Sunday’s British GP is the eighth race of this year’s 16-event GP season and therefore mid-distance in the last-ever 500 World Championship. Next year big-bore four-strokes join the premier MotoGP series, taking on the current 500 two-strokes and commencing a whole new era for GP racing.  This year, advance ticket sales for Donington were up ten-fold to more than 16,000.

Donington Park offers a unique challenge to riders and their engineers. The British circuit, which has hosted the nation’s GP since 1987, can be divided into two different sections, each with their own special character.

The original part of the circuit, from the start/finish to the back straight is fast and flowing, while the new section, from the Fogarty Esses to Goddards, added in ’86 to bring the circuit up to GP length, is slow and awkward. The challenge for riders is to adapt their technique each lap to cope with the track’s contrasts, while the engineers face the labyrinthine task of tuning their machines in search of an impossible compromise.

Whoever gets close enough to a good compromise can attack the whole circuit but inevitably a rider will find his bike doesn’t quite do the job everywhere and maybe he will have to adapt his style some more to make up for certain deficiencies through one or two corners. Craner Curves and Starkeys Bridge are the most crucial corners because they’re ultra-quick, so a fast rider can make a lot of time through them.

Although Donington Park marks the halfway point of the 2001 season, the paddock takes its midseason break following the German GP on July 22. After that event there’s a five-week interlude before the Czech GP.

Max Biaggi comes to Donington on a roll – the Italian star hasn’t finished outside the top three at the past four races, bringing him ever closer to the World Championship lead.

The Marlboro Yamaha Team rider won his second race of the year at Assen last weekend, beating Italian title rivals Valentino Rossi Honda and Loris Capirossi Honda by a fraction of a second. He now sits just 21 points behind Rossi as the season reaches its halfway mark.

"I feel I’m riding at the top of my form at the moment, my best ever," says Biaggi, who has scored two wins, a second and a third from his last four rides. "Also, we’ve improved the set-up of my bikes over the past two or three races and that’s helped a lot. The next few races will be tough, just like the last few."

Biaggi has enjoyed varying fortunes at Donington. The Italian has raced at the British track every summer since 1992, his debut year in the 250 World Championship. He won twice in 250s, taking the 1995 and 1996 250 British GPs on an Aprilia, but he hasn’t made the podium at the track since graduating to the premier 500 class in 1998, despite his impressive record in the class. The four-time 250 king has scored seven 500 wins.

"I don’t know why I’ve not done so well there in 500s, I don’t think it’s for any particular reason," he says. "Last year was wet, so it was an unusual race, but I was fourth and best Yamaha in 1999. My aim this weekend will be to climb the podium after the race. To win the World Championship you need to be scoring top-three finishes as often as you can, I know that from winning in 250s. But I started the last two seasons injured and that gave me a difficult start to both championships. I started this year fit, so I’ve been able to get consistent results."

"But for sure it’s too early to start talking about the World Championship. This is only the halfway point in the season. I think it will only be after the Czech GP in August that people can really start thinking about who needs what to win the title."

Last July at Donington Biaggi battled chatter problems during practice, qualifying just off the front row in fifth, and finished ninth in the wet race.

Donington is the home race for Proton Team KR. But they have another reason to look forward to the race, which marks the halfway point on this year's World Championship calendar.

A trio of top-ten finishes over the past four races prove that the 2001 combination of rider Van den Goorbergh and the year-old Mk3 version of the three-cylinder lightweight had already reached a fully competitive level some time ago.

The Dutch TT was ultimately slightly disappointing for the Proton Team. Niggling engine problems in the final practice session played a part, because Jurgen slipped off the second-row qualifying position he had become used to. Then the race was shortened abruptly by rain, foiling his plans for a last-lap attack. He might well have been higher than the fighting ninth place he held when the red flags came out.

The British race, just a week after the rider's own home GP, is another chance to get in among the factory bikes at a circuit that is also tailor made for the KR3. Only the two tight hairpins at the end of the 2.5-mile lap interrupt a layout of constant curves, one leading into the next, where accurate steering and smooth riding are more important than sheer horsepower.

