Final MotoGP Qualifying Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:39.419 2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:39.915 3. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:40.179 4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:40.465 5. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:40.542 6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:40.648 7. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:40.707 8. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:40.720 9. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:40.774 10. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:40.812 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:40.825 12. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:40.948 13. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:41.029 14. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:41.058 15. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:41.176 16. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:41.233 17. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:42.286 18. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:43.523 19. Franco BATTAINI, Blata WCM, 1:44.576 20. Shane BYRNE, KTM Proton KR, 1:44.728 21. James ELLISON, Blata WCM, 1:44.833 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi smashes pole record at Jerez Valentino Rossi will start the defence of his MotoGP World Championship title from pole position when the 2005 season gets underway at Jerez on Sunday after a stunning new lap record in today’s qualifying session. Rossi clocked a time of 1’39.419 to overcome the challenge of local hero Sete Gibernau and knock almost one and a half seconds off his previous record, set last season. “My fast lap was incredible!” smiled Rossi at the end of the single qualifying practice, which this year replaces the previous format of two sessions over the two days previous to the race for the MotoGP class only. “Michelin made a great job with the qualifying tyres my first one was good but the second was even better. There is a big question mark over the tyre choice for the race tomorrow because after a few laps they start to slide a lot, but it’s the same situation for everyone. Now we’re just looking for good weather tomorrow and hopefully it will be a beautiful race.” Rossi is not the only person in Jerez keeping their fingers crossed for good weather, with crowd figures expected to top the 125,000 who turned out here in torrential rain last season. Huge local support was on hand today to back Gibernau’s challenge for pole, which fell some 0.496 seconds short of Rossi’s stunning lap time. Gibernau will attack Rossi from second place on tomorrow’s grid and he will be joined on the front row by Marco Melandri, who will start his first MotoGP race for Honda from third spot. Melandri’s late effort knocked factory colleague and fellow youngster Nicky Hayden back to the second row, where he is joined by Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano and Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, who rode with a chipped bone in his ankle after crashing in this morning’s free practice. Makoto Tamada made a late charge to seventh place ahead of Honda colleagues Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss, denying Alex Hofmann a third row start as the German dropped to tenth place on the Kawasaki. John Hopkins battled through a bout of the flu and the effects of a crash this morning to qualify eleventh on the Suzuki whilst Ducati rival Carlos Checa, who is struggling with a shoulder injury, was twelfth. The surprise of the session came from Spanish rookie Toni Elías, who will make his MotoGP debut on the Yamaha tomorrow ahead of vastly more experienced rivals such as Kenny Roberts, Colin Edwards and Max Biaggi. Dani Pedrosa was the only rider capable of beating his provisional pole time in the 250cc class, with Sebastián Porto failing to improve his best effort from yesterday but hanging on to second place. Casey Stoner came within 0.017 seconds of the Argentinean as he consolidated his place on the front row in third but was unable to challenge Pedrosa for pole as the Spaniard raised the bar with a new record of 1’42.868. Randy de Puniet completes the front row in fourth place, whilst Alex de Angelis, Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barberá and Roberto Locatelli will look to challenge from row two. Marco Simoncelli held on to pole position for the 125cc race despite crashing just minutes into the session and failing to improve his provisional time. Fortunately for Simoncelli, the only rider to mount a serious threat was Fabrizio Lai, who closed to within 0.877 seconds of the Italian with the fastest time of the afternoon and moved up to the front row of the grid in fourth place behind Mattia Pasini and Thomas Luthi. Lai’s effort knocked Mika Kallio back to the front of the second row in fifth place ahead of Gabor Talmacsi, Hector Faubel and Rafael de Rosa, making just his second Grand Prix appearance from eighth on the grid. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 ROUND 1 – CIRCUITO DE JEREZ, SPAIN 9 APRIL 2005 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE NAKANO GOES TOP FIVE FOR KAWASAKI AT JEREZ Shinya Nakano opened the season with an impressive qualifying performance aboard the 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR, claiming fifth on the grid for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix with his final flying lap. Nakano was the fastest qualifier on Bridgestone tyres for the opening round of the 17-race MotoGP World Championship, to be held at the 4.4 km Jerez circuit in southern Spain. Joining Nakano in the top ten was his German teammate, Alex Hofmann, with a time just 0.3s slower than Nakano, posted during a difficult session in which riders were battered by strong winds and dust. With 15 minutes remaining of the one-hour session both Ninja ZX-RR riders were in the top five. With a superb last lap run on the latest Bridgestone qualifying tyre Nakano secured fifth position as the chequered flag waved. Meanwhile Hofmann was frustrated by traffic on his final lap and, while disappointed to drop to tenth, the 24-year-old German is in a buoyant mood for the race. Hofmann has concentrated on race set-up in free practice and claims to have a fast and consistent package for the 27-lap race. Today’s qualifying results were a reward for the fast-tracked development of Kawasaki’s new big-bang engine, which only made its public debut just over two months ago. Since those initial tests in Malaysia the engineering team, led by Technical Director Ichiro Yoda, have worked tirelessly to make the 990cc, in-line four-cylinder motor competitive at the opening race of the season. Overnight adjustments to the engine braking system provided more stability for both Nakano and Hofmann on corner entry. Hofmann sliced one second from his best Friday free practice time while Nakano was 0.9s quicker. Shinya Nakano: #56 – 5th – 1’40.542 “Again Bridgestone provided us with a very good qualifying tyre and this is a satisfying result for me and the team. But the race is more important, and I’m happy to be starting on the second row. For sure Valentino and Sete will be very strong, but I plan to follow them from the start and race for a good position. The wind was very difficult today, especially at the end of the back straight, but the ZX-RR felt more stable after further adjustment to the engine braking system.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – 10th – 1’40.812 “I was in the top five and my plan was to stay there, but it didn’t work out. I know I could have done better. I came across traffic on my final fast lap, so with this new single hour qualifying system perhaps you need some luck. But I’m ready for the race and I intend to make it happen in the first two laps; maybe surprise a few people because I have a fast, consistent race pace. It was very windy and dusty today and it reminded me a little of my days riding motocross with dust in my helmet.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “Today was an excellent result for the first qualifying session of the season, and the race debut of our new big-bang motor. Kawasaki in Japan have done a great job considering the short time frame with the decision to develop the new motor. Today Shinya was the fastest qualifier on Bridgestone tyres, and one position ahead of his qualifying position for the first race last year, and this gives us a lot of motivation for the season ahead. Alex should have been closer in qualifying, but he will race very strongly, this is what he has been working towards.” QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 – FINAL TIMES 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1’39.419; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.496; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.760; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +1.046; 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.123; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.229; 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +1.288; 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +1.301; 9. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +1.355; 10. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.393 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: ROSSI TAKES FIRST POLE OF 2005 WITH STUNNING LAP RECORD Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi and his YZR-M1 machine will start from pole position at the opening round of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship after a breathtaking performance in this afternoon’s qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Rossi smashed his own pole position record from last season by almost 1.5 seconds as he stormed to a time of 1’39.419, holding off the challenge of closest rival Sete Gibernau (Honda) by a comfortable 0.496 seconds. Colin Edwards enjoyed contrasting fortunes to his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate, struggling to convert his race pace to a qualifying lap and lining up 15th on the grid. Edwards has shown good consistency all weekend but suffered from grip problems with the front end of his YZR-M1 machine when using Michelin’s excellent rear qualifier and now faces a fight through the pack when Sunday’s race gets underway at 2pm local time. Rossi and Gibernau are joined on the front row of the grid by Marco Melandri (Honda), who posted his best time on the final lap to relegate Nicky Hayden (Honda) to the second row alongside Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati). VALENTINO ROSSI (1’39.419, 24 laps) “My fast lap was