Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is contemplating the World Endurance Championship over the GT World Problem Europe as he downscales his race programme for subsequent season.
The BMW manufacturing unit driver has revealed that the German producer is steering him in the direction of the WEC slightly than a full marketing campaign throughout the Endurance and Dash Cup legs of the GTWCE in 2025.
Rossi, who contested the WEC’s new LMGT3 class and 7 GTWCE occasions with the WRT group this 12 months, stated that in the meanwhile his determination is “extra in the direction of the WEC”, however pressured that he has but to make a closing name.
That won’t be made till after the ultimate GTWCE enduro in Jeddah on the finish of this month.
“I’ve numerous strain from BMW to stay within the WEC as a result of for them it’s extra essential,” the 45-year-old Italian defined over the course of final weekend’s closing spherical of the 2024 WEC in Bahrain.
“I’m somewhat bit unsure and I have never determined but. Some issues are higher right here, some issues are higher there.”
Rossi has beforehand pointed to the status of racing in a world championship and the chance it presents to compete on the Le Mans 24 Hours, whereas stressing the ultra-competitiveness of GT3-only racing within the GTWCE through which he competes within the Professional class.
#20 BMW M Staff WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Valentino Rossi
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Photos
He has determined to chop down on the variety of races he’ll contest from 16 this 12 months to 10 or 11 subsequent season for household causes at a time when the delivery of his second youngster is imminent.
To attain that, he should drop out of one of many championships which were a part of his 2024 programme.
Ought to he select the GTWCE, it’s probably that he would do each legs of the collection through which he has achieved his biggest success since his full-time swap to 4 wheels following his retirement from MotoGP on the finish of 2020.
He took a solo Dash Cup victory in every of the 2023 and ’24 seasons driving a BMW M4 GT3 for BMW, the previous as a part of a full marketing campaign, the latter over the 2 short-format GTWCE occasions he contested alongside a full marketing campaign within the enduros.
Rossi reaffirmed his intent to contest the Bathurst 12 Hours, the opening spherical of the Intercontinental GT Problem subsequent February, for a 3rd 12 months in succession.
Had he continued to race in each WEC and GTWCE, the Australian enduro would probably have been a casualty of his efforts to scale back his variety of races.
Rossi performed down the possibilities of him racing BMW’s M Hybrid V8 LMDh after his try-out in a WRT-run automobile ultimately weekend’s WEC rookie check in Bahrain.
He stated that he was “joyful to check the [Le Mans] Hypercar and put it in my assortment”.