Moto GP
Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Mechanical Failure
Valentino Rossi's participation in the COTA WEC race was thwarted by a late mechanical failure. The #46 WRT BMW encountered 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, withdrew from the Austin World Endurance Championship race just 15 minutes before it concluded.
Last Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, a car marked with MotoGP icon Rossi’s renowned #46 rocketed from 15th place in its class to fifth during the initial segment of the Lone Star Le Mans.
Al Harty drove the car impressively during his stint, and his team-mates Rossi and Martin kept up the quick pace.
With just 15 minutes left and positioned within the top five, the car encountered a hydraulics problem and had to withdraw from the race.
"The weekend experienced its share of highs and lows," stated Vincent Vosse, the head of the WRT team.
"While we are disappointed with the outcome, there are several positive aspects to consider."
"We were the only team able to match the Ferrari's pace in the Hypercar category for the first half of the race, which was a significant achievement."
"At this point, we must master the process and avoid errors until the race concludes."
"However, let's stay optimistic and concentrate on the upcoming race at Fuji, which is happening in two weeks. The outcome in LMGT3 has been less than satisfactory."
"We managed to do our best with car #31. As for car #46, it experienced a technical problem related to the power steering. We plan to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the malfunction."
"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 do better in Fuji."
The #27 Aston Martin from Heart of Racing clinched victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, while the other WRT vehicle, #31, finished in fifth place.
Total victory and first place in the Hypercar category were achieved by the #83 AF Corse Ferrari team, driven by former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifie Ye.
In Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the #46 vehicle managed to secure a podium finish at Imola. However, they have not been able to achieve similar success in subsequent races.
As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience racing at COTA during his MotoGP career from 2013 to 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.
"Since you can transfer quite a bit of knowledge. You're familiar with the track, understand the optimal lines, and know the locations of bumps and areas with good grip."
"Certainly, the GT is quite distinct in several ways. You have the ability to take numerous shortcuts and adopt varied racing lines."
"Ultimately, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, being familiar with the course while riding the bike is beneficial."
Explore Further
Recent Updates
Recent Updates
Site Map
Crash.Net
© 1999-2024 Crash Media Group
Reproducing text, photos, or images in whole or in part is prohibited in any manner.
Discover more from Automobilnews News - The first AI News Portal world wide
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.