Starting Grid Dutch TT Assen, Holland 1. John Hopkins (Suz GSV-R), 1:36.411, Bridgestone 2. Shinya Nakano (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:36.424, Bridgestone 3. Colin Edwards (Yam YZR-M1), 1:36.755, Michelin 4. Nicky Hayden (Hon RC211V), 1:36.758, Michelin 5. Dani Pedrosa (Hon RC211V), 1:36.993, Michelin 6. Chris Vermeulen (Suz GSV-R), 1:37.077, Bridgestone 7. Marco Melandri (Hon RC211V), 1:37.332, Michelin 8. Carlos Checa (Yam YZR-M1), 1:37.378, Dunlop 9. Alex Hofmann (Duc GP06), 1:37.399, Bridgestone 10. Kenny Lee Roberts (Roberts KR211), 1:37.528, Michelin 11. Randy de Puniet (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:37.556, Bridgestone 12. Casey Stoner (Hon RC211V), 1:37.660, Michelin 13. Makoto Tamada (Hon RC211V), 1:37.676, Michelin 14. James Ellison (Yam YZR-M1), 1:38.055, Dunlop 15. Loris Capirossi (Duc GP06), 1:38.060, Bridgestone 16. Jose Luis Cardoso (Duc GP05), 1:39.406, Dunlop 17. Ivan Silva (Duc GP05), 1:39.496, Dunlop 18. Valentino Rossi (Yam YZR-M1), 1:40.298, Michelin 250cc GP Qualifying: 1. Jorge Lorenzo (Apr RSV250), 1:40.007 2. Alex de Angelis (Apr RSV250), 1:40.137 3. Andrea Dovizioso (Hon RS250R), 1:41.194 4. Shuhei Aoyama (Hon RS250R), 1:41.260 5. Yuki Takahashi (Hon RS250R), 1:41.279 6. Marco SIMONCELLI (Gilera) 1:41.327 7. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Apr RSV250), 1:41.392 8. Roberto LOCATELLI (Apr RSV250), 1:41.434 9. Alex DEBON (Apr RSV250) 1:41.452 10. Hiroshi Aoyama (KTM), 1:41.604 125cc GP Qualifying: 1. Mika KALLIO (KTM), 1:44.532 2. Alvaro Bautista (Apr RS125R), 1:44.580 3. Lukas Pesek (Derbi), 1:44.838 4. Sergio GADEA (Apr RS125R), 1:44.874 5. Mattia PASINI (Apr RS125R), 1:44.925 6. Hector FAUBEL (Apr RS125R), 1:45.240 7. Andrea IANNONE (Apr RS125R), 1:45.289 8. Nicolas TEROL (Derbi), 1:45.494 9. Simone CORSI (Gilera), 1:45.530 10. Pablo NIETO (Apr RS125R), 1:45.542 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: FRONT ROW FOR KAWASAKI’S NAKANO AT ASSEN Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow’s 26-lap Dutch TT from the front row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in second place during this afternoon’s hour-long timed session at Assen. The 28-year-old Japanese rider stole pole position early on in the session, but was pushed back to second place by a hard charging Colin Edwards after 20 minutes at the top of the timesheet. Nakano responded with ten minutes left on the clock, retaking pole position from the American and holding on almost to the chequered flag. With just 14 seconds remaining of the session, Nakano was knocked from the top spot by John Hopkins, who bettered the Kawasaki rider’s lap time by just 0.013s to steal pole position for tomorrow’s race. Although a little disappointed to have missed out on his, and Kawasaki’s, first pole position in the premier class by such a narrow margin, Nakano is happy to be starting from the front row of the grid on a revamped Assen circuit that offers few opportunities for overtaking. For Randy de Puniet, today’s hour-long qualifying session was a frustrating one. The 25-year-old Frenchman was disappointed to finish 11th fastest overall, and knows that starting from the fourth row of the grid will make for a hard race tomorrow. Although fast around the old parts of the circuit, the Kawasaki pilot lost valuable time each lap as he struggled to get to grips with the new section of track that has replaced the old North Loop. De Puniet will again concentrate on this section during tomorrow’s 20-minute warm up, when he is hoping to unlock the secret to a fast time through the difficult Ossebroeken right-hander. Shinya Nakano: 2nd – 1’36.424 “Everything came together for us today. The bike and tyres were working well, especially the qualifiers from Bridgestone, so I knew that pole position was a possibility. In the end I lost out by the smallest amount, but the important thing is that I will start the race from the front row. As soon as practice started on Thursday it was obvious that there aren’t many places to overtake on this new circuit, so a front row start is important if you are to avoid a difficult fight through the field. So, we achieved today what we set out to do, and now I need to make sure I get away cleanly from the line tomorrow, so I can take maximum advantage of starting with a clear track in front of me. On race tyres today I was able to lap consistently to stay in the top five on the timesheet, so our original aim for the weekend of securing our best result of the season so far is looking to be a very realistic possibility.” Randy de Puniet: 11th – 1’37.556 “This afternoon was disappointing; I was actually quicker during this morning’s free practice session. The problem is the first section of the track, I just can’t seem to find the right line, especially through the long, right-hand Ossebroeken turn. Even when I was behind Colin Edwards through this section, I just didn’t seem to be able to follow the same lines as he was taking, and I still lost time. It’s frustrating, because my times through the remaining sectors are good, but the new section loses me too much time on every lap. The only thing I can do is to try some variations to my line through Ossebroeken tomorrow during warm up, and I hope we can find some improvement before the race. Starting from the fourth row of the grid doesn’t make my job any easier in tomorrow’s race but, as always, I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to get the best result possible.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “With the changes made to the first part of the track, it seems that Assen probably suits the characteristics of our Ninja ZX-RR better than any other track on the calendar. Shinya was consistent on race tyres during practice and qualifying today, before switching to Bridgestone’s qualifiers and putting in one of his best qualifying performances to date. He has given himself the best possible chance by qualifying on the front row, and I think he is capable of securing his, and Kawasaki’s, best result of the season so far tomorrow. I know Randy is disappointed not to have finished higher up the grid after all his hard work today, but he seems to be struggling with the first part of the circuit and it looks like he is fighting too much with the bike. I hope we can improve his set up for tomorrow, because I know he will want to push hard in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Marlboro: CAPIROSSI BATTLES PAIN, HOFMANN ON THIRD ROW Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Alex Hofmann qualified 15th and ninth fastest for tomorrow’s Dutch TT at Assen. This afternoon’s qualifying session was a major challenge for both men, Capirossi riding in considerable pain from the injuries he sustained in last Sunday’s turn-one crash at Catalunya, Hofmann still getting