Updated Post: Various MotoGP Press Releases From Brno

Updated Post: Various MotoGP Press Releases From Brno

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

Gauloises Czech Republic Grand Prix
Brno, Czech Republic
Friday 20th August

CHECA SECURES PROVISIONAL POLE IN BRNO; ROSSI SEVENTH

After heavy rain showers this morning the Brno circuit presented Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa with a slowly drying surface on which to mount their first qualifying challenge in this afternoon’s timed session. Checa was to prove the most adept of all 26 riders, setting a best time of 2’11.188s after an exciting and changeable hour of action at the Czech track, with the lap times some 12 seconds slower than in dry conditions. Rossi, as yet struggling to find a similarly effective set-up to Checa in the wet, went seventh quickest, setting a best time of 2’13.754s.

Checa took the lead time just eight minutes into this afternoon’s session, increasing his advantage on the slowly-drying track to 0.6 seconds one lap later. He was temporarily forced to relinquish his provisional pole first by Sete Gibernau (Honda), who eventually went third fastest, then by Troy Bayliss’ Ducati. Checa claimed the status of fastest rider three times in all, as fortunes and track conditions altered with every passing lap. The Spaniard’s quickest lap, his 14th, was a full 0.781 seconds better than Bayliss and over a second faster than Gibernau.

Checa, Rossi and their competitors have one more chance to improve their times and machine set-up in tomorrow afternoon’s final qualifying session, for which better weather is expected.

CARLOS CHECA (1st, 2’11.188s)
“It was quite exciting because I would come into the pit garage in first position then go down to second or third, then fight back up again. I had a good feeling today and it was satisfying because the conditions were the same for everyone. We set the bike up quite well and we’ve been able to fit the right tyre at the right moment. In the wet I already feel quite comfortable even though I expect the weather to be much better over the rest of the weekend. Even in the dry I think we can be good because after I finished our test at Donington I felt good. I hope that in the dry I can recover that feeling on the bike.”

VALENTINO ROSSI (7th, 2’13.754s)
“We’ve had a few problems with traction and acceleration because we are working on different engine maps. The bike’s a bit nervous. We’re trying lots of different things for the rain but also contemplating the possibility of dry conditions. Above all I hope it’s dry tomorrow, but either way I think we will be in a good position for Sunday. It’s always a bit risky riding in these weather conditions but in general the bike feels easier to ride in the rain than it did before and Brno is a difficult but beautiful track to ride it on.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR
“It was a little strange today. The wet, but not fully wet, conditions made it so, but Carlos and his crew did a good job, they worked well and got provisional pole position. It’s always nice to be there. Valentino is trying more things and he has less experience on this bike in the wet. We are working on the mapping and electronics to alter the engine character, to make it more smooth and sweet, easier for the rider to use. Of course we will analyse all the information we have to hand, because we are a team. As Carlos is fastest we can really see what the differences are.”

PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW
1. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2’11.188
2. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’11.969
3. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 2’12.261

PROVISIONAL SECOND ROW
4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’12.785
5. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda Team 2’13.286
6. Kurtis Roberts (USA) Proton Team KR 2’13.345

7. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2’13.754



More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
GAULOISES CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX
AUTODROM BRNO
20TH AUGUST 2004
QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

NAKANO AND HOFMANN STRUGGLE FOR GRIP AT WET BRNO

A cold and wet Brno circuit provided little joy for Fuchs Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann in today’s opening qualifying session for Sunday’s Czech Republic Grand Prix.

With track temperatures of just 20 degrees, both riders struggled with grip levels in a qualifying session run in heavily overcast and mostly wet conditions. A dry line appeared late in the session, but the still damp track meant that neither Nakano nor Hofmann got the chance to use slick tyres on their Ninja ZX-RR machines.

On the provisional grid Nakano is 23rd with Hofmann 26th, an outcome neither rider anticipated on their first day back after the three week MotoGP summer holiday.

In the earlier, and much drier, free practice session, Nakano was seventh fastest and reported more precise handling and improved engine response from the latest evolution ZX-RR motor.

Both riders tried the new crankshaft specification for the first time today, but a lack of high-speed, dry track time restricted the opportunity to fully evaluate the benefits of the new components.