The latest aerodynamics have meant that the Proton no longer lags on top speed. For the British GP, further engine developments will improve the rider's situation in the last area of weakness compared with the four-cylinder machines - acceleration out of the bends.

This is particularly important at Donington, where the lap ends with two hairpins. Although Van den Goorbergh can make up time and positions under brakes and in mid-corner speed, a drag race to the finish line on the final lap would favour a four-cylinder motorcycle. The latest KR3 engine developments will close the gap.

This is the strongest season yet for the lightweight alternative 500 racer, with the 31-year-old Dutch rider scoring points in every race so far, and ahead of several high-level factory four-cylinder riders in the championship table.

The British GP is a chance to improve on that position, and rain or shine Donington offers Van den Goorbergh the opportunity for his best race result so far on the Proton KR3.  "I wanted a better result at Assen, and I believe it should be possible at Donington."  comments Jurgen.  "I like the circuit a lot - I got my best result there last year; and our bike should work really well. Over the past few races we've solved several problems and improved the overall performance of the bike. The team has promised me even more for Donington Park. I'm really looking forward to this race."

Last year, Suzuki's Kenny Roberts was a close second to Valentino Rossi, after a thrilling three-way battle on a wet track. With a championship position to protect, second was better than taking extra risks for the race win. Rain this year would help Kenny's cause, with the difference that now he is hungry for victory.

Warren Willing talks about the way Suzuki will approach Donington - "You really need two different bikes for Donington Park," said team technical adviser Warren Willing - "one to float smoothly through the curves, and another to stay stable under the very hard braking for the final two hairpin bends. Every track involves some sort of a compromise to deal with different areas, but it's very pronounced at this track. For stability under braking you need the bike to be set up long and low - but that makes it slow to turn. You need it set up much more delicately to get the light, accurate steering you need for the to-and-fro sections. It's a matter of trying different variations, and deciding which one gives you the greatest benefit in lap times and race times."

Another subtle quirk of the track was the unique nature of the surface. For complex chemical reasons, the grip levels do not suit Michelin tyres as well as the rival Dunlops. However, Michelin is the exclusive suppliers to the four-cylinder 500s, with Dunlops currently concentrating on the smaller classes.

"The track surface is also a Dunlop product, and with all the 500s using Michelins we've found that it can take time every session and again on race day for the racing line to get coated with a fresh layer of Michelin rubber. This makes the grip unpredictable - especially since all the 500 practice session take place after the 250 class, when they have laid down Dunlop rubber, but the race is before the 250, and the track coating will be slightly different for the early laps."

Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500) returns to the scene of his first 500 GP triumph this weekend, bidding to extend a shrinking World Championship lead. The London-based Italian won a wet British GP last year, his maiden success in bike racings premier series and since then he's become the giant of the class, winning more than half of this season's seven races.

But last weekend at Assen Rossi was robbed of another potential victory when rain brought the Dutch GP to an early end, just as he was moving in on race leader and world title rival Max Biaggi (Yamaha). He was declared runner-up, just 0.126 seconds behind Biaggi, and six tenths ahead of third Italian 500 hero Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who lies third in the title chase.

The Italian trio are making the 2001 season all their own. They've taken 15 of the 21 podium places at the seven races so far, monopolizing the podium at the past two GPs. They've qualified on pole for all seven races (Rossi on four occasions, Capirossi twice and Biaggi once) and they've won six of those races (Rossi four, Biaggi two). Not surprisingly, their racetrack antics have given Italian TV viewing figures a huge boost, and not only that, their charismatic personalities have wowed a new audience in many countries, including Britain, where GP racing is emerging from a period of poor audience interest.

It's a remarkable turnaround that has much to do with Rossi's charisma. The 22-year old, who moved to London last year to escape the pressures of superstardom in his native Italy, is breaking GP racing to a whole new audience, and Donington will throng with his fans, wearing his adopted yellow colours and waving number 46 banners.

