Capirossi still motivated after 19 seasons

"It's many seasons behind me. This is my 19th, which for sure is a lot, but my feeling is even stronger," Capirossi told a news conference ahead of this weekend's Qatar race.

"It's really amazing. The most important thing is that my feeling is like at the beginning. I always like to ride at 100 percent.

"I feel 100 percent. Maybe now more, because there are different challenges and I have to try to do my best," added the Italian rider, who made his debut in 125cc in 1990.

Capirossi has joined the Rizla Suzuki team for this season after five years at Ducati.

The veteran rider's team have endured a troubled pre-season, and although Capirossi admits they are not fully competitive yet, he is adamant Suzuki will make progress throughout the year.

"We are working a lot to try to improve the bike and I think out level at the moment is not 100 percent but we know and we are trying to fix our problems and sure, we can be stronger and stronger race by race," he added.