Italy's Valentino Rossi has said
his desire for compete is as strong as ever ahead of the start
of his 20th grand prix season with Sunday's season-opening
MotoGP race in Qatar.
The nine-time world champion added that he hopes to
continue racing for another 10 years.
"I saw (Tory) Bayliss when he went back to racing in
Superbike after eight years and I asked myself why he ever
quit," Rossi told reporters referring to Australia's three-time
Superbike world champion, who recently came out of retirement to
step in for the injured Davide Giugliano on an Aruba.it Ducati.
"He still wanted to race. That's the most important thing
for me.
"I still want to race and while I have that desire, I'll
keep going," added the 36-year-old.
"I hope to keep going until I'm 46".
The Yamaha rider bounced back last season, coming second
to 22-year-old Spanish ace Marc Marquez, after several
disappointing campaigns, including two winless years at Ducati.
"It's always nice to start a new season," said Rossi, who
won seven of his world titles in the premium class.
"This is my 20th first day at school. The first race is
always special, because you feel a little bit different.
"You feel the pressure, the adrenaline, like the first day
at school".
The Italian is a resurgent force after changing his
diet-and-fitness regime and bringing in Silvano Galbusera as his
crew chief after ending his long relationship with Jeremy
Burgess.
"We had two days of (pre-season) tests here and we all
suffered for the lack of the third day, which was cancelled due
to rain," said Rossi.
"We would have been able to see what our potential was,
but we'll get down to work right away.
"I think it'll be a wonderful season".
Rossi is second in motorcycling's all-time race-win
standings with 108 victories, behind his compatriot Giacomo
Agostini, who won 122 grands prix in various classes in the
1960s and 70s.
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