Despite a flurry of suspension changes by Kawasaki technicians, in an attempt to improve chassis balance and grip, the qualifying session ended with both riders in unfamiliar positions at the back of the grid.

After today’s disappointing performance, both Nakano and Hofmann are hoping for the rain conditions to pass and for a dry track for both final qualifying tomorrow and Sunday’s race.

Shinya Nakano: 23rd (2’16.723)
“This was a difficult session and I think that if it rains again tomorrow then we will need some different settings to try and improve tyre grip levels on the wet track. The bike felt much better in the morning session, and the new engine specification makes the ZX-RR easier to steer and with improved acceleration. But we definitely need more time to work on the set-up with this motor, which is difficult in the rain with lack of grip, but I feel good after the holidays and I’m positive we can be much faster in the dry. Tomorrow I will do back-to-back runs with the new motor and the standard engine to evaluate which will be better for the race.”

Alex Hofmann: 26th (2’19.531)
“This is not the way I wanted to start the first day of the second part of the season, as everyone in the team came here very motivated after the holidays. I just struggled with rear tyre grip in qualifying; I had no feel at all entering the corner and onto full lean angle, with the result that I lacked the confidence to push hard. We tried some big suspension changes to try and improve the grip, but nothing really worked. If the weather stays like this then I’m afraid we have a lot of work to do. In these conditions I didn’t really get a good feel for the new engine specification, so I am hoping for a dry track tomorrow.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 – FINAL TIMES
1. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2’11.188; 2. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.781; 3. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +1.073; 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.597; 5. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +2.098; 6. Kurtis Roberts (USA) Proton Team KR +2.157; 7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +2.566; 8. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +2.629; 9. Ruben Xaus (SPA) dAntin Ducati Team +2.652; 10. Neil Hodgson (GBR) dAntin Ducati Team +2.682; 11. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +2.761; 23. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +5.535; 26. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +8.343


More, from series organizer Dorna:

Checa sets the pace at wet Brno

Carlos Checa set provisional pole position for the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky in wet conditions at the Brno circuit today, with heavy spells of intermittent rain making life difficult for the MotoGP riders on their return to action after a four-week summer break. Holiday memories were quickly washed away by the first downpour this morning, when dense grey clouds quickly dampened any hopes of a sunny respite during the afternoon qualifying session.

Checa made the best of the situation with a lap of 2’11.188, backing up claims that he had found a good base set-up for the Yamaha M1 after a one-day test at Donington Park before the break. “I had a good feeling today and it was satisfying because the conditions were the same for everyone,” reflected the Spaniard.

“We set the bike up quite well and we’ve been able to fit the right tyre at the right moment. In the wet I already feel quite comfortable even though I expect the weather to be much better over the rest of the weekend. Even in the dry I think we can be good because after I finished our test at Donington I felt good. I hope that in the dry I can recover that feeling on the bike.”

Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi also confirmed recent progress made by Ducati with the second and fourth fastest times respectively, with Bayliss looking to repeat his podium finish at this circuit from last season, when he led for long spells of the race. Sete Gibernau took delivery of a new specification engine from Honda but opted to stick with the tried and tested version due to today’s conditions and qualified third fastest, completing the provisional front row.

Capirossi is joined on the second row by Honda rider Alex Barros and the surprise of the first day, Kurtis Roberts, who qualified sixth fastest on the Proton KR V5. Roberts, who is the younger son of the Team Principal and former World Champion Kenny, qualified two places ahead of his brother Kenny Jr, who was eighth quickest on the Suzuki behind Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, the series leader. Ruben Xaus, sporting a new colour scheme on the D’Antin Ducati, completes the provisional third row.

Elsewhere there were impressive performances in thirteenth and fourteenth place respectively from Michel Fabrizio on the WCM and fellow rookie Aprilia rider Shane Byrne, who had never previously visited the circuit.

Later in the afternoon the sun began to gradually force its way through, making life even more difficult for the 250cc riders, who had to deal with a mixture of conditions throughout their session. Ant West dominated during the wet opening stages but was one of several riders to misjudge a deceptive dry line which formed during the late push for times, crashing out with just minutes left.

