Rossi says future wide open from 2008

The Italian has won five world championships in the top class of MotoGP, and he has admitted that he will only continue racing if he believes that he has fresh challenges.

"We'll need to find new motivations because we've already won everything," Rossi was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I could also quit. I'm 28, I'm not too old, but I'll be able to go on until I'm 31 or 32 at most."

Rossi also admitted that the possibility of riding for Italian manufacturer Ducati would appeal to him on some levels, but he added that he is very happy at Yamaha.

"I've thought about Ducati, but betraying Yamaha would be too much," he said. "Besides, there's already Stoner there, so we'd need to understand the respective roles.

"In the past I was tempted to move to Ducati, because of the big adventure that it seemed: An Italian rider on an Italian bike," he told the official MotoGP website.

"But there is no reason to change if you are already at home in a team. I have a contract with Yamaha until 2008. When that finishes then we'll see."

Rossi's last MotoGP title came in 2005, and this year he is currently 21 points behind Stoner in the standings.