MotoGP Qualifying Results From Mugello: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:49.223 2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:49.361 3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:49.458 4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:49.546 5. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:49.556 6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:49.633 7. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:49.805 8. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:49.811 9. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:49.856 10. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:49.951 11. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:50.052 12. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:50.176 13. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:50.281 14. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:51.056 15. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:51.585 16. David CHECA, Yamaha, 1:51.610 17. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:51.764 18. Shane BYRNE, Proton KR, 1:52.117 19. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:53.010 20. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:54.177 21. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:54.820 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: NAKANO IN CONFIDENT MOOD FOR ITALIAN GRAND PRIX Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano will start his Ninja ZX-RR from ninth position on the third row of the grid in tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Nakano’s qualifying time was just 0.6s off pole position, in a fiercely competitive session that finished with the top 12 riders separated by less than one second. Teammate Alex Hofmann, making a comeback after eight weeks on the injury list, qualified an impressive fourteenth. Hofmann is still not 100% fit following surgery to repair a fractured left wrist. Nakano was delighted with today’s performance on two counts, and is in a confident mood for tomorrow’s 23-lap race. In both qualifying and race set-up Nakano feels his Ninja ZX-RR is very competitive, a reflection of recent engine control system improvements and the latest specification Bridgestone tyres available for this race. A year ago in this race Nakano walked away from a nightmare crash on the super-fast main straight, but he has put all that behind him this weekend. Nakano’s qualifying time was one second faster than for this race in 2004 and he feels he is well prepared for a strong points-scoring result tomorrow. Meanwhile Hofmann is just happy to be back racing in MotoGP after a frustrating two months as an unwilling spectator. Hofmann, still short of race fitness, is treating the Mugello weekend as a means of rebuilding confidence and familiarity with his Ninja ZX-RR in the world’s toughest class of motorcycle racing. In today’s two hours of free practice and qualifying both Nakano and Hofmann concentrated on race set-up, with Nakano completing a productive evaluation of race tyres. Further refinements to front and rear chassis balance also produced improvements, on a track that requires smooth and agile transition through a sequence of fast curves. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Ninth – (1’49.856) “The times are very and close and I’m feeling very good about today, it is a boost to be this close to the front group. More importantly I think the gap is also very close on race tyres and, if I can make a good start, I am confident of a strong race. After I tried some changes in the morning session I was able to settle on an improved chassis balance. The ZX-RR is faster here than last year, which shows that we are making progress in the right direction with the latest engine and chassis improvements.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – Fourteenth – (1’51.056) “Overall I’m happy with the progress I have made over the past two days, although I’m not pleased to be 14th. But I don’t think I can expect much more after being away for two months, and I have just concentrated on getting track time. There was a big push for fast times, but I worked mainly for the race, especially to improve the set-up for rear grip, which I have had a problem with at this track. This will be my first race since the beginning of the season at Jerez and I aiming to finish in the points.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “I’m satisfied with the performance of both Shinya and Alex today. Shinya did a fantastic qualifying lap and is close on times. With a good start he can race with the front group. Our bike may still be down on top speed to some rivals at this track, but Shinya has shown that the ZX-RR is competitive through the fast corners and infield section. For Alex, to be 14th after just two days back on the bike shows that when he is 100% fit he can be even closer to the front.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: Alex unable to maximise soft tyres but has a good pace After having set the second fastest time in the third free practice session and having shown a good rhythm in the qualifier, Alex Barros slipped to thirteenth place on the starting grid, unable to make the most out his qualifying tyres. The Brazilian will have to push to the limit as soon as the red light goes out for tomorrow’s race, to make the most of the good race set-up he has made this weekend. For Troy Bayliss it has been a difficult weekend, where he has been unable to find a satisfactory setting. In tomorrow’s warm-up he will try some more modifications to try and get the kind of results shown in the test two weeks ago. Sito Pons Camel Honda “After the weekend’s performance so far, I never expected this kind of position for Alex today. With the race set-up he was able to be amongst the top riders and I still don’t understand how he was then unable to improve with the qualifiers in there. Just with the soft rubber you can cut a second off and he set the same times as with the harder tyres. I hope that he gets a good start tomorrow so he can have a good race, because he has the pace. Troy meanwhile is in a difficult patch, because his performances don’t reflect his potential. We will continue to try and help him as much as possible, because we are sure that once the situation is resolved we will see his true colours.