Valentino Rossi tests Audi GT3 sportscar at Valencia

Valentino Ros♎si's post-MotoGP sportscar plans continued to take shape with a priꦉvate test in an Audi GT3 at Valencia today (Thursday).
The outing was confirmed in a statem𓆉ent re🎶leased by the WRT team, whose R8 Rossi was driving:
'Following a very successful 2021 season in GT3 and LMP2 racing, Team WRT has now started its winter testing programme ahead of 2022. From Tuesday to Thursday this week, the Belgian squad has been testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia with Audi Sport.
'Among those taking the track today was Valentino, with a view to evaluate future cooperation possibilities between the 9-time motorbike World Champion and the reigning GT World Challenge Europe champion squad.'
Valentino Rossi drove a Team WRT Audi R8 LMS in private test at Valencia
— WRT - W Racing Team (@followWRT)
This week Team WRT has been testing with Audi Sport. Taking the track today was with a view to evaluate future cooperation possibilities between the 9-time motorbike World Champion and WRT
While Rossi has made clear that sportscars will be his main focus neไxt year, he is yet to🎉 commit to a particular series.
The Italian's only confirmed race at present is a return to the Gulf 12 Hours - driving a Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GT3, alongside brother Luca Marini and friend Alessio ༒'Uccio' Salucci - at Abu Dhabi in January.
"♍The [Gulf 12 Hours] race is still for fun and after we need to understand which championship and which program for next year," Rossi explained last month.
"It's a very important moment for the GT races and Endurance races because th🐼ey will do this new class called Hypercar for 2023 and all the big names including Ferrari, Porsche, Audi will race with these cars.
"But next year I will race with GT [spec] cars. I still don’t know 🌳which championship because it can be the WEC but can be also the European Le Mans series or International GT challenge.
"We need to decide, also with which caꦅr, and I need to understand my level and my speed because for sure Iꦛ would like to race with LMP2 or with Hypercar [prototypes in future] but there the level of the drivers is very high.
"So I don't know if I am fast enough. We will try to understand n♏ext year."

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzu💜ki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injuryᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ issues.