Valentino Rossi is making his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and failed to qualify for the Hyperpole session, which decides the top grid positions in all three categories.
Competing in the LMGT3 class, Il Dottore is teamed up with Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in the #46 BMW of Team WRT. The team finished 12th in yesterday’s qualifying session at La Sarthe, just 0.295s shy of the top ten that grants access to the Hyperpole. Martin was the one to qualify, completing his best lap in 3m56.738s.
Thus, Rossi and his teammates will start Saturday’s race from 12th place in the LMGT3 category, corresponding to 50th overall – a position that does not compromise their aspirations to fight for top spots, considering that in endurance racing, a consistent and incident-free performance is more crucial than starting position.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. So far, Rossi, Al Harthy, and Martin have achieved a fourth place, a second place, and a DNF, placing them fourth in the championship standings, 36 points behind the leaders.