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’50.281 13th position “With the race tyres things went quite well, we were quick and we confirmed the choices we had made. With the soft tyres however I was unable to improve at all, but I was giving everything. It’s now a problem for the race because the starting position is obviously one of the most important things. Everything lies on the first lap now. I’ve got the pace to keep up with the front-runners and if I manage to stay out of the traffic, we are still in the sort of shape we can do well in.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 1’51.764 17th position “I’ve tried everything, have given my all, but things haven’t gone well, that’s obvious. There’s clearly something missing, I just don’t have the feeling with the bike. I’m seventeenth, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been so far back it’s not a great feeling. All I can do is continue to try things, and so in the warm-up we will try a few things, but it will be a difficult race.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Fantastic fifth for Hopkins at Mugello Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer John Hopkins clocked the fifth fastest time – only 0.333 of a second from pole position – in the closing seconds of today’s qualifying session at Mugello in Italy. Hopkins (1’49.556) missed last years Italian Grand Prix due to injury and used the three practice sessions to learn his lines on the fast Tuscan circuit. Having dramatically quickened his tempo near the end of qualifying to record his fastest lap, Hopkins was happy – and pleasantly surprised: “I am extremely pleased with the position. I didn’t expect to be that far up. “We struggled a bit yesterday, but things have been getting better and better every session. We have been working on set-up and Stuart (Shenton), the computer guys and all the mechanics have been doing a great job. “I worked on my lines overnight. I just thought about it and came out this morning swinging. We have got a tyre that I think we are going to race on and everyone is in the same boat as the grip level isn’t the greatest with the heat. But I think Bridgestone have produced a really good tyre for tomorrow and hopefully we can get out there and put on a show “It’s going to be a tough race but we’re going to do the best we can – that’s all we can do!” Former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr (1’50,052) was a mere 0.829 of a second off the pole position time set by Valentino Rossi, but as ever the incredibly competitive nature of MotoGP saw this good for only 11th place. Roberts Jr said: “For me qualifying is almost a waste of time because it is two seconds a lap faster than we can race at. For me, on race tyres, it’s a different story compared to where we have the qualifying grip. I guess it’s good for starting but basically the race is a totally different story. It’s hard to say if we can maintain these kinds of positions.” Team Manager Paul Denning was very positive about the qualifying results: “A truly awesome effort by both the guys – under half a second off pole for John and less than a second for Kenny. A significant turnaround in the last 30 minutes of qualifying, given that we have been struggling somewhat during the free practice sessions. “Without being pessimistic but trying to be realistic, I think it’s going to be tough for John and Kenny tomorrow. We still have an acceleration deficit – which the Factory are working night and day to fix – and this is compounded as the tyres lose grip and we lose corner speed over race distance. Having said that, the Mugello GP has the most awesome atmosphere and Team SUZUKI MotoGP will be doing its level best to join the party!” The Gran Premio Alice d’Italia is the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship and racing starts at 14.00hrs CET on Sunday 5th June. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi sets pole record for home Grand Prix Valentino Rossi will start the Gran Premio Alice d’Italia from the front of the MotoGP grid after a stunning final lap that saw him smash Sete Gibernau’s pole record and hold off a strong challenge from the Spaniard in this afternoon’s single qualifying session. Rossi’s time of 1’49.223 on his 25th lap of the Mugello circuit in searing summer heat kept Gibernau at bay by 0.138 seconds, with Max Biaggi also in close attendance and completing the front row in third place. “It was a great practice and a hard battle for this important pole position,” commented Rossi afterwards. “At the beginning we started to work on the bike for tomorrow and at the end I tried with a qualifying tyre. I saw I was in second position and I knew I didn’t have much time to stop but I came in two and a half minutes from the end and the team did a great job to change the tyre in a short time. There are a lot of riders near to me so we need to set the bike to the maximum. Hopefully the weather will stay like this – for the riders and for the fantastic crowd around the circuit.” In a thrilling finale to the session no fewer than twelve riders lapped within a second of Rossi’s best time, providing