Rossi 'back to his best' for Mugello

The seven-time world champion endured a dismal race at Le Mans, finishing down in 16th position and losing the championship lead to team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi said he arrives in Italy with the pressure to continue with his amazing record, having won at Mugello for the last seven years.

The Italian concedes it will not be easy to win once again, but he is adamant he will bounce back from the disappointment of France.

"Racing at Mugello is something incredible for me, but every year it gets more difficult to keep my record going and seven wins in a row is already a lot," said Rossi. "I do feel pressure going there, but at the same time it is always amazing and the fans give me an extra motivation that helps me to perform in a different way there.

"I hope it's the same again this year, because after Le Mans I really need a good result! It was disappointing but everyone has the occasional bad day and that was ours.

"Everything possible went wrong but hopefully that is all our bad luck for now and this time, at our home race, we will be back to our best.

"I always look forward to this race; it's very busy for me but I have so many amazing memories. Let's hope to create some more this weekend."

Lorenzo, leading the championship after his win at Le Mans, said he is feeling very confident ahead of the Mugello race.

"Mugello is, along with Phillip Island, the most beautiful circuit that we race at; I love it," he said.

"Plus I am feeling very confident after our good race in Le Mans. We have had some very strange races with the weather conditions and I would never have expected to recover 24 points in one go.

"Now we arrive in Italy (where the weather I hope will be better) as leaders, but the most important thing is that I am confident and feeling fit."