Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Mechanical Failure, #46 WRT BMW Forced to Retire

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

The #46 WRT BMW LMGT3 car, 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.

Last Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, a car branded with MotoGP icon Rossi's renowned #46 impressively surged from 15th place to fifth during the initial phase of the Lone Star Le Mans race.

During that segment, Al Harty positioned the car advantageously, and his teammates Rossi and Martin kept up the impressive speed.

As the race was coming to an end, with only 15 minutes left, the car that was in the top five encountered a problem with its hydraulics and had to drop out.

"There were both positive and negative moments over the weekend," stated Vincent Vosse, the head of the WRT team.

"While we're disappointed with the outcome, there are definitely some positives to consider."

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

"From now on, we need to master this skill and execute it flawlessly until the race concludes."

"However, let's keep a positive outlook and concentrate on the upcoming race in Fuji, which is happening in two weeks. The outcome in LMGT3 has been disheartening."

"We did our best with vehicle #31. Vehicle #46 experienced a technical malfunction, specifically with the power steering system. We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the issue."

"The teams we're competing against ended up ahead of us, causing us to lose more points to the top two leaders. We need to figure out how to enhance our performance in Fuji."

The Aston Martin with the #27 Heart of Racing team clinched the victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the other WRT vehicle, marked with #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, secured a decisive win and clinched the top spot in the Hypercar category.

Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship has had its ups and downs, with the #46 vehicle achieving a podium finish at Imola but not managing to do so again since then.

As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience on the track from his MotoGP years, when he raced at COTA from 2013 to 2021, would be beneficial.

Rossi mentioned to Sportscar365 that he always performs quicker and more proficiently on a familiar track with his motorcycle.

“You can transfer a lot of knowledge. You're familiar with the track, understand the best paths, and know the locations of bumps, grip areas, and everything else.

“Certainly, when it comes to the GT, there are notable differences. You have the ability to take shortcuts and vary your racing lines significantly.

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

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