"Donington will be like a second home GP for me, I just hope I have more luck than I had at my last home GP," grins Rossi, who tumbled out of a rain-lashed Italian GP in early June. "It's a happy track for me, because I've won three GPs there, one each in 125, 250 and 500. The circuit is nice, with a lot of fast corners which I really like, and I'm sure we will fight for the win again. After Assen, where we were unlucky, I want another win!"

Rossi's Donington record is a good omen for his ambitions to become only the second man in history to take the 125, 250 and 500 triple crown, following on from Briton Phil Read who won the three titles in the sixties and seventies. Rossi won the British 125 GP in '97, on his way to that year's 125 title, and the 250 race in '99, en route to the 250 championship.

Capirossi, currently 39 points down on Rossi, needs to start making inroads into the leader's advantage this weekend if he's to build a serious championship challenge in the second half of the campaign. Just as well, then, that Donington is his favourite racetrack. The 28-year-old has won four times at the 4.023km East Midlands circuit, twice in both 125 and 250.

"I love Assen but most of all I like Donington," says Capirossi, a former 125 and 250 king just like Rossi. "I won my first GP there in 1990 and I go well there, the layout seems to suit my style."

Capirossi finished fourth at Donington last summer, riding with a broken hand, and he expects better this time around. "I feel I could've won at Assen if it hadn't rained, and I know I can win at Donington, if we've got the right set-up."

Team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) is another man who needs a good points haul on Sunday. The Brazilian is sixth overall at the moment, though only one point behind fourth-placed Norick Abe (Yamaha). "We still have nine races to go, I'm definitely not out of the fight for the championship," says Barros, who finished fourth at Assen last Saturday. "That wasn't a bad result but I need better if I'm to challenge for the title."

Former 500 champion Alex Crivillé (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) has already put a disappointing Dutch GP behind him, with the aim of getting back up front this weekend. The Italian slid off at Assen, while chasing the leaders. "We had some chatter problems which kept us down on the third row of the grid, which always makes race day tough," says the 1999 world champ. "I just hope the problems don't recur at Donington, because it's the kind of track that can cause chatter. Once again we'll work hard during practice and aim for a podium during the race. I like the place, so if things go okay, a top-three finish is possible."

Team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) reaches the halfway point of his 500 apprenticeship this weekend. So far the 250 winner has scored one podium finish in 500s, at the South African GP. "We've not had the easiest of times since then, but this is my first year in 500s, so every track we go to is new to me," he says. "I never made the 250 podium at Donington, but I've found that being good at a track on a 250 doesn't necessarily mean you'll be good there on a 500, and vice versa."

Briton's two Honda 500 riders stand little hope of victory on Sunday but that won't stop the crowd from rooting for them in a big way. Both Chris Walker (Shell Advance Racing Honda NSR500) and Leon Haslam (Shell Advance Racing Honda NSR500V) are 500 rookies, learning their way through the hard knocks of the world's toughest race series, and both are recovering from injury.

Walker suffered concussion and hand injuries when he crashed at 240kmh at Assen last Friday. The accident put him out of the race and he's fighting to be fit for Donington. "If I'm declared fit to ride, I definitely will ride, it's been a long time since I missed a race through injury," says the man from Nottingham. "It's my home GP and whether I like that or not, it's the biggest race of the year for me, but after Assen it's going to be a tough one. I like everything about Donington but it wasn't an easy track on a Superbike and it'll be even tougher with the 500."

Eighteen-year-old Haslam is in better shape. The youngest-ever 500 points scorer broke a wrist at May's French GP but returned at Assen, scoring more points. "I struggled with my fitness there, my arms were pumping up but I should be stronger this weekend," says Haslam, another local, whose father Ron was once acknowledged king of Donington. "There's no other track I know as well, and it should be good for my bike because it's so tight. I'll be hoping for my best-ever result."

After Donington the Grand Prix circus moves back to the Continent for the German GP on July 22, and then takes a five-week midseason break.