Rossi will drive the WRT-operated Oreca 07 on November 5, the day after the 2023 WEC season concludes with the Bahrain 8 Hours, aiming to compete in the championship in the future.
The LMP2 test is a prelude to the Italian’s plans to drive a BMW M Hybrid V8 by the end of the year as part of his factory role with the German manufacturer.
Rossi, who will turn 45 next February, said, “I’m very happy to be able to challenge LMP2 for the first time!” “This is a great opportunity for Team WRT, as we have plans to test BMW hypercars in the future.
“So before I test that, I think it’s a good experience to try LMP2, which is similar in terms of downforce, and I want to understand my potential.
“I’m also looking forward to going to Bahrain to watch the final race of the season and I’d like to compete in WEC in the future, so I think it’ll be good to understand the atmosphere and structure of the event. .”
Photo provided by: JEP/Motorsports Image
#31 Team WRT Oreca 07 – Gibson: Sean Gelael, Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen, Robin Frijns
Since retiring from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, Rossi has turned full-time to car racing with the ultimate goal of competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After a year with the Audi GT3 machine last year, he joined BMW as a factory driver this year, primarily competing in GT World Challenge Europe.
In June he won the Road to Le Mans support race. The race was widely seen as preparation for a planned assault on the 24-hour classic race at La Sarthe in 2024.
Sunday’s test session will further prepare the team for the WEC program, which could start as early as 2024.
The WRT team that Rossi has been competing in GT will operate as a factory team for BMW, which is scheduled to return to WEC in the hypercar category next year.
Furthermore, WRT is said to be planning to enter two BMW M4 GT3s in the newly established LMGT3 class in 2024.
Charles Wierts, who moved to BMW this year after a long stint at Audi, will also test drive a sample of WRT’s Oreca 07 LMP2 car at Sunday’s post-season Bahrain test.
“I can’t wait for my first run in LMP2. I always follow WRT’s WEC program and I’m excited to be able to test the cars that WRT has had so much success with,” he said.
“It also gives us great insight into the prototype, especially regarding the future of WRT with BMW hypercars. We are very grateful to everyone at Team WRT for this opportunity.”