Valentino Rossi took to the track for the first event of 2023. The story of the champion from Tavullia in a video on social media.
Valentino Rossi flew to Dubai together with his staff, his girlfriend Francesca Novello and little Giulietta. But this is not a relaxing trip, but the first track engagement of the champion from Tavullia, in his second season in car racing. After a first championship with the Audi R8 in the Fanatec GT WCE, in 2023 he changes racing car and adopts a BMW M4 GT3 with which he will participate together with four other drivers in the 24 Hours of Dubai Hankook.
In a video posted on his social channels, Valentino Rossi gives a summary of the first day of testing: “We are in Dubai, where we will be racing a 24 Hours on Saturday. The first day of testing went well, it’s the first time I’ve seen this track, it’s a fun, interesting 5.4 km. I had a good feeling with the car, we did several jobs, in the end we put on new tires to do the time attack. I did a good lap, half a second off the best time and we are in 6th place. The car drives well, some details need to be refined“.
Valentino Rossi stars in Dubai
HANKOOK 24H DUBAI test day @followWRT @BMWMotorsport pic.twitter.com/OL2N2B8JgQ
— Valentino Rossi (@ValeYellow46) January 11, 2023
Also in 2023 the Doctor will continue to be linked to the Belgian team WRT. In this first outing of the year he will have the winner of the 24 Hours of Spa and the 24 Hours of Le Mans at his side, Maxime Martinthe World Endurance rider, Sean Gelaelthe British Tim White, confirmed this year in the GT4 European Series.
On his first day on the track, he worked a lot on setting up the bike BMW M4, carrying out a long run and a fast lap. It will certainly not be an easy challenge for the 43-year-old from Tavullia, who will have to deal with a total of 53 cars including the GT3, GTX and TCR categories. Another day of official practice will be held on Thursday, two qualifying sessions on Friday, while the race will start on Saturday 14 January and can be followed live on the event’s YouTube channel.
The Dubai circuit is proud to be able to host a MotoGP Legend like Valentino Rossi, who will surely be a media magnet for the emirate’s event. Track director Faisal Al-Sahlawi called Valentino Rossi “a motorcycling icon, with a truly remarkable career spanning over 25 years. We are delighted to welcome him to the Dubai Circuit for the 24 Hours. For racing fans, this is an unmissable opportunity to see one of the biggest names in the sport in action here in Dubai, as he tests himself in one of the toughest endurance races in the world. Your participation reiterates how popular the Hankook Dubai 24 Hours is“.
