MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has no plans to compete at the 2020 Monza Rally as a wildcard at the new World Rally Championship finale, but hasn’t ruled it out.
On Friday it was announced the WRC will end its current campaign with the Rally Monza event, which since 1978 has been held as a non-championship outing.
Nine-time grand prix motorcycle world champion Rossi is a veteran of the event, having won it seven times, and was asked if he would be taking part this year.
However, he says currently he won’t be taking part as he plans to race the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi again at the Yas Marina Circuit in early January – but the rally getting world championship status has made it “more interesting” to him.
“I know about Monza, a lot of people already call me [about it],” Rossi said when asked about on Friday ahead of the French Grand Prix.
“The plan is not to race in Monza, because I want to race in Abu Dhabi like last year.
“But for the sure the situation has changed, and making the last race on the world championship is a lot more interesting. We will see, I will see.”
Rossi has made several appearances in the WRC, first back in 2002 on Rally Great Britain driving a Peugeot 206 where he crashed out of the event.
He finished 11th in Rally New Zealand in 2006 driving a Subaru Impreza, and was 12th on Rally GB in 2008 abaord a Ford Focus.
Rossi contested the Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi in December of last year in a Kessel-run Ferrari 488 with his half-brother and current Moto2 points leader Luca Marini, and long-time friend Uccio Salucci.
The trio won the Pro-Am class and managed to get onto the last step of the podium overall just days after Rossi engaged in a ride swap with six-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit near Valencia.
In 2014, Rossi’s former Yamaha team-mate and current test rider for the Japanese marque Jorge Lorenzo guided a Kessel Ferrari to a class victory at the Gulf 12 Hours.