Valentino Rossi and Kevin Magnussen to race at Spa 24 Hours as teammates

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and former Formula 1 ace Kevin Magnussen will team up at next month’s Spa 24 Hours, BMW has announced.

Rossi and Magnussen will share a BMW M4 GT3 EVO entered by WRT with three-time DTM champion Rene Rast in the third round of GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup on 26-29 June.

This would be the fourth consecutive outing in the Spa 24 Hours for Rossi, who recently outlined a desire to return to the Belgian endurance classic this year despite stepping down from GTWCE to focus on his primary commitments in the World Endurance Championship.

For F1 veteran and current BMW Hypercar driver Magnussen, this would be his maiden start in the twice-round-the-clock enduro and his first outing in a GT3 car since 2022.

Rast, a two-time Spa 24 winner with Audi, will complete the line-up of the #46 BMW that will be entered in the Pro division.

"I'm very happy to be back at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa," said Rossi. "It's a fantastic race, very demanding and difficult, on a circuit that commands respect.

“The level of this race, with the best GT drivers and teams in the world, is incredible. I can't wait to compete with my great teammates, Kevin Magnussen and René Rast."

Magnussen added: “I'm really looking forward to discovering the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT.

“I'll also have to get used to the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. I have some GT experience, having competed in a race with my father, the Gulf 12 Hours, a few years ago. René and Valentino will certainly be able to help me a lot so that I can get used to the car as quickly as possible. I'm very excited to share with them. 

“Valentino is a legend, and René, whom I know well since we're on the same team in the FIA ​​WEC, is a true champion. It will be a pleasure to participate together at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa."

The #46 BMW is one of the two additional Pro entries announced by WRT on top of its full-season car driven by Ugo de Wilde, Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts.

Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann, all part of BMW’s Hypercar line-up, will drive WRT’s #31 M4 GT3 in the race.

In all, BMW will be represented by 11 entries at Spa 24 Hours, including five in the Pro class. WRT’s three Pro entries will be supplemented by two cars from Rowe Racing.

"We are proud to be able to compete this year with such an impressive line-up at the world’s largest GT3 race,” said Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport.

“Eleven BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, five of which are competing in the Pro Cup for the overall victory – that’s simply fantastic! Never before have we had more GT3 cars at the 24h Spa-Francorchamps.

“Many thanks to everyone involved at BMW M Motorsport, the teams, and the drivers, without whom such a massive race effort would be unthinkable.

“The fact that we could get Valentino Rossi, Kevin Magnussen, and René Rast to share a car is a real highlight for the fans at the track and in front of the screens.

“From the perspective of BMW M Motorsport, I am looking forward to the performances of all BMW M4 GT3 EVO crews: the quintet in the Pro Cup competing for the overall victory, as well as the sextet fighting for wins in the other classes.
“Particularly, they are proof of how attractive our BMW M4 GT3 EVO is for customer teams. This trust in our product honours us.”