Valentino Rossi – Syndication Server

Rossi weighing up GT options despite successful Hypercar test

The clear headliner from today’s FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain was MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who made his first Hypercar test with BMW Team WRT. The Italian completed 69 tours of the Sakhir circuit over the two sessions in the No. 20 M Hybrid …

Speaking with reporters at the end of the day, the 45-year-old Italian made clear he really enjoyed the experience behind the wheel.

“I am really happy about today,” he said. “From my first moment, I had a good feeling with the car and tires. I expected to suffer a bit more in warming up the tires. But here with the 50 degrees I didn’t have that problem.

“I tried both tire options, set my quickest on the mediums but felt good with the hard. This car has a lot of horsepower, but you have a good feeling and I like the braking without ABS. Sometimes you make mistakes but you can adapt it more to your style. It’s a proper race car, more stiff and precise, and you have a lot of aero so it’s impressive.

“The line with the Hypercar is also similar to the motorcycle line because you stay on the track and in a GT you cut everything. So this car is more similar to a bike.

“As for my time, I was a bit unlucky because I had two sets and with the second you can improve. With the first, I had a red flag, with the second I spun in traffic. Luckily I managed another lap and set the 50.5 but there’s more potential there.”

One of the biggest LMGT3 questions heading into the off-season is whether or not Rossi will return to WRT in 2025. When asked about his plans for next season, he said he hasn’t yet made a final call and is still deciding between a GT3 campaign in FIA WEC or GT World Challenge.

“I haven’t made my mind up, but I have quite a lot of pressure from BMW to remain in the WEC because it’s more important for them. But I haven’t decided — some things are better here, some better there. Now it’s more WEC,” he said.

“Anyway, I will race in the GT World Challenge finale in Jeddah, and then I will decide what I am going to do. It will be one or the other.”

Rossi’s experience today appears to have been an eye-opener. But will it lead to further outings in a prototype?

“I have to say after today coming back to GTs will be a little more difficult,” he said. “Next year, no. If I had the chance in the future, why not? The first test was very good.”

MotoGP legend Rossi set to drive BMW Hypercar at WEC rookie test

Following the conclusion of his debut FIA WEC LMGT3 campaign with WRT, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will take part in the series’ post-season rookie test, driving a BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar for the first time. Rossi will get his first taste of …

Rossi will get his first taste of prototype racing with the German brand alongside factory drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse.

“I am thrilled that I can test the Hypercar. We have been looking for a date for a long time, and now it has finally worked out,” Rossi said. “I really wanted to do this test to get a feel for what the BMW M Hybrid V8 can do. Many thanks to BMW M Motorsport for this opportunity.

“For me, the Hypercars are the MotoGP of prototype racing. They have a lot of power and are very impressive. I am very curious to see what potential I have in the BMW M Hybrid V8.”

The trio have prepared for their Bahrain outing in the BMW M Motorsport simulator in Munich.

“I am looking forward to seeing how our three ‘rookies’ will perform,” Andreas Roos the head of BMW Motorsport said. “We are very pleased to be able to offer the three drivers this opportunity in the cockpit of the BMW M Hybrid V8.”

Hesse — who was also involved in the M Hybrid V8’s development work during the season — and Harper have previously completed an aerodynamics test with the team.

“I have already been at the wheel for an aerodynamics test, but that was really just straight-line driving,” Harper explained. “Many thanks to BMW M Motorsport for this fantastic opportunity and the trust in me.

“Honestly, I have not had any experience with prototypes or open-wheel cars in my career so this will be a big change for me. I have already noticed in the simulator how much higher the speeds are compared to the GT3.

“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself; I’m just trying to enjoy the test day as much as possible. To do this test with Max is something very special for both of us, as we have been on this path together through the BMW Junior Team from day one.”

Hesse said: “I am also very excited to be able to take this step together with Dan after all our joint steps since 2020. During the season, I sat in the BMW M Motorsport simulator very often and contributed to the further development of the BMW M Hybrid V8, so it is of course very exciting for me to now be able to compare it to the real race car.

“I think that will bring me forward personally a lot, but it will also provide us with important insights for the upcoming simulator sessions to prepare the car for the 2025 season.

“I think it’s important that we spend the entire week in Bahrain with the team and attend all the meetings. That way, we won’t be starting from scratch on test day.”

LM24 Hour 9: Green, plus Ferrari penalty and more BMW woes

With the race returning to green in the ninth hour, the 92nd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours has come alive, with the cars on the lead lap in each class bunched up and another bout of rain throwing a wrench in the works. The No. 83 Ferrari led at …

The No. 83 Ferrari led at the restart, but Robert Kubica and every car bar the No. 5 Porsche and No. 311 Whelen Cadillac dived straight in for wets.

