Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi has said he wants to wave a cheerful goodbye to Donington Park this weekend as the British MotoGP race moves to Silverstone in 2010 - something The Doctor is sad about.

The Italian hasn't won here since 2005 but says he is coming to the Leicestershire track in a strong position after winning the last race in Germany ahead of Jorge Lorenzo.

“Last year I had a good race at Donington to finish second, but this year I really want to win! 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," said Rossi.

"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.”