Rossi’s fun on four wheels

Valentino Rossi may be well known around the globe for his work on two wheels, dominating MotoGP for almost two decades, but he will arrive at Mount Panorama next year with plenty of experience racing with four wheels.

This morning the motorsport world went into a frenzy after the announcement seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi will drive a factory backed BMW at the 2023 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour for Team WRT.

“The Doctor” has inspected all sorts of cars from rallying to NASCAR and even being potentially on the verge of making a shock switch to Formula 1.

Valentino Rossi steers the Ferrari F2004 in Michael Schumacher’s helmet during a top-secret test. Picture: Photo4/LAT Photographic

Formula 1

Rossi flirted with Formula 1 on many occasions with the first being a secret test at Fiorano in April 2004 where the Italian wearing one of Michael Schumacher’s helmets as disguise.

The then three-time champion had just moved from Honda to Yamaha and said he enjoyed the experience.

“It was a very exciting day for me,” Rossi said at the time.

“Driving an F1 car was an amazing experience, and it was great for me to follow in Schumacher’s footsteps for a day.”

Fellow seven time world champion Schumacher was even impressed with how the rider applied himself to the new challenge.

“Of course, it took him a while to get used to it, but he was very impressive by the end of the day,” Schumacher said at the time.

“I know he has done some karting, but at the end of the day, when you have racing in your blood, you know what to do.”

Another shakedown session at the same track followed a year later with Marc Gene watching him as the MotoGP star “wanted to get a better understanding of the car”.

But things got serious in February 2006 when Rossi completed his first public session in a full scale pre-season test at Valencia featuring other F1 stars.

Although comparisons are hard to make with the Italian driving a detuned V10-engined Ferrari, which was different to that year’s F1 drivers Schumacher and Felipe Massa, he still turned heads.

Valentino Rossi at a 2006 pre-season test at Valencia. Picture: Motorsport Images

Even after the occasional spin, Rossi managed to lap within little over half a second from Schumacher’s pace with the MotoGP rider even going quicker than full-time F1 stars Mark Webber, David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli during the session.

“I have to say that I felt at home and did not have any particular problems,” said Rossi after the opening day of testing despite spinning in the wet.

Now with more than 1000km of F1 testing experience under Rossi’s belt, speculation of a switch to follow in the footsteps of John Surtees reached its high point.

Little did everyone know that 2006 would prove to be Schumacher’s final year of his unforgettable time at Ferrari, while Rossi was out of contract at Yamaha by the end of the season.

Despite being beaten to the MotoGP world title for the first time in five years by Nicky Hayden, Rossi stayed on bikes and resigned with Yamaha in June and Schumacher was “saddened” but understanding of the decision.

Following another test in 2008, the rumours returned in 2009 when Ferrari required a replacement for the injured Massa after the original fill-in Luca Badoer struggled.

Valentino Rossi drives the 2017 Mercedes F1 car while Lewis Hamilton follows on a 2019 Yamaha MotoGP bike. Picture: Mercedes F1 Facebook

Rossi revealed “I talked with Ferrari at Monza” that year, but without any testing and the “Doctor” focused on winning his seventh and final MotoGP crown, the prancing horse turned to Giancarlo Fisichella.

The Italian impressed onlookers during a drive in the Ferrari F2008 on GP2 tyres at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2010.

Despite driving on different tyres and in different conditions, Rossi came within a tenth of a second of Kimi Raikkonen’s pole time set in the same machinery two years earlier.

After the numerous drives with Ferrari, Rossi stayed on two wheels for the next nine years.

He returned to the Formula 1 cockpit when a special sponsor event presented the opportunity to swap rides with another seven time world champion in Lewis Hamilton.

Rossi drove Hamilton’s 2017 championship winning Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, while the Englishman rode the 2019 Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP challenger, but times were not made public.

Valentino Rossi says hello during his 2006 Rally New Zealand appearance. Picture: Motorsport Images

Rallying

Outside of motorcycle racing, Rossi had a passion for rallying with one of his motorsport heroes the legendary WRC champion Colin McRae.

Rossi eventually received the chance to be taught the basics of rallying by McRae and the pair raced against each other at the 2005 Monza Rally Show with the MotoGP rider edging out the rally star on his way to an overall event win.

The Italian competed in WRC as early as 2002 when he drove a Peugeot 206 in that year’s Rally of Great Britain, but retired in the first stage of the first leg.

Despite the disappointing debut, Rossi displayed his versatility across his next guest appearances in WRC.

In 2006 he finished 11th out of 39 competitors in a Subaru Impreza at Rally New Zealand, while he rose from 45th to 12th at the 2008 Rally GB.

Valentino Rossi gets some air at the 2008 Rally GB. Picture: Motorsport Images

Outside of the WRC attempts, Rossi has maintained his interest in the sport by dominating the Monza Rally Show.

He has won the event seven times and beaten the likes of Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen in addition to McRae.

Rossi’s clear passion and talent for rallying have left many wondering how far he could have gone had his career followed the dirt instead of the bikes.

Valentino Rossi once steered Kyle Busch’s 2013 Nationwide Series car. Picture: Nigel Kinrade LAT Photo USA

NASCAR

Not even America’s famous NASCAR oval racing scene is absent in Rossi’s versatile career.

Back in 2013 Rossi jumped on board of Kyle Busch’s Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series Toyota Camry at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“The Doctor” enjoyed the experiment flying around the spiritual home of NASCAR at speeds of 185mph stating it was “so cool to understand the feeling”.

Rossi adapted to the stock car so well Bush said his lap speeds were competitive enough to be “in the top 15” of the second tier Nationwide Series.

Despite the promising pace, it remains the Italian’s one and only ride in a NASCAR.

Valentino Rossi enjoyed his first year of MotoGP retirement racing for Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe series. Picture: Supplied

GT Racing

Despite the interest in Formula 1 and rallying, Rossi has chosen GT racing as his post MotoGP destination.

It all started in 2012 when he participated in the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am Cup in a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 for Kessel Racing Team.

He raced twice at Monza and Nurburgring, but did not have another crack for another seven years.

In the same week as his swap with Hamilton, the MotoGP star competed in the 2019 Gulf 12 Hour at the Yas Marina Circuit and performed.

Once again driving a Ferrari 488 GT3, Rossi led the charge alongside half brother and Moto2 rider Luca Marini and Alessio Salucci, setting the team’s fastest time in qualifying.

Rossi drove the final stint and secured an impressive overall podium and Pro-Am victory.

The same trio of drivers completed in the 2020 event and recorded back to back podium finishes.

But things got serious this year as Rossi announced his next move post MotoGP will be as a full-time driver for Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups.

After a campaign which included the famous Spa 24 Hour race, the 43-year-old finished 21st in the championship, but it included a number of impressive performances.

He was able to score some solid P5 finishes at Hockenheim and Paul Ricard and remains a big part of Team WRT’s plans for 2022 having recently tested the new BMW M4 GT3 at Circuit de Catalunya.

Rossi’s next chapter on four wheels will be the 2023 LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour on February 3-5.