Valentino Rossi closes his second event of the season on four wheels. An unexpected event complicates the situation at the Bathurst 12 Hours.
At the crack of dawn on Sunday morning Mount Panorama Circuit got underway Bathurst 12 Hours. For Valentino Rossi it was an absolute debut on the Australian track but once again he performed well with two stints that confirm his progressive growth in the world of four wheels. In 2022 the Doctor contested his first full season in the GT World Challenge Europe at the wheel of an Audi R8, in 2023 he has a BMW M4 GT3 at his disposal.
At the wheel of the racing car powered by a 3.0-litre engine capable of delivering 590 HP, the former legend conquered his first podium in the Dubai 24 Hours less than a month ago. Not everything went smoothly this time, but he handled it very well, also being the fastest during the second free practice session. The BMW of the Belgian team WRT extension branded with the historic number #46, it started from sixth position, leaving the start of the race in the hands of Augusto Farfus who then gave the wheel to Maxime Martin.
Valentino Rossi and his team mocked in the finale
After just over two hours from the start Valentino Rossi he took over the wheel during a safety car phase. The 43-year-old from Pesaro took advantage of a few pit stops by his rivals to push himself up to third position and battled with brand mate Charles Weerts in fourth place, managing to keep up with the Belgian driver. While he was third in the standings he passed the M4 GT3 to the Brazilian Farfus and shortly after Valentino Rossi rejoined the track in the middle of the podium area.
The various pit stops broke the pace causing him to lose positions. The pace of the race was crazy, it was not easy to keep up with the opponents, with five hours to go he gave the car to his teammate Maxime Martin. The Doctor finished his second round of the season here, chatting with the many fans who surrounded his box for autographs and selfies. In the final stages, the Race Direction forced the #46 car to return to the pits to repair the rear lights, dashing any hope of getting on the podium. At the end of the Bathurst 12 Hours his WRT team finished in sixth position.
The victory went to Mercedes-AMG GT3 Sun Energy 1 by Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon and Luca Stolz in front of the Porsche 911 GT3 R and the Mercedes-AMG of GruppeM Racing which started from pole. After the Australian parenthesis, Valentino Rossi will now focus on the GT World Challenge Europe which will start from Monza on 22 and 23 April. Two days of official testing will take place on 7 and 8 March on the French track of Paul Ricard.
