Rossi blames Maiden for his defeat...

Valentino Rossi (the Michael Schumacher of bike racing) is firmly placing the blame for his poor performance at the Donington GP on the shoulders of Maiden and the other bands who played the Download festival on the circuit a couple of weeks previously!

"Then there is the annual Download rock festival, which took place at the circuit a fortnight ago with thousands of heavy metal fans flocking to the venue. Blaming Iron Maiden and Megadeth was certainly on the agenda of Rossi, whose charge for a podium place was hampered by a deteriorating rear tyre. He finished fourth.

Rossi said: "We spoke to the Safety Commission. The surface here was done just three years ago, so it is not old. They resurfaced because they had a lot of bumps, but maybe the problem is not the aeroplanes but the concert of Marilyn Manson. They put the hot dog stand on the track, so maybe the oil is not very good for the grip."

Cooking oil, not engine oil, that is. Stoner's problems were confined to the start. As he hit the throttle, his bike skidded on one of the painted grid lines and a stream of bikes overtook him."