Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final 250cc GP Qualifying Results:

1. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:35.300
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:35.379
3. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:35.596
4. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:35.843
5. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:36.251
6. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:36.447
7. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:36.611
8. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:36.690
9. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:36.764
10. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:36.819
11. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:36.884
12. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:37.088
13. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:37.172
14. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:37.373
15. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:37.382


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

250 2nd Qualifying session; De Angelis growing fast

Alex de Angelis will start his first world 250 championship race in South Africa from the second row of the grid.

The San Marino rider qualified his RSW250 in fifth position with a best time of 1.36.251, which matched last year’s pole position time to show he will be a big threat in tomorrow’s opening race at the Phakisa Freeway.

“I am very happy because Alex did the same time as last year’s pole position, “said his crew chief Gianni Sandi. “You have to remember that Alex was racing in 125s last season so to do so well in his first 250 qualifying is not a bad effort. He did a great job today.”

Despite not entirely ironing out some of the front suspension problems that hampered him during yesterday’s opening qualifying session, de Angelis was delighted to be so close to the front row at his first attempt.

“The bike is a lot better from yesterday. The problem with the front suspension is almost resolved and I’m very happy with the engine. It is very fast and I’m very satisfied with the way things have gone. I hope to continue in the same way tomorrow for the race.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

250 2nd Qualifying session; Poggiali in first row

Reigning champion Manuel Poggiali will kick off the defence of his world 250 title from the front row of the grid in tomorrow’s South African GP.

The San Marino rider ended this afternoon’s final 45-minute qualifying session in third place, despite a minor technical problem with his number one Aprilia RSW250 at the halfway stage.

Havingm opted for a cautious approach yesterday, Poggiali dramatically upped his pace and ended up with a best time of 1.35.596. That left the MS Aprilia Racing rider just 0.2s off claiming pole position.

Although he used most of today to fine-tune his race set-up, Poggiali did use a Dunlop qualifying tyre in the final laps to consolidate his position on the front row of the grid.

“I had a problem with my number one bike so I had to change to the spare machine. But it did not have a very good set-up because I have not used the second bike at all during the weekend. I have faith for the race because we have worked well for the last two days.”

From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
BETANDWIN.COM AFRICA’S GRAND PRIX – PHAKISA FREEWAY
17TH APRIL 2004 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2

SIXTH PLACE AND SECOND ROW FOR SUPER SHINYA

Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow’s Africa’s Grand Prix at Phakisa Freeway from the second row of the grid, after a scintillating performance during this afternoon’s final qualifying session saw the Fuchs Kawasaki rider finish an impressive sixth fastest aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.

A switch to his spare bike during this morning’s hour long free practice session gave Nakano a significant improvement in rear traction, and allowed the 26-year-old Japanese rider to quickly improve upon his best time from yesterday. Improvements continued through final qualifying until, with just 14 minutes of the session remaining, Nakano flashed across the finish line to claim provisional pole position, and become the first Kawasaki rider to top the qualifying timesheet since the Japanese factory returned to Grand Prix racing at the end of 2002.

A flurry of fast laps by the championship favourites unfortunately demoted Nakano to sixth place and the second row of the grid by the time the chequered flag was unfurled to mark the end of Kawasaki’s most successful qualifying session to date.

Nakano’s Fuchs Kawasaki teammate, Alex Hofmann, bounced back from a high speed crash halfway through today’s final qualifying session to finish 13th fastest.

The 23-year-old German rider was lucky to walk away from the crash, which happened when the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR stepped out at turn eight; a second gear, 160km/h corner. Undeterred, Hofmann returned to the pit box, discarded his damaged leathers and was back out on track within ten minutes. It was well worth the effort, as the former European 250cc Champion eventually improved upon his best time from yesterday by almost one second, to head up the fifth row of the grid for tomorrow’s 28 lap race.

Shinya Nakano: 6th (1:33.276)
“The turning point for me this weekend was switching to my second bike this morning. It worked well around this circuit from the off and there was a definite improvement in rear grip over yesterday. This additional rear traction definitely came in useful when it came time to put a qualifier in the bike this afternoon! Of course, I’m happy to be on the second row of the grid, but I have to say that it has definitely been a team effort. I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone in the Kawasaki Racing Team, as they have worked so hard during the winter to get us to where we are today. I’m ready to race tomorrow and, hopefully, we can carry on the momentum that put us on the second row of the grid today.”

