Valentino Rossi’s COTA WEC Hopes Dashed by Late Mechanical Woes in Lone Star Le Mans

Mechanical Failure Derails Valentino Rossi's COTA WEC Race

The #46 WRT BMW encountered technical problems with just 15 minutes remaining in 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 emblazoned with MotoGP icon Rossi’s renowned #46 made an impressive leap from 15th to 5th position during the initial segment of the Lone Star Le Mans.

During that segment, Al Harty positioned the car favorably, and his teammates Rossi and Martin kept up the fast pace.

As the race approached its end with the car holding a top five position, a hydraulics problem emerged 15 minutes before the finish, causing it 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 disappointing, there are several positive aspects we can appreciate.”

"We were the sole competitors able to match the Ferrari's pace in the Hypercar class during the race's first half, which was a highly encouraging aspect."

"We must now figure out how to complete the race flawlessly."

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

"We did everything possible with car #31. As for car #46, we experienced a technical malfunction related to the power steering. We plan to conduct a more thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of this 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 improve our performance at the Fuji event."

The #27 Aston Martin from Heart of Racing clinched the victory in the LMGT3 category at COTA, whereas the only other WRT vehicle, #31, finished in fifth place.

The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifei Ye, claimed an outright win and the highest accolades in the Hypercar category.

Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship (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 success in subsequent races.

As the weekend approached, Rossi believed that his previous experience at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) during his MotoGP career from 2013 to 2021 would give him an advantage.

Rossi shared with Sportscar365 that he consistently performs faster and better on familiar tracks with his motorcycle.

“You can transfer a lot of knowledge. You’re familiar with the track, understand the racing lines, and know where the bumps and grip points are.”

"Certainly, the GT is quite distinct in some respects. You have the ability to take different routes and make various cuts."

"However, ultimately, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, being familiar with it while riding the bike is beneficial."

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