Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Break Down in Lone Star Le Mans

Valentino Rossi's participation in the COTA WEC race was thwarted by a late mechanical failure. The #46 WRT BMW experienced issues 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, was forced to withdraw just 15 minutes before the conclusion of the Austin World Endurance Championship event.

The vehicle emblazoned with MotoGP icon Rossi's well-known #46 surged from 15th place to fifth during the initial segment of last Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans held at the Circuit of the Americas.

During that segment, Al Harty secured a solid standing for the car, with teammates Rossi and Martin continuing to uphold the impressive speed.

As the race drew close to its end, the car, which had been in the top five, encountered a hydraulics problem with just 15 minutes remaining and had to withdraw.

"The weekend was a mixed bag of positives and negatives," stated Vincent Vosse, the head of the WRT team.

“Certainly, we're dissatisfied with the outcome, but there are also several positive aspects to consider.”

"For the first half of the race, we were the only team able to match the pace of the Ferrari in the Hypercar category, which was a significant achievement."

"We need to master this skill and execute it flawlessly until the race concludes."

"However, we should stay optimistic and look ahead to the upcoming race in Fuji, which will take place in two weeks. The outcome in LMGT3 has been less than satisfactory."

“We did our best with car #31. Car #46 experienced a technical problem related to the power steering, but we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the issue.

"Our rivals outperformed us, resulting in a further loss of points to the top two competitors. We need to evaluate how we can make progress in Fuji."

The Aston Martin with car number 27, representing Heart of Racing, secured victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA. Meanwhile, the other WRT 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 Yifei Ye, clinched both the overall win and the highest distinction 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 a similar result since then.

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

"I am consistently quicker and perform better on a familiar track with the motorcycle," Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365.

“You can bring along numerous items. You’re familiar with the track, understand the racing lines, and know the locations of the bumps and areas with good grip.”

“Certainly, the GT is quite unique in some respects. You have the ability to take shortcuts and create alternative routes.”

"Ultimately, the course remains unchanged, so being familiar with it on the bike is definitely beneficial."

Discover More

Breaking News

Trending Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce any portion of the text, photos, or illustrations in any manner.