Preview - British Grand Prix.

The exciting 2003 MotoGP season reaches its halfway point this weekend with round eight - the British Grand Prix - where in form Sete Gibernau will be out to prevent Valentino Rossi continuing a stunning record at the London based Italian's 'second home race'.

The reigning world champ has won on each of the five occasions he's finished at Donington, including last year (pictured) when he triumphed convincingly over countryman Max Biaggi - despite having been hospitalised with concussion following a Friday practice fall.

Prior to this year's event, 'Vale' is set to make a special appearance in his hometown (today) to meet the fans and press who have adopted him as one of their own, and will arrive by speedboat at Westminster Pier on the Thames, before boarding the Elizabethan boat for a special press conference as it meanders gently past the capital city's most famous landmarks.

The Repsol sponsored superstar will then jump off the boat and onto a Honda Goldwing before riding up to Leicester Square to greet thousands of fans, in a repeat of the hugely successful reception at the same venue last year.

The #46 leads the current standings by 38 points but is equal on number of wins with Gibernau, after the Spaniard took his third triumph of the season at Assen two weeks ago, and Sete would like nothing more than another victory to close the points gap on his factory Honda colleague, in what will be his 100th premier-class start.

However, other potential winners lurk in almost every garage, with Loris Capirossi boasting four wins and six poles at the circuit in the 125cc and 250cc classes, while countryman Biaggi has taken two 250cc wins, with Gauloises Yamaha rider Alex Barros a podium regular for the last two seasons.

Meanwhile, dark horses at the event are ever-improving Aprilia pairing of Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga - both winners in World Superbike races at Donington, while fellow SBK hero Troy Bayliss, a winner in both the World and British series at the East Midlands circuit, will be praying for an end to his front-end problems to help his cause on Sunday. The Aussie has a legion of British fans and will also regard the 30 lap encounter on Sunday as a return to familiar surroundings.

Meanwhile, among those with memories to forget from last year's event will be Biaggi's Camel Pramac Pons team-mate Tohru Ukawa, who was left battered and bruised after one of the most spectacular accidents ever seen at Donington in practice, while Carlos Checa probably still has nightmares over losing the front after leading Rossi for most of the race.

Checa's Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Marco Melandri is another British resident and will be boosted by having won the 250cc race last year. Meanwhile, fellow MotoGP rookies Nicky Hayden, Makoto Tamada and Ryuichi Kiyonari will make their Donington debuts.

Rossi's London appearance kicks off a great week for British bike fans, who will also get to meet the rest of their heroes at the circuit on Thursday, when MotoGP charity Riders for Health open the paddock for their annual Day of Champions.

For a small fee the public can wander freely amongst the motorhomes and hospitality units of their idols, whilst a whole host of activities and games will be taking place, including a pit-lane walk, stunt rider displays, all-day celebrity interviews, the super-anorak quiz, a ride-in launched by Colin Edwards and the traditional auction, where riders sell race gear and other exclusive memorabilia to the highest bidder.

Circuit organisers are predicting record crowds for the event, and for the whole Grand Prix weekend, with well over 40,000 tickets already sold.

Kenny Roberts fans will, however, be disappointed as the former 500cc World Champion is set to miss his third straight race after failing to recover from chest injuries sustained in a crash at Mugello one month ago.

Roberts will again be replaced on the Suzuki GSV-R by Japanese factory rider Yukio Kagayama, who has his own army of British supporters after taking his first wins in the British Superbike series riding a GSX-R1000 at Rockingham on Sunday.

As well as the thrills of witnessing motorcycling's elite racers on state-of-the-art four-stroke prototype machinery in the MotoGP class, the Donington crowd will also be treated to the world's finest young riders and the latest instalment in an intriguing 250cc season.

Twenty-one-year-old Australian Anthony West will be praying for rain after winning his very first 250cc grand prix in a Dutch downpour two weeks ago. Riding the private Aprilia, he moved into sixth place in the Championship just three points behind a tremendous battle for second place behind the leader, 20-year-old Manual Poggiali.

The former 125cc World Champion has won three grands prix in his debut 250cc season and leads Italian Honda star Roberto Rolfo by 15 points. Then the fun starts with Rolfo just three points in front of the Aprilia of Spaniard Toni Elias, who's won two grands prix this year.

Frenchman Randy De Puniet and Spaniard Fonsi Nieto are just three points behind Elias while West now shares sixth place with Italian veteran Franco Battaini.

Meanwhile, in the 125cc class, German Steve Jenkner has a spent a week fishing in Scotland following his maiden GP victory in Holland, on what was his 98th grand prix appearance.

The win moved him back into second place in the Championship behind 17-year-old Spaniard Dani Pedrosa who has an impressive 26-point lead after three grand prix victories.

Pedrosa finished second at Donington last year after a tremendous battle with World Champion Arnaud Vincent, while fellow former British GP winners Youichi Ui, Stefano Perugini and Masao Azuma are likely to mix it up with hungry young frontrunners like Alex De Angelis, Pablo Nieto, Andrea Dovizioso, Hector Barbera, Thomas Luthi and adopted Brit Casey Stoner - all looking for their debut victory.