Source: Yamaha Racing.

Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have dispelled rumours that they will be teaming up at the 2015 running of the Suzuka 8 Hour round of the World Endurance Championship.

Speaking at the GP of the Americas press conference in Texas, Rossi hasn’t ruled out a future appearance in the iconic race that he won in 2001, but doubted that it will happen this year on the brand new 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1.

“First of all I would like so much to race together with Jorge,” Rossi said. “It would be very interesting and funny, also to bring the new R1 to the race. But sincerely, I don’t know exactly the date of this year’s 8 Hours, but I did it in the past, 2000 and 2001, and it was a great, great effort. You have to fly to Japan two or three times and also the race is very hard. So I think for this year it is difficult, but maybe in the future.”

Lorenzo said that Yamaha is yet to discuss the option with he or Rossi just one round into the new MotoGP season.

“We speak sometimes with Vale to race in the future this race or even a car race, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans as we are big fans of cars also,” Lorenzo commented. “But at this moment in our careers I think it is quite risky.

“To go over in the summer, the middle of the holidays, for an endurance race. Maybe in the future – for the moment Yamaha didn’t say anything to us about that, so I don’t know.”

Australia’s two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner is a confirmed starter for this year’s race with Honda, partnering Pata Honda WorldSBK regular Michael van der Mark and HRC test rider Takumi Takahash