Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi will be out to make history this weekend with a win at Sunday's French Grand Prix which will bring his career tally to 90 and put him level with Angel Nieto as the second most successful GP rider ever.
Speaking at a pre-race press conference, the Yamaha rider said that ''ninety is a great number. Angel is a very good friend of mine but we'll try to equal his record as soon as possible''.
Nieto never raced in motorcycling's premier class and all his victories were on 50cc, 80cc and 125cc bikes
The all-time GP career winner is Giacomo Agostini with 122 victories. However, Rossi this year has a chance of surpassing him for the number of wins in the premier class, 68. Rossi currently has 63.
''Ago is just five premier class wins ahead of me. But let's first tie this record of 90 Grand Prix victories and then go for 68 MotoGP wins,'' Rossi said.
In order to tie Agostini's 122 record, the 29-year-old Rossi needs 33 victories. On paper he could do this by the end of the 2009 season if he wins every race from now until then.
''This will be difficult... but not impossible,'' Rossi said with an impish grim.
Rossi won his first race of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks ago and is currently third in the riders' standing with 72 points, behind his rookie teammate Jorge Lorenzo with 74 and leader Dani Pedrosa, who rides a factory Honda bike, with 81 points.
He has won the French Grand Prix twice but finished poorly the past two years here, the same which saw him not win the title after five championships in a row.
The first two practice sessions for Sunday's race saw Rossi struggling to keep the pace, clocking the third fastest time Friday morning and coming in only sixth in the afternoon.
Pedrosa dominated both sessions while reigning world champion Casey Stoner, also riding a Ducati, improved his performance going from fourth in the morning to second in the afternoon.
Lorenzo, despite fractures to both ankles, was second in the morning and fourth in the afternoon.
