Capirossi says no plans to quit

The Rizla Suzuki rider will complete his 277 grand prix this weekend at Misano, thus becoming the man with the most appearances in the history of the sport.

The 35-year-old from Bologna says he is not thinking about the record, and admits he is not planning to stop yet.

"For sure when I complete this race I'll have the record but I don't really care about records," Capirossi told a news conference on Thursday.

"For sure I'm not stopping at the moment, so maybe I can increase it a lot.

"Maybe I want to ride for nine or ten years more," joked the Italian.

"I still enjoy riding the bike and I get good adrenaline. I really like it."

Capirossi returned to the podium at the last race in Brno, his first top three finish since the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

And the Suzuki rider says he has been happy with the Japanese manufacturer's effort to move to the top.

"We were happy to be back on the podium at Brno after a long time," he added. "I think the whole Suzuki staff is working really hard and we had a good test. We tested a new chassis and new parts on the bike and we improved a little bit.

"We have to continue to work, but we decided to try to use the new bike here in Misano. I see a big effort from Suzuki to try to develop the bike."

The Italian veteran said he was close to a new deal with Suzuki, although he admitted nothing had been signed yet.