Valentino Rossi has his sixth MotoGP title in his sights and from now intends to be totally focused on winning it
Thanks to his second place finish at Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, the Yamaha rider is now only 12 points from standings leader Nicky Hayden with two races left in the season: Portugal and Valencia. "Twelve points are not much but they're still 12 points and I have to make them up on a couple of difficult tracks," Rossi admitted.
"It's not going to be easy for us but it's not going to be easy for Hayden and Honda either. If I can ride the way I want to, my team and I are potentially superior," the Italian ace observed. In the past four races the seven times world champion has been able to make up 39 points on the American rider and he admitted that "I've kind of liked playing catch up, even if I would have preferred to be ahead by 70 points".
Looking ahead to the next two races, Rossi said that "nerves are going to play a big role. But I know my potential and I know I can give it my all right up to the very end. I've been on the podium for the last four races and this season every point is going to count".
Although he did not write Hayden off all together, Rossi put modesty aside and said that "as far as talent goes, (Loris) Capirossi, (Marco) Melandri and I are from another planet". The three Italian riders led Sunday's race from pole to finish with Capirossi winning the race on his Ducati while
Melandri placed third with his Honda, far ahead of the rest of the pack.
In Australia a week earlier it was Melandri who was first with Rossi second.
Rossi said that his strategy was "to race just for myself and win. From now on, to that last lap in Valencia, the only thing I will be thinking about is winning". "In these last two races, starting with the practices, every minute and every meter on the track is going to count. It's going to be exciting but it's going to take a lot of concentration," Rossi concluded.
After dominating motorcycling premier class for the previous five years, the 27-year-old rider this season has been plagued by bad luck and failed to finish three races, twice because of mechanical troubles and once because of a tire problem.
part from the mechanical problems, he has also had to battle with his first injury in years. A fall during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix fractured a bone in his wrist, making riding painful for several weeks. However, in the four races since the championship resumed after the summer break Rossi has won once, in Malaysia, and come in second three times.
