Valentino Rossi, the revered MotoGP legend, is making a significant return to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) as Team WRT unveils its driver line-ups for the 2025 season. Notably, Rossi will be partnering with Kelvin van der Linde, a new addition from BMW, and Bronze-rated Ahmad Al Harthy in the No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
In a recent statement, Rossi expressed excitement about his return, saying, "Very happy to continue my experience in the FIA WEC, as last year was a strong debut season. We had some good races including two podiums and we want to try to be stronger and faster." His commitment to improving performance alongside BMW M Motorsport underlines his determination to build on last season's successes.
Reflecting on his experience in the WEC, Rossi shared his enthusiasm for racing on tracks familiar to him from his motorcycle days, stating, "It’s great to once again race at some fantastic tracks, that I know well from racing motorcycles, and this makes me enjoy racing in the FIA WEC. Le Mans is of course the most important one; we were unlucky last year, but we will fight for the podium in 2025."
The other car from Team WRT, the No. 31, is seeing some changes as well. It will now be driven under The Bend Team WRT banner, featuring a strong line-up including factory driver Augusto Farfus, former AKKODIS ASP driver Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin. Shahin joins the team following a noteworthy season in 2024, where he won at Le Mans and secured second place in the LMGT3 standings.
Andreas Roos, the head of BMW M Motorsport, praised the assembly of talent within the team, saying, "As with our Hypercar works programs, we can look forward to great BMW M Motorsport driver line-ups in the GT3 customer racing programs of the FIA WEC and IMSA series in 2025. I congratulate Team WRT on once again securing some of the best silver and bronze drivers for the cockpits of our two new BMW M4 GT3 EVOs. They will hopefully create many great moments alongside our three works drivers."
The announcement marks a fresh chapter for Rossi in the competitive landscape of endurance racing, with fans eager to witness how the combination of experience and youthful talent will perform on the global stage.
As the new season approaches, the WEC community looks forward to potential highlights and storylines that may arise from these dynamic driver pairings. Rossi's return, enriched by past racing experiences, brings both fanfare and high expectations for Team WRT's performance in the upcoming races.