Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s MotoGP Qualifyng Results:

1. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:22.756
2. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:22.840
3. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:22.961
4. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:22.969
5. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:23.009
6. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:23.154
7. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:23.336
8. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:23.372
9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:23.475
10. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:23.583
11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:23.622
12. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:23.623
13. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:23.732
14. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:24.075
15. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:24.172
16. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:24.356
17. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:24.377
18. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:24.599
19. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:25.038
20. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:25.310
21. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:25.478
22. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:25.614
23. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:26.341
24. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:26.665


Final Combined MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. M.BIAGGI, 1:22.756
2. V.ROSSI, 1:22.840
3. Kenny ROBERTS, 1:22.961
4. S.GIBERNAU, 1:22.969
5. S.NAKANO, 1:23.009
6. A.BARROS, 1:23.154
7. C.CHECA, 1:23.336
8. T.BAYLISS, 1:23.372
9. N.HAYDEN, 1:23.453
10. L.CAPIROSSI, 1:23.475
11. C.EDWARDS, 1:23.583
12. J.HOPKINS, 1:23.622
13. M.TAMADA, 1:23.623
14. M.MELANDRI, 1:23.692
15. N.ABE, 1:24.151
16. A.HOFMANN, 1:24.172
17. J.McWILLIAMS, 1:24.322
18. R.XAUS, 1:24.377
19. N. HODGSON, 1:24.599
20. N.AOKI, 1:25.038
21. M.FABRIZIO, 1:25.310
22. Kurtis ROBERTS, 1:25.478
23. S.BYRNE, 1:25.614
24. C.BURNS, 1:26.665


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

NAKANO SETS HOT PACE FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI AT HOME

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano equalled his season best qualifying performance, with the fifth fastest time for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix; the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Under hot blue skies, with track temperatures of 35 degrees, Nakano blazed his Ninja ZX-RR to a second row starting spot, finishing just a quarter of a second off pole position.

Nakano carved 1.7s off yesterday’s disappointing qualifying time, after revised front suspension, engine and gearbox settings cured most of the problems he experienced on day one.

Making the most of a near-perfect lap with just 12 minutes remaining, Nakano posted the fastest time to briefly hold the pole position, and it took a record-breaking run of laps by his rivals to bump him to fifth.

Nakano’s qualifying time was a massive 2.5s faster than the best time by a Kawasaki at this event last year, and further evidence of the dramatic performance progress of the on-going Kawasaki development programme.

Fuchs Kawasaki team-mate, Alex Hofmann, also made a dramatic improvement by slicing 1.8s from his Friday time, although his performance potential is not reflected by his starting position.

Sixteenth on the grid has not pleased the determined 24-year-old German rider, who has his own high expectations for his home Grand Prix. Niggling engine dramas yesterday cost Hofmann valuable track time, and then in this morning’s practice session a minor electrical problem delayed his progress further.

The dramas were compounded in qualifying, with the unexpected appearance of rear end chatter which upset his rhythm.

Hofmann’s crew worked without a break today to overcome the problems, and will continue the search for solutions in tomorrow’s pre-race warm-up session. Nakano’s second row starting position is significant on the tight and difficult-to-pass Sachsenring circuit, which the popular Japanese rider rates as one of his favourites.

With a 24 lap tyre endurance run completed today, Nakano is confident that, with a good start, he can challenge for a repeat of his podium success at this race in 2001.

Shinya Nakano: 5th (1:23.009)
“For sure I’m much happier than yesterday. The front end chatter is now almost gone and, with a standard specification motor in my bike, I was able to push really hard today. I briefly had pole, and that was a good feeling, but the race result is what I’m chasing, and with a good start I think I have a chance to be at the front; it is very hard to overtake here. On my fast lap I was able to stay with Rossi’s Yamaha, but more importantly, I have done 24 laps on a race tyre today with very consistent times.”

