Video: Valentino Rossi drives Mazda's howling 787B

Okay, so Goodwood was a little while ago now. But this video of Valentino Rossi has just surfaced and we couldn’t resist keeping the Festival of Speed buzz going just a little bit longer.

Rossi, if you hadn’t noticed, is one of the coolest men in motorsport. After 15 years in world motorcycle racing’s topmost series he continues to win races, and currently leads the 2015 championship. Bona fide hero.

Rossi's appearance at Goodwood was a good thing in itself, not least because he’d flown across straight from winning the Dutch MotoGP round in Assen. Mazda, though, was kind enough to let the good doctor scream his way up the hill in the firm's legendary Le Mans winner, the rotary-powered 787B. Coolest man in racing, meet the sport’s best sounding car…*

Rumours have come and gone over the years that Vale could compete in four-wheeled racing, though despite closing in on Michael Schumacher’s pace on a Ferrari F1 test and fleeting appearances in WRC rounds, he has remained in the world of two wheels. There’s no doubt the man likes cars, but we've sadly never been treated to a full Rossi racing campaign.

He understandably takes things cautiously in the priceless 787B, above, but still extends it enough to treat onlookers – and you, if you crank the volume up – to the 1991 Le Mans winner’s famously excellent howl. Enjoy.

*Other opinions are welcomed, and can be placed below…