incredible! Michelin made a great job with the qualifying tyres my first one was good but the second was even better. There is a big question mark over the tyre choice for the race tomorrow because after a few laps they start to slide a lot, but it’s the same situation for everyone. Now we’re just looking for good weather tomorrow and hopefully it will be a beautiful race.” COLIN EDWARDS (1’41.176, 28 laps) “I was really confident that I would be able to lap in the mid-1’40 mark but it just didn’t happen today. The basic problem is that the rear qualifying tyre has so much grip that it pushes a lot of load on to the front and it keeps tucking under. I was losing the front all over the place and we just couldn’t come up with an answer in time. The good thing is that on race tyres I’m not having this problem and my pace is pretty good. I’ve been in the mid-41s fairly consistently and if I can grit my teeth together and squeeze a couple more tenths out then it should be enough to stay with the front group. The hardest thing will be to make sure I don’t get blocked in so I’ll be going out there to pass as many riders as I can from the first corner.” DAVIDE BRIVIO TEAM DIRECTOR “Valentino did an incredible lap and for a few minutes afterwards the garage was in shocked silence! Michelin have made a big step forward with the qualifying tyre and it allowed Valentino to exploit his full potential. But this is only pole position and our focus now is on the race. It will be a different matter altogether because tyre durability could become a major issue. Colin will start with a disadvantage because of his grid position but he has shown this weekend that he has good pace and I am looking forward to seeing him improve his position in the race. We’ll see what happens tomorrow but I’m confident that both our riders will be competitive.” FRONT ROW 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1’39.419 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP 1’39.915 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP 1’40.179 SECOND ROW 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1’40.465 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team 1’40.542 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’40.648 THIRD ROW 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Team 1’40.707 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda 1’40.720 9. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda 1’40.774 15. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1’41.176 More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: Both Camel Honda riders qualify in the top ten for Spanish GP Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss will both start from the third row of the grid in the Spanish GP tomorrow. With the eighth and ninth fastest times respectively, the two Camel Honda men were both in the top ten in today’s qualifying session after setting similar times and lapping inside last year’s pole record. Both riders battled in the top five throughout the session, when everybody was on race tyres, but lost a few positions in the final push on qualification rubber. Sito Pons Camel Honda “Both our riders will start from the third row with virtually the same qualifying time and just a hair’s breadth from the riders in front of them. In my opinion tomorrow’s race will be very combative and it will be important to get a good start. If they can get away well at the green light they should be able to stick with the pace of the lead group and, with both of them being the great fighters that they are, there’s every chance of a top result.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’40.720 8th fastest “Compared with the tests here two weeks ago the conditions have changed quite a lot and the difference is notable on the track. It was windy this afternoon, it was cold and that made it harder to ride than at the tests. We tried to change the set-up accordingly this morning but without too much success. In the afternoon we went back to a fork setting that worked better although it is still not as good as I would like. We’re about half a second off the pace and that isn’t satisfactory. Anyway, this is the best set-up we have found and I’ll have to try and fight my way to the front tomorrow so that we can take home a good result. As far as the tyres are concerned we don’t have a problem I’m ready for the race.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 1’40.774 9th fastest “I’m relatively happy the third row of the grid isn’t bad. We’ve improved but the guys at the front have set a very fast pace and it will be important to get a good start tomorrow. We’ve got a couple of things to try in the warm-up – nothing major, just small adjustments. I’m not really thinking about that though, just looking forward to a good race.