Heading into the final weekend of the 2014 MotoGP season, Valentino Rossi looks like he might finish the season second overall, but he has higher goals for next year.
Rossi’s goal for 2015? He says he wants to be the champion once more.
“This is the target and I say that because we can improve from this year to next year,” he said yesterday at Valencia. “Already the work for next year started, throughout all this season, in fact from the last test of last season. We have demonstrated good potential already.”
Although the Doctor has shown he still has the talent and determination to win in MotoGP, he actually said other people would be key to his comeback.
“I think I can improve next year, especially my team and especially Silvano (Galbusera – Crew Chief) with one year more of experience,” Rossi said. “He can improve because he knows MotoGP better. We can also improve the way of working between us because it has just been the first season. I know him better now and he knows me more, and the way I want the bike.”
The other people who will impact Rossi’s chances? He told the press he expects plenty of competition from teammate Jorge Lorenzo as well as current repeat world champ Marc Marquez (“We cannot forget that he won 12 races this year. That is ten more than me,” Rossi said). Interesting that he didn’t mention perennial late-season sad-sack Dani Pedrosa …