Valentino Rossi debuts in Bathurst with fastest practice time
Seven-time MotoGP champion BMW WRT team, Valentino Rossi, finished the first Bronze session on the timetable.
Rossi, 43, clocked 2:05.4486 seconds, just 0.0696 seconds behind nearest competitor Brad Schumacher, a Bathurst local.
For comparison, the fastest lap time ever for a Supercar around Mount Panorama is 2,03,373 set by Chaz Mostert in 2021.
Mostert, driving an Audi this weekend, was the fastest in the opening rehearsal of the event this morning. Mostert, the 2022 track athlete, hit the 2:04.0879 second mark to set the final pace. The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner led an Audi one-two in the 40-minute session.
The 40-minute competition that Rossi led included two collisions with other drivers as the international and Australian drivers got used to the conditions on the first day of this year’s 12 Hours.
Valentino Rossi
“Right before I knew me [was going to] race here, we always play in sim with Mount Panorama.
“Being here at Mount Panorama after 20 years [racing in] sims is an emotion, when you see the track for the first time.
“It’s one of those mythical races, so from Playstation to iRacing now, I’ve done a lot of laps.
“The track is impressive, it’s something different. I feel good with the car, I have a good feeling and I have good grip [and] I can push.
“It is very difficult, very technical, but also very enjoyable when you drive.
“You have two different pieces of music — it’s an ordinary piece of music [at the bottom] Mountain is different.
“Every round you want to try and make it a little more [speed] but the walls are there. I always keep five centimeters.
“You have to calculate a little bit because if you make a mistake, it’s a big deal.
“Jerry [Burgess] and Gary [Coleman] friends in my team [in MotoGP] raced here in the 70’s and 80’s.
“With the bike, you need more space, more running area. If you make a mistake it’s a big deal.
“For me it’s better with cars. I think this track is not too different from Phillip Island [where] you have a lot of space and no walls, but the design is similar.
“Here you have a lot of adrenaline driving, but also because you have to do everything well without making any mistakes.
“With the bike, you are outside so you feel more speed. From the point of view is different but from the point of view is very similar.“
Bathurst local Schumacher – who is running against James Golding and Frederic Vervisch – looks certain to prevent Rossi’s headline moment. However, the Italian superstar turned the wicket on his last fly-by to reclaim the top spot. All told, Rossi’s 2:05.4486 seconds was just 0.07 seconds faster than Schumacher’s, with 2022 winner Habul coming in third. Liam Talbot (#65 Audi) was the last driver one second behind Rossi.
