After completing his first season in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Valentino Rossi marked another milestone in his motorsport journey by testing the BMW M Hybrid V8 – the Bavarian manufacturer’s model for the top Hypercar category.
This all happened during the official rookie test in Sakhir, where Il Dottore recorded the fourth-fastest time. Although this was his first contact with the car, there are currently no plans for Rossi to move from LMGT3 to Hypercar – at least not next season.
In a press release, Rossi commented: ‘It was a fantastic day. I had the chance to drive the BMW M Hybrid V8 for the entire day, with the whole crew and René Rast who gave me advise. I enjoyed it a lot, the car is fantastic, very fast and very strong. It has a lot of power, the lap times have been 15 seconds faster than in the GT3, the tyres have great grip. It is a real race car’.
Despite initial concerns and the challenge involved, the former MotoGP rider quickly felt at ease: ‘I was quite worried because I had never driven the Hypercar before, but I felt good from the first lap on because the car is stable and gave a good feedback. To go fast is very difficult but it’s a lot of fun. I have to say thank you for that great experience and I hope that I can have another chance to try the car’.