Valentino Rossi got his first chance to step on a high-profile podium for the first time since April with a run to third position alongside Luca Marini and Uccio Salucci in the Gulf 12 Hours car endurance event in Abu Dhabi.
The trio took their Monster VR46 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 to third position overall in the event, picking up victory in the Pro-Am class.
It caps off a successful two weeks for Rossi in particular following his success in the 100km dei Campioni race – also alongside Marini - and his outing in a Mercedes F1 car during a seat swap with F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
“We are very happy with this result. We are first in our category, but to make third in the overall classification is a great satisfaction," said Rossi, who scored his last high-profile podium finish in MotoGP at COTA, Austin
"I immediately felt at home with the car and with the team, but above all it was great fun. Luca was really strong, his potential in the race amazed me. I had already seen him at the Monza rally, but today he further confirmed this.
"The team also saw a great performance by Uccio, who with this result achieved one of his life-long dreams."
As a measure of the quality of the Gulf 12 Hours, Rossi, Marini and Salucci finished behind two Pro class Audi R8 entries with the winning Attempto Racing team piloted by Dries Vanthoor and Christopher Mies, both experienced international endurance race winners.
