Updated Post: Rossi, Gibernau, Capirossi Will Start British Grand Prix From Front Row

Updated Post: Rossi, Gibernau, Capirossi Will Start British Grand Prix From Front Row

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:28.720
2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:29.152
3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:29.209
4. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:29.214
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:29.250
6. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:29.329
7. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:29.382
8. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:29.502
9. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:29.801
10. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:29.840
11. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:29.900
12. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:30.214
13. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:30.239
14. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:30.297
15. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:30.371
16. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:30.460
17. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:30.502
18. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:30.530
19. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:30.595
20. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:31.353
21. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:31.486
22. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:31.491
23. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:32.222
24. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:33.285


Final Combined MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. V.ROSSI, 1:28.720
2. S.GIBERNAU, 1:29.152
3. L.CAPIROSSI, 1:29.209
4. T.BAYLISS, 1:29.214
5. C.EDWARDS, 1:29.250
6. N.HAYDEN, 1:29.295
7. C.CHECA, 1:29.329
8. M.BIAGGI, 1:29.502
9. A.BARROS, 1:29.801
10. R.XAUS, 1:29.840
11. M.MELANDRI, 1:29.900
12. S.NAKANO, 1:31.164
13. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, 1:30.239
14. N.HODGSON, 1:30.297
15. M.TAMADA, 1:30.371
16. J.HOPKINS, 1:30.442
17. N.ABE, 1:30.460
18. S.BYRNE, 1:30.502
19. J.McWILLIAMS, 1:30.595
20. M.FABRIZIO, 1:31.353
21. A.HOFMANN, 1:31.486
22. N.AOKI, 1:31.491
23. Kurtis ROBERTS, 1:32.222
24. C.BURNS, 1:33.285


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Proton KR pair cut times at Donington



Nobuatsu Aoki: 22nd, 1:31.491
Kurtis Roberts: 23rd: 1:32.222

Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Kurtis Roberts both improved on their best times of yesterday in the final day of qualifying for tomorrow’s British GP, home race for the Banbury-based team.

Even though Aoki’s improvement was by almost a full second, however, this was matched by other riders on the 4.023km parkland circuit outside Derby, and he merely retained his grid position on the eighth row of the grid.

The team has been ringing the changes with different-spec engines this weekend, in a bid to regain development momentum with the England-build 990cc V5 MotoGP racer, and for the older rider this brought promising results. Aoki immediately got on better with his latest version of the motor, which made the machine easier to ride. It did introduce other difficulties with increased engine braking, that the rider and his crew have gone a long way to solving today.

Roberts however ran into a series of transmission and clutch problems that left him short of machinery and struggling to get the track time he desperately needs, in his rookie season in the class.

Today’s final practice and qualifying sessions took place in warm but cloudy conditions, with rain forecast for tonight and also possibly tomorrow. This would change the ground rules, and might favour the Proton riders. Today’s pole time was set by defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha).

Nobuatsu Aoki
Yesterday I was struggling with going sideways into the corners. My crew changed some chassis settings and the engine back-torque management, and this solved the problem for today. But I am still suffering from another problem . the back wheel hopping into the slow turns, making it very hard to turn in and reach the apex. We may try a different clutch tomorrow to solve that. If it rains tomorrow? That sounds good.

Kurtis Roberts
It seems I can’t get a trouble-free ride here. Yesterday I had only one bike, this morning was okay, though still with only one. Then in the afternoon I had transmission problems with one bike, and clutch problems with the other. It was a wasted session, really. I’ve never had these problems before.

Kenny Roberts – Team Principal
We’ve learned a little here. We had transmission problems all day yesterday, and Kurtis’s fourth practice session was on his fourth engine of the weekend. We’re still not happy, but that’s development. It’s just one of the problems we are working at solving.


