Rossi to drive in 2010 Mexico Rally

REIGNING MOTOGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will drive in next year's Mexico Rally in the world rally championship, it has been announced.

"It is the last chance to race in WRC before new rules in 2011. I can't let the opportunity escape me," Rossi told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Rossi, who is on the brink of clinching his ninth motorcycle world championship at the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend, will drive a Ford Focus in next year's rally event.

The motorcycling phenomenon has already taken part in rallies in Britain and New Zealand. Reports have linked the MotoGP man to a permanent four-wheel career sometime in the near future.