Valentino Rossi, the nine-time motorbike world champion, is about to get behind the wheel of BMW’s LMDh prototype on the upcoming World Endurance Championship (WEC) rookie take a look at in Bahrain. This long-awaited alternative will see Rossi pilot the BMW M Hybrid V8 on November third, simply after the conclusion of the 2024 WEC season on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit.
BMW M Motorsport had initially deliberate to supply the MotoGP legend a seat of their M Hybrid V8 final 12 months. Nonetheless, the take a look at was postponed to 2024, as confirmed by BMW M Motorsport director Andreas Roos. “We knew Rossi did a fantastic job within the LMP2 automobile final 12 months, so there was little doubt he deserved the possibility to drive the LMDh automobile,” Roos advised Motorsport.com.
Rossi has already made his mark with BMW, having competed within the M4 GT3 below the WRT group within the newly-formed LMGT3 division this season. His expertise in endurance racing has steadily grown, particularly after his preliminary prototype take a look at in Bahrain final 12 months, the place he drove the Oreca 07 LMP2 automobile, additionally fielded by WRT.
Talking forward of the rookie take a look at, Rossi expressed his pleasure about lastly getting the possibility to drive BMW’s cutting-edge LMDh prototype. He famous that the step from LMP2 to LMDh was a pure development in his journey. “I’m thrilled to see what the M Hybrid V8 seems like and to check it out,” he shared. Whereas the take a look at itself is an thrilling milestone, Rossi hinted at bigger ambitions, leaving the door open for a possible future within the Hypercar class, whether or not within the WEC or the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Andreas Roos additional emphasised that giving Rossi this chance was a part of a broader technique to make the most of the WEC rookie take a look at for evaluating drivers from completely different disciplines. Rossi, who turns 45 later this 12 months, continues to showcase his versatility in motorsport, transitioning from two wheels to endurance racing with exceptional ease.
[Source: Motorsport.com]
