The seven-time MotoGP champion and BMW manufacturing facility driver has been nominated in one in every of two M4 GT3s to be run by the Belgian WRT squad, which was confirmed because the German producer’s consultant within the new class with the publication of the 2024 WEC entry on Monday.
The 44-year-old strikes over to the WEC after two full seasons of automotive racing with WRT within the GT World Problem Europe in 2022-23, first in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo after which the M4.
Rossi has made no secret of his need to race within the WEC and its centrepiece spherical, the Le Mans 24 Hours, by this season and took part in the Road to Le Mans support race in June.
“I’m very excited to compete within the WEC,” stated Rossi. “It’s the subsequent step for me to take part in a world championship, not solely in Europe however to race globally once more.”
His path into the WRT WEC line-up has been eased by his downgrading from gold to silver standing below the FIA’s driver categorisation system.
The LMGT3 class, just like the GTE Am class it has changed, permits for just one full professional, a platinum or gold-ranked driver.
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A minimum of one bronze is obligatory and the third driver is usually a silver.
Rossi and the bronze-rated team-mate will seemingly be joined by a BMW manufacturing facility driver within the WRT BMW.
Longtime BMW driver Augusto Farfus, who’s rated as platinum, is the one nominated driver within the sister automotive.
BMW is one in every of 9 producers, every with two vehicles, that shall be represented in LMGT3 within the WEC subsequent 12 months.
Will probably be joined by Ferrari, Porsche, Chevrolet, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ford, McLaren and Lexus.
McLaren’s proposed entry with United Autosports and Lexus’s with Auto Sports activities Promotion have been confirmed, whereas the AF Corse and Iron Lynx groups will fly the flag for Ferrari and Lamborghini as anticipated.
The Coronary heart of Racing and D’Station squads will characterize Aston Martin, with their respective entries set to be run by the in-house Aston Martin Racing squad from the marque’s GT racing associate Prodrive.
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Aston Martin GT3
The German Manthey staff’s two Porsche entries will by suffixed by EMA and PureRXcing, respectively Australian and Lithuanian entrants.
Former Audi manufacturing facility driver Kelvin van der Linde will race one of many French ASP staff’s Lexus RC F GT3s.
The South African was nominated together with Jose Maria Lopez, who has moved into the Toyota model’s GT line-up after his substitute by Nyck de Vries in its WEC Hypercar roster.
Richard Lietz and Klaus Bachler are the Porsche manufacturing facility drivers listed within the two 911 GT3-Rs run by Manthey, which is part-owned by the German producer.
Ex-Components 2 racer Marino Sato will race one in every of United’s McLaren 720S GT3 Evos after making his debut with the staff within the 2023 European Le Mans Sequence.
The opposite nominated driver at United is Gregoire Saucy, who’s switching to sportscars after two years in Components 3 with ART.
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Different manufacturing facility drivers on the LMGT3 entry are Davide Rigon and Alessio Rovera within the pair of AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3s and Marco Sorensen within the D’Station Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
New Chevrolet signings Charlie Eastwood and Daniel Juncadella are the 2 drivers listed within the TF Sport staff’s pair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs.
The drivers nominated up to now within the two Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3s are Ben Barker and Ryan Hardwick.