Rossi may skip Motegi race due to radiation fears

Nine-time motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi is considering skipping the Japanese Grand Prix because of radiation concerns after the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

Rossi tells Italian media "I really don't think I'll go to Japan. … I was hoping that the championship organizers would make the right decision, but that hasn't been the case and now we've got a serious problem."

The Oct. 2 race is scheduled for Motegi, which lies north of Tokyo but several hundred miles south of the worst-affected radiation zones in northeastern Japan.

Rossi suggested moving the race further south to the Suzuka circuit.