Alex Hofmann: 13th (1:33.815)
“Without looking at the data it’s difficult to know exactly why I crashed. The rear just let go without any warning at all and down I went. I had to change my leathers before heading back to the pit box; I was okay, but my original leathers were a bit the worse for wear! I guess I’m real lucky not to have injured myself. Once back in the box I calmed myself down and went out to test a couple of tyres while I regained my confidence. From then on it was just a case of chipping away at the lap time and trying to improve my grid position. I’m still not completely happy with my race set up for tomorrow, but I think this is something we can work on during morning warm up. Today could have gone better, for sure, but I’m pretty happy overall.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Both riders did a good job today. Alex came back strong after a high speed crash and Shinya proved that he’s one of the best riders in the World with his sixth place qualifying position. The fact that we’re just over half a second off pole position proves that the direction we took with both the bike and tyres over the winter was the right one. Today has provided the whole team with a huge confidence boost after a winter of hard work, and we’re now looking forward to both riders scoring points in the race tomorrow.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2 – FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 1:32.647; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.035; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.272; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.451; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.464; 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.629; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.649; 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +0.712; 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.875; 10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +0.896; 11. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +0.951; 12. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +1.032; 13. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.168

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:33.450
2. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:33.594
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:33.710
4. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:33.931
5. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:33.950
6. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:34.122
7. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:34.231
8. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:34.262
9. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:34.311
10. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:34.400
11. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:34.504
12. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:34.531
13. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:34.620
14. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:34.687
15. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:34.974
16. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:35.128
17. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:35.221
18. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:35.473
19. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:35.533
20. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:35.824
21. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:36.401
22. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:37.934


250cc:

1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:35.424
2. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:35.969
3. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:36.623
4. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:36.672
5. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:37.202
6. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:37.245
7. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:37.321
8. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:37.368
9. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:37.405
10. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:37.420
11. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:37.505
12. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:37.548
13. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:37.755
14. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:37.945
15. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:37.961


125cc:

1. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:41.065
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:41.244
3. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:41.267
4. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:41.309
5. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:41.801
6. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:41.804
7. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:41.869
8. Gino BORSOI, Aprilia, 1:41.906
9. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:41.944
10. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:41.956
11. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 1:42.050
12. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:42.087
13. Youichi UI, Aprilia, 1:42.179
14. Gabor TALMACSI, Malaguti, 1:42.259
15. Julian SIMON, Honda, 1:42.296

From a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

MS Aprilia Racing’s British pairing of Jeremy McWilliams and Shane Byrne will start the new MotoGP world championship in South Africa tomorrow from the sixth and seventh rows of the grid respectively.

McWilliams qualified his RS Cube in 17th position while reigning British superbike champion Byrne will start two places further back as he prepares to make his MotoGP debut in the 28-lap race at the Welkom circuit.

With conditions somewhat cooler from yesterday’s bright and sunny weather, the riders spent today trying to adapt the set-up of the RS Cube to cope with the climatic change.

Pietro Caprara, crew chief for Jeremy McWilliams said: “It wasn’t only because of the weather changes but we continued development work today and tested new ignition mapping settings to find the best solution. It is crucial at this track because of the high altitude.”

McWilliams, who battled against a rear suspension set-up problem that limited his progress in the tight and twisty final section of the track, said: “I had a problem with the rear suspension. The tyres worked very well but my problems were in the last part of the track where the grip wasn’t so good. I was losing a lot of time in that part, but this afternoon we worked to try and find a solution and we have other things to try in the warm-up.”

Byrne is eagerly looking forward to his debut tomorrow, and he might have been higher up the final grid had it not been for a clutch problem in the crucial final session. He still ended up only two seconds off pole position to show how quickly he has adapted to the new surroundings of MotoGP racing.

He said: “This morning was fine and I felt pretty comfortable on the bike. In the qualifying session I had a problem with the clutch and that meant I had to change to my second bike. But it wasn’t set up the same as my number one bike. I am just learning but tomorrow I’m sure that we can do something good.”