a tense battle for grid positions right up to the chequered flag. American youngsters Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins both produced grandstand final laps to gatecrash the second row in fourth and fifth place respectively, relegating Loris Capirossi to sixth place just minutes after the Italian had occupied provisional pole. Marco Melandri ran out of time on his final lap after making a late tyre change and dropped to the third row of the grid in seventh place, with Carlos Checa taking eighth despite dominating the time sheets for much of the session. Japanese pair Shinya Nakano and Makoto Tamada, making his first appearance in almost two months after breaking his wrist, complete the top ten after both launching front row attacks in the closing stages. Kenny Roberts and Colin Edwards are the other two riders to have lapped within a second of Rossi, qualifying eleventh and twelfth respectively, whilst Alex Hofmann sealed an encouraging fourteenth place on his return to action from injury. MotoGP debutante David Checa was also impressive, qualifying in sixteenth place as he covers for the injured Yamaha rider Toni ElÃas. There was also big MotoGP news off the track today, as the Grand Prix Commission announced important rule changes to be implemented to the series in just over 18 months’ time. From the 1st January 2007 the maximum engine size capacity for MotoGP will be reduced to 800cc, whilst the use of two-stroke engines will be officially banned in the premier class. The maximum fuel capacity will be limited to 21 litres. Jorge Lorenzo took his first pole position in the 250cc category with a last lap effort that knocked Casey Stoner off top spot with just seconds remaining. Provisional pole holder Stoner had dominated for much of the session but will have to settle for a front row start in second place after a strong performance from Lorenzo, who also headed the morning free practice and will now look to take Honda’s first win here since 1997. Local favourite and reigning 125cc World Champion Andrea Dovizioso will also challenge for that honour from the front row after qualifying third fastest ahead of Randy De Puniet on the Aprilia. De Puniet’s team-mate Sebastián Porto heads up the second row after escaping unhurt from a crash, with factory colleague Alex de Angelis sixth fastest. Defending World Champion Dani Pedrosa and Héctor Barberá complete the second row in seventh and eighth respectively. Mika Kallio left it until the very last minute to improve on his provisional pole effort from yesterday, escaping from a packed group on the final lap to post a time of 1’58.662. Kallio’s late charge proved enough to hold off the challenge of his KTM team-mate Gabor Talmacsi, the only man to threaten the series leader’s position at the top of the time sheets. Héctor Faubel, who qualified over a second slower than Kallio, was third fastest and joins the Austrian factory pair on the front row ahead of Mattia Pasini, who failed to improve his provisional time and dropped from second to fourth. Thomas Lüthi, who lies second to Kallio in the championship standings, qualified sixth fastest ahead of impressive wildcard Michele Conti. More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: FIRST MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR GIBERNAU Last year’s winner ready for another battle at Mugello and Melandri confident despite ninth place on the grid ITALIAN GP – MOTOGP OFFICIAL PRACTICE Sete Gibernau will start tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix feeling fully confident of joining the battle for victory in a race that promises to be the most tense of the season so far. The Spanish rider is pleased with the results of the four practice sessions this weekend and his qualifying lap time, which looked enough for pole position until Valentino Rossi improved it by just one tenth of a second at the chequered flag. Sete was a massive 1.8 seconds inside his own circuit record at Mugello and set a fast pace on used tyres as he made plans for tomorrow’s race. Marco Melandri is also prepared to put on a top performance in front of his home crowd although he made no attempt to disguise his disappointment at missing out on the second row. The job done today with the suspension and front fork was positive, but the time he spent on it meant he ran out of the necessary time to set a fast lap on a qualifying tyre at th! e end of the session. SETE GIBERNAU (2nd, 1’49″361): “I’m very satisfied with the results in practice both from yesterday and today. Obviously I would have liked to start from pole but at the end of the day I was very close and tried my best. The important thing is that we’re starting from the front row and we have a good set-up for the race. We did a great lap time without using qualifying tyres and spent a lot of time working on my rhythm on spent tyres. I have to get a good start and just go for it. The tyres will be extremely important and so will physical fitness. I hope the weather is on our side and that the work we’ve done on Friday and Saturday pays off in the race.” MARCO MELANDRI (7th, 1’49″805): “We’ve worked a lot on the suspension and the front fork and spent a lot of time trying to find a solution, which in the end meant I couldn’t make the most of the qualify! ing tyre. I was expecting to at least be on the second row of the grid but I’m feeling very motivated about the race. I’m staying calm though my objective is still to pick up as many points as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI SCORCHES TO NEW POLE POSITION RECORD AT MUGELLO Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi delighted his army of fans at the Mugello circuit in Italy today with a stunning final lap that saw him