Valentino Rossi confirms first race of 2026 season following WEC exit

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi is a confirmed entry for the 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours as part of WRT BMW’s line-up, marking his first race event of the 2026 season.

The nine-time grand prix motorcycle world champion has been part of WRT’s stable since he retired from MotoGP and took up car racing full-time in 2022.

Upon WRT’s switch to BMW machinery from 2023, Rossi became a factory-backed driver for the German brand and made his FIA World Endurance Championship debut the following year.

But after just two years in the WEC, Rossi’s exit from the series was confirmed earlier this month when WRT confirmed its line-ups for the 2026 season.

Rossi’s racing plans for 2026 remain unclear at this point, though he is now a confirmed entry for the Bathurst 12 Hours.

He will get behind the wheel of the No.46 WRT-run BMW M4 GT3 Evo alongside Augusto Farfus and Raffaele Marciello.

Rossi shared a car with Farfus at the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hours, where he was sixth, while Marciello helped the No.46 entry finish second in the 2025 edition of the event earlier this year.

Charles Weerts, who drove with Rossi at Bathurst this year, has moved to the No.32 car alongside Jordan Pepper and Rossi’s former WEC team-mate Kelvin van der Linde, while the No.89 entry will be driven by Max Hesse, Maxime Oosten and Ruan Cunfan.

The 2026 Bathurst 12 Hours will mark Rossi’s third outing in the Intercontinental GT Challenge in as many years, having only contested Bathurst and the 24 Hours of Spa in the series in 2025.

Rossi is expected to return to a full-time campaign in the GT World Challenge Europe in 2026, having previously contested full seasons in 2023 and 2024.

He scaled back his GTWCE outings in 2025 to focus more on WEC, but also to have greater involvement in his MotoGP team and prioritise his family.

Rossi made a winning appearance at Misano last season in the GTWCE Sprint Cup.

The MotoGP legend’s time in WEC saw him score four podiums in the No.46 BMW M4 GT3, with a second at Imola on two occasions and at COTA his best result in the LMGT3 class.

Both of his appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in retirements.

The No.46 car was in contention for victory during the 2025 edition of the iconic enduro, but encountered a heartbreaking mechanical issue overnight.