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

Max and Makoto ready for a challenging race

In final qualifying at the British GP, on a typically grey and windy Saturday afternoon, it became apparent that the Camel Honda team will have a real challenge ahead of them in tomorrow’s race. Despite the eighth fastest time, Max Biaggi rode consistently at the pace of last year’s pole position, and tomorrow in the warm-up he will work with his team to try to finish off the improvements they have made since Friday. Makoto Tamada is also confident despite his fifteenth quickest time, having not used qualifying tyres to concentrate on his race set-up.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“Another important practice day ahead of tomorrow’s race. We tried lots of different things to try and get a good feeling for Max in the fast part of the track, where he was lacking confidence in the front end. Max has a good race pace though, and the third row shouldn’t be a problem, because I know that Max will be fighting for the win, as the standings prove he has done all this year with him a single point off the leadership. We found some good settings and the warm-up in the morning will allow us to back up our findings, as long as it doesn’t rain like the forecast suggests it might.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 8th – 1:29.502

“I think that perhaps we found more problems than we expected and we weren’t able to improve as we would have liked. The problem is with the front, because I don’t have confidence in the corner entries, especially in the fast section. If the rear slides, it’s not a problem, but if it’s the front which is not convincing you, things become a little more difficult. Anyway, we’ll make the best of what we’ve got, and we’ll give our all in the race. I’m not giving up for a second, and I’ll do everything to have a good race.”

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

“The situation has improved somewhat compared to yesterday, and we managed to give Makoto a better feeling with the Donington track. We even used this final qualifying session to get ready for the race. So Makoto didn’t get to use qualifying tyres, so he could make the final race choice, important with there being thirty laps tomorrow. The front guys went fast today, and the gap has remained pretty constant. Nevertheless I think that Makoto could do a good race, even having to fight back from 15th place on the grid.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 15th – 1:30.371

“Much better than yesterday, but perhaps not enough. I used the entire session to get myself ready for the race, trying a lot of tyres which could be used in race conditions and fine-tuning the last bits of set-up. I was looking for a better feeling because of the peculiar characteristics of this track, and I have to say that I’m quite satisfied. I’m not super-competitive, but I will do everything I can to go well. In the warm-up we will try a few more things, and I hope that it’s a dry race, without any rain.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marboro men go 3rd & 4th quickest

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss today scored their best qualifying performance of the year so far, putting their Desmosedici GP4s third and fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s British GP. In cool, cloudy conditions the pair were in the hunt for their first pole position of the year, their pace on both race and qualifying confirming once again the team’s return to form following a luckless run of races. This is only the second GP at which both riders have been fully equipped with Ducati’s new Twin Pulse engine, which uses different cylinder firing intervals to produce more rider-friendly horsepower, a vital ingredient to fast lap times at a tight, tortuous track like Donington Park.

“A very good weekend so far,” smiled Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “This is the first time this season that both our guys have been very competitive on both race and qualifying tyres. It’s great to be back on the front row, though if this had been last year, both guys would’ve been up there! (New-for-2004 grid regulations specify three riders per row instead of four per row). The times are incredibly close, so the difference between rows one and two is tiny. Today shows that we are heading in the right direction – our current engine/chassis package is good and the more we know it, the more we can get out of it. Thanks once again to everyone in the team and at Ducati Corse, as well as to our technical partners Michelin and Shell Advance.”

Capirossi : Our 2004 season begins here!
Loris Capirossi stormed to third fastest in this afternoon’s final qualifying session to give himself his first front-row start of 2004. The Italian Ducati Marlboro Team man was in stunning form as he rode his GP4 to within 0.489 seconds of pole position, good enough to give him plenty of confidence for tomorrow’s race, round nine of this year’s 16-race MotoGP World Championship.

“I’m really happy – this is where our season really starts!” said Capirossi. “I’ve been able to fully exploit the Michelin qualifying tyres, and it seems that Troy is also going very, very fast. Even so, I’m not 100 per cent happy with my machine set-up. We need to work at improving a few things in morning warm-up, but overall I’m very happy. This result is so important for everyone involved with this team.”

Bayliss flying, just 0.005 seconds off row one
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss ran as high as second during this afternoon’s hour-long outing, eventually ending up fourth, a tantalising 0.005 seconds away from achieving his first front-row start of 2004. This is only the second GP that Bayliss has had two Twin Pulse engines at his disposal.

