Rossi: 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour will be 'very tight'

MOTORSPORT LEGEND Valentino Rossi is expecting a “very tight” battle for outright victory at this year’s Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

Rossi will make his third start in the 12 Hour with Team WRT and BMW, finishing sixth on debut in 2023 and fifth last year.

The MotoGP champion turned sportscar ace will share the #46 BMW with Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts, with track action commencing Friday.

Rossi was in the hunt for a podium at last year’s race, but a final-hour charge by Audi driver Christopher Haase saw the #46 end up fifth, just 5.8695s from victory.

Speaking at Thursday’s Track to Town event, Rossi believes this year’s race — which has Pro entries from BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, Audi and Porsche — will be a tough race to win.

“I’m very happy to be here in Bathurst, this is one of the most special races of the season,” Rossi said.

“The track is fantastic, and you have a lot of fast cars and fast drivers. This 12 Hour race will be very, very tight.

“So, we will try to be competitive.”

Rossi was pleased the forecast for Sunday’s race is clear weather-wise, given BMW’s 2024 challenge fell away as rain fell around Mount Panorama.

By that stage, WRT was fighting with its hands tied behind its back, with the sister car — which claimed pole position — crashing out with seven hours remaining.

“Last year, we were already fast,” Rossi said.

“But we were unlucky, because once it started to rain, in the water, our pace was not fantastic. So we hope this year it can be all dry, and we can be fast.”

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.