Byrne’s chief engineer Giacomo Giudotti said: “I am sure that tomorrow Shane will give us a very satisfying result. He has shown he is very fast. Tomorrow will be the first race in MotoGP of his life but we are sure he will do well.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:32.647
2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:32.682
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:32.919
4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:33.098
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:33.111
6. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:33.276
7. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:33.296
8. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:33.359
9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:33.522
10. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:33.543
11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:33.598
12. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:33.679
13. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:33.815
14. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:33.884
15. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:33.977
16. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:34.103
17. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:34.404
18. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:34.484
19. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:34.703
20. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:34.845
21. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:35.804
22. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:36.982

From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

GP SOUTH AFRICA – QUALIFYNG PRACTICE Nr. 2

Gibernau confirms the second best time, very good pace for Edwards

The Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP did a good job today focusing on the set-up of the bikes in preparation of the first race of the season on the warm and sunny Phakisa Freeway racetrack.

Sete Gibernau was the second fastest of the day at only 35 thousands from pole position, while his team-mate Colin Edwards lapped with a good race rhythm.

Sete Gibernau 2nd Best time (1:32.682): “I’m not completely satisfied of my position, tomorrow morning we will try some new solutions in order to improve the pace and the feeling with the bike. This afternoon we did some endurance practices with the tyres used during the free practice of the morning but we still need to work in order to find the best setting. All in all I’m confident because I have the best team and I’m confident in myself.”

Colin Edwards 5th fastest time (1:33.111): “Today we did a good job working for the race. I lapped with a good rhythm. I had a good pace even if there wasn’t the occasion to score a fast lap. For sure we need more time to test, the rain spoiled both Irta test sessions so we will continue the development of the bikes during the two-day tet scheduled at Jerez immediately after the race.”

Fausto Gresini, team manager: “Today we did a good job. For sure we need to test some more solutions tomorrow morning in order to find the best setting for the race. I’m sure it will be a tough race for everyone and very interesting but I’m confident the Team Telefonica MoviStar riders will be fighting in front.”

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

AOKI SLASHES LAP TIME FOR FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR

Round 1: Africa’s GP, Welkom Final Qualifying: Saturday, April 17, 2004

Nobuatsu Aoki: 20th, 1:34.845

Team Proton KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki slashed more than two seconds off his previous best lap time in today’s final qualifying session for tomorrow’s Africa’s GP, opening round of the 2004 MotoGP season at Welkom’s Phakisa Freeway.

It was the result of small but significant machine improvements, and a consistently heroic effort by the Japanese rider. But it yielded an improvement of only one place on the grid, on a day when all riders closed up on pole qualifier Valentino Rossi, promising an exciting start to the season under the blazing African sun.

Aoki had three bikes at his disposal, after new team-mate Kurtis Roberts withdrew yesterday, troubled by a shoulder injury incurred in pre-season testing.

They are variations on a theme, of the new 2004 Proton KR V5, which includes engine changes in a chassis package that advances the state of the art in design, construction, materials and overall integration. But, as even team principal Kenny Roberts admits, this race is too early for the new bike. The team is still awaiting final parts for the engine before the package is complete.

The team is also facing a first race on Dunlop tyres, and these too are at an early stage. New construction tyres that were made ready for Welkom are just the first stage in a programme of joint development between the tyre company and the England-based Proton Team KR.

Today’s final day of qualifying took placed in ideal sunny and windless conditions, with only the power-sapping altitude of about 1,500 metres hampering overall performance for all the 990cc MotoGP machines. Tomorrow’s race is the first of 16 rounds in the 2004 MotoGP World Championship.


NOBUATSU AOKI
I knew today that for sure I had to do something big to improve the lap time. I am happy that we have bettered the time set on Dunlop tyres here last year, although that was on a different motorcycle. At least there is that improvement. Today I saw little improvements both in the bike and the tyres, and we have a couple of things to change for tomorrow. One is to use different steering triple clamps to change the geometry, and to improve the overall balance of the bike. I might have gone faster today, but I had problems on my last fast lap on the soft qualifying tyres. I got a big head-shake over the bumps of the first section of the track, and it must have spread the brake calipers. When I went for the brakes the lever came back almost to the bar, and I ran off the track. Luckily I didn’t fall.


KENNY ROBERTS – TEAM PRINCIPAL
We knew this would be our worst race, because we’re not ready yet – and considering that,we are sort of upbeat. I thought we would be way off, but in fact we’re not that far. Nobu really put it all together, and today wasn’t nearly as bad as yesterday. We expect to go forward from this point on, so we’re not committing hara-kiri yet.