to know the bike and tyres he has inherited from Sete Gibernau, who broke a collarbone in the same accident. Capirossi’s biggest problem is the chest injuries he sustained last weekend because excellent upper-body strength is essential in motorcycle racing. The Italian is struggling despite using pain-killing therapies and undergoing extensive physiotherapy at the Clinica Mobile. Hofmann, who rode the Desmosedici GP6 and its Bridgestone tyres for the first time yesterday morning, has acquitted himself well, qualifying on the third row, just three tenths of a second off row two. LORIS CAPIROSSI, 15th fastest, 1m 38.060s “This is really hard, much harder than I thought it would be before we came here. I can’t breathe normally and every bump feels like the stab of a knife. I have been given mesotherapy pain treatment but even that’s not enough to take away the pain from my injured chest. I’d like to thank all the guys at the Clinica Mobile because they’re taking great care of me and we are so close that they also help me from a psychological point of view. This is a bad moment for me, without last Sunday’s crash I could have arrived here leading the championship. It’s a real pity I got hurt at the start of a run of three back-to-back races, but that’s racing. Maybe my determination to never give up is what’s getting me through this. I want to race tomorrow to score some points because you can win or lose a championship by a single point and there’s still plenty of the season ahead of us.” ALEX HOFMANN, 9th fastest, 1m 37.399s “Considering the limited time I’ve had on the bike and these tyres I’m happy. The team has done a great job and I’d like to thank everyone for giving me this chance. This afternoon was my first time on qualifying tyres with this package, so my goal was to be within one second of pole position and we managed that. I’m on the third row and the times are really close, so I’m not far off the best guys. We focused on tyres, rather than doing too much on set-up. I tried a different rear and a harder front at the start of this afternoon’s session but they weren’t my style, so they didn’t do my confidence any good. After that we went back to the tyres I already knew and I began to pick up my pace, feeling quite comfortable on the bike. I think I can do 38s on race tyres. I’m pretty sure the race will be really good because I will get to know the bike and tyres better, so I’ll find the bit of confidence I’m missing and my rhythm should be faster.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “I would like to thank Loris for his unbelievable effort because we know he is really suffering. We would also like to thank the Clinica Mobile for looking after him so well. It’s not nice to see Loris in trouble but we know he will do his best in the race because he is a real lion. Congratulations to Alex who is doing a great job on Sete’s bikes. He was very consistent today and he went very well on qualifying tyres.” Temperatures: Ambient: 20 degrees. Track: 23 degrees More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: EDWARDS SEALS FRONT ROW START AS ROSSI STRUGGLES FOR FITNESS Camel Yamaha Team team-mates Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi will start from opposite ends of the grid in tomorrow’s 76th edition of the Dutch TT after enjoying contrasting fortunes in qualifying practice. Whilst Edwards was consistently amongst the fastest riders on track throughout the day, topping the time sheets in morning free practice before clocking the third quickest time to seal a front row start in the decisive afternoon session, Rossi continued to suffer from the effects of a heavy crash yesterday and was only able to complete fourteen laps in qualifying. The Italian’s best effort was almost four seconds off the pole position time of 1’36.411 set by John Hopkins (Suzuki) and he now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be able to take his place at the very back of the grid for the eighth round of a luckless season. Rossi will undergo further therapy this evening but his participation in the event will not be 100% confirmed until after tomorrow’s morning warm-up, when he will make a final assessment of his fitness along with the Clinica Mobile doctors. COLIN EDWARDS (3rd 1’36.755; 27 laps) “Obviously I would have liked to be on pole position and I felt with the pace we were setting that we had a good shot. I went out there at the start of the session and ran a couple of tyres. On my final race tyre I was really happy with the pace and then we started throwing some qualifiers on but I don’t know if I had a 1’36.4 in my bag. I was pretty happy with 36.7 that I did but for Hopkins and Nakano to do a 36.4 was pretty impressive so it would have been a case of taking my brain out and setting it on one side to try and match that! Anyway, right there at the end Stoner and Pedrosa were just sitting in the middle of the track on my last lap so we’ll never know. As I say my race pace is good so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and I just hope Valentino can make the best possible recovery overnight to try and salvage something from the weekend.” VALENTINO ROSSI (18th 1’40.298; 14 laps) “This afternoon I tried using some painkillers but the fracture in my right wrist hurts a lot. Truly it was very difficult to ride – the hand is very swollen and I don’t have much strength. Together with Marco Montanari and Doctor Claudio Costa we have done the best that was possible, I’ve had a lot of treatment and I was able to ride for a few laps, but the strong pain stopped me from finishing the qualifying session. Tomorrow we will see how I am and, depending on what happens in the warm-up, we will decide whether I will ride or not. Anyway it’s going to be very difficult. We tried to move the brake lever a little bit down and we’re now looking at the possibility of making a bigger brake lever to see if this is better for me.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Colin did a good job he was consistently fast in every practice session and qualified on the front row so we couldn’t ask for much more. The omens are good for the race for him and starting from the front row makes him one of the contenders to win the race. Unfortunately that is not the case for Valentino. He had to be very strong just to complete a few laps this afternoon and now it is just a case of letting him rest and seeing how his condition develops overnight. Obviously we want him to race but our first concern is his physical condition. Thankfully the Clinica Mobile is doing a fantastic job, as always, and we know he is in good hands.” FIRST ROW 1. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP, 1’36.411 2. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’36.424 3. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’36.755 SECOND ROW 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’36.758 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’36.993 6. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP, 1’37.077 THIRD ROW 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’37.332 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’37.378 9. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’37.399 18. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’40.298 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: HOPKINS TAKES MAIDEN POLE WHILST ROSSI STRUGGLES WITH INJURY John Hopkins took his maiden MotoGP pole this afternoon, Rizla Suzuki’s second of the 2006 season. The Anglo-American clocked a time of 1’36.411 to take the top spot on an overcast day at the Assen Circuit, leading a front four containing four different manufacturers. Hopkins edged out second placed rider Shinya Nakano by just 13 thousandths of a second, with the strong-qualifying Japanese rider putting himself on the front row. Colin Edwards, fastest in every practice session ahead of Saturday’s A-style TT Assen, completed the first line. Repsol Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa headed row two, still under the 1’37 barrier, whilst Chris Vermeulen rounded off a superb day for Rizla Suzuki by placing in the top six qualifiers. Marco Melandri, still tender from his huge crash in Catalunya, battled through the pain barrier to finish ahead of yesterday’s surprise package Carlos Checa, whilst Ducati debutant Alex Hofmann earned his best qualifying performance of the season in ninth. The big news of the day came from World Champion Valentino Rossi, always making headlines even when off the pole-spot. The MotoGP star rode just four laps in the morning session before heading to the Clinica Mobile. After further treatment to the hairline fracture on the title-holder’s hand, Rossi came out for the qualifying session, where he put in just thirteen laps of the newly-modified track. After an initial attempt to earn a high grid position without qualifying tyres, the Camel Yamaha rider called it a day in order to rest for tomorrow’s race. Technicians for the team have modified the brake lever of the M1 to aid Rossi’s comfort, their rider starting from eighteenth and last place on the grid and taking the decision whether to compete or not after tomorrow’s warm-up. Fellow injury-listed Italian Loris Capirossi was also suffering the after-effects of his Catalunya crash, and will start tomorrow’s Dutch race from fifteenth on the Ducati. 250cc Jorge Lorenzo took his fifth pole of 2006 at the Assen Circuit today, and will start the 250cc A-Style TT Assen ahead of his two constant rivals in the quarter litre class tomorrow. The Fortuna Aprilia rider took the top spot with a 1’40.007 lap, 0.137 of a second ahead of Alex de Angelis, with championship leader Andrea Dovizioso over a second behind the front two. The top eleven were all within a second of the Italian Honda rider, with little separating his time from those of Shuhei Aoyama, Yuki Takahashi and Marco Simoncelli in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. 125cc After failing to earn points at Catalunya, second placed 125cc rider Mika Kallio needs a strong performance in Assen to keep in the title chase. The Finnish rider trails Alvaro Bautista by a considerable margin in the overall classification, and aided his chances by taking pole for tomorrow’s A-Style TT Assen. Kallio took the front position at the last moment, half a tenth ahead of his title rival Bautista. Lukas Pesek, who yesterday took provisional pole, completes the front row alongside Sergio Gadea. Mattia Pasini, Andrea Iannone, Nico Terol and Simone Corsi make up the second row, whilst Pablo Nieto and Gabor Talmacsi round off the top ten. MotoGP 1st position John Hopkins (Suzuki), 1’36.411 : “I gave all I had, as have Suzuki and Bridgestone this entire year. We have worked hard to be amongst the frontrunners, and after a few second places we have finally managed to get on pole.” 2nd position Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), 1’36.424 : “I have felt good since the first day, and I have been improving day by day. Second place isn’t bad at all, because it gives me a lot of strength for tomorrow’s race.” 3rd position Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 1’36.755 : “I would have liked to have taken pole, of course. I was pretty happy with my times that I did with the qualifying tyres, but to tell the truth the reason I’m in third is because those ahead of me did some great lap-times.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: SUPERB DISPLAY FROM MARCO MELANDRI WHO CLAIMS SEVENTH ON GRID JUST DAYS AFTER HIS SERIOUS ACCIDENT His team-mate Toni Elias begins a physiotherapy programme today FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri, still troubled by pain after his serious crash at Catalunya just a week ago, finished the second day of qualifying for the Dutch GP at Assen in fine style. The Italian is still suffering pain in his neck and back, but finished seventh in qualifying and will now start Saturday’s race on the third row of the grid. The result demonstrates, once again, the great spirit and determination of the FORTUNA HONDA rider who was back on his bike just four days after his accident. His team-mate Toni Elias, who returned to Barcelona late last night after a fall in the morning free session yesterday, underwent a scan which confirmed he had fractured a bone, although without damaging the surrounding muscles and tendons. The early diagnosis is a fracture of his left humerus, Doctor Mir has ruled out surgery to correct it but revealed Elias faced an intense programme of physiotherapy. MARCO MELANDRI (7th – 1’37.332): “I am happy with my performance, just to be on the grid tomorrow is a success for me. Considering the situation, the seventh place tastes like a victory. Today I did not complete too many laps because I still have a lot of pain in my neck and both shoulders. The race will be very difficult and I don’t know if I’ll be able to manage 26 laps because i don’t have enough strength, but I’ll try to get a good start and see how we go. I want to thank the Clinica Mobile, and also the hospital in Catalunya who have showed great professionalism at every moment with me.” QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1. J.Hopkins (USA/Suzuki) 1’36″411 2. S.Nakano (Jap/Kawasaki) 1’36″424 3. C.Edwards (Usa/Yamaha) 1′ 36″755 7. M.MELANDRI (Ita/Honda) 1’37″332 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone Motorsports: Bridgestone secures Assen 1-2 as Hopkins takes debut pole Suzuki rider John Hopkins today claimed his first ever pole position as he became the fourth Bridgestone rider to claim the front of the grid this season ahead of tomorrow’ Dutch TT in Assen. Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano headed the field for most of the hour-long session but was forced to settle for an excruciatingly close second place just 0.013s adrift of Hopkins pole time. His second place equalises Bridgestone’s one-two front row qualifying result from the 2006 season-opener in Jerez, which it went on to win. Bridgestone were represented by a further two riders in the top ten as Chris Vermeulen placed his Suzuki in sixth with Alex Hofmann, making his debut in the Ducati team in place of injured Sete Gibernau, taking a solid ninth place. Randy de Puniet was just 0.028s outside of the top ten in 11th for Kawasaki and Loris Capirossi finished the session in 15th bravely battling the after-effects of last weekend’s crash in Catalunya. John Hopkins (1st, 1m36.411s Suzuki): “What can I say? I’ve had lots of front row starts and now I’ve finally got that pole position. I am pleased with how the set-up has gone and I am enjoying the track and making the best of everything. My team is working really hard and Bridgestone have brought some great tyres for this weekend. We have got to try really hard tomorrow and go after that first podium. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders getting this pole position out of the way, now we have to concentrate on the 26 laps tomorrow. My thanks go to the crew, to Bridgestone for some awesome tyres and to Suzuki for improving their level so much. Everything seems to be coming together and we are looking forward to tomorrow. “ Bridgestone-shod teams have frequented the front of the field in each of the three free practice sessions since Thursday morning and have benefited from the new lower temperature compounds developed especially for Assen and Donington. Together with Catalunya, these two events combined to produce a terrible trio of tracks for Bridgestone in 2005, but developments over the last twelve months seem to be paying dividends. Shinji Aoki, Assistant Manager Motorcycle Race Tire Development: “To start the race from pole is always a tremendous feeling, but a one-two is even better and I must say congratulations to John for his first pole position. Shinya also wanted that first place really badly but his performance today showed that his debut pole will be coming soon. I think strong grid positions will be especially important in tomorrow afternoon’s race because the modifications made to the Assen circuit have rendered passing very difficult. We are first to acknowledge that some of our immediate rivals appear to have a stronger race pace, but we are also encouraged by the pace and consistency of our tyres over long runs. We did not perform well here last year with the highest Bridgestone rider in a lowly eighth place. But I am confident that if our riders get off the line swiftly and cleanly and keep a good position heading through turn one, they have a chance of chasing a podium finish tomorrow.” Qualifying Results Grid Rider Motorcycle Best Lap Time Gap to Pole P1 John Hopkins Suzuki 1m36.411s Pole P2 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 1m36.424s +0.013s P6 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m37.077s +0.666s P9 Alex Hofmann Ducati 1m37.399s +0.988s P11 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 1m37.556s +1.145s P15 Loris Capirossi Ducati 1m38.060s +1.649s Friday Morning Review Bridgestone demonstrated its potential at Assen in the third free practice on Friday morning with the performance of Kawasaki particularly encouraging around the new-look 4.555km track. Randy de Puniet continued where he left off on Thursday by taking third spot just 0.256s from the pace-setter. His team-mate Shinya Nakano was classified fifth with a best lap of 1m37.953 posted at the end of a thirteen-lap run on his selected Bridgestone race compound, a run which had seen the Japanese rider consistently lapping in the low-mid 1m38s. Suzuki pairing John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen were also in the top ten just a tenth-of-a-second apart in eighth and tenth respectively, whilst Ducati’s tough weekend continued with Alex Hofmann and Loris Capirossi in 14th and 15th. More, from a press release issued by Pramac D’Antin: CARDOSO WANTS MORE POINTS, SILVA IS READY FOR THE DEBUT The weather conditions were stable today, so both riders of the Team PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP took full advantage of both practice sessions. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO classified himself in 17th position with the DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.”, preceding his “temporary” Team mate by a few hundredth. IVAN SILVA already demonstrated that he has great qualities of adaptation in his first experience on a MotoGP bike. Tomorrow the start of the race of the MotoGP class will be at 2 p.m.. The whole Team has worked intensively and hopes that the weather conditions will remain dry. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30 (16th – 1’39.406): “The things went better today than during the other races, our distance from the first riders is now a bit lower. We worked for the race and our rhythm is now more regular; there are improvements and we only need to verify the real duration of our tyres during the races. At the end of today’s qualifying session, I used two qualifying tyres but I committed some errors and that’s why I couldn’t exploit them to the maximum. Tomorrow, we will see what will happen, I will give my maximum and I would really like to gain other points after the ones I obtained in the Catalunya GP”. IVAN SILVA #22 (17th – 1’39.496): “The situation is very positive, we worked in a good way, there were no crashes and I can say I am satisfied. It’s a pity I had no time to put the second qualifying tyre on as I was hoping to lower my best laptime ; I knew the places where I could improve. As a first experience, I’m really happy to be on the grid at three seconds from the first riders, especially because I didn’t have much time to adapt myself to this new experience. I want to thank LUIS D’ANTIN and the Team, PRAMAC and all our sponsors to have me given this opportunity. Tomorrow I will give the maximum and we will see what will happen during the race”. ANDRE LAUGIER Track Engineer of IVAN SILVA: “We are satisfied because we thought we would have qualified farther from the first riders. We already knew his valour but I think it’s clear that IVAN has that talent to race in MotoGP. We worked very good yesterday and today, improving during every practice session. IVAN has actually got very good sensations and we did a great job together. Tomorrow morning, during the warm-up, we will try to make some changes, to improve even more the configuration of our motorcycle for the race and to allow our rider to express himself in the best way. IVAN has a lot of potential, I am sure he will go on surprising us”. 