The seven-time premier class champion made his first start in a car on Australian soil last February and is again set to content Mount Panorama’s once-around-the-clock enduro in a BMW M4 GT3 fielded by Team WRT.
Rossi will again be joined by Maxime Martin in Car #46 but, this time around, the other steerer will be his fellow Italian, Raffaele Marciello.
In WRT’s sister BMW entry, which finished fourth outright at Bathurst last year, will again be Sheldon van der Linde, 2018 race winner Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts.
“The Bathurst 12 Hour is a spectacular event to start the year with, and we are delighted to field another strong line-up in Australia in 2024,” said Andreas Roos, Head of BMW Motorsport.
“Together with BMW M Team WRT, we enjoyed many fantastic successes in our first season.
“Unfortunately, we were denied a Bathurst podium. We obviously want to make amends for that this time.
“With our driver line-up, I believe we are in an excellent position to enjoy a strong race.
“I am particularly looking forward to seeing Raffaele Marciello in a BMW M4 GT3 for the first time.”
Marciello is a prolific performer at Mount Panorama, with his four starts yielding a second place in 2019, thirds in 2020 and 2023, and the Allan Simonsen Pole Award in 2019.
His most recent appearance at Bathurst came with GruppeM, but the Swiss-born driver has switched from the Mercedes-AMG ranks to BMW in the off-season.
“Bathurst is a very special place for me – the perfect first race with BMW M Motorsport,” said ‘Lello’.
“I love the circuit and have come very close to winning on a few occasions. Unfortunately, it has never quite worked out so far.
“However, I believe I have a good chance to change all that this year with BMW M Team WRT.
“WRT is one of the best teams in the world, and my team-mates Maxime and Valentino are extremely quick.
“Sharing the car with Vale is very special for me. I watched him in MotoGP when I was a kid.”
BMW M Team WRT achieved victories last year in the 24H Dubai and in two Intercontinental GT Challenge races, namely the Kyalami 9 Hours and Indianapolis 8 Hours.
While BMWs have been driven to victory in the Bathurst 12 Hour’s production car days, the Bavarian marque is yet to break through in the GT3 era, although it has two Allan Simonsen Pole Awards.
WRT is a Bathurst 12 Hour winner, but as an Audi team in 2018.
Last year, the WRT M4s finished fourth and sixth despite a late pit stop for Car #46 to repair an electrical issue.
Rossi ran competitively and even topped a practice session from a Schumacher, namely Bathurst local Brad.
Team Principal Vincent Vosse said “What an event to kick off our second season with BMW M Motorsport! We are very much looking forward to returning to Bathurst; this will be our third start there.
“After taking victory on our debut, we were unfortunately unable to challenge for first place again last year. We are now back for another shot with a fantastic squad of drivers.”
The 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour takes place on February 16-18.
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