Valentino Rossi, the seven-time MotoGP champion, has announced his plans to continue racing a WRT BMW M4 GT3 in both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE). This marks only his fourth year of full-time racing in cars after retiring from motorcycles at the end of 2021. Rossi expressed his excitement about competing in what he believes are the top two championships in the world.
In addition to participating in the GTWCE Endurance Cup, Rossi will also campaign in the new LMGT3 class within the WEC in 2024. He feels that the combination of eight races in WEC and five in GTWCE provides a good balance for him. Although he is part of BMW’s factory driver lineup, Rossi indicated that he may not compete in the Sprint Cup segment of the 2024 GTWCE at Brands Hatch and Misano.
Rossi’s schedule for 2024 includes 16 events with BMW and WRT, along with some MotoGP rounds working with his VR46 squad. He expressed a desire to reduce the number of races he participates in, not increase it. Although the Bathurst 12 Hours was on his program for 2024, Rossi hinted that he may not compete in the Intercontinental GT Challenge event next year due to a clash with his 46th birthday celebrations.
As Rossi plans to celebrate his 46th birthday in February, he explained the significance of the number 46 in his racing career. Despite this celebration potentially preventing his participation in the Intercontinental GT Challenge event, Rossi expressed interest in racing at Silverstone, where he was a MotoGP race winner in 2015. He also mentioned a desire to compete at Oulton Park, another British GT venue.
The WEC and GTWCE are considered two of the most prestigious championships worldwide by many racers. The announcement by Valentino Rossi is significant as he has decided to participate fully on these championships after retiring from motorcycles last year. His experience as a seven-time MotoGP champion will surely bring value to these championships and we can expect exciting races when he competes.
In conclusion, Valentino Rossi’s decision to continue racing a WRT BMW M4 GT3 is an exciting development for fans of both car and motorcycle racing. With such an experienced driver like him joining these championships, it will be interesting to see how well he performs against other drivers who have been competing full-time since their retirement from motorcycles like him.