seal a new pole position record and the front slot on the grid for tomorrow’s fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship. The reigning World Champion was in second place behind Sete Gibernau (Honda) with just two minutes remaining but made a last-gasp tyre change before returning to the track and clocking a time of 1’49.223 at the chequered flag. The session did not end quite as spectacularly for his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, who set a decent race pace throughout the session but again struggled for rear grip when pushing for a fast time. Despite lapping less than a second off Rossi’s pole lap the American rider, who qualified second at the last round at Le Mans before taking third in the race, will have to settle for a place on the fourth row of the grid tomorrow as he plots another characteristic charge through the field from twelfth place. Rossi will be joined on the front row by Gibernau and Max Biaggi (Honda). VALENTINO ROSSI (Pole position – 1’49.223, 25 laps) “It was a very difficult session but at the end very good I’m happy. It was a great practice and a hard battle for this important pole position. At the beginning we started to work on the bike for tomorrow and at the end I tried with a qualifying tyre. I was already quite fast with the first one but then I took the second one and went a little bit faster. I saw I was in second position and I knew I didn’t have much time to stop but I came in two and a half minutes from the end and the team did a great job to change the tyre in a short time. It gave me the chance to use the last lap and I was able to improve a little bit and take pole it was a great job from the team. Tomorrow will be a hard race for everybody. There are a lot of riders near to me so we need to set the bike to the maximum in the morning.” COLIN EDWARDS (12th – 1’50.176, 25 laps) “We’ve tried everything today but we just weren’t able to squeeze the extra bit of speed out that we needed. The temperature change from the morning to the afternoon is incredible and the grip levels change so much that the rear was even moving around on the qualifying tyre we couldn’t make anything stick. It’s definitely not for a lack of trying and it’s frustrating to see the team working so hard for twelfth place. We’re less than a second off pole and still on the fourth row, which is amazing really, but we’ll see what we can come up with in the warm-up and take it from there.” JEREMY BURGESS ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF “I suppose you could say it was business as usual! Valentino came in at the perfect time for the tyre change and put in another wonderful lap, which is what we expect from him. We started the weekend with more or less the bike we wanted after the Le Mans test and have only had to make minor adjustments, such as changing the spring settings to cope with the extra G-force in the corners here. It is always really useful to test after a race and the bike is getting better and better with every Grand Prix. We enjoyed this afternoon but it’s always fun when you’re winning!” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN STRONG ON RACE PACE AT MUGELLO Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa played a starring role in this afternoon’s thrilling Italian GP qualifier, Checa on top for the first half hour and Capirossi also running fastest at one point. Both men improved on their 2004 qualifying times by around a second to end up sixth and eighth but are confident that they will be much closer to the front when it really matters – in tomorrow’s race. “I think we can race better than we qualified,” affirmed Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “Before everyone fitted their qualifying tyres they were first and fourth. Loris is very quick on race tyres and Carlos is very, very quick, which makes us confident for tomorrow. We are very happy with our performance in race trim. Loris and Carlos now have two different Bridgestone rears from which to choose for the race, depending on track temperature. Neither could fully exploit the potential of their qualifying tyres – Loris had some difficulties on his final, fastest run, while Carlos just didn’t improve his time as much as we’d expected. We would like to be on the front row but it is the race that really matters. I would like to thank once again our technical partners Shell Advance and Bridgestone for their important support”. CAPIROSSI LOOKING GOOD ON SECOND ROW Loris Capirossi briefly led the final stages of qualifying aboard his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici, eventually ending up sixth, just 0.4 seconds off pole. The determined Italian, 1.066 seconds inside his 2004 qualifying time, made some useful suspension adjustments this afternoon and believes he could have made the front row but for a minor riding error on his final run. “Both me and Carlos have been in the hunt all weekend,” smiled Capirossi, revelling in the Desmosedici’s awesome speed. “If it hadn’t been for a little mistake going into the esses in T3, I could’ve been on the front row. But what does it matter, I’ll be in front by turn one! The bike is really strong here, the tyres too. I feel very confident, especially in the front end, which is so important at this track. The bike is also very fast, which is maybe why everyone wants to follow me, I found a lot of people waiting to follow me today. We worked really well this morning, doing a lot of fast laps on race tyres, then this afternoon we tried something different with the suspension, just small tweaks to the front and rear, which worked well.” CHECA CONFIDENT AFTER RUNNING UP FRONT Once again Carlos Checa was lightning quick on race tyres during qualifying. The Ducati Marlboro