1. John Hopkins 1’36.411 2. Shinya Nakano 1’36.424 3. Colin Edwards 1’36.755 4. Nicky Hayden 1’36.758 5. Daniel Pedrosa 1’36.993 16. Jose Luis Cardoso 1’39.406 17. Ivan Silva 1’39.496 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: HAYDEN HEADS SECOND ROW AS ROSSI STRUGGLES Current World Championship points leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualified fourth fastest here at Assen today while the front row belonged to John Hopkins (Suzuki) on pole with Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) second fastest and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) third fastest man. But the biggest news is that reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) fell heavily yesterday and broke bones in his right hand and foot. He attempted free training this morning and the timed session this afternoon but could complete neither. If he starts tomorrow’s race (a decision will be made after morning warm-up) it will be from 18th on the grid. Another two riders are struggling here Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) who was injured in the turn one crash at Catalunya last Sunday and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), another victim of the Barcelona melée last weekend. Despite debilitating shoulder and neck injuries Melandri managed a heroic seventh on the grid here with a time just under one second short of Hopkins’ pole time of 1m 36.411s. Capirossi, suffering from bruising to his chest could do no better than 15th for a fifth row start. But these riders are the lucky ones. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) will miss this race and Donington Park next weekend too while he recovers from broken fingers and a broken collarbone, while Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) misses this race with a broken left shoulder. He fell yesterday and is now in Barcelona undergoing treatment. Capirossi, Rossi and Melandri are currently Hayden’s closest rivals in the World Championship points table and their misfortune hands Hayden a potentially huge boost at the critical halfway point of this intense 2006 series if he can score points when they register none. Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V), fresh from his fine third place in Catalunya last weekend, headed the timesheet during the early stages of this hour-long session, with gritty Melandri holding a provisional second with ten minutes gone. In overcast conditions with track temperature at 23-degrees and ambient temperature at 20-degrees, riders made their fastest laps of this heavily revised Assen track. The circuit has been shortened form its former free-flowing 6.027km to a truncated 4.555km form with the challenging Northern Loop section bulldozed to make way for a conference centre. Few riders approved of the drastic surgery, but did their best to get comfortable with the new layout despite their reservations over the changes. Among the first to show he had the new track under control was Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) who turned a 1m 37.130 lap to hold pole at the halfway point. In the final 15 minutes Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) hauled himself onto the front row with a 1m 36.755s lap, but he would eventually lose out to Edwards and Hayden who bumped him back to row two in the final five minutes. With one minute remaining Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) elevated himself to fourth before having to settle for fifth at the flag with a best lap time of 1m 36.993, 0.582 seconds off Hopkins’ pole time. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) qualified 12th fastest for a fourth row start while Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) will have to make do with a fifth row start as 13th fastest qualifier. Nicky said, “We’re definitely going to have to plan on getting a good start tomorrow and getting up front because some of the guys have got a really fast race pace and I haven’t been able to get into the 1m 37s times on race tyres this afternoon, which is a little frustrating. We’re definitely going to have to make some changes tonight and see what we can do tomorrow which is where it counts.” Dani said, “Fifth is not ideal, but it’s OK. I’m still struggling with getting the best from qualifying tyres at some tracks and I need a bit more experience at this. Anyway, tomorrow the start will be crucial as always and even after another day riding here I still prefer the old Assen, even though I’m now used to the new layout.” For the injured Melandri, seventh on the grid is something of an achievement. He said, “I’m very happy considering my situation. On Sunday I didn’t even think I’d be here, never mind seventh on the grid only four days after the accident. I could only do a few fast laps in succession before my shoulder got tired, but I should be OK tomorrow.” Kenny, in tenth, said, “We were faster on race tyres today than with the qualifying tyres. This is about the same position we were in at the beginning of the year with the old chassis on qualifiers. We had no problems in practice but as soon as we put in the qualifying tyres we had chatter. We get the problem as I lean the bike into the turns. On race tyres we can run high 1m 37s laps all day, but the problem is picking off the guys in front of me while I try to get to the front.” Casey, in 12th, said, “I couldn’t get a decent time on a qualifying tyre and I would have been better off on a race tyre. But I’ve always made good starts in dirt track racing you have to. I use the launch control at the start but for me I don’t think it makes a big difference. There is not a lot of room to pass on the new track, so it’s let’s wait and see in the race.” Tamada, down in 13th, said, “I had a good feeling from the 16-inch tyre the first time I used it at the Mugello test. It’s is a positive move in the right direction the bike is easier to ride now. We’ve not had to do much to the suspension to suit the tyre, just little things. My engine is good and the set up is right so I’ll be happy to race tomorrow with what I have.” In the 250cc class Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) rode to his fifth pole of the season, out-qualifying Alex de Angelis (Aprilia), who was second fastest, and Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW), who was third fastest. Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) completes the front row. Lorenzo always seemed to have the measure of this track and his times were only bettered once in the session by Alex de Angelis. The Italian briefly held pole with 25 minutes left before Lorenzo re-established himself at the front of the grid again. This is Dovi’s fourth front row start of the season so far and each time he has started from the first row in 2006 he has achieved a win (last weekend) or a podium. His team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) qualified fifth to head row two, while Martin Cardenas (Repsol Honda RS250RW), who replaces the recently retired Sebastian Porto, qualified 12th. Dovi said, “We’ve made a big step forward in the general balance of the bike, but we’re not quite 100% ready in terms of speed compared to Lorenzo. But if it doesn’t rain tomorrow we can improve further. We’re not quite in as good a shape as we were at Mugello and Barcelona but we’ll still be fighting tomorrow.” Aoyama said, “I’m obviously happier than yesterday, although I’m not forgetting the race is tomorrow. Things didn’t work out well during the morning practice but it was my fault; I wasn’t concentrating and I didn’t push hard enough. But everything went much better in the afternoon, I focused to give my best and the times were good. I hope to make a good start tomorrow and stay with the top group from the beginning.” Dovi’s team-mate Takahashi said, “Yesterday I had some problems in the high speed turns and we made some changes today that were effective. My race pace is good and I was able to improve on my fastest lap times too. If I get a good start I should be fighting for a podium position.” In the 125cc category it was Mika Kallio (KTM) who netted his second pole of the season with a lap of 1m 44.532s, Series points leader Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) secured second spot on the grid with Lukas Pesek (Derbi) third fastest and Sergio Gadea (Aprilia) completing the front row. Pesek was the early front-runner with Bautista always in the frame from the outset of this final half-hour of qualifying. Kallio looked in control in the final five minutes until Bautista stole pole from him with just two minutes remaining. It then looked convincingly like another Bautista pole until Kallio found one final lap free of traffic and made the most of it with a pole time lap to deny Bautista by just 0.048 seconds as the clock wound down. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was the best Honda qualifier in 11th, just ahead of Fabrizio Lai (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) 12th fastest. Mike di Meglio (FFM Honda RS125R) was 14th quickest qualifier ahead of Sandro Cortese (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) in 18th and reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) down in 19th. Talmacsi said, “We have made lots of changes this weekend, maybe too many, and we lost our way a little. The bike is a bit nervous in the first section of the track so in tomorrow’s warm-up we’ll make some adjustments to the geometry. I’m quite confident about the race tomorrow.” Lai, in 12th, said, “I’m a little short of power here. It felt fine when I was riding on my own but when I was in company with an Aprilia and a KTM, I could stay with them in the turns because my chassis is excellent, but I’m definitely a bit short of power here.” Luthi, down in 19th, said, “I had some chatter front and then rear. In the end we got things a bit better but by the time I was looking for a fast lap it was too late to catch the wheel of a fast rider and I set my time alone. The team will work hard to fix this in the warm up and I know they will improve but starting from back on this new style track is going to make my race very difficult.” HONDA TEAM QUOTES Assen Friday 23, 2006 MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 4th. “I’m looking forward to this race we’ll try and get up there, have some fun and see what we can do. It would have been nice to be on the front row because it looks as though it’s going to be hard to pass here, especially in the first section of the lap because there’s only really one line around there. We’re definitely going to have to plan on getting a good start tomorrow and get up front because some of the guys have got a really fast race pace and I haven’t been able to get into the 1m 37s on race tyres this afternoon, which is a little frustrating. We’re definitely going to have to make some changes tonight and see what we can do tomorrow. My qualifying lap wasn’t real special and on my last run I made a couple of little mistakes and my splits were all fastest on different laps it wasn’t like I just put one really clean lap together and that was down to the rider. Still, tomorrow’s where it counts and we’ll see what we can do.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th. “Today was a little bit better than yesterday. Fifth is not ideal but it’s ok really, especially compared to my position on the grid in the last race at Catalunya. The qualifying session today was not so bad, although I’m still struggling a little with getting the best from the qualifying tyres at some circuits. I just need to get more experience of this. On my final fast lap I had a little bit of traffic towards the end, but then it actually helped at the beginning of the lap, so I don’t think that was the reason for my time. Anyway, tomorrow is the important day of course, as always, it’s going be important to get a good start. After another day on the track I’ve become a little bit more used to the new layout here, but to me it’s still not the same as the old Assen.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 7th”I am happy with my performance, just to be on the grid tomorrow is a success for me. Considering the situation the seventh place tastes like a victory. Today I did not complete too many laps because I still have a lot of pain in my neck and both shoulders. The race will be very difficult and I don’t know if I’ll be able to manage 26 laps, but I’ll try to get a good start and see how we go. I want to thank the Clinica Mobile and also the hospital in Catalunya who have showed great professionalism at every moment with me.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 10th. “We were faster on race tyres today than with the qualifying tyres. This is about the same position we were in at the beginning of the year with the old chassis on qualifiers. We had no problems in practice but as soon as we put in the qualifying tyres we had chatter. We get the problem as I lean the bike into the turns. On race tyres we can run high 1m 37s laps all day the problem is picking off the guys in front of me while I try to get to the front.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 12th. “The front brake wasn’t adjusted properly and I lost ten minutes while that was fixed. Then with the set-up we went in the wrong direction this afternoon and the bike wasn’t handling like it did in the morning session. The team figured it out and changed the bike back to the practice settings, but I couldn’t get a decent time on a qualifying tyre; I would have been better off on a race tyre. I’ve always made good starts, in dirt track racing you have to. I use the launch control at the start but for me I don’t think it makes a big difference. There is not a lot of room to pass on the new track, so it’s wait and see in the race.