British GP. Preview. Driver´s comments

Valentino Rossi: ‘The layout of the circuit very much suits my style and I hope for a good race in the dry this weekend’.
Valentino Rossi: ‘For me Donington has some very special memories and sometimes seems just like a second home GP behind Mugello. The fans really get behind me like one of their own. I won my first 500 race there that was very special and last year was incredible – the big crash on the Friday and the 46th win on Sunday. The layout of the circuit very much suits my style and I hope for a good race in the dry this weekend. Like I said at the start of the season the Championship this year will be very tough – I knew it was not going to be possible to make so many race wins as last year. The points and podiums are so important. The team make very good work and we are in a good position in the Championship as we come to the halfway point of the season. Not just racing at Donington is great but it seems the UK as gone MotoGP mad. Last year we make a big event in Leicester Square and this year was even bigger. It was incredible and I’m very happy to see so many fans.’ Nicky Hayden: ‘I just want to try to build on the momentum and confidence that I gained at Assen. The season so far has been a bit up and down but last week up till the race was for sure the best I felt all year. The team have been really great and have been helping out a lot. We are about halfway through the year so I hope I can pick it up a bit and start riding the bike closer to its limits. I really feel that I could have mixed it with the fast guys at Assen – I was feeling that good with the bike. Donington will be another new circuit and I’ll just have to get up to pace early – another race weekend; I’m really looking forward to it.’ Fonsi Nieto: I like this circuit a lot because it has a great contrast in its corners, making it big fun to ride. It has very fast corners in the beginning and some hard braking, combined with amusing hill brows. All the way up in Mc Leans and Coppice and down in Craner; this slope is impressive! The most important thing is to reach a good compromise with the bike, because both the chassis and the tyres play a very important role. We didnt have much luck with the race in Assen but at least weve improved a lot compared to the season start. Now we only have to take the final step and start winning races. Last year I took the pole and finished second, so my aim for this year is to improve that result. Toni Elias: We made some good practice sessions throughout the weekend in Assen, but the race didnt work-out the way I expected. Now were in Donington, a difficult circuit, but I like it a lot. I finished on the podium last year and Id like to do it again on Sunday. It was a very nice race but at the same time a hard one because I lost a lot of places in the start and had to catch up with the others until reaching Battaini, who was third. I managed to pass him in the last lap, thus taking my second podium finish of the season.  The most important thing for Donington will be a good set-up and starting from the front rows of the grid. Theres still a lot of Championship left, but we have to make up some points with regard to the leader. Dani Pedrosa. Last year I took second and improving would mean the victory. It wont be easy because this category is one of the most contended of the Championship, but Donington is a circuit I like and I hope to take advantage of it this weekend. I only hope that the rain doesnt show up, as it happened in Holland. Despite finishing eighth, Im happy with the result in Assen because those points helped me to strengthen my leading position in the standings. In Donington my team and I will have a new chance to increase the advantage.