When it comes to Valentino Rossi, there are a couple of different types of fans. There are, of course, the folks who are super-mega-extra-serious motorcycle racing fans, of the type who rightfully revere the seven-time MotoGP World Champion for everything he accomplished in the sport. And then there are the fans who are more serious about Rossi the Racer than they are about which series he’s racing in.
Without a doubt, one of Rossi’s not-so-hidden talents is his undeniable charisma. Some professional athletes have it, and some don’t. Luckily for Rossi, he’s one of the former—and he has the die-hard fans who’ll follow him to the ends of the earth to prove it.
If you’re the type of fan of The Doctor who’s not so hung up on the number of wheels that are on his chosen racing vehicle, then you’ll be interested to know that he’s about to throw his hat into yet another rookie racing field. On Sunday, November 5, 2023, he’ll be taking part in the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) Rookie Test.
He’ll be driving a Le Mans Prototype car—more specifically, a car in the LMP2 category. According to current FIA WEC regulations, LMP2 cars are closed cockpit cars with no production minimums required. There are currently two LMP classes, one and two—with one being for manufacturers and two being for independent teams that aren’t manufacturers or engine suppliers.
More specifically, Rossi will be driving an Oreca 07 with a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that makes about 540 horsepower. He’ll be driving this car for Team WRT, which isn’t terribly surprising since he’s been driving Team WRT’s BMW M4 GT3 car in the 2023 Fanatec GT Endurance Cup and Fanatec GT Sprint Cup.
“I'm very happy to be trying the LMP2 for the first time! It's a great opportunity from Team WRT, because we have plans for me to test the BMW Hypercar in the future. So, before testing that, I think it's good experience to try the LMP2 as it's similar in terms of downforce and I'm curious to understand my potential,” Rossi said in a statement.
“I'm also looking forward to being in Bahrain to watch the final race of the season, and as I'm hoping to race in the WEC in the future, it will be good to understand the atmosphere and the structure of the event,” he concluded.
It’s worth noting at this point that the WEC will be discontinuing the use of LMP2-class cars in most of its races in 2024. They’ll be allowed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but that’s it. However, Speedweek notes that Team WRT is hoping to run two of its BMW M4 GT3 cars in the new GT3 class that will be participating in the WEC next year—so that could be something for Rossi fans to keep an eye on.