Alex Hofmann: 16th (1:24.172)
“Time is my big enemy here. I lost most of yesterday because of engine problems, and two hours today was just not enough time to find a comfortable set-up and overcome further problems. It seems like everything has happened at once. The engines were running better today, but now I have some rear end chatter. The bike is jumping around at the back. I came looking for a good result in my home race, but it’s going to be a tough one.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“This is a much better performance after yesterday’s problems, and is the result of a lot hard work by everyone in the Fuchs Kawasaki team. I must congratulate Shinya on another brilliant qualifying performance. However, for Alex, sixteenth is not a position he deserves; his potential is much higher and the problems are not of his making. Our engine specification today was more suited to this track, although we are still in a development stage, and understanding our problems will help us move forward at an even faster rate.”


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Biaggi repeats Sachsenring pole

Max Biaggi repeated his grid position from one year ago at the Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, securing pole position with a lap which was almost a second inside his previous pole record at the Sachsenring circuit. Biaggi set his fast lap with ten minutes of the session still remaining in temperatures around 10ºC higher than yesterday, with thirteen riders coming within a second of his time in a tense finale but none of them able to dislodge the Italian from top spot.

“I am quite satisfied and quite happy because being in pole is always a good feeling,” commented Biaggi, who became the first man ever to lap under 1:23 here with a lap of 1:22.756. “From yesterday we have improved a lot. Basically the set-up makes the bike a lot more controllable over the bumps and I feel good about that. I went out on a qualifying tyre, put my head down and gave 100 per cent and it was a very good lap.”

Valentino Rossi was one of three other riders to break the 1:23 mark, closing to within 0.084 seconds of his great rival with a late charge on the Yamaha. Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts followed the Italian on his best lap and crossed the line just metres behind with the third fastest time of the session to seal his second consecutive front row start after taking pole in the last round in Brazil.

The third rider was Sete Gibernau, currently tied on points with Rossi at the top of the championship, although the provisional pole holder has to settle for a second row start in tomorrow’s race after qualifying fourth fastest on the Honda.

Shinya Nakano made it four manufacturers in the top five, equalling his best qualifying performance on the Kawasaki after leading the session just seconds before Biaggi’s decisive effort. The second row is completed by Alex Barros, who looks certain to use a new exhaust system, fitted to his Honda for the first time this weekend, in tomorrow’s race.

Several late time attacks suffered from the increased track temperature at the end of the session – most notably from Carlos Checa, Troy Bayliss and Nicky Hayden, who all struggled to maintain their pace in the fast final sections of the circuit and had to conform with third row starts in that order.

Makoto Tamada’s last lap was even less fortuitous, the race winner from the last round at Rio falling from his Honda as he battled for a second row position and qualifying down in thirteenth. John Hopkins suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting just moments before the session and, unable to receive antihistamine treatment at such short notice due to doping regulations, battled bravely to qualify one place ahead of Tamada in twelfth.

Sebastian Porto hung on to pole position in the 250cc class despite failing to improve his time as the temperatures continued to rise on a hot afternoon. In fact, there were barely any changes to the provisional quarter-litre grid, with rookies Alex de Angelis and Dani Pedrosa both gaining one position to move up to second and fifth respectively but the rest of the front two rows remaining untouched.

De Angelis’ time relegated Randy De Puniet to the outside of the front row in fourth place, the Frenchman heading straight for the Clinica Mobile at the end of the session after appearing to injure his knee in a heavy crash. Meanwhile, series leader Pedrosa moved to the head of a second row which also features Manuel Poggiali, Toni Elias and Fonsi Nieto.

In the 125cc class Andrea Dovizioso took advantage of Hector Barberá’s failure to improve his provisional qualifying time to dislodge the Spaniard from pole position. Dovizioso improved Barberá’s best time from yesterday by 0.034 seconds to secure the front slot on the starting grid in the absence of Casey Stoner, who set the fastest time in the morning practice but crashed moments later and broke his collarbone, ruling him out of tomorrow’s race and almost certainly out of the next round at Donington Park in a week’s time.

Barberá, who trails Dovizioso by eleven points in the championship, hung on to second spot despite the best efforts of local favourite Steve Jenkner, who moved up to third place. Fellow veteran Mirko Giansanti continued his current run of form, picking up the final front row slot in fourth.


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

ROSSI TO START FROM FRONT ROW AT SACHSENRING

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa earned themselves a first and third row start respectively after an intense final qualifying session at Sachsenring today, with Rossi just missing out on pole position by 0.084 seconds.

