Rossi could score another first at Indy

The record books for Indianapolis Motor Speedway are full of firsts and notable achievements. Valentino Rossi has the opportunity this weekend to create another: the first person to win both a motorcycle and a car race at the venerable circuit.

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi won the inaugural Indianapolis GP in 2008. This weekend he returns for the first time since making the switch to cars, driving the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour. Should the trio win, Rossi would achieve a feat that may never be repeated.

“Fantastic … special, yes, because with the motorcycle from 2008 to 2015 I had some good results, and especially I won the first time,” Rossi said. “That was a very peculiar race because of a hurricane, so a lot of water, a lot of wind, and they had to stop the race, but I was in front. Trying also with the car can be something special.”

While the venue is the same, the track is not. Rossi winning both might be more akin to a driver like Scott Dixon or Will Power winning on both the four-cornered oval and the 14-turn road course. The track that MotoGP used not only featured more – and tighter – corners, but ran counter-clockwise. 

“It's very familiar. The rest is the same, the hotel is the same, and the paddock is the same. The motorcycle was very different, especially because you go the other way, so this is another track. Also with the motorcycle, the layout was different. You have some more corners. I have to say that with the car, this layout is more for the cars, because it's [faster]. You have a longer straight and with the motorcycle was more tricky, but it was a a good track,” explained the Italian.

Rossi has competed in a few other Intercontinental GT Challenge races, including the 12 Hours of Bathurst and the 24 Hours of Spa, and he looks forward to racing the M4 GT3 at Suzuka at some point. Meanwhile, he's been competing in the World Endurance Championship with van der Linde and Ahmad Al Harthy. There, the focus is winning races and championships as a team. At Indianapolis, he's working to support van der Linde as he seeks the IGTC championship. 

“This time I'm here to give my support and to help Kelvin try to win. I have to say that this is a great emotion and is something special, because Kelvin is my friend and we race together in the WEC, so if I'm able to give to him my support to try to win the championship, I will be very happy,” Rossi said

Of course, Rossi would like van der Linde's championship – he has a five-point lead over Raffaelle Marciello and 13 points in hand over Augusto Farfus, both fellow BMW pilots – to come with a victory in Saturday's race, but the focus is on championship first.

“This thing can change a lot, because the bigger difference with MotoGP … the endurance races are different because you share the car with the other drivers. In MotoGP, you are alone and also the teammate is your first enemy. Here you have more collaboration, more friendship. I have to say that the relationship that starts with the other driver of the same car is great. It's something that I enjoy a lot.”

Rossi's No. 46 will start fourth in the Indianapolis 8 Hour, which kicks off at 12:20 p.m. ET and will be carried live on RACER+.