Valentino Rossi has adjusted well to the world of car racing after a very successful career on motorbikes in MotoGP.
The Italian driver competed in the World Endurance Championship this year as he continued to sharpen his skills in GT3 cars.
Rossi raced in the GT World Challenge Europe for two years before moving to the WEC, competing with Team WRT in a BMW M4 GT3.
Despite a relative lack of experience in car racing, the 45-year-old was very competitive this year, hitting the ground running with fourth place at the Qatar 1812 km.
He also scored two podiums, second place at the 6 Hours of Imola and third place at the penultimate round of the season, the 6 Hours of Fuji.
To end the 2024 season, Rossi drove in the Rookie Test, experiencing the BMW Hypercar for the first time. He explained to the official WEC website why he had concerns ahead of the outing.
Valentino Rossi had concerns because he had ‘never driven the car before’
The Hypercar is a significant step in performance from the LMGT3 class in the WEC, with more power and much more downforce.
Adjusting to this behind the wheel takes a while, as the braking zones are much shorter than in a GT. The extra braking performance also means the brakes are critical to extracting lap time.
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There are also extra complications, such as the hybrid system, which is vital to be quick over a stint. This doesn’t exist in LMGT3, and the deployment needs to be managed carefully.
Rossi explained that he had more pace than he anticipated heading into the test, and his worries soon dissipated when he was on the track.
He said: “It was a special opportunity to drive a Hypercar for the first time, because it’s the Formula 1 or MotoGP of the prototype world. I was quite worried because I had never driven the car before, but it was a fantastic day and I enjoyed it very much.
“Sincerely, lapping so close to the top was more than I had expected. My race pace was good too, and I was able to improve my times a lot throughout the day. I have to say thank you to the team for such a great experience, and I hope I get another chance to try the car.”
Valentino Rossi had trouble getting to the limit over the test
The Hypercar is capable of much higher speeds than the LMGT3 car that Rossi is used to, which means it may have been a slow buildup process.
It can be tricky to maximise the added downforce in the opening laps of a run, particularly in the high-speed turns at the Bahrain International Circuit, such as Turn 12.
Rossi found it tricky to reach the limit in the Hypercar that lapped the track 15 seconds quicker than the LMGT3 car.
The Italian would like to race in the Hypercar class in the future, but it may be difficult as he approaches the end of his career.