Rossi, a winner of four MotoGP races so far this year, was one of the last riders to make significant improvements in his lap time from Friday, jumping into second place behind eventual pole position man Max Biaggi (Honda), thanks to a personal Sachsenring best of 1:22.840. Such is the pace of improvement this season that almost one second has been taken off the circuit best lap time, a significant amount at this largely tight and twisty circuit.

For Checa, another late charger up the order today, seventh means a third row start, but the Catalan rider feels confident in his race set-up after much hard work in finding optimum settings to tackle the tricky Sachsen circuit. Checa’s time of 1:23.336 was only 0.580 from pole, even though he lost time at more than one point on the 3.671km lap.

With no fewer than 14 riders within one second of Biaggi’s pole time of 1:22.756, final qualifying was a melee in the final few minutes, with four different manufacturers’ machines represented in the top five starting positions.

VALENTINO ROSSI (2rd, 1:22.840)

“I made one little mistake at the last corner and lost some time. A 30-lap race with so many riders within one second of the pole time is going to be very hard. I expect it to be a big battle at the front. It’s good to be on the front row especially as it’s so difficult to overtake here. We’ve worked hard and solved some problems with the rear. For me Max has slightly better rhythm than me here and he will get a good start from pole. Tyre choice will be really important but I hope to have a good battle with Max. Because the Yamaha is quite difficult to slide here with the wider tyres, it feels wild, and I think I need a lion tamer!”

CARLOS CHECA (7th, 1:23.336)

“I am satisfied with the pace today, it was not bad at all. At the end with a soft tyre fitted, we lost some tenths and that was just enough to stop us from getting a starting position on the first or second row. Anyway we cannot expect to improve that much in one day, as everyone else is also pushing hard. For the race I know my limitations, I know it will be hard but we are not so far away. With a good start we can be competitive and we can stay inside the fight.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR

“Final qualifying was better for us than the last races and for Valentino to start on the front row is really good. He has a very good pace and I believe we can be with all the other riders. There will be a lot of them close together at a track like this but with a good start Valentino can stay in front. Seventh was a good result for Carlos as there is so little time between the top riders here. He also has a good pace and I’m sure he can stay in the top places.”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

Max Biaggi takes pole at Sachsenring

The first pole of the season came for the Camel Honda team today, at the hands of Max Biaggi. The four-time World Champion, who also took pole last year here at the Sachsenring, repeated the feat, taking around a second off his 2003 time, with a fast lap set ten minutes before the end of the qualifying session and which guarantees him a 56th career pole position start.

The Camel Honda team RC211V performed perfectly and the good work done over the last two days of practice showed with this impressive result, an important achievement at a track such as this one, where starting from the front row is undoubtedly key. In 13th position on the grid, Makoto Tamada showed some good potential during the practices, but just moments from the end of the session he had an innocuous crash which left him with no options of improving his grid position for tomorrow’s race. Makoto has a slight bruise on his right hand which shouldn’t pose a problem for tomorrow’s race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I’m delighted to have got the team’s first pole of the year, and I’m happy also because the set-up isn’t just good for one lap and Max has been regularly quick with an incredible rhythm. The practices on these two days at Sachsenring are the best we’ve done all year, and with the weather remaining good we could would constantly towards today’s great result. Tomorrow’s going to be a difficult race, there’s nothing to choose between the top riders, and I’m hoping for a hard fought race. Makoto’s crash was a real shame because he wasn’t able to show the good work he had done by having a good grid position. I’m sure that he’ll go well in the race. I have to thank Honda, Max and the whole team for the great work they’ve done. Also a big thanks to Camel and all the team’s partners for the crucial support they give us.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 1st – 1:22.756
“I’m really happy with how my bike is running, we’ve done some good work here, all of us; my team, Honda and Michelin. We began well yesterday, even though provisional ninth on the grid didn’t show it. Today we perfected the set-up in the points on the track that required it, and so we were able to take this great “pole”, which is so important on a track where being at the front is vital. In comparison to yesterday we have improved the stability of the front end and this gives me a lot of confidence in the fast turns where there are a lot of hidden bumps. Tomorrow the race will be very tough because we’re all close together, but at least we know that we can be at the front, fighting for victory.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“Makoto showed his great potential over these two days of practice in Germany, and it’s shame he crashed out in the last few minutes of the qualifying session, because it meant he couldn’t back up his work with a good grid spot. Makoto perhaps just pushed a little too hard in the delicate part of the corner and he crashed out at turn eight with the front going out from underneath him. Today’s practices also allowed us to test lots of different settings on the bike, but perhaps we haven’t got the balance perfect yet. Nevertheless I’m confident about the race, Makoto is a tenacious rider, and we will get his hand checked in the clinic so he is ready for the race.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 13th – 1:23.623
“The front went out from below me and I crashed. It’s a shame because I was doing my best to show the good work we’ve done so far this weekend. I’m not in a great grid position, but I know how to claw back positions. The race will depend upon the temperature of the asphalt, because it has varied enormously over the two days. I am in good shape though, and I hope to show this in the race.”


