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Valentino Rossi is ready. This weekend he will be at the start of the 6 Hours of Imola, a highly anticipated event for the Doctor's fans who are already thronging the Santerno circuit. Uncertain until a few weeks ago on what to do this season, the nine-time motorcycle world champion has again chosen BMW and in particular the WEC, giving up the GT World Challenge Europe to measure himself behind the wheel.
"The manufacturer prefers to do this championship, especially because it is a World Championship and presents Le Mans on the calendar. I really like it even though it is more difficult to organize. My goal is to race on the Norschleife. It will be hard because you need a license, but I will try," were his words to Motorsport.com.
It's going to be difficult, however, to see him committed to an LMDh drive. "I've tested it, but it's not a given that I'll be able to race on it since the team has two cars and so many drivers already," he explained. The contract with the Munich-based manufacturer will run out at the end of the year, and what will be the future of the champion from Tavullia remains a question mark.
"It was very nice to race for the German manufacturer, which was a surprise because initially I had chosen Team WRT, which fields Audis. Then everything changed, but now we have much more support from the parent company and my connection is direct with them. I would like to continue and we are already talking for the next championships," he revealed.
Making a comparison between the M4 driven in 2024 in the GTWC and the one he is competing with in endurance, the 46-year-old said, "The first difference is the tyres. With the Goodyears it's not great, it would have been much better to have the Michelin ones, which we tried at the Road to Le Mans. I think they were better suited to our car. The biggest pain we have on the long runs because the drop is more evident, also, for a matter of BoP, the WEC car goes slower and it is a pity because in theory this is the World Championship and there should be more performance."
Finally, Vale dedicated a thought to Kimi Antonelli, a Mercedes driver in F1 with whom he recently had fun in karts. "It was a great pleasure to spend time with him. He is very smart and mature for the age he is and he is also friends with the other guys in the Academy," he concluded.
