Rossi to race at Bathurst 12 Hour

Australia’s legion of Valentino Rossi fans are in for a treat next month, when ‘The Doctor’ returns to our shores to race a BMW M4 GT3 race car around Bathurst’s hallowed Mount Panorama circuit.

Rumours of the possibility surfaced in mid-December and have now been confirmed following the switch of Rossi’s car racing outfit, WRT (W Racing Team), from Audi to BMW. The new partnership sees Rossi officially sign on as one of 21 BMW M Motorsport factory drivers.

In addition to a continuation of his racing in the GT World Challenge Europe endurance series, Rossi is confirmed to front the starter at Mount Panorama when it hosts the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (February 3 to 5), the nine-time Motorcycle World Champion suiting up alongside teammates Maxime Martin and Augusto Farfus.

Related reading:
Rossi to race at Bathurst in 2023?
Grazie, Vale!
Valentino Rossi retires after glittering GP career

It will the first time Rossi has raced on Australian soil since 2019, when he finished eighth in the Aussie round of the MotoGP Championship at Phillip Island.

“I am very proud to become an official BMW M works driver and it is a great opportunity,” said Rossi. “Last year I started racing seriously in cars and I finished my first season with the WRT team with whom I got on very well, and I am very happy that the WRT team chose BMW M Motorsport as a new partner.

“I have already had a chance to test the BMW M4 GT3 twice and the feeling with the car is very good. I think we could be competitive next season. Also, BMW M Motorsport has given me the opportunity to race with two very strong drivers next year, Maxime Martin and Augusto Farfus. I still have a lot to learn and improve, but I hope to be up to the task and fast enough to fight during the race weekends.”

BMW M Motorsport chief, Andreas Roos, said Rossi would bring considerable expertise and passion to the team.

“Valentino Rossi needs no introduction,” he said. “As one of the most successful motorcycle riders of all time, he has made history. His successes on the racetrack and his personality have quite rightly made him a living legend.

“But Valentino has proved that he is also an excellent racer on four wheels. He has shown that car racing has become his second motorsport home, and he brings all his passion, skills and commitment to this new chapter of his career.

“It’s fantastic that Valentino will be joining our BMW M Motorsport family as a new works driver next year. We’re really looking forward to working together – welcome aboard, Vale!”

Before his retirement from MotoGP in 2021, Rossi notched up a total of nine World Motorcycle Championship titles. He claimed the 125cc GP title in 1997, the 250cc GP title in 1999, and then the 500cc GP title in 2001, along with MotoGP titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009.

But the 43-year-old has long held an interest in car racing too, having previously tested a Formula 1 Ferrari and Mercedes, entered the Monza Rally in 2009, and two races in the World Rally Championship in 2006 (New Zealand) and 2009 (Wales).

Rossi contested an endurance race in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and contested the GT World Challenge Europe with WRT in 2022, finishing a credible 21st in the driver standings from a field of 64.