VALENCIA, Spain -- Britain's world superbike champion Neil Hodgson has no intention of making up the numbers in MotoGP, but thinks the title may be beyond him in his first season next year.

"It's a step up, it's the next level," the 29-year-old Ducati rider told Reuters on Sunday, explaining why he had left superbikes for grand prix racing.

"With the sort of demise of world superbikes, it's what I've got to do.

"If I want to go to next level as a rider then I've got to ride against the best riders in the world. I've achieved my goal of being superbike world champion and the next step is to be MotoGP world champion."

"I'm not going in thinking I'm going to win the world championship next year, I'm classing it as a learning year."

Ducati confirmed at the Valencia Grand Prix that, after running away with the world superbike title, Hodgson would be following champion predecessors American Colin Edwards and Australian Troy Bayliss into grand prix racing.

"The level of competition will be a lot harder," said Hodgson. "There's 24 good riders in MotoGP, where in world superbikes there's 30 riders but only about four good riders."

Edwards, world superbike champion in 2000 and last year, has struggled with Aprilia this year and was 13th in the championship before Sunday's last race. Hodgson believes he can learn from the Texan's experiences.

"What I've learnt from him is that if you're not on the right bike, you're going to suffer and that's what has happened with Colin," he said.

Hodgson said he was looking forward to taking a break before getting on board the 2003 Ducati Desmosedici he will be riding next year.

"It's been a really good bike this year," said the Lancastrian. "It's got some rough edges, but hopefully they can be sorted out.

"It's been the closest thing to the Honda this year, so I'm very confident that in my first year I'm on the right bike.

"A realistic goal is to finish in the top 10 in the championship and have a couple of really inspired rides and finish on the podium, one of which hopefully will be (in the British Grand Prix) at Donington."

Hodgson, who finished 11th in the 500cc class in his last experience of grand prix racing in 1995, said he was looking forward to flying the flag for Britain, who have not had a grand prix world champion since Barry Sheene in 1977.

"We've had some really good riders in the last 20 years, but never a good British rider on a good bike. Hopefully I now have that chance," he said.