Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Dream Dashed by Late Mechanical Failure in Lone Star Le Mans

Valentino Rossi's race at the COTA WEC was derailed by a late mechanical failure

The #46 WRT BMW encountered technical problems just 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, withdrew from the Austin World Endurance Championship race just 15 minutes before it concluded.

The vehicle sporting MotoGP icon Rossi’s iconic #46 swiftly climbed from 15th to fifth place in its category during the initial phase of last Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas.

Al Harty secured a competitive spot for the car during his turn, and his teammates Rossi and Martin kept up the fast pace.

As the race was approaching its end and the car was in the top five, a hydraulics problem emerged with just 15 minutes left, leading to its withdrawal.

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

"While the final outcome isn't what we hoped for, there are definitely some encouraging aspects to consider."

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

"We must now master completing this task flawlessly until the race concludes."

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

"We did everything possible with car #31. As for car #46, it experienced a technical problem related to the power steering. We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the malfunction."

"Our rivals outperformed us, causing us to fall further behind the top two teams. We need to figure out how to enhance our performance at Fuji."

The #27 Aston Martin from Heart of Racing secured the victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the #31 car from WRT finished in fifth place.

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

Rossi’s debut season in the World Endurance Championship has had its ups and downs, with the #46 car achieving a podium finish at Imola but not being able to match that performance in subsequent races.

Before the weekend began, Rossi believed that his previous experience riding at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) during his MotoGP career from 2013 to 2021 would be advantageous for him.

Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he consistently performs faster and better on a motorcycle when he is familiar with the track.

"You can bring over a lot of knowledge. You understand the track, the racing lines, the locations of the bumps, and where the grip is."

"However, from a certain perspective, the GT is quite distinct. You can take shortcuts and follow various paths."

"Ultimately, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, being familiar with the course while riding the bike offers a significant benefit."

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