Heartbreak for Valentino Rossi as #46 WRT BMW Retires Late at Lone Star Le Mans Due to Mechanical Issues

Valentino Rossi's participation in the COTA WEC race was thwarted by a mechanical failure late in the event. The #46 WRT BMW encountered problems just 15 minutes before the conclusion of the Lone Star Le Mans.

The #46 WRT BMW LMGT3 vehicle, piloted by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harty, and Maxime Martin, withdrew from the Austin World Endurance Championship race with just 15 minutes remaining.

During the first segment of last Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas, the car with MotoGP legend Rossi's iconic #46 surged from 15th place in its class to an impressive fifth place.

During his stint, Al Harty positioned the car favorably, and his team-mates Rossi and Martin kept up the impressive pace.

As the race was coming to a close and the car was maintaining a position within the top five, a hydraulic problem emerged with just a quarter of an hour remaining, leading to its withdrawal from the competition.

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

“While we are disappointed with the outcome, there are definitely some positive aspects to consider.”

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

"At this point, we must master the process and avoid errors right until the race concludes."

"However, let's stay optimistic and look ahead to the upcoming race in Fuji, which is happening in two weeks. As for LMGT3, the outcome has been less than satisfactory."

"We did our best with car #31. As for car #46, we experienced a technical problem identified as a power steering issue. We plan to conduct a more thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the malfunction."

“Our rivals were ahead of us, causing us to lose more points to the top two contenders. We need to figure out how to enhance our performance for the Fuji event.”

The Heart of Racing team's Aston Martin, car number 27, took first place in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the WRT team's other vehicle, car number 31, finished in fifth position.

A decisive win and first place in the Hypercar category were claimed by the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, along with Robert Shwartzman and Yifei Ye.

Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship has had its ups and downs. The #46 vehicle managed to secure a podium finish at Imola, but has not been able to achieve the same success in subsequent races.

As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience racing at COTA during his MotoGP career from 2013 to 2021 would be advantageous for him.

Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he's consistently quicker and performs better on familiar tracks when riding his motorcycle.

"You can bring over a lot of knowledge. You're familiar with the track, the racing lines, and you understand where the bumps are and where you can find grip."

"Certainly, when it comes to the GT, it's quite distinct in some ways. You have the ability to take numerous shortcuts and create varied routes."

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

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