MotoGP news: Valentino Rossi hopes to participate in the 2020 Dakar Rally

What's the story?

Nasser Al-Attiyah, the Totoya Factory driver for the Dakar Rally, said that Valentino Rossi would be looking to participate in the 2020 Dakar Rally.

In case you didn't know...

Valentino Rossi, in his illustrious Grand Prix motorcycling racing career, managed to establish himself as a legend with seven premier class riders' championship titles.

The 2018 MotoGP season wasn't Rossi's best as prolific Italian rider couldn't finish higher than third in the riders' championship. He would be hoping to find more success during the 2019 season that starts in March 2019 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.

However, one should note that Valentino Rossi's skills are not limited to motorcycles. The Italian managed to win the Monza Rally Show seven times and built a name for himself in the sport of rally car racing, as well. The 2018 edition of the rally saw Rossi securing a dominating win by sweeping all the nine stages of the event.

The heart of the matter

According to RTL Nieuws, Nasser Al-Attiyah has spoken to RTL GP regarding Rossi's commitment towards the Dakar Rally.

During the interview, Al-Attiyah revealed that Valentino Rossi expressed tremendous interest in participating in the Dakar Rally. The man from Qatar even went on to say that he asked Rossi to participate in the event for Toyota - his current team.

The Toyota factory driver said, "I have had contact with Valentino Rossi, and he would love to join Dakar."

"I invited him to join, and I'm sure he would like to ride," added Nasser Al-Attiyah.

What's next?

Valentino Rossi's current contract with the Factory Yamaha team extends till 2020, and it would be interesting to see if the seven-time MotoGP world champion could replicate the same success at the famous Dakar Rally.

Fernando Alonso has also considered participating in the Dakar Rally, and it would be every racing fans' dream to watch these two legends compete in the same sport.