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 13th. “I have been using the 16 inch tyres here and so far the contact feeling of the tyre is better and the grip factor is improving. Turning into the corners is about the same as with the 16.5 inch. I had a good feeling from the tyre from the tyre the first time I used it at the Mugello test, it is a positive move in the right direction. In fact the bike is easier to ride now. We have not had to do much to the suspension to suit the tyre, just little things. My engine is good and the set up right so I will be happy to race tomorrow with what I have.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: dnr due to shoulder injury sustained in practice. 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 3rd. “We have made a good step forward compare to yesterday as we have improved the general balance of the bike. But, we are not at 100% ready in terms of speed compare to Lorenzo. If tomorrow it won’t rain we can improve further. We are not in the same conditions as we were in Mugello and Barcelona but this doesn’t mean we won’t fight tomorrow”. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 4th. “I’m obviously happier than yesterday, although I do not forget that the race is tomorrow. Things didn’t work out well during the morning practice but it was my fault; I wasn’t much concentrated and I didn’t push hard enough. But everything went much better in the afternoon, I focussed to give my best and the times were good. We have a good setup and we’re almost sure about the tyres to use. Now I hope to make a good start tomorrow and to stay within the top group from the beginning.” Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 5th. “Yesterday I had some problems on the high speed corners but today we made major changes and they worked. So today my lap times were good and I was able to improve lap by lap with a good race pace. Also, I did my fast times by myself and this is important for me. If I’m going to do a good start I could fight for a podium-finish tomorrow”. Martin Cardenas, Repsol Honda: 12th. “I think that it’s getting better all the time. I’m feeling more and more confident with the bike and eventually I managed to improve my times and qualify among the top twelve which had been my initial idea, since I always have some trouble in qualifying. We have managed to get the set up ready in this practice, and I think that it’s quite good for the race. The tyres look good after several laps, so I think that we’ve made a good choice.” Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 18th. “Riding the 250 is a little more difficult than the 125. With the 125 you can get into the corner so much faster than on a 250. But coming off the corners you have to be careful with the throttle. If you get on the gas too fast the bike slides a lot. Its fast, about as fast as the factory Hondas I could stay with Takahashi at the fast points of the circuit but my bike does not accelerate as fast as his. When I crashed I just got into the corner too fast. If I can get a good suspension tyre combination worked out I will be OK, the bike is fast enough.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 21st. “This is my first time at Assen and I like it, thetrack is very fast and very technical. The team have found a good base set up for the bike and we have not changed much from the race at Catalunya just a couple of clicks on the suspension. I hope for a good start so I can race with a group of fast riders and learn from them.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 22nd. “After a few problems today we found a good set up between suspension tyres and chassis, we have a very good machine balance. We still have few small things to check in the warm up. I am a little too far back on the grid too be happy but my objective is the same here as at all races to take points from the race.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda: Will not race due to broken ribs sustained at a previous race. 125cc: Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World, 12th: “I’m confident for tomorrow and I know to be one of the best rider on this track. I made a good lap time without the help of slipstreams. The problem is the Honda engine. On the grid there are nine Aprilias and one Ktm in front of the the first Honda. It doesn’t dipend on the set up. The chassis and suspensions set up was good and the engine was good too thanks to the good work of the technicians, but it was the most it could do”¦ and it isn’t enough for make a good race. Tomorrow I will do a good start, as usual, but it will be difficult to keep the pace of the leaders”. Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda, 11th: “We have made lots of changes this weekend, maybe too many, and so we lost the right way. I feel the bike nervous in particular in the T1, which is the new slow part of the track. In tomorrow’s warm up we have to make some more adjustments at the geometry of the bike but I am confident for the race”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 18th.”Its starting to come good yesterday was all bad for me, I got rammed by Bradl on the first lap. Today I watched out for Pesek and caught his wheel and we were together for a few laps and I got a reasonable time before he raced away. The only real problem I had was in the fast fifth gear corner, I didn’t have the best ratio for the corner and had to hold it at 14,800 rpm to get through it fast, normally it’s 13,70 pm. The track is OK I suppose, apart from the first corner, it could be a big problem for the riders tomorrow. One thing for sure – I will need a good start, if not I just don’t know what I can do.” Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 19th. “The whole session was bad I’m not happy with my place on the grid. The problem is I don’t know why I’m in this position. I have the feeling I cant go fast yet this morning I had a good feel for the bike and track. From the start I had a front end chatter problem so I went into the pit changed tyres but it didn’t help the front end much and I had some chatter on the rear. In the end we got things a bit better but by the time I was looking for a fast lap it was too late to catch the wheel of a fast rider and I set my time alone. The team will work hard to fix this in the warm up and I know they will improve but starting from back on this new style track is going to make my race very difficult.