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Valentino Rossi claimed his first podium at the Bathurst 12 Hour sportscar race in Australia after placing second in the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship race over the weekend
Rossi’s number-46 BMW spent much of the final hours running in sixth place, but a fuel stop under a safety car allowed the team to pit one less time than some of their podium rivals. This move propelled them into third in the final hour before they climbed to second with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Raffaele Marciello handled the final two stints for Team WRT, taking over after Rossi ended his last stint by striking the pit wall while entering for the driver change. Marciello moved up to second place in the final moments of the race.
Rossi and Marciello were joined by Charles Weerts for this year’s race.
Meanwhile, the number 46’s sister car, the number 32 Team WRT BMW, took the overall victory with Augusto Farfus, Sheldon van der Linde and Kelvin van der Linde behind the wheel.
The podium was completed by the number-75 Mercedes of Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon and Luca Stolz.
Valentino Rossi (BMW M4 GT3 #46, 2nd place): “This podium is a fantastic way to start the season. The whole weekend was great because we were always strong and competitive. We were able to fight with the sister car until I made a mistake and we had to serve a penalty. I thought the fight for the podium was over then. But we managed to come back with good pace. Raffaele’s overtaking of Jules Gounon was great fun to watch. I am very happy with this result.”
Rossi’s 2025 GT3 campaign will feature a reduced schedule compared to previous years. He has stepped away from GT World Challenge commitments and will focus exclusively on the GT3 class of the World Endurance Championship, where he made his debut last year, as well as attend more MotoGP races in his role as team principal for his VR46 Ducati team.
