Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:47.696
2. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:47.804
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:48.030
4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:48.457
5. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:48.618
6. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:48.695
7. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:48.767
8. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:48.780
9. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:48.882
10. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:48.964
11. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:49.022
12. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:49.123
13. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:49.158
14. Akira Ryo, Suzuki, 1:49.404
15. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:49.638
16. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:49.650
17. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:50.273
18. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:50.421
19. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:50.470
20. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:50.480
21. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:50.677
22. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:51.008
23. Tamaki Serizawa, Moriwaki, 1:51.112
24. David De Gea, Harris WCM, 1:51.429
25. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:51.505
26. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, 1:53.133


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

WILD CARD RYO LEADS SUZUKI’S IMPROVEMENT

Team Suzuki rider Akira Ryo led the trio of Suzukis on a day when all three riders gained strength, and improved their prospects for tomorrow’s race.

Wild card Ryo slashed almost a full second off his time to move ahead of full-time Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts Jr., qualifying 14th, on the fourth row of the starting grid. Hopkins also cut his time; and though Roberts didn’t find an improvement for the stop watches, he had made distinct progress in overall settings for the race. Both the full-timers ended the final practice session with hopes boosted of scoring points tomorrow. Hopkins qualified 16th, and will also start from the fourth row, with Roberts one row behind, 19th-fastest.

Ryo has not raced since last year’s Malaysian GP, working instead as full-time tester for the MotoGP project. His development machine has a number of differences from those ridden by Roberts and Hopkins. As well as a different engine specification, Ryo is also using a redesigned rear suspension system. The principal benefit is to free up more space for the exhaust pipe, allowing engineers to get closer to the perfect tuned length. Ryo’s four-into-one exhaust exits on the left-hand side of the machine, while the system used by the other riders (also new for this race) has the tailpipe on the right.

These experiments are the outward evidence of Suzuki’s fast-forward development programme, aimed at improving the performance of this year’s radical new V4, using cutting-edge technology for the first time, and also at developing next year’s GSV-R racer. The long-term aim is to return Suzuki to their accustomed position of challenging for race wins and the World Championship, that the company last won in 2000, with Kenny Roberts riding the 500cc two-stroke RGV Gamma.

Today’s practice took place in warm and dry conditions, with the sun shining for most of the session, but the track cooler than yesterday. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow’s race round the 4.801km circuit – the 13th of 16 World Championship rounds.

AKIRA RYO – 14th Position, 1:49.404
I thought I could make a 1:48 lap time and the third row, so I am a little disappointed. I lost some time this morning making rear suspension changes and testing race tyres, but I didn’t get a good feeling. In the end, we found a reasonably good set-up, and I was aiming for the 48s in the afternoon. We also found a good tyre for the race, that is consistent and with a good pace. This is a very stop-and-go track and that can space out the riders. That means the first five or six laps are very important. You need to get a good start and ride hard in the early laps. If I can do that and gain a good position in the early stages, then I think we can hope for a good result.

JOHN HOPKINS – 16th Position, 1:49.650
I was hoping to qualify higher up the grid, but basically I’m pretty much happy with how the day went. We found an improvement to the grip overnight, and carried that on this morning. I was trying some suspension stuff for Ohlins, and that helped us out, so it’s a little bit of a step. I had a good run in the morning, running consistent 1:50s, which I’m happy about. We didn’t run any of the new machine parts today. At the end I went out for a good lap on a softer tyre, but I went too slow too early, and I didn’t get enough heat into the tyre on my out lap. I was a bit sceptical about the grip for my fast lap. But we can certainly aim for the points tomorrow.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 19th Position, 1:50.436
We engineered a completely different set-up, and I was able to go quicker on it straight away. It’s stuff we haven’t messed around with all year. The changes seemed quite positive, with the bike immediately feeling more natural. Once again we worked with the new engine spec, and still I’m happy with the initial feel and the way it’s coming off the corner. We already have the race tyre picked out, and the bike feels pretty good in race trim for its lap time, so once again we’re going to try to get in the points. Lap-time wise its hard to really justify the progress, but at least there is a lot more stuff here, and generally it’s positive.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
It’s been a mixed and interesting day. Akira used everything he has to get the best out of the development bike, and he did a great job. The different style of suspension and exhaust seem to be an improvement. John did some good consistent times, and probably deserved to be higher up the grid. Kenny also worked hard, and it’s good that he feels the factory engineers are making significant progress. The direction is good.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN MAKE THE BEST OF A DIFFICULT DAY
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss made the best of a difficult day at Motegi today, qualifying sixth and tenth quickest for tomorrow’s Pacific GP, round 13 of the 2003 MotoGP World Championship.

