Team WRT Reveals Driver Line-Up for Indianapolis 8 Hour
Indianapolis, IN – Team WRT has announced its driver roster for the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS, featuring motorsport icon Valentino Rossi, who will make his debut in the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s North American round. Rossi, a nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion, will pilot the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO alongside current IGTC Drivers’ Championship leader Kelvin Van der Linde and defending Indy 8H winner Charles Weerts.
Van der Linde and Weerts secured victory at the recent 49th Suzuka 1000km for WRT, a significant boost heading into the Indianapolis event. Notably, the driver line-up positions both Van der Linde and Raffaele Marciello—who is set to drive the #777 WRT BMW—within striking distance of the championship title, with Marciello trailing by just five points. Augusto Farfus, the 2020 Indy winner, will join Marciello in the #777, while Al Faisal Al Zubair completes the team. Farfus, currently ranked 13 points behind Marciello, is not in contention for the title.
According to race regulations, Rossi and Al Zubair will serve as the “Designated Silvers” in their respective cars, fulfilling the requirement for one Silver-graded driver per vehicle in the unified Pro category.
Team WRT aims for a third consecutive win at the Indianapolis 8 Hour, having claimed victory in the previous two years. Meanwhile, BMW is also focused on clinching the IGTC Manufacturers’ Championship, bolstered by entries from Random Vandals Racing, which will field two Pro cars, and defending GT World Challenge America Pro-Am champions Turner Motorsport.
Additionally, Heart of Racing Team has confirmed that Zacharie Robichon will join Gray Newell and Darren Turner in the #24 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (Evo) for the Pro-Am class. Robichon previously helped secure class victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this season.
The race promises to be competitive, with the driver line-ups setting the stage for an exciting battle for both individual and manufacturers’ championships.
