From a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

Max Biaggi on front row in debut GP 2004 season

With the third quickest time in qualifying, Max Biaggi will be starting from the front row tomorrow in the first race of the World Championship season. After dedicating the central phase of the session to establishing a place that can make the difference during the race, towards the close Max made his final lunge and conquered a place on the first row of the grid. His yellow RC211V gave him all the support he needed and the work on the set-up that had been planned for the four-hour sessions of these days paid off well. Makoto Tamada came in slightly later as he was unable to take full advantage of the clinching phase of the session, for he was still getting to grips with the Welkom circuit. Even so, his twelfth place for the start tomorrow should not be a great problem for this tenacious Japanese who has shown how capable he is of battling his way up through the pack.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“Max’s first row is a reward for the work everyone has done to get the best settings on the bike worked out. He’s got the right rhythm for the race and we’ll be playing a prominent role in the race precisely because the pace set during this qualifying session was the best. So we can now hope for victory. The team’s working really hard and I’m sure everyone will do their very best.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 3rd – 1:32.682

“I’m very pleased with the way the session went today because I managed to achieve a rhythm that I didn’t get yesterday, so we’ve made a good step forward. We’ve worked well, combining our work on the settings to adapt the bike to this track, and the adjustment of the materials that Honda has given us. For this, I’d like to thank HRC for all the support they’re giving us, so we can stay out in the front and fight for victory. Our thoughts can only go to Antonio, who is no longer with us. We’ll try to do our very best for him too. It’ll be important to start off well tomorrow, and then we’ll see what strategy to adopt. But we’ll sure be making our mark.

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)

“The preparation work for the race was extremely intense and we didn’t manage to make best use of the closing phases of the session when the time came to aim for a good position on the starting grid. Makoto still has to improve his feeling for the track, especially in the closing section before the home straight. I’m trusting in his determination and in his ability to move up during the race.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 12th – 1:33.679

“A pity – I wasn’t able to do better and I’m starting out from a position that isn’t exactly ideal. Even so, we’ve made the best choices for the race and also on the tyre front I’ve got my ideas clear. It’ll be a race in which I have to go flat out so that I can move up, but I know how to do this so I can say I’m feeling pretty relaxed about tomorrow.”