Rossi delighted with podium after dodging kangaroo, Waters

VALENTINO Rossi has suggested he will be back at Mount Panorama to claim an elusive Bathurst 12 Hour win after claiming another podium.

Rossi finished third in Sunday’s dramatic race in the #46 WRT BMW alongside Raffaele Marciello and Augusto Farfus.

The MotoGP legend turned GT3 star was runner-up in a BMW 1-2 last year, with the 2026 race his fourth attempt at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Rossi’s Sunday featured a hairy battle with Supercars star Cam Waters, who admitted he was “lucky” to avoid damage in a clash that saw Rossi warned by officials.

Speaking post-race, Rossi — who turns 47 on Monday — quipped that he’ll keep trying to break his Bathurst duck.

“I think that we had more chance to win last year,” Rossi told media.

“This year is more difficult… I’m very happy to arrive on the podium also because this race, year by year, becomes better.

“The level increases. You have a lot of factory cars, a lot of great line-ups. So I’m very happy, very proud to be here on the podium and we continue to try – and maybe one year we can do.”

Rossi also revealed that he came into close quarters with a kangaroo, after Ford star Chris Mies struck a ‘roo on Conrod Straight in the opening minutes.

"I saw a kangaroo, yes, in the second hour and another one in the track,” the Italian said.

“He jumped from the wall and jumped to the second corner and after I came back he was in front of me, yes – but fortunately he’s alive."

“You know, this is a special place, it’s a special track, and they use this track just five times in one year. This is the rule of the game if you come at the Mount Panorama. “I think that it is difficult to try to fix this problem."

The race was won by Team GMR trio Maro Engel, Maxime Martin and Mikael Grenier, who sailed to victory after a controversial late clash between Jules Gounon and Kelvin van der Linde.