Sebastian Porto made an opportunist surge to the top of the time sheets, snatching provisional pole ahead of his team-mate Fonsi Nieto, whilst Alex de Angelis and Sylvain Guintoli made it an all-Aprilia front row. Roby Rolfo was the highest Honda, qualifying fifth fastest on his first appearance since dislocating his shoulder during practice at Donington. Rolfo’s factory colleague Dani Pedrosa, who leads the championship, struggled to master the conditions on his first visit to this track with the 250 and could only qualify 20th.

Marco Simoncelli set provisional pole position in a wet 125cc session, backing up a strong rain record which includes his only victory so far at Jerez earlier this season. Simoncelli was 0.648 seconds quicker than nearest rival Andrea Ballerini, who also took his only career victory in the wet at Phillip Island last October, whilst Casey Stoner, who led both those races before crashing out, was third fastest on his return to action after recovering from a broken collarbone. Spanish youngster Julian Simon completed the front row ahead of Czech rider Lukas Pesek, who gave a hint of home glory if the conditions are the same for Sunday’s race. Series leader Andrea Dovizioso, who had been quickest in the dry morning practice, was eighth fastest.


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Czech GP – Round 10 – MotoGP
Brno – Friday 20th August 2004

Changeable conditions in first qualifying. Max and Makoto look for improvement

It was a mixed bag of weather on the first day at Brno. The morning free practice was not particularly helpful because of the changeable track conditions and the afternoon qualifying session was similarly not in the best weather. Max Biaggi didn’t make the most of the afternoon practice because of a technical problem on his favoured bike while Makoto Tamada couldn’t get a good ‘feeling’ in the wet finishing the first sessions in Brno in a position that doesn’t reflect his capabilities. All eyes are looking towards the sky now to see if tomorrow will see conditions improving and race preparations can be made as well as an improvement in the results.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“It was a difficult first official practice which saw a few complications. We found a small technical problem on Max’s number one bike which he wanted to use in the session: that is the one with the new exhaust system, and then it started to rain again. Max preferred to concentrate all his work on this bike, thinking forward to Sunday’s race. An electronic glitch meant he couldn’t use this bike to its maximum potential. With help from the Honda technicians we are resolving the problem and we are hoping for dry conditions tomorrow, to continue preparations for the race and to get Max in a more favourable shape for Sunday.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 16th – 2’14.797
“Today I realised that the new things we received here are positive, but we have hardly been able to see how much. After a practically useless session this morning, we were then stopped by a technical hitch in the afternoon, which came about twenty minutes before the end. We were working well, and the bike was giving me good sensations, when I came into the box to make some modifications, and I basically didn’t go out again. Now we’re going to try to work out what happened, to test again tomorrow. Sixteenth fastest is realistic for the amount of work we did before the interruption, and now we hope that the weather can give us a hand tomorrow.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“Without a doubt today’s conditions are the worst sort for us, and the results show as much. Now we’re paying for the few tests we’ve done in the wet and with mixed track conditions like those today, we haven’t performed well. It’s a shame because the weather today prevented us from using the new material Bridgestone had prepared for us in the dry.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 24th – 2’16.926
“I had no feeling, very little grip and the results never came. It was a poor practice session and the main thing was that I couldn’t test the new tyres that Bridgestone had prepared for this race. I hope the weather changes and that the dry returns because I’ve got lots of work to do to prepare for Sunday’s race.”



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

CZECH REPUBLIC GP – 1st MOTOGP OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PRACTICE

RAIN SPOILS TEAM’S PLANS ON FIRST DAY

After temperatures reaching 37 degrees yesterday, the Brno sky was completely covered in cloud today and the rain which fell as a consequence spoilt the plans of the team. The new exhausts brought by Honda for Sete Gibernau stayed in the box in the hope that the conditions improve sufficiently to test them out tomorrow. Intermittent rain throughout the official practice session meant switching between intermediate and wet tyres, but nevertheless both riders reported having a good feeling. Sete qualified on the provisional front row as the top Honda whilst Colin Edwards, who has recovered from the effects of a virus which forced him to undergo several tests during the holiday, was eleventh fastest after picking the wrong tyres for the crucial final ten minutes of the session but is confident of improving tomorrow.

