stock bike. Jacopo was truly brilliant, especially on Saturday when he managed to make the difference despite a broken navigation instrument. We also achieved an excellent result in the Motorally. Thomas won every stage he completed; on Saturday he suffered a crash, but he still finished the stage, making the most of the situation, and thanks to this, he is still leading the class general standings. Marco did well too, securing two podium finishes without making any mistakes. Now we are going straight back to work because we will be leaving for Greece very soon.”
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