Team man led this morning free practices and the first 40 minutes of the session but when he fitted his qualifying tyres he couldn’t improve his times as much as he wanted. His last and best lap, 1.047 seconds better than his 2004 best, did briefly lift him to sixth but he ended up eighth for a third-row start. “I’m really looking forward to this race because I know we are very competitive on race tyres,” said the quietly confident Spaniard, having his first ride on the Desmosedici at Mugello. “We didn’t change much today, we just focused on running a lot of laps on race tyres and we made good progress. I’m confident I can get a good start and it seems we have good endurance performance from the tyres. But I know we need to improve the balance of the bike on qualifying tyres; I should improve seven or eight tenths on qualifiers but today I only improved one or two tenths.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: FORTUNA YAMAHA RIDERS READY FOR THE RACE IN MUGELLO Ruben Xaus and David Checa will start from 15th and 16 th respectively on the grid in tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix, after ending the second qualifying session separated by just 0.154 seconds. Xaus will start on the fifth row and Checa from the sixth. Both fell in the afternoon session, and Xaus’ fall cost him the chance to improve his time further. Rubén Xaus. 15th. 1’51.585, + 2’362 “I am very happy with the work of the team. As for me, it’s the biggest effort I have ever put in on a bike in my life. I was not focsuing on finishing in any particular position, I was just concentrating on the work I was doing. My plan for the race tomorrow is just to score as many points as possible.” David Checa. 16th. 1’51.610, + 2’387 “I came out today with the same set-up as Valentino and soon felt comfortable. With race tyres on, though, I paid for my inexperience, but overall it went well. I am capable of putting in a quick lap, but doing 23 consistently is another matter. Two minutes from the end of the session I saw my brother, and in wanting to try and knock another half a second off my time I ended up falling. Yesterday I fell tthrough lack of experience, today it was because I wanted to catch up with a group. I will do my best tomorrow.” Antonio Jiménez, Chief Mechanic for David Checa “You have to congratulate David. The fall this afternoon was a shame, but you have to forgive him that because he was lapping quickly and he wanted to go even faster. With not much experience he has done a good job and his problem is he does not have much time. Maybe in teh future he will become a ficture in MotoGP.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: GIBERNAU ON FRONT ROW FOR ITALIAN CHALLENGE Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) is in position to take the fight to reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at the Italian’s ‘home’ race. Although Rossi starts from pole, Sete’s front row start as second fastest qualifier is enough to ensure the Spaniard will be in contention tomorrow. Gibernau ended the hour-long qualifying session just 0.138 seconds shy of Rossi’s pole time of 1m 49.223s. But Sete had been at the top of the timesheet for most of the second half of the session and looked comfortable as he worked at the set-up of his RC221V on race tyres and qualifying rubber. With so many Italian riders in contention here at Mugello, competition was intense and both Ducati riders Carlos Checa and Loris Capirossi enjoyed brief stints on provisional pole before Gibernau made his intent clear with 15 minutes to go. Encouragingly, Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) starts on the front row for the first time this season as third fastest qualifier. The Roman has been unable to qualify well so far in 2005, so this represents something of a breakthrough for the factory Repsol man. His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) equals his best qualifying performance so far this year with a fourth on the grid and the American will be desperate to turn a solid qualifying effort into a rostrum result here. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) ran as high as fourth fastest in the early stages, but faded as time ebbed away and the veteran Brazilian will have to make do with a fifth row start from 13th on the grid. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) could not make it four front row starts from five attempts here and qualified seventh fastest for a third row start. The Italian is 0.582 seconds adrift of the pole time. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) has to be content with 10th fastest time on his return to the track after a three-race lay-off with an injured left wrist. But the Japanese flier is at least into the 1:49 second bracket in terms of lap times. Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) will be concerned with his performance here after managing a best time of only 1:51.764. The Australian will start from the sixth row of the grid and he has not looked nearly comfortable enough yet to expect better in the race. Gibernau said, “I’m very satisfied with yesterday and today. I’d liked to be on pole, and I was close I tried my best. The important thing is I’m on the front row and I’ve got a good set-up. We did out best lap on race rubber and I’ve got a good rhythm for the race.” Max was relieved with his qualifying ride and said, “So I start from the front row. That’s something I’m used to doing and getting back to the front at Mugello has a special significance. I might have done even better, but I ran out of time to use the second qualifying tyre. But on the whole I’m satisfied so far.” “I’m much happier than yesterday,” said Nicky. “I just hope the weekend stays positive