Rossi confirmed in all-star BMW Bathurst line-up
Valentino Rossi confirmed in all-star BMW Bathurst line-up
Rossi to partner Charles Weerts, Raffaele Marciello
Van der Linde brothers Kelvin and Sheldon join Augusto Farfus
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has been confirmed as part of Team WRT BMW’s two-car squad for the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.
WRT's third Bathurst attempt as a BMW team will see Rossi share the #46 with Belgian Charles Weerts and former Allan Simonsen Pole Award winner Raffaele Marciello.
The sister #32 car will see long-time BMW ace Augusto Farfus joined by South African brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde, who will compete together for the first time as BMW drivers.
WRT boasts a strong mixture of experience, raw speed and local knowledge in their Pro class entries, and offers the Belgian team its best shot yet at scoring BMW's first outright victory in Australia’s International Enduro.
Team WRT won the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2018 while representing Audi and then returned in 2023 with their pair of now popular BMW M4 GT3 entries.
The team finished fourth and sixth in 2023, before returning to score pole and lead the early laps of the 2024 race, with the pole-winning car dramatically crashing out at half-distance.
Rossi, who will compete full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year with WRT, made his Bathurst debut in 2023.
The sister #32 car will see long-time BMW ace Augusto Farfus joined by South African brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde, who will compete together for the first time as BMW drivers.
Kelvin, who finished third last year, is a recent addition to BMWs factory stable. Younger brother Sheldon, though, claimed pole on the Mountain last year. Sheldon also finished fourth on debut in 2023, having claimed a maiden DTM title the year prior.
Farfus makes his fifth Bathurst start this year, having finished fifth in the 2019 race as part of a team that included Chaz Mostert. Marciello, meanwhile, has been a regular star performer on the Mountain and claimed the Allan Simonsen Pole Award in 2019.
In five starts, Marciello has finished second (2018), third (2019 and 2023), fifth in 2024 and sixth in 2020.
The 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour will be contested across January 31 – February 2 with tickets, camping and corporate experiences on sale now via the official event website, www.bathurst12hour.com.au.
