14.03.2024Rossi, Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps: Legends meeting in 1:18

Valentino Rossi will make his much-watched debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. Last year, the nine-time motorcycle world champion won the Road to Le Mans race as part of the supporting program of the endurance classic. A few weeks later, the “Doctor” held his own at the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps with a great sixth place in one of the toughest GT3 competitions in the world. Minichamps has released the two BMW M4 GT3s to Rossi's successes in scale 1:18 and in limited numbers.

The Le Mans weekend in June 2023 was unforgettable. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the legendary endurance race, everything of rank and name was on show around the Circuit de la Sarthe. With Valentino Rossi on the starting grid, even the Road to Le Mans support race was star-studded. Here, LMP3 prototypes and GT3 cars drive two hour-long races in front of the gigantic backdrop in the preliminary program of the 24-hour race. At the time of the race, there was already speculation about what is now known: Valentino Rossi will be competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 2024. His appearance in last year's Road to Le Mans race was an ideal start, as the Italian jumped to the highest podium after he and his teammate Jérôme Policand won the GT3 class.

Of course, the BMW M4 GT3 from Team WRT came out with Rossi's iconic starting number 46. The color scheme of the car is a special combination of black with the white-blue-red BMW factory colors as well as typical bright yellow Rossi accents. The high-quality Minichamps model in scale 1:18 is limited to 346 pieces exclusively mode for ck-modelcars and is delivered in a collector's folding box. The front wheels are steerable, the doors, the hood and the trunk can be opened and the cockpit has also been lovingly reproduced true to the original. The BMW was voted “Model Car of the Year 2023” in its category in the “Modellfahrzeug” trade magazine.

The same applies to the model for the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps, which has identical features and is limited to 446 examples. Valentino Rossi took part in the Ardennes Marathon for the second time in 2023 with a blue and yellow M4 GT3 and his BMW works driver colleagues Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin. In the impressive field of almost 70 GT3 cars, the trio took the checkered flag in sixth overall position - still on the lead lap and not even a minute and a half behind their victorious brand colleagues in the Rowe-BMW. The top 10 result was a conciliatory end to the race after a few incidents, including a collision between Rossi and a teammate.

Next up for Valentino Rossi is the Le Mans premiere. The two Minichamps models may just mark the beginning of a new successful career for the living two-wheel legend.

BMW M4 GT3 #46 Winner Road to LeMans 2023 Rossi, Policand 1:18 Minichamps, RRP €169.95, item-no.: 113232546

BMW M4 GT3 #46 6th 24h Spa 2023 Farfus, Martin, Rossi 1:18 Minichamps, RRP €199.95, item-no.: 113232646

Products

	BMW M4 GT3 #46 Winner Road to LeMans 2023 Rossi, Policand 1:18 Minichamps	399,95 €
	BMW M4 GT3 #46 6th 24h Spa 2023 Farfus, Martin, Rossi 1:18 Minichamps	399,95 €