Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Breakdown: #46 WRT BMW Forced to Retire 15 Minutes from Finish

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

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

The vehicle marked with MotoGP icon Rossi’s renowned #46 surged from 15th place to fifth during the initial segment of the Lone Star Le Mans race at the Circuit of the Americas last Sunday.

Al Harty secured a solid position for the car during his stint, with teammates Rossi and Martin keeping up the fast pace.

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

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

“While the outcome is not what we hoped for, there are still several positives to acknowledge.”

"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 advantage."

"At this point, we need to master the process and avoid errors until the race is finished."

"However, we should remain optimistic and turn our attention to the upcoming race at Fuji in two weeks. The outcome in the LMGT3 category was not as expected."

"We did our best with car #31. Car #46 experienced a technical malfunction related to the power steering. We are going to conduct a detailed investigation to determine the root cause of the issue."

"Our rivals ended up ahead of us, causing us to lose more points to the top two teams. We need to figure out how to enhance our performance in Fuji."

The Aston Martin #27 from Heart of Racing claimed victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the other WRT vehicle, #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 an outright victory and secured the top spot in the Hypercar class.

Rossi’s debut season in the World Endurance Championship has seen varied results, with the #46 vehicle achieving a podium finish at Imola but not managing to repeat this success in subsequent races.

Before the weekend began, Rossi believed that his previous experience at COTA from his MotoGP career, spanning from 2013 to 2021, would be an advantage for him.

Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he consistently performs faster and better on tracks he is familiar with when riding his motorcycle.

"You can bring along a lot of things. You're familiar with the track, understand the lines, and know where all the bumps and grip points are."

"However, the GT is certainly distinct in several ways. One notable difference is that it allows for significant cutting and the creation of alternative paths."

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

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