Rossi out to enjoy season finale

The Yamaha rider wrapped up his seventh championship in the top category, and the ninth in total, after finishing in second place at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Although Rossi has not enjoyed many great races at Valencia, the Italian reckons his team is in strong form and is looking to finish the season on a high.

"I am very happy to be going to the final race with the championship won and the pressure off, now we can just enjoy ourselves," said Rossi. "It's been a fantastic year and now we just have one more weekend before we start work for 2010.

"Valencia hasn't been a great track for me in the past and I've had some bad times there, but at the moment we're in great shape and our bike is working well everywhere we go, so I hope it will be the same at Valencia.

"It's a great place to finish and the atmosphere is amazing, so we will just do our best and hope for another good race to end off a great season. On Monday we will start working on the new M1 and I'm very excited to try it!"

Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is aiming to secure the runner-up spot after a series of difficult races. The Spaniard just need a point to finish in second behind Rossi.

"Valencia is an amazing place to finish the championship, at home, with your fans," said Lorenzo. "I've never got a victory here and I know that it's not one of the best tracks for Yamaha, but I am confident that I can try to change that and finish the championship in the best possible way.

"The last two races haven't been great for me and I really want to get over that. Furthermore, I need one point to become 'vice-champion' and I would really like to do that with a podium or a win. That's my aim in Valencia.

"My best race here was in 2005, when I finished in second place but I think my best memory was in 2006 when I won the championship there. 2009 has been an amazing year for me and for Yamaha and I am looking forward to celebrating with my fans at a home race."