Staying out on slicks proved to be a mistake. The No. 5 Porsche, after inheriting the lead, dropped down to 11th, while the No. 311 ended up falling to 12th and last of the cars on the lead lap with Pipo Derani struggling to keep the pace.

Kubica retook the lead off Fred Makowiecki for the No. 83 crew with ease on wets, but moments later was handed a 30s stop-go penalty for causing the collision that led to the No. 15 WRT BMW crashing out of the race. The infraction dropped the car to sixth.

After all this, the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID suddenly leads the race, with Ryo Hirakawa holding station with a 17s gap back to Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 Penske Porsche.

The No. 7 Toyota completes the top three, and for this trio, the comeback is complete after they all lost time to tire gambles early in the race.

Cadillac occupies fourth with the No. 2, with the No. 50 Ferrari completing the top five.

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LMP2, meanwhile, saw drama for Duqueine Team’s ORECA punctuate the hour. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer stopped the car with the rear end smoking, the car’s engine seemingly overheating under the safety car — an on-the-spot retirement.

Out front, the No. 37 COOL Racing ORECA finds itself back in the lead, rapid Dane Malthe Jakobsen installed for what is easily the toughest sequence of the race yet, with the night hours underway and parts of the track drying.

The No. 24 Nielsen Racing example, since the Safety Car, has climbed to second with 2023 class winner Fabio Scherer now lapping the circuit. The No. 183 Pro/Am leading entry with Ben Barnicoat at the wheel is third.

LMGT3 saw one of the key contenders hit potentially terminal trouble.

The No. 46 Team WRT BMW, with Bronze-rated Ahmad Al Harthy at the wheel, ended up sliding off the circuit on the run down the hill after the Dunlop Bridge, hitting the tires nose first. The impact caused a water leak and the car plummeted down the order.

Al Harthy, who seemed a total passenger once the back end stepped out on him, was understandably mortified on the team radio: “It just slipped on me. Not again, oh my God, guys,” he said.

The car was retired just into the tenth hour, ending the charge for Valentino Rossi in his first Le Mans start — a crying shame after he led a portion of the opening hours. It also adds to BMW’s woes. The German marque’s only chance of success rests with the No. 31 M4 LMGT3 in 10th, as both its Hypercars have been knocked out of contention.

This leaves the Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche out front in the lead, with the No. 88 Proton Mustang now back into the fray with Dennis Olsen trying to reel in Klaus Bachler.

Manthey EMA’s Porsche is third.

With conditions treacherous, tire choice is set to be crucial going forward as the field gradually switches back to slicks.

HOUR 9 STANDINGS

WRT completes driver lineup for multiclass WEC program with BMW

At its annual winter party in Spa, Belgium Friday, Team WRT revealed the remaining names in its driver roster for its upcoming FIA WEC campaign with BMW, which will see it run cars in both Hypercar and LMGT3. Longstanding BMW factory driver Augusto …

Longstanding BMW factory driver Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael (who drove with WRT in LMP2 the past two seasons) and reigning British GT3 champion Darren Leung will drive the No. 31 M4 GT3.

“It’s my third year with Team WRT and it is an honor to be part of this great family and also the BMW M family,” Gelael said.

“I am super-excited. I have been LMP2 vice-champion twice in the WEC. I hope I can get over the hump, and there is one clear goal this year — to get the championship and Le Mans. There are no better team and teammates to go for it.”

Meanwhile, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi headlines the No. 46, with experienced GT racer Ahmad Al Harthy and works driver Maxime Martin.

“I am extremely delighted to be part of an amazing team such as WRT, at such an exciting time for the WEC,” said Al Harthy, who made his FIA WEC debut last season with TF Sport, who he will now compete against in LMGT3 this season.

“I look forward to working closely with my teammates and achieving great results with them. I have worked with Maxime in the past and he’ll definitely help me improve my driving. Sharing the seat with a legend such as Vale…who would have said that a kid from Oman watching MotoGP on TV would end up racing with such an iconic sportsman? I’m pleased to be working with the entire WRT family.”

It will be Rossi’s first WEC campaign and follows his successful 2023 campaign with WRT in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, World Challenge Europe and Road To Le Mans, which saw him win his first races in a GT3 car.

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“The WEC will be new for me. I’ll be with Maxime and Ahmad, and I’m eager to race in the main event at Le Mans, and at places like Austin and Sao Paulo,” said Rossi, who was confirmed for the full WEC season last November. “A brand-new experience for me and hopefully we will be competitive.”

This adds to the previous confirmation of its full Hypercar driver lineup for the M Hybrid V8’s first season in the FIA WEC. The No. 15 will see newly minted BMW factory driver Raffaele Marciello share driving duties with Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann. The No. 20 will be driven by Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Sheldon van der Linde.