“It’s been a while, so I’m pretty happy, things have been going good here since I first hopped on,” said the Aussie. “After yesterday we played around with the settings and oil levels inside the forks to give us some more feel from the front. Then we made a couple of changes to the bike after this morning, so in the end we did pretty good with the qualifying tyre, though I think it could’ve been slightly better. We missed the front row by nothing, but that’s what happens when the times are real close. I’ve done lots of laps on race tyres, which all went good. This is a real scratchers’ track, so I’m really looking forward to the race.”


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


Rossi reigns supreme in Donington qualifying

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi secured pole position for Sunday’s 30-lap MotoGP race at Donington with a superb series of high-paced laps, setting a best ever time around the 4.023km Donington track of 1’28.720. His lap beat the previous qualifying best by over two seconds. His team-mate Carlos Checa improved on his Friday time but was forced to settle for seventh position with a lap of 1’29.329, after a front-end slide during what might have been his best lap.

Rossi, second for most of the final hour long session before being deposed by Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and then a forceful Checa, promptly put in the first ever sub-1’28s Donington lap with eight minutes remaining. He further improved his time to 1’28.879 and finally 1’28.720, taking pole position by 0.432s over one of his main championship rivals, Sete Gibernau (Honda). Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was the third fastest rider, completing the front row.

Riding in near-perfect track conditions, Checa made an almost immediate improvement on his Friday time as the session began, setting a 1’29.834s lap time and putting himself fourth for the majority of the hour. He temporarily displaced Rossi from second place with a lap of 1’29.408, before the Italian rider and world championship leader reasserted himself at the top, finishing the session as the only rider in the 1’28s mark.

Valentino Rossi(1st, 1’28.720)

“I am in pole position and maybe it was possible to make the lap time a little bit better because I made a small mistake with the gears on one corner. I put it into fourth instead of third. I lost a little bit but anyway we are on pole. I am very happy because my Yamaha works very well here, it worked well with the qualifying tyre and is also good with the race tyre. Now we need to make the tyre choice for tomorrow. I have two or three possible race tyres and for sure we need to start with a harder tyre. The setting is good and I love this track, I have fans all around here. I hope that we have good weather tomorrow.”

Carlos Checa (7th, 1’29.329)

“We went out to improve our pace in the first two split times and I think we have done that. I am satisfied with that but our position for the start tomorrow is not the best. It would have been better to be one or even two rows higher but in the end I almost lost the front going downhill, on the lap before I did my best time. I think that was my real chance on a new tyre. I think it was just a bit too much and I lost some tenths. This is only qualifying and I did not want to upset the bike. We know that when we put the bike over to maximum lean we need more front traction. We have made some changes for the race and the improvements we made through qualifying have been very good. For the race we are not so bad, but it will be a long race over 30 laps. I have a choice of two possible race tyres but already I have made my mind up which one to use.”

Davide Brivio – Team director

“I’m happy with that because were still able to remain in front on Saturday and Valentino has been in the top places over both days. The lap time was fantastic and we know he could do even better again – unbelievable. He did a great job and he is in good shape for the race because his pace is good. I really hope it stays dry because otherwise we will waste the great job we have made in these two days. Carlos is seventh but I’m sure he can keep the pace of the top guys. We are aiming to get both riders on the podium. Each team and the Yamaha engineers did a great job.”


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


Nakano and Hofmann left frustrated at Donington Park

Shinya Nakano will start his Fuchs Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR from 12th position in tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, after cutting almost one second from his previous best time around the Donington Park circuit.

Even so, the second day of qualifying was hard work for Nakano and his team-mate Alex Hofmann, who both found little to cheer about in the lead up to the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Hofmann could not hide his extreme disappointment at his worst qualifying performance of the season, which saw him qualify 21st for a seventh row start. He was frustrated by heavy traffic late in the session when trying for faster time on soft qualifiers, and his best lap came on a race tyre.

And despite intense work by Kawasaki technicians and much-improved chassis and engine set-up, both Hofmann and Nakano admit that the ZX-RR is still short of optimum balance and performance at Donington.

Nakano took little comfort from the fact that his Ninja ZX-RR was the fastest of the five factory bikes on Bridgestone tyres, ahead of both Suzuki and Honda machines.

The Japanese ace, who had to switch to his spare bike late in the session, has qualified in fifth position at two of the past three races and a fourth row start is unfamiliar territory.

