Phillip Island 'special and unique' says Rossi

Valentino Rossi is ready to embrace the challenge of one of MotoGP's most 'special' circuits at Phillip Island in Australia this weekend.

Rossi, who caused a stir with his comments criticising the sport as 'boring' and in need of change this week, is a huge fan of the spectacular track.

"Phillip Island is always a fantastic track, as it's special and unique," said the Ducati star.

"It's very fast and is near the ocean, which opens up in front of you after the main straightaway, and there are corners that are different from each other, with varying speeds and steepness.

"It's a track that a rider has to love. Racing a MotoGP bike there is a lot of fun, but it was a difficult weekend for us last year, so we'll have to try very hard to do better," added Rossi, who has won at Phillip Island five times in the premier class and finished on the rostrum an additional six times.

"In addition, the forecasts show that there will be inclement weather, with rain and cold, so we're expecting challenging conditions.

"We'll really have to do our best."