Official: Rossi to do Rally NZ.

MotoGP star, Valentino Rossi will compete on the Propecia Rally New Zealand next month, have concluded a deal to use a 2005 specification Subaru Impreza WRC.

Although the car will be run by Prodrive, the same outfit which runs the official Subaru World Rally Team cars for Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson, it will not be an official SWRT entry. Indeed the car, which is the same one that Atkinson used in Germany back in August, has been entered under the 'Valentino Rossi' banner and will be a privateer effort.

"It is a customer deal, not an official SWRT entry," confirmed a spokesperson for the Subaru WRT to Crash.net. "Valentino Rossi will use a 2005 spec Impreza, with active differentials. Furthermore while it will be run by Prodrive, it won't be serviced by the SWRT."

Although the deal has been confirmed, several aspects however, remain uncertain, most noticeably including which tyres the Italian will use. Although Subaru use Pirelli tyres, Rossi runs with Michelin's in MotoGP, sister brand to BF Goodrich.

Prodrive chairman David Richards, meanwhile, told the official Propecia Rally NZ website that the decision was exciting for the WRC and for New Zealand. He also speculated that Rossi might make the jump to the WRC more full-time in the future.

"In the world of motorised sport, this guy is a super hero," Richards said. "He's got great charisma, great natural ability and it's going to be a great treat for everyone in New Zealand to come and see him in the rally. His involvement will provide a worldwide spotlight on the New Zealand event.

"Valentino has always been interested in rallying. While there's been all the talk about him going to Formula One, he has always said to us that if he was not racing a motorcycle, then he wanted to be in rallying. Who knows in a few more events we might see him in a permanent place in the rally championship."

The organisers of the Rally NZ, the penultimate round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, which runs from November 17-19, are also delighted by the news: "It will provide additional focus on our country," predicted Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr. "And it shows the type of profile that this sport and this event can provide to the world."

Rossi, a long time rally fan, began his association with Subaru when he visited the team's Banbury headquarters shortly after the 2005 British Grand Prix. Rossi went on to drive an Impreza during several winter events - and notably beat 1995 WRC champion Colin McRae on his way to second in the Monza Rally, which takes place within the grounds of the famous Italian race track. However, Rossi's only previous WRC outing was far less successful, when he crashed out on the 2002 Rally of Great Britain in a Michelin-backed Peugeot 206 after just 17 kilometres.

Furthermore while the move will increase speculation Rossi might switch to rallying, something that will delight Richards and something which he has seemingly been fuelled by his comments, at the moment this is very much a 'guest appearance'.

Indeed earlier this year he was linked to a switch to F1 with Ferrari, following several successful tests with the Maranello squad. Rossi rejected the move though and signed a new one-year deal with Yamaha to remain in MotoGP in 2007 - something that rules out a full-time drive in the WRC at least for the immediate future.