because we’ve made a lot of progress and I’m much more confident on the bike. I’ve got a lot more confidence on downhill turns and that helps a lot with lap times here. But I still need to do more work on qualifying tyres.” Melandri is race-ready on row three and said, “We worked hard on suspension settings and especially the front forks. I spent time trying to find a solution that would allow me a fast qualifying lap and I was expecting to be on row two. But I’m highly motivated for this race.” “I expected more,” said Tamada in 10th. “I felt pain today, but I think that I could have finished in a better position if a rider hadn’t fallen in front of me on my fast lap. Tomorrow morning we’ll try to improve the set-up of the bike to attack from the beginning. I’m not worried about the position on the starting grid, but I’ll have to work hard.” Barros said, “With the race tyres things went quite well, we were quick and we confirmed the choices we had made. But with the soft tyres however I was unable to improve at all. It’s now a problem for the race because the starting position is obviously one of the most important things. Everything lies on the first lap now. I’ve got the pace to keep up with the front-runners and if I manage to stay out of traffic, we are still in the sort of shape we can do well in.” “I’ve tried everything,” said a dejected Bayliss. “I’ve given my all, but things haven’t gone well, that’s obvious. There’s clearly something missing, I just don’t have the feeling with the bike. I’m 17th, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been so far back it’s not a great feeling. All I can do is continue to try things, and so in the warm-up we’ll experiment a bit, but it will be a difficult race.” HONDA TEAM QUOTES: MotoGP: Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP: 2nd: “I’m very satisfied with the results in practice both from yesterday and today. Obviously I would have liked to start from pole but at the end of the day I was very close and tried my best. The important thing is that we’re starting from the front row and we have a good set-up for the race. We did a great lap time without using qualifying tyres and spent a lot of time working on my rhythm on spent tyres. I have to get a good start and just go for it. The tyres will be extremely important and so will physical fitness. I hope the weather is on our side and that the work we’ve done on Friday and Saturday pays off in the race.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: 3rd: “So I start from the first row. Last year I was used to it but this year it never happened before and coming back in front here at Mugello has a special meaning for me. Unfortunately I could not use the second qualifying tyre because when I passed the finish line time was out just two seconds before. I could have done better but I’m satisfied anyway. I’m happy for my team. They are all doing their best and they did a very good job. Tomorrow we can do a good race. Finally.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 4th : Much happier than I was yesterday I just hope the weekend stays positive. The team have done a real good job. We’ve made a lot of progress today and I feel a lot more comfortable on the bike. I also have a lot more confidence in downhill corners and that really helps with the lap time. We still have some way to go on getting the timing exactly right with the qualifying tyres. We were short today by 0.3s seconds so we have to keep working on that. Tomorrow’s the big one. It’s never easy but that’s what I like, this is the best racing in the world. As usual we have to make a good start, stay concentrated and see what happens after 23 laps. It’s the beginning of a big June!” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda MotoGP: 7th: “We’ve worked a lot on the suspension and the front fork and spent a lot of time trying to find a solution, which in the end meant I couldn’t make the most of the qualifying tyre. I was expecting to at least be on the second row of the grid but I’m feeling very motivated about the race. I’m staying calm though my objective is still to pick up as many points as possible.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th: “I expected more. I felt pain today, but I think that I could have finish in a better position if in my last fast lap a rider wouldn’t fall in front of me. I have been disturbed, but I’m trustful for tomorrow’s race even if we still need to find the optimal balance on my Honda RC211V. Tomorrow morning we’ll try to improve the set up of the bike to attack from the beginning. I’m not worried for the position on the starting grid because this circuit permits to choose different trajectories, therefore I will only have to work hard.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 13th: “With the race tyres things went quite well, we were quick and we confirmed the choices we had made. With the soft tyres however I was unable to improve at all, but I was giving everything. It’s now a problem for the race because the starting position is obviously one of the most important things. Everything lies on the first lap now. I’ve got the pace to keep up with the front-runners and if I manage to stay out of the traffic, we are still in the sort of shape we can do well in.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda, 17th: “I’ve tried everything, have given my all, but things haven’t gone well, that’s obvious. There’s clearly something missing, I just don’t have the feeling with the bike. I’m seventeenth, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been so far back it’s not a great feeling. All I can do is continue to try things, and so in the warm-up we will try a few things, but it will be a difficult race.”
