Valentino Rossi’s WEC Dream Dashed by Late Breakdown at COTA’s Lone Star Le Mans

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 Austin World Endurance Championship race saw the #46 WRT BMW LMGT3 car, piloted by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harty, and Maxime Martin, withdraw just 15 minutes before concluding.

During the initial phase of last Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas, the car featuring MotoGP icon Rossi’s renowned #46 surged from 15th place in its category to fifth.

During that phase, Al Harty secured a solid position for the car, with teammates Rossi and Martin continuing to uphold that impressive speed.

As the race was nearing its end, with only 15 minutes left, the car was in the top five but had to withdraw due to a hydraulics problem.

WRT team principal Vincent Vosse commented, "The weekend experienced a mix of positive and negative moments."

"While we are disappointed with the outcome, there are also some significant positives to consider."

"In the first half of the race, we were the only team able to match the pace of the Ferrari in the Hypercar category, which was a significant achievement for us."

"We need to master doing this flawlessly until the race is over."

"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 was not as expected."

"We did all we could with vehicle #31. There was a technical malfunction with vehicle #46, which we identified as a power steering problem. Nevertheless, we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact 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 get better at Fuji."

The #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin clinched 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 racer Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifie Ye, secured an overall win and the highest accolades in the Hypercar category.

Rossi's debut season in the World Endurance Championship 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 racing at COTA from 2013 to 2021 during his MotoGP career would be beneficial.

Rossi shared with Sportscar365 that he consistently performs quicker and more efficiently on a motorcycle when he's familiar with the track.

"You can bring a lot with you. You're familiar with the track, the racing lines, the locations of the bumps, and where the grip is."

"Undoubtedly, the GT stands apart in many ways. You have the flexibility to take various shortcuts and create unique racing lines."

"In the end, the course remains unchanged. Therefore, being familiar with it while riding the bike is definitely an advantage."

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