Vincent Vosse, WRT co-CEO, says the upcoming season in the FIA WEC marks a significant milestone for the Belgian team, which is doubling the size of its WEC effort to four cars in the championship after winning the LMP2 title last season.

“As we embark on this exciting journey, many thoughts are coming to my mind,” he said. “Contesting the WEC and Le Mans for overall honors has always been our objective, as a team and mine, personally. Now the dream comes true.

“To be participating with a Hypercar, in what is probably the most competitive era of endurance racing, to defend the colors of a mythical brand [like] BMW, is already an achievement in itself, but of course we want to be successful in this new challenge.

“The entire team has prepared for months for that and we all will give everything to succeed. It won’t be easy, we know, but we have an extraordinary team, incredible driver lineups, a great car and the support of BMW M Motorsport, where we have found many old friends and made new ones.”

Adding to its 2024 commitments with BMW, WRT revealed its plans to contest the World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups with the M4 GT3. It will campaign multiple cars in both series.

Valentino Rossi to race in WEC with BMW

Nine-time motorcycle grand prix world champion Valentino Rossi has been confirmed for a full-season FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 drive in a Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 for 2024. The Italian MotoGP legend joins the WEC fresh from taking part in the …

Nine-time motorcycle grand prix world champion Valentino Rossi has been confirmed for a full-season FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 drive in a Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 for 2024.

The Italian MotoGP legend joins the WEC fresh from taking part in the post-season rookie test in Bahrain with WRT earlier this month. Confirmation came when he was named on the provisional series entry list that was released this morning.

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“I am very excited to compete in the FIA WEC,” said Rossi, who enjoyed a hugely successful campaign with WRT in World Challenge Europe this season and will drive the No. 46 M4 GT3 in ’24.

“It is the next step for me to participate in a world championship, not only in Europe but to race globally again. I am already familiar with the car after this season, but the format with three drivers from three different performance categories will be new for me. Overall, I believe we will be very well positioned.”

WRT’s team principal Vincent Vosse was also delighted to share the news of “The Doctor” joining the team for its WEC campaign this morning.

“Starting with Valentino Rossi in the FIA WEC is something truly special. We talked about this at our very first meetings. Now, this circle is closing, and it feels like we’ve already ticked most of the boxes we discussed back then.”

Vosse went on to describe WRT’s four-car FIA WEC effort for 2024 with BMW as a “privilege” for the Belgian team. In addition to running a pair of M4 GT3s in LMGT3, the team has also been selected by BMW to run the pair of M Hybrid V8 LMDh prototypes in the Hypercar class.

“What a privilege for us as a team to be able to field both two BMW M Hybrid V8s and two BMW M4 GT3s for BMW M Motorsport in the FIA WEC!” he said.

“While we have two separate crews for the two projects, it will still be a significant challenge for WRT. But we love challenges! The drivers who will be working with us, we already know very well from previous joint racing commitments.”

In addition to Rossi being listed on the WEC entry, three other drivers have been confirmed for next season. Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde will race for WRT in Hypercar, while Brazillian racer Augusto Farfus is the first driver signed to steer the No. 31 M4 GT3.

“With the confirmation of our team for the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes, as well as the initial drivers, our comeback in the FIA WEC takes another important step,” said Andreas Roos, the head of BMW M Motorsport.

“BMW M Team WRT is among the best teams globally in both the prototype and GT3 segments. For sporting and logistical reasons, Vincent Vosse’s team was the logical choice to field both the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3.

“The BMW M works drivers we have nominated possess the necessary driving skills and experience. Sheldon van der Linde is already familiar with the BMW M Hybrid V8, and Dries Vanthoor made a strong impression during test drives. Additionally, he has previously competed at Le Mans in an LMP2 prototype. Valentino Rossi made a strong debut at Le Mans this season, winning immediately in the BMW M4 GT3 (in the Road to Le Mans support race).

“Overall, his first season as a BMW M works driver has been very impressive. I am convinced that he will play an important role and be a crowd favorite in the FIA WEC. Augusto Farfus, with his experience and driving skill, will be a crucial pillar for the LMGT3 program.”

Valentino Rossi set for WEC rookie test with WRT

Belgian LMP2 team WRT has announced that nine-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi will drive its No. 41 ORECA in the FIA WEC post-season rookie test at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, following Saturday’s race. Rossi, who competed in …

Rossi, who competed in GT World Challenge Europe, Road to Le Mans (Rossi is pictured at left, above, with RTLM teammate Jerome Policand) and Bathurst 12 Hours in a BMW M4 GT3 this season with the Belgian team. The Italian will get his first taste of an LMP2 prototype with this opportunity.

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In addition to Rossi, WRT has confirmed that three-time GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup champion Charles Weerts will also turn laps at the test alongside the Italian in the No. 41.

The test will feature 18 cars across the three WEC classes.