Rossi aiming for 50th career victory in Australia GP

Agencies, Phillip Island, Australia

Valentino Rossi is hoping to crown his runaway victory in the inaugural MotoGP world championship with his 50th career win at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

The flamboyant Italian, who clinched the title by winning last month's Brazilian GP on his four-stroke Honda, is a massive 121 points clear of his nearest rival with just two rounds remaining and 50 points up for grabs.

The main interest in the last month has centered on Rossi's bid to capture his 50th career victory, which has eluded him in the last two races.

The 23-year-old, who won world titles in 125cc, 250cc and the now defunct 500cc class, finished second in his last two races and is desperate to reach the milestone at Phillip Island this weekend.

"This is not my favorite circuit but I like it very much," said Rossi at a news conference on Thursday.

"Last year I have good memories because I won the race and the championship (in Australia)," added the Italian, who won last year's Australian GP by 0.013 seconds, the closest race in history.

With Rossi already assured of the title, the other main interest in the race is the intense three-way battle for second place.

Rossi's fellow Italian, Max Biaggi, currently holds second spot with 189 points, but Japan's Tohru Ukawa is just seven points behind and Brazilian Alex Barros a further 23 adrift.

"I am quite optimistic for this race," said Biaggi, the winner of races this season in the Czech Republic and Malaysia.

"Last year I lost here by a hair's breadth in a very close race and I think this year, if it is dry, we could see the same sort of race. It is one of the easiest tracks to overtake on so it will be lots of fun."

Although the premier category has been won, the 250cc and 125cc classes are still undecided, although both could be settled this weekend.

Italian Marco Melandri, who leads the 250cc by 27 points on his Aprilia from Spanish rival Fonsi Nieto, can clinch the title with victory on Sunday.

Frenchman Arnaud Vincent, who also rides an Aprilia, holds a 20-point advantage in the 125cc class from San Marino's 2001 champion Manuel Poggiali, whose title hopes stayed alive when he was promoted from ninth to fourth last weekend in Malaysia after an errant official waved the chequered flag a lap early.

Apart from his success story. Rossi is wrestling with brake problems ahead of the season's penultimate race here on Sunday.

"The biggest problem is the clashing with the braking and we are trying to fix the problem here," Rossi said on Thursday. "We have some ideas on how to fix it, so maybe it's possible.

"The bike is moving a lot on the brakes, much more than at the beginning of the season."

Rossi believes his Honda team may have to revert to old settings to get the best out of his bike.

"We need to look at what we have changed and maybe go back to some of the older settings," he said.

"We sometimes get new parts, but I am not so sure sometimes we are going in the right direction.

"The competition on the front row of the grid is strong now. We need to improve for the last two races of the season."