Valentino Rossi trades bike for R8 LMS GT3 racer

Last year, Valentino Rossi officially announced his retirement from MotoGP with nine world championship titles under his belt. While he might be finished with motorbikes, it seems he’s not done with racing and motorsports just yet.

“The Doctor” announced that he will be running a full season of the GT World Challenge Europe (formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series) this 2022 with the W Racing Team (WRT). WRT is currently the reigning champion team in the Fanatec GTWCE Powered by AWS (overall, Endurance and Sprint).

“I am delighted to join Team WRT for a full Fanatec GTWCE powered by AWS program. Everybody knows that I have always been a great car racing fan and that I have always been interested in racing on four wheels once my MotoGP career would come to an end,” said Rossi.

Instead of two wheels, the 42-year old Italian will be driving an Audi R8 LMS GT3, and Rossi will continue to run in his signature #46. Rossi will be one of two drivers from WRT competing for the championship. At the moment, WRT has yet to announce who will partner up with the 9-time motorcycle champion.

While his career has been centered around motorbikes, Rossi has long been a fan of auto racing. A few years back, he tested several Ferrari Formula 1 cars and even competed in Rally New Zealand. More recently, he even swapped rides with 7-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, completing several laps in the Mercedes-AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+ as part of a promotional event.

“Now I am completely available to devote myself to a car racing program at high level and with the right professional approach. Team WRT is the perfect fit I was looking for and I am anxious to start this new adventure in the GTWCE with them,” he added.

We already know how capable Rossi is on two wheels. But now, we’ll be able to see how he performs on four wheels, alongside a V10. The 2022 GT World Challenge season begins with testing this March.