SETE GIBERNAU (3rd, 2’12″261): “This first day was a good chance to get back into the rhythm of a race weekend after the summ! er break and we’re working on it. Honda have brought us a new exhaust system to try here but I haven’t been able to take the new bike out on the first day and that will be a slight handicap when it comes to deciding which bike to race with. Hopefully I will get chance to ride it tomorrow if it doesn’t rain. In any case I don’t want to confuse matters too much; if I can’t see a clear difference between the two then I’ll go with the old exhaust. The track was quite slippery but we’ve been able to try a few different things and there is no need to panic because we have a good rhythm.”

COLIN EDWARDS (11th, 1’29″919): “We started with the setting we used at Donington until it began to rain. I feel good with the bike and we have a good base set-up for this circuit. In the last ten minutes we made a mistake with the choice of tyres, going out on mixed when it was still wet. It was a shame but I’m feeling okay about tomorrow.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager): “Today was a bit of a strange day because we were hardly able to get any laps in this morning and in the afternoon the track was too wet. Sete worked to set the bike up, but we haven’t had chance to try the changes Honda brought for us here. Sete is satisfied and I hope that tomorrow he can ty the new stuff. Colin had a good session and it was a shame about the mistake with the tyre choice but I am sure he will improve his time tomorrow.”

LAP TIMES
1. Carlos Checa (Spa/Yamaha) 2’11″188
2. Troy Bayliss (Aus/Ducati) + 0″781
3. Sete Gibernau (Spa/Honda) + 1″073
4. Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) + 1″597
5. Alex Barros (Bra/Honda) + 2″098
11. Colin Edwards (USA/Honda) + 2″761


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

ROBERTS IN TOP SIX AT RAINY BRNO

Round 10, Czech Republic GP, Brno
First Qualifying: Friday, August 20, 2004

Kurtis Roberts: sixth: 2:13.345
Nobuatsu Aoki: 19th, 2:15.801

Proton Team KR rider Kurtis Roberts claimed a second row position on the provisional starting grid with by far his best practice performance yet in his rookie MotoGP year, placing sixth-fastest in wet conditions at the 5.403km Brno circuit.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki was not so happy in the damp conditions, struggling with bike settings to place 19th fastest.

The weather played a crucial role in the huge improvement of fortune for Roberts, who is usually at the other end of the grid. And more rain is forecast for tomorrow, suiting both riders. However, dry weather is predicted for Sunday’s race.

This is the American rider’s first time at the Brno circuit for seven years, when he raced a 250 here.

The Proton riders are riding machines similar to those used at the last round, the British GP, before the three-weekend summer break. A revised engine with improved power is expected to be ready in two weeks, for the Portuguese GP at Estoril.

Today’s first qualifying sessions took place in drying conditions, but with the circuit remaining damp throughout the hour. There is one more day of practice and qualifying before Sunday’s race.

KURTIS ROBERTS
In the first half of the session the bike was moving around quite a bit. Then Tom (O’Kane, chief race engineer) got the set-up better so the front was sticking on turn in, and after that I was just running round getting used to it. I might have been a little faster but for that. It’s been a good day, and our best start to a race so far this year. Both bikes worked well in the afternoon, and I hope it rains again tomorrow. And for the race.

NOBUATSU AOKI
Not so good. I’m struggling with edge grip from the rear, and it was difficult even to do my lap time as it was. It seems we may have put too heavy a spring at the rear. We’ll change that and try again tomorrow.

CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager
That was fun. I was a little worried this morning when one of Kurtis’s bikes gave trouble, and we also kept getting caught out by the changing conditions, with the wrong tyres on. But this afternoon went well. We made some adjustments to Kurtis’s bike, and they worked well. It’s good to see him smiling. Now we need to get Nobu’s bike sorted out, and hope the weather stays the same.


More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

Czech Grand Prix, Brno
First Qualifying
Friday August 20 2004

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN SHINE AT RAINY BRNO
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss were in storming form at rain-lashed Brno today, making light of atrocious conditions to claim second and fourth places on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix.

Coming back strongly from their midseason break the pair proved once again that their Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4s are getting more competitive with every outing, regardless of track conditions.

“It’s nice to come back from our holidays with a good performance like today,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “It’s been a strange day because conditions were very changeable this morning, which meant the first session wasn’t useful to anyone. At least the conditions were wet throughout this afternoon’s session, so our guys could work on their wet-weather set-up. Troy was very fast, surviving a big slide on his fastest lap, and it’s also good to see Loris up front in these conditions. If we have a lot of rain tomorrow, we’ve already got good grid positions. If it’s dry, we’re ready to fight again.”