Both riders lack braking stability and slow corner acceleration in the stop-go Melbourne Loop section, which contrasts dramatically with the fast, sweeping corners of the first half of the track.

Final qualifying was run in overcast and cooler conditions compared to Friday’s opening session.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1’30.214)
“We were a little faster than yesterday, but still it was a very hard day for me. The final section of the track remains a problem for us both on the brakes, and then getting on the throttle off the tight turns. The bike is improved from yesterday, but it is not just one thing; at this track our overall package is not as comfortable as it has been at other circuits. My rhythm was upset a little when a small engine problem forced me to switch to my spare bike, but I think the race will be tough; finishing in the points is my aim.”

Alex Hofmann: 21st (1’31.486)
“My worst qualifying and I’m very unhappy. Both my fast laps at the end of the session on qualifiers were destroyed by traffic, with riders either on an out lap or slowing down and looking around and not concentrating. There is not much room here to miss the traffic, so my fastest lap was done on a race tyre. Doing the time I did on race rubber was a step forward from yesterday, although I’m still struggling with acceleration off the slow corners. The first section with the faster corners is better for the ZX-RR, but even in that part it is difficult to get the best out of the bike because of the characteristics of all the different corners here.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Obviously we have a lot of work to do to find a competitive package for this very different track. There is not one specific problem; it’s a combination of a lot small things and just finding the right balance between chassis, engine and tyres. It’s our first time here with Bridgestone, so there is a lot to learn, although I’m delighted that Shinya is the fastest Bridgestone rider, even though he had to switch to his spare bike. Our race tyre runs are very consistent, so I’m sure Shinya and Alex will put in their usual strong race performances tomorrow.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:


Suzuki riders look for answers in Britain

Team Suzuki MotoGP riders Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins were 13th and 16th fastest in today’s final timed session for tomorrow’s British GP – disappointing grid positions that each hope to improve on when the race begins.

The difficulty was more with qualifying than race prospects, and was shared by all users of Bridgestone tyres. After two races where the relatively new tyre marque has excelled, with Roberts on the front row of the grid on both occasions, the quirky surface of the 4.023 km British circuit outside Derby has dealt a different hand. Although lap times on race tyres are strong, the soft-compound qualifying tyres have not offered the same advantage enjoyed by riders using different tyres, costing positions on the grid.

This leaves both riders with plenty of work to do in the race, when they will have to regain places lost in qualifying in order to achieve the better finishing positions they have become used to.

Roberts cut his best time of yesterday by more than a tenth, and hopes to improve his race chances by experimenting with a different chassis set-up in morning warm-up, to try to regain the momentum achieved at recent rounds.

Hopkins did not improve his time, and is facing another problem – increasing difficulty from his injured ankle, where metalwork from an injury and operation before the season began has been causing him pain and problems.

Today’s final practice sessions took place in muggy overcast conditions, with a stiffening breeze heralding the possibility of a change in the weather. Heavy rain is forecast for tonight, with more rain possible tomorrow.

Pole time was set by defending champion Valentino Rossi.

Kenny RobertsJr. – 13th position, 1:30.239

Everybody can see we’re struggling a bit on overall grip and performance. I think this track is a little bit hard on our acceleration. It seems we’re completely out of synch with where we need to be. It’s disappointing, but we’re going to try another set-up in the morning that hopefully will give us another direction. It’s a little bit different from what we’ve tried this weekend, but indications seem to point that it may work better. That’s if it’s dry, and they say rain is coming in, so we will have a wet set-up ready as well. Of the two conditions, I would probably prefer it to be wet. Either way, we’ll try to hang in from the start and get the best result we can.

John Hopkins – 16th position, 1:30.422

Not much to say – except that if we had qualifying tyres that worked here, a podium would be possible. Starting where I am, it’s going to be difficult.

Garry Taylor – Team Manager

We’d already got used to qualifying better than this. The Bridgestones have been really good at recent races, but here it’s different. That’s the nature of development.


