Heartbreak at COTA: Valentino Rossi’s Late Breakdown Dashes WEC Podium Hopes

Valentino Rossi's COTA WEC race thwarted by late mechanical failure

The #46 BMW from WRT experienced a mechanical breakdown 15 minutes before the end of the Lone Star Le Mans.

The #46 WRT BMW LMGT3 vehicle, piloted by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harty, and Maxime Martin, had to withdraw from the Austin World Endurance Championship race just 15 minutes before the finish.

The vehicle carrying MotoGP icon Rossi's renowned #46 surged from 15th place to fifth during the initial phase of last Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans held at the Circuit of the Americas.

During that segment of the race, Al Harty positioned the car favorably, and teammates Rossi and Martin kept up the impressive speed.

As the race was coming to an end, the car, which was positioned within the top five, encountered a hydraulics problem with only 15 minutes remaining and had to withdraw.

"The weekend was a mix of positive and negative moments," stated Vincent Vosse, the leader of the WRT team.

"Naturally, we are disappointed with the outcome, but there are also several encouraging aspects to consider."

"We were the sole team able to match the Ferrari's pace in the Hypercar category during the race's first half, which was a significant positive aspect."

“We now need to figure out how to execute this perfectly until the race concludes without any errors.

"However, we should remain optimistic and look ahead to the upcoming race at Fuji in two weeks. The outcome in LMGT3 has been disheartening."

"We did everything possible with car #31. Car #46 experienced a technical problem, specifically with the power steering. We plan to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the issue."

"Our rivals outperformed us, causing us to lose more points to the top two teams. We need to figure out how to make improvements before the event in Fuji."

The Heart of Racing team, driving the #27 Aston Martin, clinched victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the WRT team’s #31 car secured a fifth-place finish.

The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, along with Robert Shwartzman and Yifie Ye, secured an overall win and first place in the Hypercar category.

Rossi’s debut season in the WEC has had its ups and downs; the #46 car managed to secure a podium finish at Imola, but hasn't been able to achieve another one since.

As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience on the track from his MotoGP career, where he raced at COTA from 2013 to 2021, would be advantageous.

“I am consistently quicker and perform better on familiar tracks with the motorcycle,” Rossi shared with Sportscar365.

"You can bring a lot of knowledge with you. You are familiar with the track, understand the racing lines, and know the locations of bumps and areas with good grip."

"Certainly, the GT stands out in some aspects. You have the ability to take sharper turns and create varied racing lines."

"Ultimately, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, being familiar with it while riding the bike is beneficial."

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