‘RUSTY’ BAYLISS SECOND QUICKEST
Troy Bayliss entertained fans with a display of rodeo riding in the closing stages of this afternoon’s opening qualifying session. The Aussie got his GP4 well sideways as he accelerated through the final esses, the bike ejecting him from the seat as he fought to regain control. Remarkably that was his best lap of the session, good enough to put him on provisional pole until Carlos Checa bettered him by a fraction of a second. Nonetheless Bayliss – who has admitted to feeling a little ‘rusty’ after the three-weekend midseason break – ended up second to put him on the provisional front row for the first time this season.

“I knew that was going to be a good lap,” said Bayliss. “I had run one tyre for most of the session then switched to a softer rear rain tyre which I knew would only be good for one or two laps. I made a mistake halfway through the last esses and got flicked out of the seat, so considering all that it wasn’t a bad lap. Today was the first time I’ve ridden this place in the wet and it seems pretty grippy. Right at the end I tried an intermediate but the track was still too wet, so I couldn’t touch the gas or lean the bike over. To be honest I feel a bit ‘rusty’. I haven’t touched a bike since Donington, which is something I’ll fix next year with a bit of motocross.”

CAPIROSSI FOURTH AND CONFIDENT
Loris Capirossi ended today satisfied with his progress in the treacherous conditions. The Italian Ducati Marlboro Team rider completed the outing fourth fastest, just half a second off the three-rider front row, and is feeling confident for Sunday’s race, whatever the weather may bring. Forecasts predict more rain tomorrow but sunshine on Sunday.

“I’m really happy with that,” said Capirossi. “The conditions this morning were no good, so I only rode four laps, and when this afternoon’s session started the track was very, very wet. There was less water around later on, but the surface was never dry enough for us to try running intermediates. Anyway, I’m pretty happy with my wet set-up, and fourth place is very encouraging for the race, especially if it’s wet. I think it’s a good signal, once again stressing the recent improvements we’ve made to the bike. We were close to the front at Donington and here we’ve proved we can also be fast in the wet. I hope tomorrow is dry, so we can work on a dry-track set-up, and Sunday too, because a dry race is better for everyone – for us and for the fans.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:


Byrne and McWilliams back on track in Brno

Rrefreshed after a long summer break, MS Aprilia Racing’s Shane Byrne and Jeremy McWilliams returned to track action at a wet Brno circuit this afternoon.

Reigning British superbike champion Byrne posted the 14th fastest time, while experienced team-mate McWilliams clocked the 20th best time in a rain-hit opening qualifying session. While heavy rain from earlier in the day had stopped for the start of the hour-long session, the challenging 5.403km was consistently wet throughout. When conditions were at their worst though in the opening stages, Byrne thrived on the challenge and for the opening quarter of the session was one of the fastest riders on track on board the Cube three-cylinder – comfortably holding a top three position. But as a fresh wind helped slightly improve surface conditions, he slipped down the standings and finished with a best time of 2.14.304s. McWilliams logged his best time of 2.15.801s on the 14th of his 19-lap stint.

Shane, who spent his summer break relaxing and recharging his batteries in Spain and Switzerland said: “Today reminds me of Assen earlier in the season when I saw the track for the first time and had to learn a new circuit in wet conditions. I like the track but I really need some dry track time to help me learn more and get a set-up for the race.”

McWilliams, who took time out with his family at home in Belfast during the break after a punishing six race schedule in eight weeks, said: “It was a difficult day because the conditions changed a lot during the session. I know that I haven’t reached anything close to the potential of the bike or myself and hopefully we’ll be better tomorrow.”

Weather forecasts have predicted more unsettled weather tomorrow, though conditions are expected to be fine for Sunday’s 22-lap race – round ten of the 2004 MotoGP world championship.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:


Roberts fastest Suzuki at damp Brno

Team Suzuki MotoGP rider Kenny Roberts Jr set the eighth-fastest time in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s Czech Republic GP. Team-mate John Hopkins was fastest in wet-and-dry morning free practice, but 18th fastest in the more consistently damp timed afternoon session. Suzuki test rider Gregorio Lavilla was 22nd-fastest, preparing for only his second GP of the year.

