Monster Yamaha's James Toseland reckons he would have to have done something very risky to keep World Champion Valentino Rossi behind him on the last lap of yesterday's Donington MotoGP race.

The two-time World Superbike Champion was holding fifth place on the final circuit of a wet and tricky race when The Doctor, who had crashed mid-race,  went past with three corners to go. Toseland went back underneath Rossi but he proved too strong on the brakes into the Melbourne Loop and Toseland had to give best.

“I don't know where to start after a race like that. It was so difficult for the entire race to gauge how much rain was falling and where it was falling and it took incredible concentration. I got my head down and was fifth on the first lap but just after halfway I was back in tenth because I was struggling for temperature in the left side of the tyre," said Toseland.

"I was wondering whether to pull in or not and change for the rain tyres at one point but I carried on and kept my lap times as consistent as I could because it was so easy to make a mistake. With some of the other guys stopping to switch bikes, I made up a few places and was fifth for the final few laps and thinking I was going to get my best ever MotoGP result.

"That would have been amazing to do that in front of my home crowd, who were absolutely magnificent with their support today. But at the end Valentino (Rossi) came through so strong on the last lap. He passed me at The Esses but I managed to dive back under him, but he was phenomenal on the brakes at the Melbourne Loop.

"I wasn't going to try and do anything that might take us both out but it's another sixth place and it definitely makes amends for the big disappointment of last year.”