The driver from Pesaro, who made his debut in motor racing with the Audi R8 GT3, confirms his commitment to the GT World Challenge in 2023 and renews his “desire to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans” for 2024. Here are the possible scenarios: BMW and Porsche the most accredited hypotheses
Giulio Masperi
03 August
– spa-francorchamps (belgium)
On the eve of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the seventh round of the GT World Challenge Europe, finished 17th overall, Valentino Rossi had anticipated his plans for his future. “In 2023 I will remain in this series, it is certain – are the words of Rossi -. Le Mans? Right now I don’t think I’ll participate next year, it’s not certain, but it remains a goal perhaps for 2024 ”. Meanwhile, the Wrt team, with whom Rossi made his GT3 racing debut at the wheel of the Audi R8 Lms number 46, has announced that at the end of 2022 it will end the 13-year relationship – full of successes and trophies – with Audi Sport. From 2023, in fact, the Belgian team will be linked to BMW Motorsport with the aim of becoming the reference team for the WEC endurance world championship, when from 2024 the house of Elica will debut the BMW M Hybrid V8 prototype, developed in Munich, on a Dallara chassis.
VALENTINO ROSSI: THE GT RACES
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What will Valentino Rossi’s future be? Let’s start with certainties. At the moment the rider from Tavullia is linked to the Wrt team for a season, so the relationship with the team led by team principal Vincent Vosse should end at the end of 2022. Rossi, as anticipated, has given for certain his presence in the GT World Challenge Europe also in the 2023 season (the championship will traditionally return to shooting from Monza in mid-April). It will remain to be seen with which GT3 car and with which team the nine-time world champion with motorcycles will be the protagonist. Valentino will certainly continue to compete with one of the top teams in the international series. Switching to a new car, perhaps from a German manufacturer, cannot be ruled out. Among the “rumors” the name of BMW (which in 2022 made its debut in the BMW M4 GT3, which appeared one of the fastest cars in the category) appears stronger than that of Porsche. After all, with the marriage between Bmw M and Wrt, the latter team could continue the sports program with the grand touring cars derived from the Bavarian quarry series. And Valentino, by signing a new contract, could get behind the wheel of the BMW. In any case, Porsche, part of the Volkswagen group like Audi and Ducati, could also be a concrete option.
BMW, THE AGREEMENT WITH WRT FOR THE MANS 2024
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Returning to the future of the Wrt team, as announced on 2 August in an official BMW M Motorsport statement, in 2023 the Belgium-based team will focus on the development of the German Le Mans Daytona Hybrid prototype. “We are proud and happy to announce the agreement reached with a top quality team like Wrt for our BMW M Hybrid V8” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M, adding that WRT will be the reference team in the WEC from 2024. It should be remembered that Wrt has gained considerable experience in the WEC and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the “cadet” class prototypes, Lmp2, and was the team chosen by Audi Sport for the LmdH program, before the same was put on stand-by, with the suspension in the first months of 2022.
ROSSI AND THE 24 HOUR DREAM OF LE MANS
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“ queen ”of that series. With whom (and when) could Rossi race on the Sarthe circuit? The goal seems to be a debut from 2024. As for the car, we are, at the moment, in the field of hypotheses. Rossi in this sense could renew the agreement with Wrt, the team that will bring the BMW M Hybrid V8 to the track, finding the team with which he gained a lot of experience in 2022. One hypothesis, a Valentino at Le Mans with BMW, who on the radio-market “frequencies” it appears stronger than a switch to Porsche. For its part, the Zuffenhausen house will return to racing in the main class of the WEC from 2023 with the 963 LmdH, and Porsche – which will make several prototypes – could still be a destination for Rossi, even if the main road does not appear. On the other hand, any agreements between Rossi and the Italian brands appear decidedly off the radar. In the specific case Lamborghini, making its absolute debut in the WEC from 2024 with an LmdH; and Ferrari, which will return to compete for overall victory at Le Mans from 2023 with an all-wheel drive hybrid Hypercar developed entirely in Maranello.
03 August 2022 – 14:02
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