Valentino Rossi Returns to Full-Time GT World Challenge Europe in 2026
Nine-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is set to compete full-time in the GT World Challenge Europe starting in 2026, aligning with Team WRT and BMW. Rossi will drive the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, sharing the car with fellow driver Max Hesse, while Dan Harper will join them for the Endurance Cup events.
Rossi, who last participated in a complete GT season in 2023, has focused on part-time campaigns over the past two years, alongside his FIA World Endurance Championship commitments. With a shift away from the FIA WEC in 2026, Rossi aims to concentrate on SRO’s prominent European series.
The 46-year-old veteran has achieved three victories within the GT World Challenge, consistently showing strong performance at his home race in Misano, where he secured a win each of the last three seasons.
Hesse and Harper, both products of the BMW Junior Team, previously raced together in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, clinching the Michelin Endurance Cup title with notable victories at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. They also competed in the Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe and won at Paul Ricard in 2024, alongside Augusto Farfus.
Hesse will make his Sprint Cup debut alongside Rossi, having previously shared a car with him at the 2023 Dubai 24 Hours, where they achieved a third-place finish. Harper, however, will be racing with Rossi for the first time.
The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season opens at Circuit Paul Ricard on 11-12 April, with Rossi’s #46 BMW part of a four-car lineup from the defending champions, WRT. Further announcements on the additional crews are expected next month.
