After Valentino Rossi drove the Audi R8 LMS Evo II on a wet track at Magny-Cours these days, WRT boss Vincent Vosse is full of praise
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has now completed two test drives at the wheel of a WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo II in preparation for his first full season on four wheels. Following the first test, which took place in Valencia in December 2020, Rossi drove the car at Magny-Cours this week.
The track was damp at the latest test because it had rained shortly before. In those conditions, Rossi knew how to impress his new boss, WRT boss Vincent Vosse, heavily.
“Valentino was really strong in the wet,” Vosse told our sister platform Autosport, “He has a natural feel for the grip level on the track. I was impressed. But I wasn’t surprised because we know he’s a natural. “
Rossi, who ended his MotoGP career in November 2021, will race the full GT World Challenge (GTWC) season in Europe for WRT-Audi in 2022. In further preparation for the ten races of the season – five sprint races and five endurance races – Vosse speaks of an intense testing programme of “between six and ten days” ahead for Rossi.
And what are the goals? After Rossi himself gave podiums as the goal for his first season in GT racing a few days ago, Vosse now says: “We are placing one target after the other. The first is to get Valentino up to speed. After that, it’s to make sure he’s ready for the season. And the third is to make it to the podium. Anything beyond that is a bonus.”
It has not yet been announced with whom Rossi will share the 46 WRT Audi in the 2022 GTWC season. However, team boss Vosse confirms that it will be Audi factory drivers, saying, “Valentino will get one driver to race all ten races with, and a second to support them in the five endurance races.”
The official announcement of who Rossi’s team partners will be is expected before the official GTWC pre-season test. This is scheduled for 7-8 March at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. The season opener will take place on 2-3 April in the form of the 3 Hours of Imola.
