Rossi Eyes 24 Hours of Le Mans Drive

Following a thrilling victory in Barcelona, when he overtook Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo in the very last corner of the race, reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi revealed he has set a couple of new challenges for the future. Aside from going after his 100th win in the FIM Road Racing World Championship, Rossi is also looking to debut in the famous North American NASCAR Series or the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

First thing's first, however, as Rossi admitted the first objective is to clinch his 100th win in the series. The Italian rider admitted this will more than likely come during the course of this year, as he needs to keep winning races if he wants to defend his world title. As he goes for both targets this season, at least one more win is a must in 2009.

“I hope it (the 100th win) comes eventually, even if I don't make an obsession out of that. My main objective this year is to win another MotoGP title and, if I want to become world champion, I need to win a race eventually. This way, I'll reach the 100th win,” said Rossi in an interview with Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

In addition, Rossi admitted that he is flirting with the idea of making debut in other racing series (four-wheel, this time), such as NASCAR or the Le Mans endurance race. Having already competed in the WRC and tested for Ferrari F1 Team in the past, trying out the two aforementioned series seem like the best way to complete his motor racing experience.

“The things that are currently missing from my CV are racing in NASCAR and the Le Mans 24 Hours Race, a race that I love watching. I hope I'll compete in it some day,” added the Yamaha champion.

Until then, Rossi will this weekend travel to The Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing, the Assen circuit in the Netherlands, for the Dutch GP. The Italian is currently tied for the championship lead with Lorenzo and Ducati's Casey Stoner, each on 106 points.