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Marlboro Spanish Grand Prix, Jerez Qualifying, Saturday April 9 2005 CAPIROSSI DELIGHTS DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi produced an amazing qualifying performance at windswept Jerez this afternoon, scorching to sixth on the grid, despite riding with a cracked left ankle. The tough little Italian suffered the injury in a nasty tumble during this morning’s session but chose to ride on with the aid of pain-killing injections. Team-mate Carlos Checa is also riding injured, his recently dislocated left shoulder keeping him down in 12th spot. This weekend’s season-opening Marlboro Spanish GP sees the introduction of various new MotoGP regulations, including a single-session qualifying format and a reduction in fuel capacity to rein in engine performance. “For us there are two big changes this season – the reduction in fuel capacity to 22 litres and the improvement in tyre performance,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “When you have more grip you use more fuel because you can open the throttle sooner and, of course, we have less fuel to use. That’s why we’re still working at finding a perfect set-up for the race, so we’re absolutely delighted with Loris’ amazing qualifying performance today. It’s extra special because he is riding injured and because, apart from qualifying tyres, we did qualifying using a race set-up with normal race engine-mapping and so on.” Domenicali also confirmed his confidence in the factory’s innovative new engine-braking system, which both riders are using here. “I am 100 per cent positive that this is the future,” he added. “Of course, it isn’t fully matured yet, we are still making improvements to the software but our progress with the system has been very positive.” CAPIROSSI BATTLES TO SECOND-ROW START When Loris Capirossi highsided from his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 at turn three this morning he suffered a hairline fracture of a bone in his left ankle. But that wasn’t enough to put him out of action. “After the crash I went to the Clinica Mobile, where Dr Costa asked me what I wanted to do,” he said. “As usual I told him I wanted to go on, so they gave me three pain-killing injections in the ankle. I can ride okay but it’s not easy downshifting, so I’m really happy with this fantastic sixth place. I used two qualifying tyres – I didn’t fully exploit the first but the second tyre, which I’d never tried before, wasn’t too bad, so I was quite fast. The bike is growing, getting better all the time, but, of course, we still have improvements to make. I must say a big thank you to my crew for rebuilding my bike so quickly. I don’t know what to expect in the race except that the ankle won’t be great.” CHECA’S SHOULDER STILL WEAK Carlos Checa was an impressive fifth fastest after 30 minutes this afternoon but his shoulder got weaker as the session went on. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider ended up 12th and expects a gruelling race tomorrow. “Towards the end of the session the shoulder wasn’t so strong, which made it difficult to hold a line, so I was losing speed mid-corner,” said the Spaniard, cheered all the way by the Jerez crowd. “The strong wind made things even worse. I think we will be okay in the early stages of the race but it’s difficult to know what to expect later on. This is my first race with this bike, so I just want to get to know it some more and learn as much as I can.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing: 2005-04-09 GIBERNAU AND MELANDRI MAKE FRONT ROW AT JEREZ Sete starts first race of season as favourite whilst Marco targets podium on Honda debut SPANISH GP – MOTOGP QUALIFYING PRACTICE The MoviStar Honda MotoGP team will have both its riders on the front row of the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix after a thrilling qualifying session that was decided in the final seven minutes. Sete Gibernau improved his provisional pole time by almost a second and was the only rider other than Valentino Rossi to dip under the 1’40″ mark, whilst Marco Melandri was rewarded for his hard work and progress over the entire preseason. Last year’s MotoGP World Championship runner-up completed 11 of his 25 laps in the session at race pace, demonstrating a high level and establishing himself as the favourite to repeat his victory here from last season. With his bike set up for tomorrow’s race, Sete put qualifying tyres on seven minutes from the end of the session but traffic on the track prevented him from completing a perfect pole lap. Melandri could not have wished for a better debut with the team! and with Honda, his front row qualification signalling a wonderful start to the season for him. SETE GIBERNAU (2nd, 1’39″915): “I feel prepared for the race, ready to give it everything after the good work we have done in practice this weekend. On my flying lap with the soft tyre I ran into a bit of traffic and, as everybody knows, even the slightest thing can cost you the perfect lap time at this level. Despite all that the race is what really counts and in that sense my pace is good. I’m ready and I hope the people enjoy themselves tomorrow.” MARCO MELANDRI (3rd, 1’40″179): “To be starting my first Grand Prix with Honda and the team from the front row of the grid is incredible it’s almost as if I’m dreaming. I’m really happy because I’ve enjoyed myself riding the bike today in qualifying. I don’t think I’ll be able to follow Valentino and Sete in the race tomorrow but I’ll do m! y best.” LAP TIMES 1. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) 1’39″419 2. Sete Gibernau (Esp/Honda) + 0″496 3. Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) + 0″760 4. Nicky Hayden (USA/Honda) + 1″046 5. Shinya Nakano (Jap/Kawasaki) + 1″123 6. Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) + 1″229 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki MotoGP: Roberts Jr and Hopkins are ready to race Team SUZUKI MotoGP completed the final day of free practice and timed qualifying for the first round of the MotoGP World Championship at Jerez in Spain, with both racers bettering their previous best times. On an extremely windy and dusty track, Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins were affected by strong gusts that battered the circuit and hampered their attempts at fast qualifying times. This didn’t deter either rider as they searched for those ever important split seconds. Roberts Jr (1’41.058) knocked over a second off his time from Friday’s free practice session to put him on the fifth row for tomorrow’s race. His team worked hard to find the best settings, enabling Roberts Jr to exploit the chassis and traction improvements made at the test in Jerez two-weeks ago. Roberts Jr said: “The guys worked hard to improve the bike and because of that my time improved also. I was able to do 1minute 41 second laps on race tyres easier than I had done 42’s here previously. “I wanted to be further up the grid, but the wind really affected the GSV-R today during qualifying. I did the best I could and improved by over a second on yesterday’s time and we will have to see what the race holds for us. “The team has been terrific all week and has made big steps to get to where we are now. If we can stay out of trouble and get a bit of good luck and maybe some of the others have some bad luck, we will get a good result for all the hard work.” Hopkins (1’40.825) had a difficult qualifying session as he struggled to get into a fluid rhythm and put in the one fast lap that would have moved him towards the front of the grid. His morning test session came to an early end when he suffered a heavy fall in a high-speed crash – but fortunately walked away uninjured. The 21-year-old Anglo-American is still suffering from a bout of flu and commented: “I was disappointed with today, I know I could have got into the low 1’40’s or quicker, but the wind got right underneath the bike and made it very difficult out there. “I never got a clean lap in on my qualifying tyres – either other riders were in the way or I made a mistake. It meant that I had to do two laps on my Bridgestone qualifiers when they are only designed to do one fast lap. “I am confident I can make a good start in the race and make sure that I do my best from there. I want a decent result and I want it now!” Tomorrow’s race begins at 14.00CET and will be broadcast to over 200 countries with an estimated TV viewing audience of over 320 million fans. World Champion Valentino Rossi was today’s fastest rider and will start the race in pole position. Paul Denning – Team Manager: “It was an unfortunate qualifying session for both riders. John bounced back from a heavy crash this morning, but had no luck at all in the timed session. He was either baulked by another rider or forced to run wide on his fast laps. If he had managed to get in one clean lap, he had the potential to be in the top five – two tenths would have made all the difference. “The wind seemed to influence the performance of our bike more than others and if it stays as windy we may have to make some modifications to help the riders maintain corner speed. “Kenny improved significantly today and set the fifth quickest time in the morning practice session, but the wind also affected him badly this afternoon and his final position was not a true reflection on him or his GSV-R. However, the fact that riders’ of the quality of Colin Edwards and Max Biaggi are behind Kenny on the grid shows how competitive MotoGP really is.” Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Practice Classification: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’39.419: 2. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1’39.915: 3. Marco Melandri (Honda) 1’40.179: 4. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1’40.465: 5. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 1’40.542: 6. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1’40.648: 7. Makoto Tamada (Honda) 1’40.707: 8. Alex Barros (Honda) 1’40.720: 9. Troy Bayliss (Honda) 1’40.774: 10. Alex Hofmann (Kawasaki) 1’40.812: 11. JOHN HOPKINS (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 1’40.825: 14. KENNY ROBERTS JR (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 1’41.058: More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez Saturday April 9, 2005 GIBERNAU AND MELANDRI POWER ONTO FRONT ROW In fresh, blustery conditions in southern Spain Team MoviStar riders Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri both secured front row starts on their Honda RC211Vs in second and third positions behind pole-setter Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) for the opening race of the 2005 season. Gusting wind played havoc in this single timed hour-log session and although Gibernau had been dominant in all three free practice sessions, yesterday and this morning, he had no answer to Rossi’s 1m 39.419 second lap. The Spaniard is 0.496 seconds slower, but knows that a front row start will keep him in touch come tomorrow’s race. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) moved up to fourth fastest with 15 minutes of the session gone, but the veteran Brazilian couldn’t capitalise on his efforts and had to be content with eighth and a third row start. Perhaps the most encouraging display was from new Honda recruit Marco Melandri (Team MoviStar Honda RC211V) who secured his first front row start in his first race on an RC211V. The Italian is clearly a rejuvenated rider after his switch to Honda this season. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was caught out by the conditions early in the session and after a visit to the gravel at the end of the back straight he managed to recover momentum later in the hour and qualify sixth on the second row. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) became a short-lived pole holder with a 1m 41.005 second lap just before the halfway stage before Gibernau turned in a 1m 40.691 second lap to go pole again and steal the Japanese rider’s brief moment of glory. At the halfway stage the order was Gibernau, Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V), Nakano, Rossi, Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) and Carlos Checa (Ducati). Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) was struggling to make any progress and eventually had to settle for 16th while Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) who was fourth fastest at the mid-point ended up seventh after a fall. Hayden’s 1m 40.465 second time was good enough for provisional pole with ten minutes to go, but Rossi upped the pace to record the first ever sub-1m 40 second lap of the 4.423km track to snatch the initiative in this key opening encounter. But Gibernau’s response of a 1m 39.915 second lap shows the Spaniard is in contention here. “We did a pretty good job,” said Gibernau. “We’re working hard for what looks like it’s going to be a long, hard season. The race is going to be very hard on tyres and it will certainly be a great show for the crowd. We should have a consistent race pace for tomorrow.” Melandri was delighted with his front row start. “This is a wonderful day for my first race with Honda and now the dream has become a reality. Things look very positive for the race although it will be hard to follow Rossi and Sete. Honda and Michelin have worked very hard to get me here and I’m really looking forward to the race.” Nicky wanted more but settled for fourth. “Fourth isn’t the end of the world,” he said. “Although I’d have liked to have been on the front row. I’m not making excuses but I made some little mistakes into some of the fast turns, but I feel good about the set-up and I can’t wait to get a good start and mix it with the boys. It’s all coming together and I can’t wait.” Tamada is upbeat about tomorrow’s race, which he starts from row three. “The set-up was better today and the trouble I had in the entrance to some turns is almost solved. Unfortunately on my first lap on qualifying tyres, the wind caught me out at turn six and I ran off track, but despite this setback I’m ready to race tomorrow and fight for a win.” Barros said, “We tried to change the front-end set-up but without success. We went back to a previous setting but it’s still not as good as I would like. We’re about half a second off the pace and that’s not good enough. I’ll have to fight my way to the front tomorrow so we come away with a good result. But the tyres should be okay for the race so I’m ready.” “I’m relatively happy,” said Bayliss. “The third row isn’t bad. We’ve improved, but the guys at the front have set a very fast pace and it’ll be important to get a good start tomorrow. We’ve got a couple of things to try in the warm-up nothing major, just small adjustments, so I’m looking forward to a good race.” Max, in 16th, is more than disappointed. “The lap times tell the story,” he said. “Either with race rubber or qualifiers on it made no difference in these conditions. But I’ll be pushing to my best for everybody in the race.” In the 250cc category it was reigning World Champion Dani Pedrosa (Team MoviStar Honda RS250RW) who laid down the marker for his rivals with a stunning lap of 1m 42.868 seconds in the final minute of the session. Sebastian Porto qualified second with Casey Stoner third and Randy de Puniet completing the front row in fourth (all Aprilia). Again wind was the determining factor in the session and several riders fell in the opening minutes caught out either by gusts themselves or dirt blown onto the track. With twenty minutes of the session to go, the order was as it had been yesterday with Pedrosa on provisional pole, Porto second, with Stoner and de Puniet in the running. Pedrosa’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Team MoviStar Honda RS250RW) was fifth until Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) displaced him to sixth. Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified on row two for his debut 250cc race with his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) one row behind in ninth. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW), the reigning 125cc World Champion, will start his maiden 250cc race from tenth on row three with his team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) alongside him in 11th. “It’s been a good weekend so far,” said Dani. “We did well here testing in the winter and had a good set-up. The Honda is really fast this year and although the wind was bad and the track a bit dirty, the MotoGP qualifying session before ours helped clean the track a bit.” Aoyama said, “The conditions were terrible. It’s amazing how Dani managed to improve his time. I came in to change a front tyre, but the new one didn’t feel any better and I came back in to change to the original one and lost my rhythm.” Italian Marco Simoncelli (Aprilia) secured the opening pole position of the season in the 125cc class. He fell heavily in the opening minutes of today’s final half-hour of timed qualifying, but his Friday time of 1m 46.996 seconds proved unbeatable today. Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) qualified second with a rejuvenated Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) third and Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) completing the front row as fourth fastest rider. Lai was one of only two riders in the top ten to improve on his time from Friday. The Italian shaved just over four tenths of a second off his previous best lap time to record a 1m 47.873 second time to make the front row of the grid, while Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) was another improver who qualified in tenth place on row three. Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125RW) suffered in the windy conditions and could only manage 20th position and a fifth row start. Mike Di Meglio (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125R) starts on row four as 16th fastest qualifier. “The wind was too strong from the opening lap,” said Luthi, who managed to save a lurid front-end slide early in the session. “It was impossible to try for fast laps so I just concentrated on improving set-up. But the engine was very strong and that’s encouraging.” Lai echoed Luthi’s assessment. “The wind made things very hard,” he said. “There was sand blown onto the track and things were definitely better yesterday. We have a fabulous set-up and I was fastest in that session.” Honda Riders quotes: Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP team: 2nd: “I feel prepared for the race, ready to give it everything after the good work we have done in practice this weekend. On my flying lap with the soft tyre I ran into a bit of traffic and, as everybody knows, even the slightest thing can cost you the perfect lap time at this level. Despite all that the race is what really counts and in that sense my pace is good. I’m ready and I hope the people enjoy themselves tomorrow.” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda MotoGP team, 3rd: “To be starting my first Grand Prix with Honda and the team from the front row of the grid is incredible – it’s almost as if I’m dreaming. I’m really happy because I’ve enjoyed myself riding the bike today in qualifying. I don’t think I’ll be able to follow Valentino and Sete in the race tomorrow but I’ll do my best.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 4th: “Fourth isn’t the end of the world. Obviously I’d have liked to be on the front row after having been there all weekend. I made a little mistake in the second qualifying run when I ran into some traffic but I’m not making excuses. It was really windy out there and pretty challenging on some of the fast corners. I feel good about the set-up of the bike. I just want to get a good start and mix it with the boys we’re all in the ring together. I can’t wait. The atmosphere here is unreal. It’s gonna’ be a good show tomorrow for sure!” Makoto Tamada, Pilota Konica Minolta Honda: 7th: “Today the setting of the bike has got much better and allowed me to conquer a satisfying seventh place for tomorrow’s starting grid. The problems I had yesterday with the rear part of the bike while in breaking and in the entrance in the turns have been almost completely solved, while on the front part of the bike we still have to make some modifications to be at our best tomorrow afternoon. The thing that makes me the saddest is that during my first lap with qualifying tyres, while I was entering in the turn number 6, the wind blew me out of the track and therefore the bike got dirty and I had to enter the box. Despite this little problems I’m anyway satisfy of the position that I have conquered which will allow me to fight for the place that I aspire.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 8th: “Compared with the tests here two weeks ago the conditions have changed quite a lot and the difference is notable on the track. It was windy this afternoon, it was cold and that made it harder to ride than at the tests. We tried to change the set-up accordingly this morning but without too much success. In the afternoon we went back to a fork setting that worked better although it is still not as good as I would like. We’re about half a second off the pace and that isn’t satisfactory. Anyway, this is the best set-up we have found and I’ll have to try and fight my way to the front tomorrow so that we can take home a good result. As far as the tyres are concerned we don’t have a problem I’m ready for the race.