At this weekend’s Gulf 12 Hours sportscar competition, Valentino Rossi was set to make his first race appearance since retiring from MotoGP.

UPDATE: Last-minute substitution for Valentino Rossi In qualifying for the Gulf 12 Hours on Saturday at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, David Cleto Fumanelli set the quickest lap time.

However, the VR46 Ferrari will start from fourth overall and second in the Pro-Am class after teammate Luca Marini and Alessio Salucci were both rated ninth in respective qualifying sessions.

Valentino Rossi has pulled out of the Gulf 12 Hours sportscar event in Abu Dhabi this weekend after making close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid 19.

Rossi was set to race in a Kessel-run Ferrari 488 alongside brother Luca Marini and VR46 team head Alessio Salucci for the first time since quitting from MotoGP at the end of last season.

The three won the Pro-Am class at the same Yas Marina track in their 2019 Gulf 12 Hours debut, then finished fourth overall and second in the GT3 Pro-Am class at last year’s race in Bahrain.

David Cleto Fumanelli, an experienced Italian racer, has assumed Rossi’s spot in the squad, setting the quickest time in Friday morning’s last free practice session with the VR46 car.

Qualifying will take place later today (Friday), with the 12-hour race – which will be broken into two parts, each lasting six hours – taking place on Saturday.

Rossi has yet to announce which championship(s) he will compete in this season, despite having tested an Audi GT3 car for the WRT team in Valencia in December.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZXJGQIAbb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The uniforms of MOTOGP racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: