Capirossi to make MotoGP milestone

Added on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

Capirossi will equal MotoGP record next week

"But it's a great achievement for me to have raced at as many as anyone else. My next target will be to make 300, but the only important thing to me is that I am competitive and fighting with the best guys

Loris Capirossi will equal the record for the most MotoGP starts when he lines up at Brno next weekend for the Czech Republic Grand Prix.

The veteran rider, whose Grand Prix career started back in 1990, will make his 276^th appearance on the MotoGP grid next weekend, drawing him level with Italian Alex Barros.

But the Rizla Suzuki rider admitted that he was completely unaware of the milestone, but he now has his target on the 300 mark.

“I didn’t know I was that close to equalling the record,” he said. “I think there are a few guys from the old days that might have done more races because they used to race two or three different bikes at every meeting.

“But it’s a great achievement for me to have raced at as many as anyone else. My next target will be to make 300, but the only important thing to me is that I am competitive and fighting with the best guys.”

The 34-year-old will be looking for his 30^th victory and 99^th podium finish at Brno and believes that his experience at Brno could be a major advantage, having won there in 2006 and being the holder of the current lap record.

“Brno has been a successful track for me and one I really like to race at,” added Capirossi. “I would really like to win there again, and I think the GSV-R will be well-suited to the track and we’ll be very competitive there.

“My arm is still very sore and it’s not 100 per cent perfect, but it’s getting stronger every day and I really hope that it will not trouble me too much during the weekend.”

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