Both men started the weekend at a disadvantage because the Desmosedici had never been run at Motegi before yesterday’s first practice session. Things were most difficult for Bayliss who had never ridden here before, while Capirossi complicated matters for himself by falling during the opening minutes of final qualifying, through no fault of his own.

“A difficult day but I think both our guys have done well considering the circumstances,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “This is the team’s first time here, so we needed all the track time we could get, so Loris’ crash cost him a lot. I’m impressed that he was able to maintain his focus and make the second row with a good final lap this afternoon, a great effort considering the closeness of the times. Troy has also done a great job. Once again he’s had to learn a track from zero, and he’s solved the set-up difficulties he had yesterday. It’s always challenging when the team doesn’t know a circuit, but I’m glad to say this is the last current MotoGP track that we’ve had to learn. From now on we won’t be starting race weekends at such a disadvantage.”

UNLUCKY FALL COSTS CAPIROSSI
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi has been one of the most consistent front-row qualifiers of 2003, starting inside the top four at ten of the first 12 GPs of 2003. But he ended today’s final qualifying session sixth fastest, resorting to his number-two machine for his final fast run because his number-one bike had been damaged when he fell on his first lap. The crash was no fault of Capirossi’s – he was on the grass run-off area when he hit a pot hole that propelled bike and rider into the air.

“I had a rear-end slide at the fast left before the final chicane, which I saved, no problem,” explained Capirossi who ran onto the grass after regaining control. “But then I hit something and the bike just took off. The damage wasn’t bad, though the initial impact had buckled the front wheel rim, but after the obvious damage had been fixed it still didn’t feel quite right, so I used my other machine for my final run on Michelin qualifiers. It’s a shame I lost all that track time with my race bike because we needed more time to work on settings. This track looks straightforward but you need a perfect set-up to go fast, so I wasn’t able to extract the full potential of my Desmosedici today. The race won’t be easy, but my aim is to get a good start and run with the first group.”

BAYLISS GETS FASTER AND FASTER
Like his Ducati Marlboro Team, Troy Bayliss has been getting to know Motegi over the past two days, and his progress has been impressive. The Aussie’s lap times have tumbled session by session – yesterday morning he was 2.4 seconds off pole but by the end of this afternoon’s session he had closed the gap to just 1.2 seconds, good enough to put him tenth for a third-row start. And Bayliss hasn’t only been learning his way round, he’s also been working hard with his crew to improve stability during heavy braking.

“We’ve made some good improvements, gone faster every session and we’re not far off the five guys immediately in front of me,” said the former World Superbike champion. “I made a couple of little mistakes on my fastest lap, but the main thing is that we were looking pretty good on race tyres, so I’m happy about that. We’d been struggling a bit with braking stability, so we’ve been changing things quite a bit, playing around with oil levels, that sort of thing. We’ve another few ideas for morning warm-up, then things should be sweet, or pretty sweet!”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Pramac Pons:

An extraordinary Max Biaggi on pole position in Motegi

The Camel Pramac Pons team produced a superb performance on the second day of qualification for the Pacific Grand Prix, the thirteenth race of the season taking place tomorrow at the Motegi Circuit. An extraordinary Max Biaggi set his third pole position of the season, his 55th in his career, after a thrilling qualification session during which the lead changed hands constantly. The Italian Camel Pramac Pons rider improved on his times from yesterday by over one and a half seconds and is confident going into the race. Tohru Ukawa, meanwhile, lowered his best time by 1.6 seconds, even though he is not 100% fit after a crash suffered yesterday, and will start from the third row of the grid in tomorrow’s race.

