Rossi hoping to give Donington perfect send-off
Added on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Rossi hoping to give Donington perfect send-off
Valentino Rossi is hoping to give Donington Park the perfect send-off this weekend and further strengthen his lead at the top of the championship.
After 22 years, Donington Park hosts its final MotoGP event on Sunday before the British Grand Prix moves to back to Silverstone as part of a new five-year agreement with Dorna.
Rossi, who resided in the UK until managing to resolve his tax dispute with Italian authorities, has long considered Donington as a “home” race and has admitted that he wants to give the famous circuit the perfect send-off, ending a run of three years without a win at the circuit in the process.
“Last year I had a good race at Donington to finish second, but this year I really want to win,” said the eight time world champion.
“I’ve always said that Donington is one of my favourite tracks in the world – it’s fast and flowing but also technical – and also the UK is a very special place for me because for a long time it was my home. This is the last year we are going to race there which I am really sad about, but that makes me even more determined to try to win there, for me and for the fans who have always treated me like one of their own. I haven’t won there since 2005, which is too long and I would like to say ‘goodbye’ to the track in the best way.
“Last year we couldn’t take the fight to Stoner but this year our bike is extremely competitive and we’re arriving leading in the championship so we’re in a very strong position. We don’t have much time to rest after Sachsenring but we have a good break after this race to look forward. Let’s hope we can extend our lead even more before then.”
