Valentino Rossi looks ahead to the 2022 GTWC season with WRT-Audi, particularly looking forward to the season highlight, the 24 Hours of Spa
Valentino Rossi has opted for a full season in GT racing in 2022, the year after his retirement from the World Motorcycle Championship. The nine-time motorbike world champion will compete in the GT World Challenge (GTWC) for WRT-Audi, racing in both the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup races
How did the deal with WRT boss Vincent Vosse come about in the first place? “Vincent came to see me in Tavullia. I like his approach and I like driving for Audi,” said Rossi in an interview published on WRT’s Facebook page.
“The team,” Rossi said of WRT, “is very competitive. They always fight for the win. That’s very important.” It has not yet been decided with whom “The Doctor” will share the 46 Audi R8 LMS. For the five sprint races on the 2022 GTWC calendar it will be one driver, and for the five endurance races it will be two drivers with whom Rossi will alternate in the cockpit.
The MotoGP legend has already gained a first impression of the car at the Valencia test in December. “The car is very good to ride. It’s a really strong race car. And Vincent said that my lap times were not so bad. So I trust him,” Rossi grins.
Great anticipation for first 24-hour race
The highlight of the 2022 GTWC season is the Spa 24 Hours on 30/31 July. Rossi is particularly looking forward to this race. “At Spa I want to try a 24-hour race. I have never been to Spa. I’ve never seen the circuit,” Rossi confesses, but knows that the much-cited “Ardennes rollercoaster” is a “mystical track, especially for cars. “
And with what expectations does the Italian, who celebrates his 43rd birthday next Wednesday, go into his first full season on four wheels? Rossi knows four of the ten circuits on the GTWC calendar from his 26-year career in the World Motorcycle Championship: Imola, Misano, Valencia and Barcelona. The remaining six tracks, including Hockenheim (4 September), are new territory for him.
“We still have to understand my level, my speed. At the moment we can’t say. In any case, I hope to be competitive so that we can fight for podiums,” says Rossi and announces: “I will keep you updated during the season. “