1st Max Biaggi
“There were many riders out on the track today capable of setting a fast time. It was a really exciting session and extremely competitive. I think tomorrow’s race will be a lot of fun. It always seems like the air is special here in Japan and I must congratulate Tamada because he really was quick today. I am happy and satisfied because I have a good rhythm and to ride like that is a joy. It’s the first time since the race in Brno that I have felt comfortable on the bike. I want to thank the team, Honda, Camel and the other sponsors for their support. Today we concentrated on optimizing the set-up of the suspension”.

11th Tohru Ukawa
“I tried to push hard in the session and my times came down considerably, but not enough. Yesterday’s fall affected me, both physically because I am not 100% fit, and also because we went out on the track today without a perfect set-up. Anyway, we have made a lot of progress during the two sessions today and I think we now have a good basis to work from and do a good race, although we still need to make some adjustments in the warm-up. My whole body aches but I don’t want to make any excuses. It’s my problem and I will go out on the track tomorrow in search of the best result possible.

Sito Pons:
“It’s certainly a happy day for us. Max is increasingly getting used to the new configuration of the engine which enables him to let the bike run through the corners more, to ride more smoothly and as a result he is able to demonstrate his real talent as a rider. Obviously this result must be confirmed tomorrow in the race, but clearly this pole position is important for us. Meanwhile, Tohru made a huge effort to get out on the track today, and little by little he is recovering his rhythm after yesterday’s fall and I think he will have a good race”.


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Motegi pace quickens in build-up to Pacific Grand Prix

The Fortuna Yamaha Team’s positive start to the Pacific Grand Prix continued in today’s final qualifying, as riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri continued to adapt the set-up of their YZR-M1s and as a result improved their lap times. An all out qualifying tyre war during the last ten minutes of the session determined the final grid positions at the Motegi circuit, with all but one of the 26 competitors improving on yesterday’s times. Although Checa and Melandri found it difficult to put in a final fastest flying lap, they had already both displayed a good pace with race tyres and concluded the session with seventh and ninth positions on the grid respectively.

Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa had looked set to secure a front row start for tomorrow’s 24-lap main event with the second fastest time until the final flurry of times in the latter stages of the session. The Spanish rider set a fastest lap of 1:48.767 which was just 0.060 seconds of pole at the time. Checa will start tomorrow’s race from the second row of the grid, and the leading Yamaha rider is feeling confident with his overall race package.

“I am positive about this afternoon’s session,” said the Catalunya-born rider. “For some reason I couldn’t go faster with softer qualifying tyres at the end of the session, so I wasn’t able to improve my time. I’m pleased, though, because I had a good pace with the race tyres for most of the session, and some of my laps were quite fast. We’ve certainly improved since we were here last year. There’s still a gap of about one second between me and the top rider but I think we can still make up a few tenths. Tomorrow I will try to be focused for the start and I think it will be possible for me to fight with the top riders.”

Checa’s Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Marco Melandri continued to improve throughout the second day of qualifying. He featured in the top five on a few occasions before completing the session with the ninth fastest time of 1:48.882. Despite being pushed back to the third row, the young Italian feels secure with his race package for tomorrow’s chase and realises the importance of a good start at this venue.

“Today we changed quite a few things; we tried a slightly different set-up of the geometry, tested different tyres, and slightly modified the engine. Overall we improved a bit since yesterday. At each practice session I have had more trust in the bike and I feel better entering and braking in the corners. My focus was to start from the second row, but I didn’t feel totally comfortable with the qualifying tyres, and by the time I did there was nothing left in them. I had a good rhythm in general, however, and did almost the same time with the race tyres. I’m quite happy about the package for tomorrow’s race.”

“That was quite a good session,” commented Davide Brivio, Team Director. “We are looking forward to tomorrow’s race, and will finish our preparations tomorrow morning. Both riders went for many laps with a good pace, which is a good sign for tomorrow. Their starting positions are okay. I’m sure they both have the potential to follow the top group.”

Max Biaggi (Honda) made the most of his final qualifying session and produced an astonishingly fast time of 1:47.696, a whole 1.356 seconds under Daijiro Kato’s 2002 circuit best lap of 1:49.052. The Italian’s time, however, only just outperformed the impressive rookie performance of local hero Makoto Tamada (Honda, 1:47.804). Third fastest time went to defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:48.030) and provisional pole man Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1:48.457) completes the front row.


