If it had not have been for two untimely injuries in the last two seasons then Manuel Monni would be a name on the lips of many more Grand Prix followers to rival the attention afforded to fellow Italians Antonio Cairoli and David Philippaerts.

In only his second full season of racing in 2005 Monni grabbed a surprise podium result at Gaildorf in Germany and was set to move his career onto the next level before arm and knee problems in 2006 and 2007 slowed his momentum.

Monni had been a figure familiar to Italian race fans thanks to his efforts as part of the European Motocross of Nations team (four podiums from four appearances) and third and fifth positions in the 2004 and 2005 Italian Championship. 2006 was largely forgettable for the friendly rider and 2007 was also a struggle even if he did take a personal-best runner-up position behind Cairoli in the competitive Italian series. A fit Monni also showed MX3 World Champion Yves Demaria the quickest way around the Faenza Grand Prix track in the final round of the large bore series last year, proving that he can also handle a bigger machine.

Monni will lead the 3C Racing team for 2008 in MX2 and could produce a few surprises if he keeps in good shape.