From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004 GRAN PREMI DE CATALUNYA 11TH JUNE 2004 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

NAKANO MAKES FAST RETURN TO FORM

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano made a confidence boosting return to riding today, claiming eighth on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Catalunya Grand Prix.

It was a courageous performance coming just five days after the affable Japanese rider cheated serious injury in a horrifying 300 kph crash in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

In heatwave conditions at Barcelona Nakano put aside the mental demons and continuing back pain to post a superb qualifying effort just one second off pole position.

When Nakano completed his first laps aboard his Ninja ZX-RR in this morning’s free practice he admitted it was “difficult to forget” his Mugello crash.

Also in fine form was Ninja ZX-RR teammate Alex Hofmann, whose 15th fastest time did not reflect his effort and performance potential at one of his favourite tracks.

Hofmann was disappointed not to maximise his late session, soft tyre, qualifying run when baulked by traffic. His best time was just 0.3s off a top ten grid position.

In morning practice Hofmann was unhappy with grip levels and braking stability, but suspension and chassis changes for the qualifying session delivered a big improvement.

Both Nakano and Hofmann acknowledged the efforts of Bridgestone in supplying a modified rear tyre specification in response to the problems that triggered Nakano’s Mugello crash.

With a tight three day production schedule, Bridgestone say they have delivered 100 tyres across three construction types for their riders at Barcelona. This is a smaller choice than usual, but an impressive response from the Japanese tyre company given the circumstances of the back-to-back GP time frame.

Shinya Nakano: 8th (1’43.948) “This morning it was difficult to forget what happened at Mugello when I first went out on the track. But Bridgestone have new tyres here and have promised they have solved the problems, and I trust them. I still have some pain in my back, but I have put all this out of my mind to concentrate on my job. In the afternoon I was confident again, riding as I normally do. So far I have found the tyre performance in terms of grip the same as before, although we still have to confirm the race endurance of the new tyres. I’m hoping to stay in the top eight tomorrow.”

Alex Hofmann: 15th (1’44.623)
“I wasn’t happy with my final fast laps with the traffic and then pushing too hard in the chicane, I lost some time out on the track. In the morning session I couldn’t find a good balance, but in qualifying I had a much better set-up, with improved grip and more stability on the brakes. Even so, I’ve got a positive outlook for the weekend, especially with the impressive work Bridgestone have done, although we still have to check the race distance performance.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager “That was an amazing effort from Shinya to get his confidence back so quickly after Mugello. Alex is also looking strong, and this is a good start to the weekend. Bridgestone have made a huge effort to bring new tyres for the weekend and, hopefully, we will have a good tyre option for the race to back up our qualifying performance.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 – FINAL TIMES
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1:42.934; 2. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.629; 3. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +0.774; 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.776; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.906; 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.926; 7. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +0.977; 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.014; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +1.137; 10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.343; 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.356; 12. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +1.368; 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.689