THOMAS MARINI WINS ALL THE STAGES OF THE WEEKEND IN THE G-1000
CLASS. MARCO MENICHINI TAKES SECOND IN CLASS ON DAY 2
Milan, 31 March 2026 – 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, winning every stage over
the weekend and securing 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, effortlessly navigating 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, where 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, improving upon his Saturday performance where he narrowly missed
the podium. Francesco Montanari also delivered a solid performance, finishing with a
double sixth place in the category. 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.”
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