Valentino Rossi is in confident mood heading into today’s 6 Hours of Imola – round two of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign – after securing his and BMW’s maiden pole position in the series in yesterday’s Hyperpole session in Italy.
To the palpable delight of the thousands of fans packing the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Rossi took full advantage of team-mate Ahmad Al-Harthy’s superb effort in the first part of qualifying in the LMGT3 category to storm to the top of the timesheets in Hyperpole behind the wheel of the Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO, sporting the Italian’s iconic number #46.
“I’m very happy,” he reflected. “It’s a great emotion. My home race is always special. I live very close to here, and there’s a fantastic atmosphere at the track with a lot of fans. It’s great to be starting on pole position.”
Following bright sunshine on Saturday, Sunday’s picture looks more unpredictable, with rain forecast at different stages of the six-hour contest. While that is likely to generate drama, Rossi is optimistic of maintaining the pace whatever the weather.
“We have improved our car a lot and we are competitive,” ‘The Doctor’ added. “The BMW seems to be well-suited to this circuit, and the tyres are working well. We’ve been trying to make the car easier on them – in these long races, that can make a difference. Mixed conditions also seem to be good for us, so overall, the feeling is good.”
The 6 Hours of Imola gets underway at 13:00 CET. Watch every moment of the action, live or on demand, via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship. For further information, click HERE.