More, from a press release issued by Harris WCM:

David de Gea:24th 1:51.429
“Today was very good for me. We’ve found some good settings and have an excellent tyre selection for the race tomorrow. I feel comfortable on the bike and really look forward to the race tomorrow. I plan to start quick and hopefully finish ahead of the Moriwaki and Kawasaki bikes.”

Chris Burns: 26th 1:53.133
“Well I improved on yesterdays time, which is good and we have just a few minor problems with the chassis to work on tonight. We’ve got our race tyres sorted for tomorrow, a good rear tyre and no problems at all with grip. I am looking forward to the race and hoping that tomorrow I will finish my first GP of the year.”

Peter Clifford (Team Manager)
“A good day, a great step forward by both guys. Chris of cause still needs time to learn the track but he certainly made progress. A superb performance from David with not only an impressive qualifying time but also some good laps on race tyres which encourages us to think the he could have some fun tomorrow.”


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Makoto a hairsbreadth from pole, on front row with second quickest time

As determined as ever, Makoto Tamada has spent the first two days at Motegi up with the leaders in qualifying: he was second quickest in this morning’s free practice, and again achieved second-best performance in the final timed laps for pole position. Makoto went all out for the top eleven minutes before the end, achieving provisional pole with a time of 1:48.245. But five minutes later Rossi shaved two tenths off his time and moved up to first place. Tamada’s response was swift in coming, and two and a half minutes from the end the Japanese rider of the Pramac Honda Team was the first to break through the 1:48 barrier, stopping the clock at 1:47.804: pole position once again, this time almost definitive. But the final dash was made by Max Biaggi: 1:47.696, putting the Italian in first place on the grid tomorrow. Tamada and Biaggi, the only riders under 1:48.

Tamada was able to reap the advantages of the superb soft tyres from Bridgestone that enabled him to make more than one attempt to go for pole. They were not special “qualifying” tyres but ones that are used for entire races when the weather is cold.

The final choice of race tyres has been made, and after yesterday’s tests, today’s selection also gave the response the technicians were looking for.

MAKOTO TAMADA (PRAMAC HONDA TEAM): 2nd – 1:47.804

“I’m pleased about today’s sessions: the soft tyres enabled me to make more than one attempt to go for pole and we were inches, just inches from the top spot. We also focused a lot on the race, testing materials for tomorrow, and I think we’re just about there: we’ve already made our choices. I’ll be starting out with the leaders well aware of the rhythm I can maintain. The two most important things you need if you want to try to win here at Motegi are consistency and the ability to be aggressive. We’ll see what the others do and then I’ll try to put up the good pace I know I can achieve.”


More, from a press release issued by Alice Aprilia Racing Information:

PACIFIC GP/2nd QUALIFYING SESSION

READY FOR THE RACE
Haga is still suffering some bruises after yesterdays crash but he improved his lap time whilst Edwards was the 13th fastest today in the MotoGP second qualifying session at Motegi circuit. In the last minutes of the session when it’s time to change the tyres to get the best lap time, both riders suffered some chattering problems. Tomorrow during the warm up session the technical staff will try to improve the potential of RS Cubes in order to be more competitive. Haga has to rest because the back pain still aches and he absolutely wants to get a good result here.

COLIN EDWARDS: “I am sorry cause the second row was handy and probably my race would have been easier. I did all my best but I did not get it! Unfortunately at the end of the session when I came out with the race tyres I suffered the same chattering problems and I was not able to go faster. Anyway my pace is quite good and I already chose the tyres for tomorrow”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I do not fell fine and in the last minutes of the session I could not use the race tyres because of an electrical problem of the tyrewarmers: the temperature was not perfect otherwise my position would have been different. Anyway the setting of my bike is quite good”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “I hope in a better position for Colin whilst Nori has been very unlucky as there was a trouble with the tyrewarmers so he did not use the race tyres. I feel very satisfied about the setting we used with the race tyres. But tomorrow we will make some changes to the brake system to be more competitive”.


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

FUCHS KAWASAKI TEAM MAKES DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT AT MOTEGI

The Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team made impressive progress during today’s second, and final, qualifying session for Sunday’s Pacific Grand Prix of Motegi. Both Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt made maximum use of the new, higher power, Ninja ZX-RR engine to dramatically improve on their lap times from yesterday.

