Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Breakdown: #46 WRT BMW Retires from Lone Star Le Mans

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

The #46 WRT BMW LMGT3, piloted by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harty, and Maxime Martin, had to withdraw from the Austin World Endurance Championship race just 15 minutes before it concluded.

The vehicle carrying MotoGP icon Rossi's well-known #46 surged from 15th position in its category to fifth during the initial phase of last Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas.

During that segment, Al Harty placed the car in an advantageous position, a strong performance that was sustained by his teammates Rossi and Martin.

While positioned within the top five as the race drew to a close, the car encountered a hydraulics problem with just 15 minutes remaining and had to withdraw from the competition.

WRT team leader Vincent Vosse mentioned that the weekend had its highs and lows.

"Naturally, we're disappointed with the outcome, but there are also several encouraging aspects to consider."

"We were the only team able to match the Ferrari's pace in the Hypercar class during the first half of the race, which was a significant positive."

"We must now figure out how to complete this task flawlessly until the race concludes."

"However, let's stay optimistic and look ahead to the upcoming race in Fuji, scheduled for two weeks from now. The outcome in the LMGT3 category has been less than satisfactory."

"We did our best with car #31. Car #46 encountered a technical problem, specifically with the power steering. We will look into it more to find out what caused the issue."

"The teams we are competing against outperformed us, leading to a drop in points compared to the top two leaders. We need to analyze and figure out how to enhance our performance at the Fuji event."

The Heart of Racing's Aston Martin, car number 27, clinched victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the other WRT vehicle, car number 31, secured a fifth-place finish.

Complete victory 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 WEC 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 results since then.

Before the weekend, Rossi believed that his previous experience at COTA from his MotoGP career, spanning from 2013 to 2021, would be advantageous.

Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he always performs quicker and more skillfully on a track he is familiar with when riding the motorcycle.

“You can bring a lot of experience with you. You’re familiar with the track, you understand the racing lines, and you know where the bumps and the grip points are."

“Certainly, the GT is quite distinct in some aspects. You have the ability to cut corners significantly and take alternative racing lines.”

"Ultimately, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, having familiarity with the track while riding the bike is beneficial."

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