Hopkins had lapped within just over two seconds of the lap record in the morning, but times in the afternoon were more than ten seconds off that pace. The rain stopped falling during the session, but the 5.403km Brno circuit remained damp enough to prevent riders fitting slick tyres for faster times.

The bad weather is expected to continue tomorrow, with intermittent showers expected. However, the sun is forecast to return on race Sunday.

Both regular riders were enjoying being back on a racing motorcycle after the three weekend summer break, during which testing was banned.

Lavilla’s break from racing has been rather longer. The Brno wild card entry’s last outing, also as a wild card, was at the Catalunyan GP in mid-June, when the official Suzuki MotoGP test rider raced an experimental version of the GSV-R Suzuki. This time, his machine is similar to those raced by team regulars Roberts and Hopkins.

There is one more day of practice and qualifying before Sunday’s race, the tenth of 16 GPs this year, and the first round after a three-weekend summer break.

Kenny Roberts Jr. – Eighth position, 2:13.817
I think we still have some strides to make in all areas in wet condition. Tyre-wise,we’ve made a bit of a step since Jerez, but as you can see I think we need a big step to really make it competitive for the top three in these conditions. Realistically, once it starts to spin the rear wheel we also don’t have enough power to keep the lap time up. You’ve got to still ride it like a 250 in the wet, and you can’t spin it, otherwise you kill your straightaway speed, which is already a bit down. It’s a fine line between going fast and going slow. At the end, we put on a softer rain tyre, hoping for a better time, but the conditions were too dry by then. As for tomorrow, we’ll see what the weather does and try and get the bike the best prepared for the race, with the best set of tires on it, and go from there.

John Hopkins- 18th position, 2:15.394
I was struggling for grip in the wet. Aside from Kenny, all the other Bridgestone guys are at the back of the pack. I was slipping and sliding everywhere in the afternoon. Basically we need it to be dry. This morning when I was quickest I wasn’t even really going for a lap time. We already made three different adjustments to get the bike settings better, and I was just cruising. So I like to think we’re a step ahead in the dry. We’ll have to hope for the rain to go away.

Gregorio Lavilla – 22nd
I tested here for two days at the start of August, to confirm some information about Bridgestone tyres, to do endurance testing, and also to try and get my rhythm up. It’s a long time since I raced, and everyone else is in a different position. The level of my bike here is higher than in Barcelona – I have the latest engine, and basically the same machine as Kenny and John. I need to get my rhythm better, and I hope to finish in the points, and close to the other Suzuki riders.


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

Solid start for Xaus and Hodgson

The rain was undoubtedly the main factor on the first day of practice in Brno, where the d´Antin MotoGP riders stood out somewhat. Rubén Xaus and Neil Hodgson were in fifth and sixth positions respectively before their final entry into the pits, although they both preferred to continue testing set-ups for the race and lost a few positions until they concluded the session in ninth, for the Spaniard and tenth for the Briton.

Overall it was a positive day for both Xaus and Hodgson, who were both equally as boosted by the team’s new look.

RUBÉN XAUS: “I couldn’t believe it when I opened my eyes this morning, I thought it would be really hot like yesterday, but the conditions changed radically, but nonetheless it has been a fruitful day for us. I rode here in 96 with the Supersport, but it felt like a different track today. We’ve practiced in the wet though, we’ve tried some things, and I felt comfortable, although in the last fifteen minutes I went out onto track with cut-slick tyres on and the track was too wet for them to be of any help, so I lost positions. Ninth is okay, but the best thing is that we have some good information to work with tomorrow as we look towards the race. Today we came back with the batteries recharged and the times will come down like they always do.”

NEIL HODGSON “Although I rode here in 1995, the track seemed completely different today, but I still liked it as I remember. Things went well today, I’m feeling good on the bike in the wet because we can be competitive in these conditions despite having less experience on this track than most of the other riders. I rode with cut-slicks in the last minutes of the session, but it was a little dangerous because the track was still a bit too wet. Tomorrow we’ll continue our work and I hope to keep going like today, because the weather forecast is similar and we could be competitive.”


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