From a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

Max Biaggi on front row in debut GP 2004 season

With the third quickest time in qualifying, Max Biaggi will be starting from the front row tomorrow in the first race of the World Championship season. After dedicating the central phase of the session to establishing a place that can make the difference during the race, towards the close Max made his final lunge and conquered a place on the first row of the grid. His yellow RC211V gave him all the support he needed and the work on the set-up that had been planned for the four-hour sessions of these days paid off well. Makoto Tamada came in slightly later as he was unable to take full advantage of the clinching phase of the session, for he was still getting to grips with the Welkom circuit. Even so, his twelfth place for the start tomorrow should not be a great problem for this tenacious Japanese who has shown how capable he is of battling his way up through the pack.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“Max’s first row is a reward for the work everyone has done to get the best settings on the bike worked out. He’s got the right rhythm for the race and we’ll be playing a prominent role in the race precisely because the pace set during this qualifying session was the best. So we can now hope for victory. The team’s working really hard and I’m sure everyone will do their very best.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 3rd – 1:32.682

“I’m very pleased with the way the session went today because I managed to achieve a rhythm that I didn’t get yesterday, so we’ve made a good step forward. We’ve worked well, combining our work on the settings to adapt the bike to this track, and the adjustment of the materials that Honda has given us. For this, I’d like to thank HRC for all the support they’re giving us, so we can stay out in the front and fight for victory. Our thoughts can only go to Antonio, who is no longer with us. We’ll try to do our very best for him too. It’ll be important to start off well tomorrow, and then we’ll see what strategy to adopt. But we’ll sure be making our mark.

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)

“The preparation work for the race was extremely intense and we didn’t manage to make best use of the closing phases of the session when the time came to aim for a good position on the starting grid. Makoto still has to improve his feeling for the track, especially in the closing section before the home straight. I’m trusting in his determination and in his ability to move up during the race.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 12th – 1:33.679

“A pity – I wasn’t able to do better and I’m starting out from a position that isn’t exactly ideal. Even so, we’ve made the best choices for the race and also on the tyre front I’ve got my ideas clear. It’ll be a race in which I have to go flat out so that I can move up, but I know how to do this so I can say I’m feeling pretty relaxed about tomorrow.”

From a press release issed by Honda Racing Information:

ROSSI SNATCHES POLE BUT HONDA RIDERS IN THE HUNT

Five of Honda’s six MotoGP contenders rode their way into the top ten qualifiers here at sunny Welkom in South Africa’s Free State Province today. And it will be Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) who lines up on the front row in second place for tomorrow’s race next to pole-sitter Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) with Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) completing the new three-man front row.

With conditions today mirroring yesterday, despite the threat of rain showers that never materialised, most riders opted to try race distance set-ups for the majority of today’s precious hour of final qualifying. A larger than usual crowd watched as this year’s crop of premier class hopefuls worked hard in the heat.

All Michelin riders, with the exception of Loris Capirossi (Ducati), used a new 16.5″ front tyre that proved able to withstand the rigours of Welkom’s 2.424km track at race pace and distance. Gibernau worked hard at besting Rossi’s 1m 32.647s lap in the closing minutes to try and repeat his pole performance of last year, and couldn’t quite get there. But the Spaniard at least knows that he’s well in contention to repeat his race win of 2003 from the front row.

He’s a mere three hundredths of a second shy of Rossi’s time and Max Biaggi in third is just under three tenths of a second away form the pole time. One of the surprises of the session was the strong showing of Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki). The Japanese headed the session with ten minutes to go before the established front runners blitzed his time on sticky qualifying rubber and pushed him back to sixth overall.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) heads the second row in fourth overall and the American has Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) next to him, a mere one hundredth of a second slower than his countryman Hayden. Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) will start from the third row in eighth while Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres, qualified 12th.

But Gibernau is not entirely happy. “I’m less interested in pole position than in finding a good rhythm and pace over race distance,” he said. “I still don’t have what I’m looking for despite the amount of work we all put in here. Some of that is because of the way the weather has disrupted our test programme this year, but we have the warm-up tomorrow to see if we can get closer to what we’re looking for.”