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

SETE AND COLIN FIGHT BACK

Sete Gibernau returns to race action tomorrow knowing that the British Grand Prix holds particular importance after leaving the last two races empty-handed. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider improved his time from yesterday by eight tenths of a second and will start tomorrow’s race at Donington from the front row of the grid as he looks to challenge his great rival, championship leader Valentino Rossi, and the explosive Ducati of Loris Capirossi. Sete worked to find a good balance with the bike and a set-up which will allow him to ride confidently in both the fast and slow sections of the complicated British circuit. A good performance from Colin Edwards put the shine on the day for the team, the American sealing his best grid position so far in fifth place and feeling confident of making the podium at a circuit where he has already taken two victories, in 1999 and 2000 in World Superbikes.


SETE GIBERNAU (2nd, 1:29.152): “It is no secret that this is not one of my favourite circuits and I don’t really feel comfortable here. Also, coming to Donington after two crashes is not easy, but I think we have generally had some good sessions. Tomorrow we will have to keep working in the warm-up and maybe do an endurance test which will prepare us for the race, but I think we are ready to fight. It was important to get a place on the front row today and I’m satisfied about that. We’re losing a bit of time on the first part of the circuit, where the Ducati and Yamaha look easier to ride, and we’re also losing a little bit in the downhill slopes. We have to improve in those two areas and pick a good tyre for the race.”

COLIN EDWARDS (5th, 1:29.250): “It’s a nice feeling to be up there again after such a long time. Everybody says that I can’t ride on qualification tyres but I don’t agree with that because in Superbikes, with the Superpole, I got used to setting one fast lap! to be at the front. The thing is that when you have problems, the qualification tyre does nothing to solve them and the problems continue. This weekend I feel comfortable with the bike, there’s no chatter and everything is going well, which you can see by the result. We have a good set-up for the race and a good rhythm – hopefully I can keep it up in the race and leave here with a good result.”


FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager): “Sete did really well – he stayed calm and made sure he didn’t make any mistakes and set a good time to get on the front row, which was important here. I am happy because he has recovered really well. The set-up is quite clear, although tomorrow we’ll have to adjust a couple of things in the warm-up. Colin has finally shown us his capabilities. His feeling with the bike has improved a lot and that is allowing him to get the most out of his potential. I think he can have a great race tomorrow and be one of the stars of the Grand Prix.”


More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

FOURTH AND FIFTH ROWS FOR XAUS AND HODGSON

The times continued to drop during the second day of practice today, and it looks as though Donington will once again be the scene of another passionate MotoGP race, where both Xaus and Hodgson look set to be a part of.

The Spaniard finished in tenth place and will start from the fourth row, whilst the British star will start one row behind, in fourteenth. There were a series of little problems today, above all for Rubén, who crashed in the free practice, but both riders are hopeful for the race.

RUBEN XAUS: “I was pretty tense today before final qualifying, and it was even a little difficult to focus at times, because I’ve been having such bad luck in the practices. This morning I crashed because the front wheel blocked and then afterwards I was about to crash with the second bike, when it was losing oil. Anyway, in the end the day finished well and in the afternoon the bike was going well. Perhaps I needed another lap, but it’s not all bad, I’ve got a good rhythm and although I could have started from the third row I think, there’s nothing that can’t be sorted by a good start. I’ve managed to relax a lot more now, and tomorrow I hope to enjoy myself more during the race.”

NEIL HODGSON: “I had hoped to qualify better, but I had problems with the clutch and I couldn’t make the most of the qualifying tyres. The truth is that without this problem, I could have been amongst the top ten. I’m happy though, because the bike is going well and the set-up is good, so I just need a good start tomorrow and I’ll be off to enjoy myself. I think tomorrow’s race will be very interesting, and I’m ready to snatch a position amongst the top ten. It’s better that we have these problems in qualifying than in the race itself, and I’m very optimistic.”


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rossi recovers rule at Donington Park

Valentino Rossi re-established his reign at the Donington Park circuit with pole position for the Cinzano British Grand Prix on Saturday after provisional holder Nicky Hayden failed to improve his time. Rossi’s effort of 1’28.720 represents a new record at the Leicestershire circuit, with nineteen riders dipping below last year’s pole time set by Max Biaggi. Honda rider Sete Gibernau was the closest of them to Rossi, lapping 0.432 seconds slower than his Yamaha rival to join the front row of the grid ahead of Loris Capirossi on the Ducati.



