Bike legend Valentino Rossi and ex-Method 1 driver Kevin Magnussen will workforce up in a BMW GT automotive on the Spa 24 Hours subsequent month
They’ll share a BMW M4 GT3 EVO run by the WRT workforce along with fellow BMW manufacturing facility driver Rene Rast within the the Belgian endurance traditional on 28/29 June.
All three have been recruited to affix BMW’s expanded line-up for the centrepiece spherical of the GT World Problem Europe from its World Endurance Championship programmes with WRT: Rossi strikes over from its LMGT3 squad, Magnussen and Rast from the Hypercar workforce.
Rossi shall be making a one-off return to the GTWCE through which he competed in 2022-24 with the Belgian workforce. For Magnussen it is going to be a second race outing on the wheel of a GT automotive: he shared a Ferrari 488 GT3 on the Gulf 12 Hours spherical of the Intercontinental GT Problem in 2022 along with his father Jan and Mark Kvamme.
Rast is a two-time winner of the Spa traditional when he was on the books of Audi previous to his transfer to BMW for the 2023.
#46 Group WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde
Picture by: Shameem Fahath
The road-up in one among two extra WRT entries within the Professional Cup class, which is able to carry Rossi’s common #46 race quantity, was introduced on Tuesday on the official opening of WRT’s new headquarters in Bierset close to Liege.
Rossi stated: “I’m very pleased to be again on the Spa 24 Hours: it’s a nice race – very demanding and tough – on a unbelievable and difficult monitor.
“The extent of competitors between the perfect GT automobiles, groups and drivers on the planet is extraordinarily excessive. I can’t wait to race there along with my nice team-mates.”
Magnussen described the prospect of competing at Spa as “an amazing pleasure”.
A formidable effort by BMW
Rossi, Magnussen and Rast shall be a part of a five-car manufacturing facility line-up from BMW at Spa. BMW Hypercar drivers Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann may also race at Spa in one among three works automobiles run by WRT.
The third official BMW entry from the workforce is the M4 shared by Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts and Ugo de Wilde, winner of the opening Endurance Cup spherical of the GTWCE at Paul Ricard final month.
Rowe Racing may also discipline an additional manufacturing facility automotive at Spa, with Philipp Eng, Dan Harper and Max Hesse driving.
They be part of the common entry from German workforce, a winner at Spa with each BMW and Porsche, raced by Raffaele Marciello, Jesse Krohn and Augusto Farfus.
WRT will discipline 5 M4s at Spa, one every within the Silver and Gold Cup courses alongside the three Professional automobiles, whereas BMW may have a complete of 11 entries.
The BMW roster is accomplished by the common collection entries from Century Motorsport, Paradine Competitors (two automobiles), and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing.
Your entire 24 Hours of Spa race weekend shall be live-streamed free of charge on Motorsport.TV.
On this article
Gary Watkins
WEC
Valentino Rossi
Kevin Magnussen
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