Valentino Rossi’s run in BMW’s M Hybrid V8 LMDh on the World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain subsequent month has been confirmed.
BMW has formally revealed the seven-time MotoGP champion’s participation throughout the test with the manufacturing unit WRT Hypercar class squad on the day after the final word across the 2024 WEC along with that of fellow manufacturing unit drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse.
The affirmation comes 4 weeks after Rossi, who’s racing a WRT BMW throughout the LMGT3 class of the WEC along with throughout the GT World Downside Europe, unilaterally launched that his promised run throughout the M Hybrid would come as anticipated on the rookie test.
Rossi, who acquired his first fashion of a prototype in a WRT-run ORECA-Gibson 07 LMP on the rookie test last 12 months, acknowledged: “I am thrilled that I can test the Hypercar – we have been trying to find a date for a really very long time, and now it has lastly labored out.
“I truly wished to do this test to get a very really feel for what the BMW M Hybrid V8 can do.
“Many due to BMW M Motorsport for this opportunity.”
BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos added that he is “wanting forward to seeing what our rookies can do”.
#20 BMW M Workers WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Sheldon Van Der Linde, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast
Image by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Briton Harper and German Hesse are being given an outing throughout the M Hybrid after impressing on the wheel of BMW’s M4 GT3 since their graduation from the marque’s revived junior programme to full manufacturing unit standing for 2023.
Their successes collectively this 12 months embody a third-place finish throughout the Nurburgring 24 Hours with the RMG workforce and a GTWCE Endurance Cup victory at Paul Ricard in April, sharing an M4 GT3 with Charles Weerts and Augusto Farfus respectively.
Harper and Hesse have already pushed the M Hybrid: they’ve undertaken aerodynamic testing and Hesse has been involved in progress on the simulator.
Rossi, Harper and Hesse be a part of a rising itemizing of drivers confirmed to take part throughout the rookie test in Bahrain aboard Hypercar gear.
It consists of Theo Pourchaire and Clement Novalak with Peugeot, Victor Martins with Alpine and Arthur Leclerc with Ferrari.
Esteban Masson shall be given a run with Toyota after racing for sister marque Lexus in LMGT3 this 12 months.
Reshad de Gerus, who accomplished third in LMP2 on the Le Mans 24 Hours with IDEC Sport this 12 months, has been nominated to take part by the gathering organiser.
The Frenchman will drive for whichever marque wins the producers’ title.
Motorsport.com says
Valentino Rossi driving a car that competes for outright honours throughout the WEC and at Le Mans might seize the headlines for BMW along with the gathering, nevertheless his run shouldn’t be regarded as a try-out for a seat in one in every of many M Hybrids for subsequent 12 months or each different time.
It’s a PR various and a bit of little bit of satisfying for Rossi. We shouldn’t neglect that his post-MotoGP career on 4 wheels is as loads about enjoyment as attempting to win races.
Rossi has acknowledged that his purpose isn’t to race BMW’s LMDh, though he has licensed that with a ‘you certainly not know’.
The reality is that he is nearly 46 and coming to the highest of solely his third full season of car racing. He’s not on the tempo of his expert team-mates throughout the M4 GT3, so it might be unrealistic to depend on him to match them in a prototype.
Hypercar throughout the WEC is approach too aggressive to have any weak hyperlinks throughout the chain.
The world shouldn’t be speculating whether or not or not Rossi will ever race the M Hybrid, fairly the place he shall be competing in 2025. The Italian plans to cut once more on his schedule subsequent 12 months and will decide between the WEC and the GTWCE.
Cadillac has moreover launched a trio of drivers for the test.
They’re Frederik Vesti, who was launched as part of the Movement Categorical Racing workforce’s IMSA SportsCar Championship line-up on Wednesday, and Daniel Juncadella and Charlie Eastwood, every members of Cadillac sister marque Chevrolet’s manufacturing unit roster.
Mathieu Jaminet, who races Porsche’s LMDh in IMSA, is listed in direction of one in every of many manufacturing unit Penske-run entries upfront of a 2025 advertising and marketing marketing campaign that may included chosen WEC outings, along with at Le Mans.
Elements 3 driver Charlie Wurz, son of two-time Le Mans winner Alex, will run in Proton Rivals’s purchaser Porsche.
Ferrari will give a run to new-for-2024 manufacturing unit driver Thomas Neubauer along with the youthful of the Leclerc brothers.
The solo Iron Lynx-run Lamborghini Hypercar entry shall be sampled by Franck Perera and Jordan Pepper from the Italian marque’s GT3 roster.
Tom Gamble and Mattia Drudi, respectively manufacturing unit drivers with McLaren and Aston Martin, will drive for his or her producer’s marketing consultant in LMGT3, United Autosports and Coronary coronary heart of Racing.
Aurelien Panis, whose father is Elements 1 race winner Olivier, will drive a Lexus LMGT3 for the Auto Sport Promotion workforce after ending runner-up throughout the GTWC Sprint Cup Silver Cup class driving a Boutsen VDS Mercedes this 12 months.
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