McCoy reduced his Friday time by 1.2s while his fellow Australian, and Motegi debutante, Andrew Pitt slashed his previous best by 1.5s as he continued to learn the demanding stadium-style layout.

Final qualifying was frantically competitive, with the previous best qualifying time at Motegi reduced by over a second during the final moments, meaning that, despite the big drop in lap times by both Ninja ZX-RR riders, neither was able to move forward from the sixth row of the grid. McCoy will start 21st after posting his best time with 25 minutes remaining in the session, while Pitt secured 22nd on grid with his fastest time coming on his penultimate lap.

Both Fuchs Kawasaki riders spent most of today’s practice and qualifying sessions fine tuning race set-up and evaluating tyre options, with only minor suspension adjustments.

And with revised electronic management settings, the upgraded engine specification delivered for this race is now more rider friendly and both McCoy and Pitt declared themselves happier with the smoother bottom end power delivery during today’s sessions, which helped control the front end lift problems experienced yesterday.

Garry McCoy – 21st – 1:50.667
“For me it was pretty much keeping the base set-up from yesterday, some new wheels, tyres and brake pads and away I went. The main change was the engine characteristics and less engine braking and both my bikes had the longer gear ratios from yesterday, which help keep the front end down at this track. The new motor now feels better off the bottom end and you can notice the difference at the top end with more rpm on hand. In the fast changes of direction the bike still feels heavy and I can’t dream of taking the lines some other riders are using, but we seem to have a good base for the race. My cold feels worse today and I went to the Clinic at lunch time, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse.”

Andrew Pitt – 22nd – 1:51.008
“I took a big chunk of time, one and half seconds, off my Friday lap so I’m pretty happy with that. I kept the bike exactly the same as yesterday other than just smoothing out the power delivery on the bottom end, which helps control the wheelie problem we are experiencing here. I just kept chipping away at learning the track and doing race distance tyre runs and it looks like we have a good option for tomorrow. I’m enjoying the track and getting a better feel for the new engine package and hope to make more progress tomorrow in the race.”


“We are looking forward to tomorrow’s race, and will finish our preparations tomorrow morning.”
– Davide Brivio


More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

FOURTH ROW START FOR HOPKINS IN PACIFIC GRAND PRIX

MOTEGI, Japan (Oct. 4) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins will start from row four after qualifying 16th Saturday for the Pacific Grand Prix on the 4.8-kilometer Motegi circuit in Japan. The young Californian turned a 1:49.650 on his factory GSV-R. Hopkins shaved 2/10ths of a second off of his time from Friday’s session.

“I was hoping to qualify higher up the grid,” said Hopkins, who was 10th fastest after Friday’s qualifying round. “Basically I’m pretty much happy with how the day went. We found an improvement to the grip overnight, and carried that on this morning. I was trying some suspension stuff for Ohlins, and that helped us out, so it’s a little bit of a step.”

Hopkins is joined on the grid for Sunday’s race by fellow Suzuki riders Akira Ryo and Kenny Roberts. Both have strong backgrounds at Motegi. Roberts is a two-time winner at the circuit and Ryo, a Suzuki test rider and wild card for this weekend’s race, finished a surprising second last year at this race on a Suzuki. Ryo qualified 14th and Roberts 19th. Honda’s Max Biaggi won the pole with a time of 1:47.696, approximately 1.9 seconds faster than Hopkins. Honda’s dominated qualifying at Motegi, which is not surprising considering the circuit is a Honda test track.

“I had a good run in the morning, running consistent 1:50s, which I’m happy about,” Hopper added. “We didn’t run any of the new machine parts today. At the end I went out for a good lap on a softer tire, but I went too slow too early, and I didn’t get enough heat into the tire on my out lap. I was a bit skeptical about the grip for my fast lap. But we can certainly aim for the points tomorrow.”

Hopkins matched his qualifying spot of last year at Motegi, where he finished 14th in the race.




