Team WRT has announced its drivers for the upcoming Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS, headlined by nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion Valentino Rossi’s first-ever start at the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s North American round.
Rossi, who won the inaugural MotoGP race at Indianapolis back in 2008, will drive the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO alongside IGTC Drivers’ Championship leader Kelvin Van der Linde, and defending Indy 8H winner Charles Weerts. Both drivers won the 49th Suzuka 1000km for WRT alongside Raffaele Marciello.
2022 Indy 8H winner Marciello will pilot the #777 WRT BMW alongside 2020 Indy winner Augusto Farfus and Al Faisal Al Zubair. The confirmation of these driver line-ups will guarantee that either Van der Linde or Marciello, who trails by five points, will become the new IGTC Drivers’ Champion. Farfus (-13) cannot outscore Marciello in the same car and thus cannot win the title.
Rossi and Al Zubair will be the “Designated Silvers” in their respective cars, as the race regulations for the unified Pro category require at least one Silver-graded driver per car.
WRT has won the Indy 8H in back-to-back years and will be favoured to win the race for the third year in a row.
BMW’s pursuit of the IGTC Manufacturers’ Championship will also feature GT World Challenge America Pro championship leaders Random Vandals Racing, entering two Pro cars, and defending GT World America Pro-Am champion Turner Motorsport.
Elsewhere on the Indy 8 Hour entry list, Heart of Racing Team has announced that Zacharie Robichon will join the regular pairing of Gray Newell and Darren Turner in the #24 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (Evo), competing in the Pro-Am class.
Robichon and Heart of Racing took class honours at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year, with the Canadian racing alongside Ian James and Ross Gunn.
© Andrew “Skippy” Hall / dailysportscar.com
