‘I think I will be back next year’, were Valentino Rossi’s words when asked in Bahrain by The Racing Line whether the motorcycle legend will return to the FIA World Endurance Championship.
It has previously been reported that Rossi may not return to the championship, instead choosing to focus his efforts on the GT World Challenge Europe series, where he started his car racing career a few years ago.
However, Rossi’s words in Bahrain, which this weekend is hosting the WEC finale, appeared to refute that.
‘I think I will be back next year, because all the races are good and you have a lot of crowd and the tracks are beautiful,’ he said.
The 9-time motorcycle world champion made his debut in WEC this year, driving alongside fellow BMW factory driver Maxime Martin, and bronze-rated Ahmad Al Harthy.
Rossi became a BMW factory driver in 2022, for the 2023 season. This saw him join teammate Martin on BMW's roster, and fellow LMGT3 driver Augusto Farfus. Plus, the likes of Hypercar driver Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, and Robin Frijns, among others.
Rossi is a big draw for the championship, bringing fans in droves to tracks around the world, so the organisers will be delighted that a return is at the very least on the cards.
Phil Oakley
Rossi to test BMW Hypercar on Sunday
After Saturday’s 8 hour race, Rossi will also test the BMW M Hybrid V8, the German manufacturer’s Hypercar. He will drive one of the two Hypercars, alongside BMW young drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse, who will drive the other car throughout the day — as long as both cars survive the race.
When asked by The Racing Line about the test, Rossi was emphatic.
‘I’m very very happy to have this chance from BMW,’ he said, grinning ear to ear.
‘I push a lot. I am very cool to understand and try the car, because I think it’s very fast. I think I will enjoy Sunday!’ he finished, before having to rush off to a scheduled TV interview.
We’re hoping to have a chat with the former motorcycle rider and now racing driver after the rookie test to hear his thoughts on driving the Hypercar, so stay tuned.
Phil Oakley
Download The Racing Line, your personalised motorsport calendar, on iOS today to get up to date session times and customisable notifications for over 100 different series, including single seaters, sportscars, rally, bikes, and much more.