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

SETE CONFIDENT IN RACE PACE

Sete Gibernau will start the German Grand Prix from the second row of the grid tomorrow after being outdone in the final qualifying session by Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider pushed until the final minute of the two hours of practice today, completing an endurance test in the morning and improving his race rhythm at a circuit where every tenth is vital. In the afternoon the Spaniard completed work to refine the setting of the bike, aimed at finding a compromise between the slow and fast sections. Now Sete is hopeful of fighting for victory once more as he starts from fourth on the grid. Colin Edwards lowered his time from yesterday by nine tenths and improved his feeling with the bike. The American is hoping to get a good start and make up the rest in the race.


SETE GIBERNAU (4th, 1:22.969): “I am optimistic about the race because once again the team have prepared well. I would have liked to be on the front row because it is difficult to overtake at this circuit, but we are all very close. In the morning we did an endurance and it didn’t go badly at all. We wanted to do another in the afternoon but a couple of things cropped up which set our plans back and we had to sort them out, which we were able to do. In the warm-up we have to pick up from the end of today’s session and then get a good start in the race. From there it will be a long and hard race for everybody”.


COLIN EDWARDS (11th, 1:23.583): “We found a good compromise with the setting of the bike in the morning and in the afternoon we made a few changes which improved things even more. The feeling is good and the bike is running well but I need to make the most of the qualifying tyres to get a better position on the grid. It’s really important to get a good start at this circuit because it’s so tight and twisty and, personally, I’ll have to be aggressive on the first few laps to try and get in touch with the front group, although I know it is tough to overtake here.”


FAUSTO GRESINI (Team manager): ” We have worked a lot on the set-up of the bikes and we’ve found a good compromise. Sete improved his time from yesterday and, although he missed out on the front row, I am not worried because he has a good rhythm. Colin has also improved but he needs to find some more solutions in the warm-up”.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ROBERTS ON FRONT ROW IN GERMANY
Team Suzuki Press Office, Sachsenring, Germany – Saturday July 17, 2004.

Team Suzuki MotoGP rider Kenny Roberts Jr will start tomorrow’s German GP from the front row of the grid for a second race in succession after placing third in baking sunshine in today’s final qualifying session.

Roberts, World Champion in 2000, was on pole position for the previous round, the Rio GP, and today set a lap time barely two-tenths slower than pole position to secure another front row. The position is especially important at this short and twisty track where overtaking is very difficult.

Kenny cut his fifth-placed time yesterday by more than seven tenths of a second, even though he ran off the track on his fastest lap, losing some tenths as he recovered.

Team-mate John Hopkins dropped to the fourth row of the grid after an unlucky encounter with a bee 30 minutes before the session began. He was stung on the hand and an allergic reaction caused severe swelling, making it difficult to hold on to the handlebars. Even so, the plucky Anglo-American managed to cut his time set yesterday, although he dropped from seventh position to 12th.

Team physiotherapist Dean Miller explained Hopkins’ problem. “He was stung on the middle finger of his left hand and had a local anaphylitic reaction, which caused a lot of swelling. In the session, we concentrated on trying to keep it under control so he could ride the bike and straight afterwards we took John to the medical centre so he could be treated. He should be fine for tomorrow.”

