Although publicly admitting that doing a Le Mans outing and a NASCAR programme are two of his priorities for the future, Rossi had to turn down the offer. As argued by the 9-time FIM champion, his main focus for 2010 remains an 8th crown in the MotoGP series, and the month of June – when Le Mans is scheduled – will be decisive in his reaching that goal.
“I'm flattered by Jean's offer, but June is the busiest month of the championship, with as many as three races scheduled, so it's impossible to think of participating in the 24 Hours race,” Rossi was quoted as saying to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
Rossi seems eager to bag another MotoGP title and with it, get closer to the winning record in the premier motorcycle series, currently belonging to Giacomo Agostini. In order to do all those things, the Italian racer also announced he will not participate in the Rally Mexico round of the 2010 WRC. The confirmation came from his team manager David Brivio last week.
As for Alesi, the Frenchman did some test sessions at the wheel of the Ferrari F430 GT2 at Maranello in mid-October, as he was offered this opportunity by AF Corse. Later on, Amato Ferrari convinced Alesi to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans event, after more than two decades of absence.
Although the team has already announced Alesi in their starting lineup for the 2010 event, it will be the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to confirm it during the month of January (the Ferrari 430 is still pending the approval to join the entry list).
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