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 9th: “I’m relatively happy the third row of the grid isn’t bad. We’ve improved but the guys at the front have set a very fast pace and it will be important to get a good start tomorrow. We’ve got a couple of things to try in the warm-up – nothing major, just small adjustments. I’m not really thinking about that though, just looking forward to a good race.” Max Biaggi. Repsol Honda Team, 16th: “How did it go? The lap times tell: 16th time, only three riders behind me today. I’ve never done any worse than that in my entire life, not even at my first race in the Sport Production, back in 1989. The result tells that there is a huge mystery. I know I drove to the limit and I have the skill to claim that more than this was not possible. Racing tires, soft tires or qualifying tires made no differences in this condition. Cornering, in and out, turned again to the nightmare I had here at last IRTA test. I’m very disappointed and I feel sorry especially for my supporters. Also for them I will keep on pushing it to my best until the last lap. Hoping that, sooner or later, this terrible dream will come to an end.” 250cc: Dani Pedrosa, Movistar Telefonica Honda: 1st: “We tested well at this circuit during the winter and the bike is ready to race. Looking at things today I’m sure it’s going to be very tough. There are a lot of people out there who want to beat me at any cost and I’m also going out to win, so it should be an intense and difficult first round, no doubt. It will be good if it’s not as windy tomorrow as it was today, but we’re ready. I’m not too keen on this circuit but I’d love to put things right in front of my home fans and produce a great race.” Hiroshi Aoyama, Movistar Telefonica Honda: 6: “We tested a new front tyre today and I didn’t feel too comfortable with it. My pace was a little slower than yesterday and I didn’t manage to improve my fastest lap, but I don’t think there is a huge gap and I’m hopeful of following the pace of the lead group in the race tomorrow.” Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda, 7th: ” It was hard for me to ride comfortably this afternoon. I felt better yesterday. I’m sure this was down to the strong winds which have battered the circuit all day though. It’s difficult to enter the corners at certain places around this track, mostly because it is hard to feel the front end of the bike. Although I was able to improve my time at the end of the session, I am certain that in any other conditions I would have been able to do even better. I can’t wait for the first race too start now.” Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda, 9th: “There was a lot of traffic ahead of me when I decided to push a bit harder. If it hadn’t been like that I feel that I wouldn’t have had problems to ride at 1.43″¦ Feeling sorry about that doesn’t help though. Tomorrow I will try to do my level best. I’m sure it will be a very exciting race.” Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Racing Honda 250: 10th: I don’t like this circuit but I’m happy because the feeling with my Honda is getting better. I start from the third row tomorrow but and it will be difficult keep the same pace as the leaders, it is very important I make a good start.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Honda 250: 11th: “I am quite happy because the bike has improved from this morning and I have used the tyres. I will race with tomorrow. It was very windy today and the track was very dirty. But we had god tests here at Jerez so I know the track and I am looking forward to my first race in Europe.” Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: 14th: “The time is not so bad, it’s good I’m the second kit bike on the grid. We found a really good set up today. The engine for this year is very good and we have a very good balance between engine power and the chassis set up. If I get a good start we will have a good race, I am aiming to finish in the top ten.” Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 15th: “I’m reasonably happy with qualifying, the bike was really good, much better than I thought it would be after testing here recently. The team have made big improvements, particularly big steps with the frame. The only small problems lay with the rider but he will be OK tomorrow.” 125cc: Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 3rd: “Today the wind was too strong to get in a fast lap. I tried it when I first went out but I saw it was impossible and concentrated on finding an improved set up. The new bike is perfect, the engine is very strong, and Sepp Schlogl is working with us. You could say I’m really happy and ready for the race.” Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 4th: “The wind was too hard today and brought a lot of sand onto the surface. The track condition was much better yesterday, now its about a second slower but I managed to be fastest in session. I’m beginning to feel much more comfortable on the bike. Acceleration is better and we have found a good set up for the chassis. The only worry I have is the rear tyre.” Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 10th: “I have tested at Jerez twice this winter and I know the track quite well now. I like it especially the fast corners. The engine has good power and the chassis set up is good for the track so I am happy and looking forward to the race.” Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Honda: 20th: “Things are a little difficult at the moment. We were not so fast yesterday and change set up but went in the wrong direction. We changed to original setting for the final session but with the track conditions we could not improve. Still I am learning a lot about the new bike, we are confident about the season.”