Today’s final qualifying session took place under almost cloudless skies in hot sunshine with 26 degrees ambient and a scorching 34 degrees track temperature.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – Third position, 1:22.961:

“The usual type of thing; I was just trying to get in a good position for the race. We got a lot of good guys behind us so I need to get the best start I can and follow the leader, as you do here. We had chatter yesterday and it’s still there, but we improved it quite a bit. We did eight or nine laps on a race tyre and it felt pretty consistent and hopefully it will keep consistent for the race. On my qualifying lap, I had a good lap going and then coming down the hill, I ran off the track in fifth gear. I just saw my data and it was 225 kph – off the kerb and onto the grass for about 20 metres. It was sideways and when I came back it was trying to get out from underneath me. So I kind of gave up on the lap … just finished off the last two corners. And it was a 22.9 – so the section times are going to be quick.”

JOHN HOPKINS – 12th position, 1:23.622:

“About a half-hour before the session I came through the tunnel on my scooter into the paddock and I felt something on my hair, so I took off my hat and as I grabbed it, a honey-bee stung me on the finger. I’ve only been stung a couple of times before and I have an allergy so my finger swelled up. I tried to ride, but spent most of the session trying to get comfortable, with Dean strapping my hand and trying to reduce the swelling. I really wanted to better my time, but on one lap, my hand almost fell off the bar then I had another lap going well and I got held up behind Bayliss, which cost a couple of tenths. I tried again but it just wasn’t happening. Today, looking at Kenny’s time, I think the front row was possible, but the dice didn’t roll for me. It was bad luck but we have good bike settings and we’ve found a race tyre. Tomorrow I’ll be ready to race and to try to make up the places I lost on the grid.”

KEVIN SCHWANTZ – 1993 World Champion:

“I was here a year ago and if I had to put a figure on how much better the bike is now, I’d say it’s probably a third better. It probably still has 20 or 25% still to go. It’s not rocket-fast in a straight line, though that’s not so noticeable here. But the basics are a whole lot better, in the way the bike steers, and how it finishes the corner. As a rider, you can make it as bad as you want, but it takes a lot of confidence and finesse for these guys to make it as good as it can be. Kenny’s doing a real good job. John’s still a bit banged up, and then he got stung by a bee! A lot of luck you create for yourself, but some good luck would really help both riders, John more than Kenny right now.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager:

“We would like to thank Doctor Costa for his prompt intervention before and after the session.”


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

HOPKINS 12TH IN GERMAN GP QUALIFYING DESPITE BEE STING

CHEMNITZ, Germany (July 17, 2004) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins qualified 12th for Sunday’s German Grand Prix with a lap of one minute, 23.622 seconds on the 3.7 kilometer Sachsenring circuit, but he was lucky to be on the bike at all. A bee stung Hopkins on his left middle finger about a half-hour before the session. Hopkins, who is allergic to bee stings, suffered a severely swollen hand. He spent most of the qualifying session working with his trainer trying to tape is hand so he could ride the bike with some comfort.

After the session Hopkins was rushed to the medical center to have an IV administered. World Championship officials had to sign off on Hopkins’ treatment, which involved a mild steroid to reduce the swelling of his hand.

Doctors told Hopkins that his hand should be better by Sunday and that he should be able to race without complication. He is scheduled to receive a check-up at the medical center Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.

In spite of the freak situation Hopkins’s qualifying session on Saturday was an improvement from Friday’s session where he clocked a 1:23.753.

He was classified seventh after Friday’s qualifying.

“I knew I was in trouble when I got stung,” Hopkins said. “My finger immediately ballooned up. It made it really to work the clutch. It was disappointing because I had a feeling that we’d have a really good session today. Little things like this seem to keep holding me back, but the doctors told me that I should be ready to go tomorrow.

“We’ve got a good race set-up so I’m confident that if this swelling goes down I should be in a position for the race.”

Hopkins said the way his hand is tape looks pretty strange.

“It’s my middle finger so I’m walking around here looking like I’m giving the finger to everyone,” he joked.

On Sunday Hopkins will start from the outside of row four alongside fellow American Colin Edwards.

Sunday’s race promises to be an exciting race. The top 14 qualifiers are all covered by less than one second.

