Aprilia Tuareg Racing prepares to tackle the rest of the season by welcoming Thomas Marini, who officially joins the Aprilia Tuareg Racing off-road project in collaboration with GCorse run by the Guareschi brothers. A true off-road specialist, Marini’s palmarès includes the 2024 Italian Raid TT Championship title, as well as victories in the prestigious Albania Rally and Transanatolia Rally in 2025. These successes are bolstered by national 300-class motocross titles won in the 2016–17 biennium. The rider from San Marino has also made an excellent debut at the Africa Eco Race, securing an overall stage win and four other top-five finishes.
Thomas Marini is now set to make his debut in the 2026 Tout Terrain Rally Cup aboard the Aprilia Tuareg Rally. He will join Jacopo Cerutti for the four scheduled rounds of the European Championship: Spain (April 12–18), Greece (May 25–31), Romania (July 10–18), and Italy (October 13–17).
In addition to the European programme, Marini will take part in several testing sessions throughout the year and will participate in the first round of the Italian Motorally as a wildcard. Furthermore, he will compete in the Addax Rally in Morocco (October 25–30), which is a key step ahead of the 2027 Africa Eco Race. There, he will line up on the starting grid in Aprilia colours alongside Jacopo Cerutti.
Aprilia Tuareg Racing’s season calendar has expanded to include a dual commitment: the European Championship and the Italian Motorally Championship. Marco Menichini and Francesco Montanari will compete in the latter aboard the multi-award-winning Tuareg Rally. The four scheduled rounds for the national series are: Alassio (March 28–29), Olbia (May 16–17), Gioia dei Marsi (June 20–21), and Umbertide (September 12–13).
A benchmark in the global rally raid scene, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally has earned the title ‘Queen of Africa’ thanks to its competitiveness and reliability on African soil. Over the last three years, the collaboration between Aprilia and GCorse has resulted in the development of a bike capable of winning every challenge. Notable successes include two consecutive titles in the Africa Eco Race (in 2024 and 2025), victories in the Baja Aragón, Hellas Rally Raid, Ro Rally Marathon, and the last three Italian Motorally Championships.
THOMAS MARINI
“I am very happy and proud to join the Aprilia family. The goals for the season are ambitious: there is a great desire to do well and fight for the lead in every race. It won’t be easy, as it’s a new bike for me, but I am certain that together with Team Guareschi we will do significant development work, and they will put me in a position to give 100%. I want to thank Aprilia Racing and everyone who made my signing possible. I am sure we will achieve great satisfaction.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI
“We are excited to welcome Thomas Marini to our team. It was a natural choice: the desire to collaborate was mutual, and the agreement was a logical consequence. In recent years, Thomas has stood out internationally for his excellent results; we know his value well and are ready to provide him with a competitive Aprilia Tuareg Rally. We will start immediately with a test in Riotorto, followed by the first round of the Italian Motorally ahead of our European debut in the Tout Terrain Rally Cup. We are fired up and can’t wait to get started.”
