MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi and Carlo Cassina have completed the three day Wales Rally GB and finished in twelfth position driving a Stobart backed Ford Focus RS WRC car.
Rossi displayed an increasing confidence and affinity with his Ford Focus as each day and each stage progressed.
45th after stage one of the event but rose to 24th by the end of day one, 15th at the end of day two and 12th after the completion of the final stage.
Several stages of the rally on the first day were cancelled due to rain, ice and snow.
The Italian missed out on beating his eleventh place in the 2006 Rally of New Zealand finish by just one position, but conditions were far worse in Wales and Rossi was at least able to finish much closer to the rally winner than he had been in New Zealand and during his WRC debut at the 2002 Rally GB, where he crashed out of the very first forest stage .
