Moto GP
Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Dream Dashed by Last-Minute Breakdown in Lone Star Le Mans
Mechanical failure 15 minutes before the end halts Valentino Rossi's COTA WEC race
The #46 BMW from WRT encountered issues in the final stages 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 just 15 minutes before it concluded.
A car featuring MotoGP icon Rossi's renowned #46 soared from 15th position to fifth place during the initial segment of last Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans held at the Circuit of the Americas.
During his time behind the wheel, Al Harty secured a solid standing for the car, a performance that was consistently upheld by his teammates Rossi and Martin.
As the race was coming to an end and the car was among the top five, a hydraulics problem emerged with just 15 minutes remaining, leading to its withdrawal from the competition.
"The weekend experienced both positive and negative moments," stated Vincent Vosse, the head of the WRT team.
"Naturally, we're disappointed with the outcome, but we can also find several encouraging aspects to focus on."
"We were the sole competitors able to match the Ferrari's pace in the Hypercar class during the first half of the race, which was a highly encouraging aspect."
"We must now master doing this flawlessly until the race concludes."
"However, let's maintain a positive outlook and concentrate on the upcoming race in Fuji, scheduled for two weeks from now. The outcome in LMGT3 has been less than satisfactory."
"We did our best with car #31. Car #46 experienced a technical problem, which we have identified as an issue with the power steering. We will conduct a further investigation to determine the exact cause of the malfunction."
"Our rivals outperformed us, resulting in us losing more points to the top two competitors. We need to figure out how to get better in Fuji."
The Heart of Racing team, driving car number 27, secured victory in the LMGT3 category at the Circuit of the Americas. Meanwhile, the WRT team’s other vehicle, car number 31, finished in fifth place
The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, along with Robert Shwartzman and Yifie Ye, clinched both the overall win and first place in the Hypercar category.
Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship has had its ups and downs. The #46 car managed to secure a podium finish at Imola, but has not been able to achieve similar success in subsequent races.
As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) from his MotoGP years (2013-2021) would be advantageous.
Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he consistently performs at a higher speed and with greater skill on familiar tracks when riding his motorcycle.
"You can transfer a lot of knowledge. You are familiar with the track, understand the ideal paths, and are aware of where the bumps and grip points are."
"Certainly, the GT is quite unique in some aspects. You have the flexibility to cut corners significantly and take various racing lines."
"However, once you reach the end, the track remains unchanged. Therefore, having familiarity with the track while on the bike is a significant advantage."
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