“I am in pole position and maybe it was possible to make the lap time a little bit better because I made a small mistake with the gears on one corner,” commented Rossi. “I put it into fourth instead of third. I lost a little bit but anyway we are on pole. I am very happy because my Yamaha works very well here, it worked well with the qualifying tyre and is also good with the race tyre. Now we need to make the tyre choice for tomorrow. I have two or three possible race tyres and for sure we need to start with a harder tyre. The setting is good and I love this track, I have fans all around here. I hope that we have good weather tomorrow.”



Capirossi’s late effort knocked Troy Bayliss down to fourth place, giving him the honour of sealing Ducati’s first front row of the season ahead of his Australian team-mate. However, Bayliss will start from his best grid position so far this year on the second row, where he is joined by Honda pair Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden. Sixth place for Hayden represents a disappointment after his provisional pole yesterday but the American youngster won’t be too disheartened after his charge to the podium from ninth on the grid in Germany six days ago.



Hayden’s fellow podium finishers from the Sachsenring, race winner Max Biaggi and Honda colleague Alex Barros, both qualified on the third row in eighth and ninth place respectively behind Yamaha rider Carlos Checa. Barros had gone fastest in the morning free practice with the latest prototype RC211V, which features a new exhaust system, but crashed it in the early stages of the final qualifying session and had to set his qualification lap on the old version of the bike.



Elsewhere, Marco Melandri fought through the pain barrier to qualify tenth fastest after breaking his thumb in a crash yesterday morning. Melandri did not ride in today’s free practice as he is only permitted one painkilling injection per day and decided to save it until the afternoon, although another crash late in the session cast a shadow over his chances for tomorrow’s race. Neil Hodgson was the highest-placed home rider in fourteenth place on the Ducati although Aprilia team-mates Shane Byrne and Jeremy McWilliams were two of the riders to beat Biaggi’s ’03 pole record in an intensely competitive session enjoyed by a huge home crowd expected to break records tomorrow.



Alex de Angelis consolidated his swift recent progression in the 250cc class with his first pole position, just six days after his maiden podium. The San Marino youngster, who has yet to win a Grand Prix in any class, set a new record lap of 1’32.430 to seal the front slot on the grid ahead of factory Aprilia colleague Sebastian Porto. Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Hiroshi Aoyama made it three rookies on the front row of the quarter-litre grid, with Japanese 250cc Champion Aoyama in the top four for the first time since he set pole position as a wildcard at Suzuka last year.



Aoyama’s late effort knocked Randy de Puniet, who lies second in the championship to Pedrosa with a 25-point deficit to the Spaniard, down to fifth place. The Frenchman will now start from the second row of the grid alongside Toni Elias, Manuel Poggiali and Ant West, who finished third here last year. Home favourite Chaz Davies sealed his best grid position of the year and will start from the third row in twelfth place.



Andrea Dovizioso confirmed his reputation as favourite for the 125cc race with a new pole record of 1’37.211 which sealed his dominance in all four of the practice sessions. However, Dovizioso will be wary of the threat of last year’s winner Hector Barberá, who moved to within 0.034 seconds of his pole time this afternoon and lies just nine points behind him at the top of the championship. Mika Kallio qualified third fastest to secure a front row start for KTM in the absence of his injured team-mate Casey Stoner, with Simone Corsi also appearing at the front of the grid for the first time in his career after qualifying fourth fastest.


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

HOPKINS STRUGGLES IN BRITISH GP QUALIFYING

DONINGTON, England (July 24, 2004) – John Hopkins suffered a sub-par qualifying session on his factory Suzuki GSV-R at Donington Park on Saturday. Hopkins could not improve on his Friday session time of one minute, 30.442 seconds over the 4-mile, 11-turn Donington Park circuit. His time places him 16th on the grid for Sunday’s British Motorcycle Grand Prix.

“It’s a bit upsetting really,” said Hopkins after the session. “On our race tires we are one of the few that can turn consistent mid-1:30s, unfortunately I wasn’t able to improve on that time on qualifiers. We’re not the only one experiencing issues with this new racing surface.”

Hopkins suffered again what seems an endless string of tough luck at Donington. In morning warm-up his machine went into neutral going through a turn. He managed to click the Suzuki back into gear, but

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