More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Pacific Grand Prix at Motegi

Final Qualifying Saturday October 4

HONDAS FILL FRONT ROW AS MAX MASTERS MOTEGI

As MotoGP paid further respects to the hugely missed Daijiro Kato here at Motegi, Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) went about the business of placing his machine on pole. The Roman timed his fastest lap to perfection in sunny and dry conditions edging local hero Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) into second with Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualifying third and Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) fourth for an all-Honda front row.

Biaggi revelled in the conditions and now he has the measure of his RC211V, the Roman used his precise, inch-perfect style to put in a 1:47.696 lap in the final seconds of the session. He timed his lap perfectly and no one had any answers to his sheer speed around the 4.801km of Motegi.

Today’s final qualifying session began with Loris Capirossi launching his Ducati skywards when he ran off-track and then hit a pot hole that buckled the front wheel rim and catapulted him and his machine into the air. Meanwhile Biaggi was taking his time before venturing on track ten minutes into the session.

Events followed the usual pattern for the first half-hour with riders perfecting set-up and testing tyre endurance. Biaggi bettered his first qualifying time from yesterday within that first half-hour and Gibernau was holding pole with a 1:48.707 lap from that same session. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) then hoisted himself to second place with a 1:48.767 lap, but that was his best shot and the Spaniard had to settle for seventh place by the end of the hour.

Then Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) showed precisely why he is maturing into a real force in the premier class in his rookie year. The American rocketed to a 1:48.618 lap that was good enough for him to hold pole with 13 minutes to go.

Then it was another rookie sensation’s turn to grab the limelight as local hero Makoto Tamada posted a 1:48.245 lap to hold pole for a time. The Japanese, running Japanese Bridgestone tyres, clearly had the measure of this track. He had said after yesterday’s session that there was more to come from him and his RC211V – and so it proved.

But his efforts were bested first by Rossi who briefly held pole, and then by the storming Biaggi. Max waited until the opportune moment mere seconds from the end of the session before firing his machine around Motegi’s 14 turns in a rapid 1:47.696 lap.

“There were many riders out there capable of setting a fast time,” said Max. “It was a really exciting session and extremely competitive. It always seems like the air is special in Japan and I must congratulate Tamada because he was really quick today. I have a good rhythm and riding the bike is a joy. It’s the first time since Brno that I’ve felt comfortable on the bike.”

Tamada was happy enough with his efforts too. “The soft tyres enabled me to make more than one attempt to get pole,” he said. “And we were inches, just inches from the top spot. We also focussed a lot on the race and I think we’re just about there – we’ve already made our choices. I’ll be starting out with the leaders, well aware of the rhythm I can maintain.”

Rossi has a front row start, but feels there is still more to come from his bike. “Things are getting better with the setting of the bike,” he said. “There are still small things to fix but we have an opportunity in the warm-up tomorrow. At the end of the session we tried for the best lap time with a qualifying tyre but by the last five minutes I had used all the tyres. Anyway third on the front row is not too bad.”

Gibernau was less happy. “A tough day,” he said. “Instead of battling with the bike and the lap times I spent today battling against myself. I feel pretty bad physically, I have a fever and it’s difficult to keep my concentration. I was able to get one quick lap in and hold onto the front row. Now I’ll go and rest and hopefully be fit enough to fight as I want to tomorrow.”

For Nicky Hayden things keep getting better. “Quite a fun session,” he said. “Fifth place and really close to the front row is good. The race tomorrow is going to be real difficult, I’ve got to get stuck in and give it everything. There seems to be so much Hayden support here and I hope to be able to give the fans something to shout about tomorrow.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) struggled after crashing yesterday and could only manage 11th place on the grid. “My times came down, but not by enough,” he said. “My whole body aches but I don’t want to make excuses. And I will go out on the track tomorrow in search of the best result possible.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) is realistic about his chances after qualifying 20th. “This morning I improved my time from yesterday,” he said. “And this afternoon I improved my time from this morning. The only thing is the other riders also improved so I am not too happy about my position.”

The 250 final qualifying session belonged to Tony Elias who stole pole from Franco Battaini within the final minute. Randy de Puniet qualified third (all Aprilia) while Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) took fourth spot on the grid.

“At the end of the session I pushed hard for two laps,” said the Argentine Porto. “I set a front row time and proved that I’ve got a good rhythm for the race. It will be a tough race because as well as the Aprilia ride