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 25th. “I’m both happy and relieved with my qualifying performance. I felt under a lot of stress after yesterday when we had rain in the first phase o qualifying. Anyway the bike is running really good, the engine is fast and the set up good. Today I just got better and better and felt good. In the morning I was running at 1m 47.3s but wanted to get into 1m 46s and I did it in qualifying. This is my best qualifying of the year and I’m sure I can improve on that tomorrow.” Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World, 26th, “I make some line mistakes but I’m satisfied because I’ve a better feeling with the bike and I can do a good race tomorrow. We have solved the set up problems and now I’m more confident”¦”. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 22nd. “I don’t know which position I finished at the moment but I improved on this morning, only by a little bit but I still improved. I had to do the lap time on my own because I didn’t find anyone to follow and that left us pretty short time to do the fast laps so I kind of rushed around and didn’t mind about passing the other riders just trying to get a clean lap in, which I did but I think that if I would have been able to get a slipstream it would have been at least three tenths faster because the wind out there is quite strong, and specially on those long straights you loose quite a bit on top speed. I’m happy but we need a little bit more. Hopefully we got a good starting position for the race and go from there.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 14th. “I am happy no after the difficult start we had to practice. The bike had a lot of rear wheel chatter. The team has fixed that problem and I took 0.7 seconds off my tie. The most important thing is that we are closer to the front of the grid than before. I am really looking forward to the race tomorrow.” Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: 34th (replacement for Aleix Espargaro who will race a 250cc at Assen). “I’m not too happy, well maybe OK I’m happy in the circumstances. This track is so fast you really have to concentrate you have to be so very precise to get a good lap in here. My bike is very good, the engine especially and it handles really well around here. The only real problem I have is coming off the slow corners, I cant get on the gas as hard as I need to because if I do the rear end just slides away from me. “ Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda, 37th: “This morning I was running fast but at the turn in the T3 I fell off. In the afternoon, we made a step forward on the front set-up, but after 10 minutes I’ve been hit by another rider and forced to use bike 2. My feeling with this bike wasn’t as positive as in the morning with bike 1″. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins secures pole for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at Assen John Hopkins roared to his first ever pole position at Assen in Holland for tomorrow’s Dutch TT, with team-mate Chris Vermeulen putting his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R on the second row. Anglo-American Hopkins (P1, 1’36.411, 29 laps) has nearly secured the top position many times before but today was his day, as he powered his Bridgestone shod Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to the head of the grid with just seconds to spare in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Hopkins and his crew had worked tirelessly today to get the best set-up for Saturday’s race and his pole position is reward for all the hard work they and Hopkins have put in. Vermeulen (P6, 1’37.077, 28 laps) qualified on the second row of the grid just 0.666 of a second behind team-mate Hopkins. The rookie Australian could have been further up the grid but was baulked by a slower rider during his fastest lap. Vermeulen is happy with the race set-up he has for tomorrow’s 26-lap race and he will be looking to get a good start when the flag drops tomorrow. Today’s qualifying was held in warm and dry conditions with air temperatures reaching 20°C and track surface 23°C. Tomorrow’s race is round eight of the MotoGP World Championship and both Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers will be aiming for glory when the lights change to go. John Hopkins: “What can I say? I’ve had lots of front row starts and now I’ve finally got that pole position! I’m really happy about it. I am pleased with how the set-up has gone and I am enjoying the track and making the best of everything. My team is working really hard and Bridgestone have brought some great tyres for this weekend. We have got to try really hard tomorrow and go after that first podium. Colin Edwards is running a really fast pace so we know we will have to work hard in the race. It’s a huge weight off our shoulders getting this pole position out of the way now we have to concentrate on the 26-laps tomorrow. I am feeling good about the whole situation. My thanks go to the crew, to Bridgestone for some awesome tyres and to Suzuki for improving their level so much, everything seems to be coming together and we are looking forward to tomorrow.” Chris Vermeulen: “It’s been a good day. The new-look Assen circuit seems like it will be quite difficult to pass on, so the aim was to get a start from somewhere on the front two rows, and we have achieved that with sixth place. The team worked very well in this afternoon’s session and we made a lot of progress with the bike. We tried a few more race tyres and we have got a good direction which way to go with them. In qualifying I got held up by Ivan Silva on what looked like it would have been my best lap but that’s racing and I hope he doesn’t do it to anyone else. Congratulations to John, I know he has been working on that pole position and it’s good to see him there, but I’ll be giving him a run for his money tomorrow!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Well, it’s finally happened for John! He’s achieved the elusive pole position that he has been working so hard to get. More importantly both he and Chris, and the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, have been improving step-by-step over the last few races. With some new setting parts and new engine internals here we have taken another small step forward. Qualifying was really tight and, as in Chris’ case, the smallest bit of bad luck can make all the difference between pole and sixth place. It really doesn’t mean anything that we were a few hundredths of a second quicker than Shinya, but we will definitely take it and it’s awesome to see Suzuki on pole in the dry. “It’s been another great job again by all the crew. We have a few more things to look at to try and improve our consistency and durability over race distance before tomorrow. As ever it will be difficult, but both the riders and the team are looking forward to it and we are all up for the challenge.”
