Valentino Rossi will return to Brands Hatch in 2026, following official confirmation that he will contest the full GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS campaign this year. Rossi returns to the wheel of a Team WRT entered BMW bearing his signature #46.

Rossi will partner Max Hesse in the Sprint Cup rounds, including the Brands Hatch double-header on 2/3 May. The Italian is back on the grid full-time for the first time since 2023, whilst his Brands Hatch outing will be his first in two years. The MotoGP legend previously claimed his first ever GT World Challenge podium at the Kent circuit.

Rossi joins an international line-up of top-class drivers as part of the GT World Challenge field which will take to Brands Hatch’s longer Grand Prix layout this spring.

This year’s event also carries additional significance as it marks 30 years since the first ever SRO-organised GT event at the venue in 1996. The fixture also falls within the circuit’s ‘Century of Power’ programme which celebrates Brands Hatch’s 100th anniversary.

Tickets for GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS at Brands Hatch on 2/3 May are available from £35 in advance with reductions for 13-15-year-olds and FREE entry for under-13s. For more information and to book now, click here.