The Italian beamed as he celebrated second place in front of a bumper crowd below him alongside his BMW teammates Rafaelle Marciello and Charles Weerts.

BMW’s long-awaited success at Mount Panorama came in the form of a Team WRT one-two finish, led by the van der Linde brothers Sheldon and Kelvin alongside Augusto Farfus.

Asked whether it was mission accomplished, Rossi offered an emphatic “No.”

The motorcycle racing legend turned four-wheel GT racing star has unfinished business.

“I want to come back,” he said.

“Because for me, it’s good to come one time in a year to Australia because I like a lot this place.

“It’s the perfect way to start the season because the track is fantastic and it is also very difficult.”

Rossi’s program this year includes a slew of GT races, including the Spa 24 and select GT World Challenge Europe races.

That’s in addition to his FIA World Endurance Championship program with Team WRT.

In any case, Rossi wants to be back in Australia in 2026 – but with even more competition.

“I hope that in the next year more factory drivers, more factory cars can come,” said Rossi.

“But I think I will come back – yes.”

That sentiment is shared by his Team WRT bos Vincent Vosse, who told media ahead of Sunday’s race that the race would benefit from more manufacturer interest.

Triple Eight Race Engineering has flagged a future in GT3 racing with Ford – and with its history in the Bathurst 12 Hour, it stands to reason that the team could bring the Mustang in 2026.