TAI Woffinden says he felt like Lionel Messi entering the Nou Camp when he was introduced to the Cardiff crowd on Saturday.The Scunthorpe-born rider said the reception gave him goose bumps and it made him proud to be British as he entered the arena.He’s paid tribute to the 40,000 fans who turned out for the meeting and insists he can’t wait for next year.

“It was an amazing experience, coming into the stadium with the rider introductions, I couldn’t believe it,” he said.“It’s my home Grand Prix, I’m British and I’m proud – the fans were awesome and I felt so special when my name was called.“It sent goose bumps down my back, it was a moment to savour and I cannot thank the fans enough, they were brilliant and well done to every single one of them who came along to support me.“I can only imagine what a global sporting superstar like Lionel Messi feels when he steps foot out into the Nou Camp pitch with Barcelona. I felt a little bit like that.“The noise was deafening and it’s an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”And whilst Woffinden admits he would have loved to have claimed top spot in the final, he was happy to extend his lead in the title race to 12.“It would have been a dream come true to win in Cardiff, but there’s always next year and I’ll be going for it again,” he said.“The most important thing is I scored loads of points and built on my lead in the championship, so I have to be pleased with that.“I knew my time was up in the final when I didn’t get the better of Chris (Holder) on the inside of me and because I stayed on the inside line the other guys were able to come past me.“I knew it was over for me then so I just cruised around and enjoyed the atmosphere for the rest of the race. I’m just so pleased with the way the weekend went for me.“I’ve got a good lead in the championship although I must emphasise there’s a long way to go so I cannot take anything for granted.“I have to stay focussed on the job in hand and just keep winning races. Sounds simple but that’s the way it is.”And Woffinden has revealed how he made a bad decision ahead of his opening ride.“I made a bad choice with the set-up, I decided to go with something which clearly wasn’t working,” he said.“I knew I should have gone with the original plan but I went with my instinct and it didn’t work out for me.“But I managed to get it right for my next ride and everything went well after that until the final. I’m happy with how it all went.“Thanks again to everyone who supported me and I hope I can keep it going when we go to Latvia for the next round.”Woffinden is also edging closer to the £100,000 target in his fund raising for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Donations can be made by texting WOFF60 to 70070 and the amount £2, £5 or £10.