Rossi's Ranch: Time For Tea?

Valentino Rossi shares his private race track with Guy Martin and Thomas Chareyre

With summer in full swing and the school holidays looming quite a few of us can probably look back on younger years mucking about on BMXs on some dusty handcrafted circuit lovingly hewn from some old quarry or forgotten corner of the woods.

Overgrown child that he is, Valentino Rossi is still doing just that, albeit with motorbikes and his own, rather more extensive, private dirt bike track. Anyone who had their track flattened by 'the man' back in the day can only look on and wonder at how Rossi managed to get away with such a construction in the middle of the beautiful countryside outside Tavullia but when you're a motorcycling god you can clearly get away with such things.

This video is a promo for Dainese and there's no earth shattering conclusion to the supposed 'race' between Rossi and invited guests Guy Martin and Supermoto World Champion Thomas Chareyre - they're just there for a hoon basically. The grins and dust-caked leathers tell the main story; the love of mucking about on bikes is as sincere as you could hope for and Rossi's passion for his sport totally infectious. Good luck to him!