Among those following Sunday's thrilling World Superbike races at
Donington Park was seven-time
MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi.
The Italian joined millions of worldwide TV viewers in witnessing countryman
Marco Melandri take BMW's first ever
WSBK victory in race one, then a dramatic multi-rider final corner showdown in race two.
That incident (pictured) saw former
MotoGP title runner-up Melandri run wide after an ambitious pass on team-mate and race leader Leon Haslam - then get taken out in a chain reaction following contact between Haslam and Honda's Jonathan Rea, who won the race!
Rossi wrote on his Twitter account (@ValeYellow46): “What a brawl in the Superbike race, all good, shame about the BMWs in the last corner.
“Unfortunately, our races have become much more tedious.”
Rossi later added: “The Moto3 is beautiful, the Moto2 scares, SBK is hilarious, even the races at [Rossi's] ranch are decided at the last corner.”
Struggling Ducati rider Rossi recently used Twitter to dismiss reports that he is to retire from
MotoGP at the end of this season.
Perhaps aware that his comments might be seen as a sign he wants to switch to WSBK, he added:
“But, having said that, I want to race in
MotoGP for another year. I just want a little more 'brawl' that's all.”
Those words also dampen hopes that Rossi might race former arch rival Max Biaggi, who currently leads the
WSBK standings for Aprilia, at least one more time before either of them hangs up their leathers.
Former four-time 250cc world champion Biaggi was forced out of
MotoGP at the end of 2005, switched to
WSBK for 2007 and took the title in 2010.
Rossi has taken two memorable last corner wins in
MotoGP - bumping past
Sete Gibernau at
Jerez in 2005, then surprising
Jorge Lorenzo at Catalunya 2009.
Rossi, ninth in the 2012
MotoGP championship after three rounds, will be back in grand prix action at this weekend's French round at Le Mans - the scene of his only Ducati podium to date, in 2011.