And the man doing most of the winning Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) has won six of the seven races counts Donington as his second home GP of the year. The Italian is now based in Mayfair, London, so he'll be looking for a repeat of his impressive Italian GP victory at Mugello last month, especially since he celebrates his 100th GP event this weekend.

The British GP is also a significant event for Honda. It was, after all, at the British round of the World Championships that Honda made their entry into world-level competition, competing in the 1959 Lightweight TT, counting towards that year's 125 World Championship. Now with more than 500 wins behind them, Honda has established itself as the most successful racing marque of all time and the world's biggest manufacturer of motorcycles.

The 220 horsepower RCVs of Rossi and team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) are the latest successors to the 18 horsepower RC142s that marked Honda's entry into GP competition 43 years ago. Already clocked at over 200mph/321kmh, the RCV is proving to be a perfectly balanced motorcycle, able to win whatever the circuit, whatever the weather conditions. And the all-round performance of the Michelin-equipped RCV will be as vital as ever this weekend for the weather forecast is not great and Donington is a complex track, with two starkly contrasting sections.

"I hope for some sun, both for me and the fans, it's a little like winter at the moment," smiles Rossi. "For sure, I love Donington but it's a very strange track, with one part with very fast corners and another part with very slow corners, like car parking. Anyway, I like it."

Donington is one of Rossi's best tracks. He won his first premier-class GP win there in 2000, riding an NSR500 to victory in treacherous wet/dry conditions and last year he recovered from a high-speed practice tumble, and subsequent third-row start, to score one of his most breathtaking successes. Previously he won the 1997 125 GP and 1999 250 GP at the venue, so this Sunday he goes for a fourth successive Donington win.

"I maybe make two of my best races at this track," adds Rossi, already winner of 45 GPs. "Last year was a very big emotion, because we didn't expect to win after the crash in practice."

But Rossi is not assured of another victory, far from it. He has come under severe pressure from several rivals this season, but so far the only man to have beaten him is Ukawa, who won a frantic last-lap tussle at April's South African GP. "There are several four-stroke riders who have raced me this year but I think places like Donington and Sachsenring will also be good for the two-strokes," he reveals. "When the circuit is more slow, for sure the two-strokes can get near to us."

Ukawa, who finished fifth at the Dutch TT after tumbling at the final turn while going for third, is determined to be back on the podium on Sunday, preferably on the step above Rossi. "I always want to finish top three, but especially at Donington," says Ukawa, who has yet to make the podium at the British venue. "I also want to beat Valentino to close the points gap. He's a great team-mate but also very difficult to beat!"

At Assen two weeks ago, Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) was the man who gave Rossi most to worry about. The Brazilian veteran, who has ridden 201 GPs, pushed the youngster all the way at Assen, earning fulsome praise for his efforts. "Since I came to the big class two years ago, I've never seen anyone ride a 500 like that," said Rossi.

Barros is therefore well and truly pumped for Donington, where his two-stroke's light weight and easy handling should give him another chance to beat his young rival. "This is a difficult year for us because the four-strokes are so fast," explains the Brazilian. "But there are some tracks where we can use the 500's advantages, and Donington is one of them. Assen gave me a lot of confidence and some time to see where I can beat the RCV. It won't be easy, but I'm looking forward to having another go."

Barros' regular team-mate Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) is currently out of action after breaking his right forearm when he fell heavily at Assen. The Italian's place at Donington and next weekend's German GP will be taken by 22-year-old Alex Hofmann, who impressed at Assen, subbing for injured Yamaha rider Garry McCoy.

The former 250 GP rider aims to make the most of his second MotoGP chance.  "Last winter I lost my sponsor just five weeks before the start of the championship and since then I've only ridden in the German World Superbike round and the last two GPs," says the German. "This is a fantastic opportunity. I don't normally need much time to adapt, so I'm sure that I won't have too many problems this time. I don't know what I can achieve and I won't make any promises, but Honda is the best constructor in the championship and I'm riding with a great team."

Reigning 250 World Champion Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500), who dominated last year's British 250 GP, aims to get back on track for his 500 debut at the track. Kato, who harried Rossi in May's Spanish GP, has had a tougher time of late as he works to fully adapt to his NSR500. Twelfth at ultra-difficult Assen a fortnight ago, he feels he should go better this weekend. "Donington is a more conventional circuit, I think we can get a better result there," says the Japanese. "You'll see that I will come back from my last few results and run at the front again."

Compatriot Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) is also feeling in confident mood, despite some ongoing discomfort from the left shoulder he injured during preseason testing. "Every weekend I feel more comfortable on the bike," says Harada, 1993 250 World Champion. "And I think Donington will be good for me Dunlop tyres always work well there and I scored one of my two 500 podiums there in '99, when I was riding the Aprilia twin."

Two weeks ago at Assen Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) scored his first top-ten result of the year, bringing the Dutchman to Britain with renewed determination. Van den Goorbergh's main job this season is to help Bridgestone develop its new range of MotoGP tyres, and he feels the tyres get better with every outing. "I'm giving them a lot of feedback and we keep getting improved tyres," he says. "But I wouldn't mind if it rains at Donington. I was fastest for a while during wet Assen practice, and I feel we're probably more competitive in the wet at the moment."

Honda's 250 hero Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) aims for his fourth podium finish of the year at Donington. The brilliant Italian youngster had another amazing run at Assen, coming back from a fifth-row start to finish third and boost his third place in the World Championship. "Once again the team did a great job at Assen, making the bike work well after a difficult first day," reveals Rolfo. "We hope to be fast from the first day at Donington, so we can fight for the win on Sunday, not just second or third."

Rolfo's team-mate Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) had a more difficult time at Assen, running off the track and failing to finish. "I'm really sorry about Assen and I aim to score a good result in Britain to make amends," says the Spaniard. "I was having some front-end problems, so we must fix those for this weekend."

And Haruchika Aoki (Arie Molenaar Racing Honda RS250R/W) riding an evolution production RS250 has high hopes for Donington after his superb sixth-place result at Assen. "Donington could also be good for us, though acceleration out of the hairpins could be a problem" explains the Japanese, who is one of several RS riders contesting the 250 World Championships. Others include British stars Leon Haslam (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) and Jason Vincent (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) who will be up for a morale-boosting home-race result after a difficult start to 2002.

Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) comes to Donington as a GP winner, after scoring his first-ever GP success at Assen. The 16-year old impressed with an inch-perfect start-to-finish victory, backed up by 18-year-old team-mate Joan Olive (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) who scored his first podium finish in third.

"Winning that race has given me a lot of confidence," says the ever-smiling Pedrosa, now 20 points behind series leader Manuel Poggiali (Gilera). "I kept my concentration by treating it like a qualifying session, trying to make each lap better than the last. We will keep working in the same way at Donington, where I think I can expect a tougher battle."

There will be little time for relaxation after racing finishes on Sunday. The Grand Prix circus packs up and heads back to the Continent, for next weekend's Germany GP at the Sachsenring, in the former East Germany.