Bahrain rookie test will be Rossi's maiden appearance in LMDh machinery
MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi will enjoy his first run in BMW’s LMDh prototype at the World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain.
Rossi will get to try the BMW M Hybrid V8 at the Bahrain International Circuit on 3 November, a day after the 2024 WEC closes in the Gulf nation.
The German manufacturer had originally disclosed plans to offer the Italian an opportunity behind the wheel of its prototype when he was recruited to its factory roster for the beginning of the 2023 season.
The original timeframe involved Rossi piloting the Dallara LMP2-based car at the tail end of last year, before BMW shifted the planned excursion to 2024.
Speaking exclusively with Motorsport.com on the sidelines of this weekend’s GT World Challenge Europe event in Monza, Rossi himself confirmed that he will finally get the opportunity to drive the BMW LMDh in a little over a month’s time.
"At the Rookie Test I'm going to try the BMW LMDh and I'm very, very happy because last year I got to drive the LMP2, so the next goal is to see what the M Hybrid V8 is like," he stated.
"And then who knows, maybe in the future there may be a space in Hypercar. Let's see."
At last weekend’s penultimate race of the WEC at Fuji, BMW motorsport head Andreas Roos already hinted to Rossi sitting behind the wheel of the marque’s LMDh car in the Bahrain rookie test.
He said: “It will be a surprise, maybe! We will see. He definitely will get the exam this year.
“We said from the beginning that Valentino will be in the car and we clearly said at the beginning that it will not be at the beginning of the season, because then we have more than enough to do to get our things sorted, and the focus was clearly there to get everything prepared.
“But he will be in the car this year.”
Manufacturers have often taken advantage of the now-traditional Bahrain test to both evaluate and reward newcomers, including drivers who are better famed for their exploits in other disciplines.
Two-time Formula 1 winner Fernando Alonso received his first taste of the Toyota TS050 LMP1 vehicle in Bahrain in 2017 before beginning on the 2018/19 superseason.
The Japanese marque then put its World Rally Championship star Sebastien Ogier in its new LMH car at the end of the 2021 season in the Gulf nation. You may also read this: Mclaren Admits Malukas Injury 'More Serious Than We Thought'
Rossi, a seven-time winner in MotoGP, managed to complete his first circuits in a prototype in Bahrain last year when he took the wheel of a WRT-run Oreca 07 LMP2.
He subsequently entered the WEC this year in a BMW M4 GT3 entered by WRT in the new LMGT3 division.
The 45-year-old’s statements at Monza on Friday indicated that he still harbours dreams of racing in the top class of either the WEC or the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the BMW M Hybrid V8.
However, with the MotoGP great still relatively new to Sportscar racing, only in his third season this year, it is likely that Rossi will stay in LMGT3 next year and maybe pursue a run at World Championship success.
Rossi's teammate Maxime Martin has appeared multiple times throughout the IMSA competition this year, the Belgian driving in the GTP, which is the equivalent to WEC's Hypercar class. Therefore, with Rossi clearly gaining expertise from Martin, the margin in lap times between the duo has cut down greatly from what it was back at the outset of their relationship in 2023.
Rossi, in an exclusive interview with Autosport, revealed: "At the Rookie Test I'm going to try the BMW LMDh and I'm very, very thrilled because last year I got to drive the LMP2, so the next aim is to experience what the M Hybrid V8 is like. And then who knows, maybe in the future there may be a space in Hypercar. Let's see."
Valentino Rossi will race this weekend in the GT World Challenge Europe Monza Endurance round, as the end of the season creeps closer for both his GTWC and WEC title campaigns.