Hopkins’ qualifying for this years German GP was a major improvement over his qualifying result at the Sachsenring last year where he was 22nd. He went over two-and-a-half seconds faster this year than last.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati:


Marlboro Ducati men on the race pace

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi this afternoon qualified their Desmosedici GP4s on the third and fourth rows of the grid for tomorrow’s German GP. The pair ran strongly in the stifling heat, and although their qualifying positions weren’t as good as they might have liked, both men know they have a very strong race pace, which bodes well for the race. But much will depend on the start because the Sachsenring is a tortuous track, around which overtaking is more difficult than any other venue on the MotoGP calendar.

“We’re happy because both Troy and Loris are very fast in race conditions, which makes us confident for the race,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Our only concern is the start, since both riders will need to make good getaways, so they don’t lose too much time in the first couple of laps. Troy was exceptionally fast on race tyres, the second fastest of the day. We’ve been making as few changes to the bikes as possible, just small changes because both riders are happy with the general set-up and we don’t want to keep making changes which can affect their confidence in their bikes.”

Max Biaggi took pole position at the head of a tightly packed grid. Just 0.936 seconds covers the fastest 14 riders which suggests a thrilling race ahead.

Bayliss looking good in race trim
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss rode a superb final qualifying session this afternoon, bettering his fastest Friday lap time while running race tyres, then moving into the top four after fitting his first qualifying tyre. Bayliss, equipped for the first time with two Twin Pulse bikes, eventually ended up eighth, in the middle of the third row. His best lap was just 0.6 seconds slower than pole.

“We’ve been going pretty good since I first hopped on the bike yesterday,” said the Australian, who was third here last year. “And my best lap might have been better, but I had to pass Shane Byrne in a bad spot when he was on his out lap, not that it was his fault. It’s looking good on race tyres. We’ve been playing with the suspension a bit, just a click here and a click there to get me comfortable, even though the Twin Pulse motor doesn’t really use the suspension any different to the old motor. We’ve just been looking for a bit more corner-exit grip and we’ve improved that today. Ever since Le Mans we’ve not needed to change the set-up much, it’s been pretty good for the last few races, we’ve just not been getting the results. I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Capirossi tenth and expecting a good race
Loris Capirossi ended the day just 0.7 seconds slower than pole, but in today’s frantic final qualifying session that was only good enough for tenth place. Unusually, the Ducati Marlboro Team rider decided to swap bikes just before starting his final qualifying runs.

“We were making a lot of minor adjustments to my set-up during the session,” explained Capirossi. “But I still didn’t feel 100 per cent happy with my number-one bike, so I swapped to my other machine for the final ten minutes. Then I was a little worried that I might not have enough time to fully exploit my qualifying tyres, so maybe I was a little nervous on the bike. Anyway, I’m expecting a good race tomorrow, and it should be exciting too because everyone is so close on times.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:


Tough day for Aprilia duo in Germany

MS Aprilia Racing rider Jeremy McWilliams will start tomorrow’s German GP at the Sachsenring from 17th position despite suffering a heavy fall in final qualifying.

The British rider was on his fourth lap of this afternoon’s decisive session when he crashed his Cube three-cylinder going through the uphill left-hand turn 10. Unfortunately, McWilliiams suffered a back injury when he was struck by his machine in the gravel trap, but he is confident that he will be fit to take his place on the middle of row six for tomorrow’s 30-lap encounter.

The knock to the left-hand side of his back is not thought to have re-broken any of the ribs he damaged earlier in the season at the Italian GP in Mugello. But he was due to attend the circuit medical centre for further precautionary checks later on today having been given the all-clear following an earlier examination. The setback forced McWilliams to sit out the remainder of the session, and he dropped three places down the order from his provisional time of 1.24.322s. He said: “I don’t think anything is broken but it is not very easy to breathe. It seems each time I crash I get hit on the left hand side of my back. Something is clicking in there and it is not easy to lean back, but I will have a go in the race. I was trying a different tyre and I don’t think we can put enough force into that particular tyre. When it feels like you are ready to go, it lets go. I wanted to ride again in the session but I got a hole in my leathers. By the time I’d been checked out by the doctors it was too late to change and go back out.”

Team-mate Shane Byrne will start three places further down the grid in 20th position, though he is confident of