Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Valentino Rossi will drive in the final round of the 2002 World Rally Championship. In a deal set up through the Italian rally team Grifone, the 23-year-old four-time motorcycle road racing World Champion will drive a Michelin-shod Peugot 206 WRC in the Network Q Rally of Great Britain November 14-17.

Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3’s Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque tested their new Yamaha YZR-M1s Tuesday, October 8 at the Shah Alam circuit in Malaysia. The pair will trade in their Yamaha YZR500 two-strokes and race the M1s in the final three rounds of the 2002 MotoGP season.

Nakano tested early versions of the 990cc inline four-cylinder on two previous occasions, but the recent test was the first time Jacque had ever ridden a four-stroke race machine.