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Rossi to lead BMW Bathurst assault

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 22 January 2025

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will be returning to the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour for a third time with Team WRT and BMW.

Rossi will again steer the signature #46 BMW M4 alongside Belgian Charles Weerts and Swiss Raffaele Marciello.

It will be the third straight year the “Doctor” is taking on the mountain having finished sixth in 2023 and fifth last year.

The sister #32 M4 will see BMW regular Augusto Farfus return to Bathurst after a year away.

He will be joined by South African brothers, Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde.

Sheldon van der Linde drove the car to pole with a 2:01.9810 at last year’s 12 Hour, but it crashed at the Cutting.

It sees a few changes to last year’s roster with Weerts switching from the #32 to the #46, while Dries Vanthoor and Maxime Martin have moved on.

Team WRT won the Bathurst classic in 2018 while representing Audi and then returned in 2023 with their pair of now popular BMW M4 GT3 entries.

The Shahin brothers livery. image: Supplied

Meanwhile, the Sahin brothers have confirmed both their livery and driver line up for their Pro Am assault.

Yasser and Sam Shahin will drive The Bend team’s EMA Motorsport-prepared Porsche 911 GT3R with GT globetrotters Laurin Heinrich and Morris Schuring.

Yasser Shahin is targeting back to back Pro Am wins having also won the LM GT3 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours last year.

Sam and Yasser Shahin will pay a special tribute to their Palestinian heritage amid the recent horrific events in the war with Israel.

Heinrich, 23, comes into his first 12-hour as the 2024 GTD Pro Champion in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

Schuring is a 19-year-old Dutchman who drove alongside Shahin in the FIA World Endurance Championship last year.

The entry will be bringing the iconic Shell colours to Bathurst, showcasing The Bend.

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