Why Valentino Rossi, now 43, can’t say no to another race...

Valentino Rossi has opened up on the difficulties of ending his legendary MotoGP career and the reason he has started a new adventure by swapping two wheels for four.

James Dielhenn

30 Apr 2022

Nine-time motorcycle world champion Rossi, now 43, brought his MotoGP career to a halt at the end of last season but now is behind the wheel of a Team WRT Audi R8 and will race at the GT World Challenge Europe at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

It will be the second race of his new adventure - in his debut at Imola, he finished 17th after a mishap during his team pit stop resulting in him driving past his crew.

But Rossi was, as usual, all smiles in the build-up to his second race and revealed why he made the transition: “I always had an idea to race with cars, since when I started with motorcycles.

“This idea with GT3 helped me to stop with the bikes!

“To stop was very difficult. I drove cars in the past just to improve my skills.

“I want to be competitive.

“You need something - you need to feel the adrenaline, to remain a driver, to remain on the track, to jump in the car, to wear the helmet.

“This is the same as from when I was five-years-old.

“I hope I can race cars for [several] seasons.”

Swapping MotoGP for GT World Challenge

The 24 Hours of Spa and Le Mans are the new goals set by Rossi for himself.

“I want to be competitive with the good guys – to have the speed and drive the car at the maximum, to be as strong as them,” he said.

“Yes, Le Mans is an ambition but this year we race in Spa and that is the greatest race for the GT3 cars because you have 60 cars and all in the same class.

“Le Mans is another story with different cars and on the track and I’m very excited for Spa.

“Also because I have never driven at Spa. I have never been there and everybody says that it is a great track.

“After, also in the future, I would like to try Le Mans.”