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Rossi: I don't think I'll go to Japan
Valentino Rossi has cast doubt over travelling to Motegi in October, explaining that he does not expect to contest the Japanese Grand Prix. Riders have been voicing their concerns over radiation levels after the Fukushima plant was damaged during March’s earthquake and tsunami, but a report by Italian agency ARPA declared the area as safe.
"I really don't think I'll be going to Japan," Ducati's Rossi is quoted as saying by Italian newspaper La Repubblica. "We are all scared; myself, my friends and the team. The idea of racing in Japan doesn't seem sensible to me.
"Until today I've kept a low profile about it in the hope that the people at the top of MotoGP would make the right decision, but it didn't happen. Even if the ARPA results on Motegi are correct, there's still an unsafe nuclear plant less than 100-km (62.1-mi) away and a violent earthquake per week in the area.
"I understand people who go to Japan for humanitarian reasons, but for a motorcycle race no, I can't accept that. At this point, with this emergency, we could race on a different circuit further away. It's useless to talk about insurance. What do I need insurance for if I get ill or end up living a nightmare for 40 years?
"I don't care what the others think, whether they're going there or not. I want, in fact I must be able, to decide completely by myself. I imagine we'll have to say yes or no by Misano." |
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