For Biaggi things are looking better. “We have a good pace I think,” he said. “We worked hard at adapting the set-up to this track and HRC has worked hard with us and supported us enough to make sure I will be fighting for a win. Our thoughts and sympathy are with Antonio’s family and we will all do our utmost in his memory.” (Antonio Cobas, who died last week, was Camel Honda’s Technical Director)

Nicky Hayden said, “We seemed to have two totally different sessions out there. At the beginning we couldn’t get the bikes to run properly. Then we got things sorted out. Overall I’m real happy with the way things ended and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Texan Colin Edwards, although not fully dialled into this race yet, is optimistic. “I’m happy enough. We tested a lot of worn tyres from this morning’s session to get used to the set-up we need towards the end of tomorrow’s race when the rubber will be worn. The bike’s not 100% yet but we’ve got more testing time after the race at Jerez in two weeks, so we should be fully ready real soon.”

Brazilian Alex Barros is ready to race despite only managing to qualify eighth fastest. “We’ve improved from yesterday and the bike feels good. The main problem was stability in the fast corners but I’m confident we can improve. We have to make the final tyre decision in the warm-up tomorrow but I’m almost sure I know which way to go.”

“It was too bad I couldn’t do better when it was time to put in a hot lap,” said 12th fastest qualifier Makoto Tamada. “I’m still trying to get the right feel for this track but the set-up is clear and I’ll attack right from the start and try to get away with the front-runners.”

Honda’s new recruit to the 250cc class, the reigning 125cc World Champion Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) began his new career in the quarter-litre class by qualifying on the front row of the (four rider) grid in fourth place. Randy de Puniet, Sebas Porto and reigning World Champion Manuel Poggiali (all Aprilia) will start in that order in first, second and third.

Pedrosa looks in better shape than the other Honda runners in this class at the moment, as the Spaniard is only three tenths of a second adrift of de Puniet’s 1m 35.300s pole time. Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified seventh and will start from row two, but the 2003 Championship runner-up lies 1.31 seconds shy of the pole time.

Next to Rolfo is Eric Bataille (Wurth Honda BQR RS250R) who appears to be starting this season where he left off in 2003 – with strong, consistent rides. The Frenchman is one grid slot in front of Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) who qualified ninth. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified 11th and starts from the third row.

“To be on the front row is brilliant,” said Pedrosa. “The team and me are working really well and I feel positive every time I get on the track. I’m improving every time out but that’s because I’m a rookie and I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m even one and a half seconds faster than yesterday and finding answers all the time.”

Rolfo is less concerned about his seventh spot than many others would be. “The front end is better now,” said the Italian. “I could tell instantly when we got it right and although I’m not on the best place on the grid the bike gets better every time I ride it and although I’ll have a lot to do tomorrow, we’ll see what happens in the race.”

The 125cc class final qualifying session was another exercise in brinkmanship with yesterday’s provisional pole-sitter Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) looking to consolidate his position. But Andrea Dovisioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) was in flying form on this second day of qualifying and he snatched the pole in the final stages of the half-hour session with a 1m 40.942s lap.

Locatelli will line up alongside the Italian Honda rider in tomorrow’s 24-lap race and knows that being only eight hundredths slower than Dovizioso should not prove too much of a handicap. In third place on the grid will be Mirko Giansanti (Aprilia) whose best lap was a 1m 41.193s time. Frenchman Mike Di Meglio (Aprilia) completes the front row.

Julian Simon (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) qualified in tenth position and rookie Dario Giuseppetti (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) will start from the fourth row of the grid in 16th in his first race of the season.

“We’re in good shape,” said Dovizioso. “I set that pole time on used tyres. We’ve had some small suspension problems but with Showa’s help we’ve sorted them out. We’ve worked hard, the engine is good and I want a good start to get away. You don’t want to be stuck in a big group during the final laps here.”

Simon said. “Everything’s fine. The engine is good, I’m getting a bit of front-end chatter on the final right hand turns here but apart from that it’s all good. The back end slides a bit in the fast turns but that’s normal and nothing to worry about.”


HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 4th: “That could have been really ugly! We had two totally different sessions there. In the beginning we just couldn’t get the bikes to run properly. I just kept going backwards and backwards. Then we got things sorted out and I went out with the qualification tyre. I was pretty nervous as I didn’t get one clear lap yesterday and I knew I had to salvage something. Those Michelin qualifiers are something else. So much grip! I never even saw the P1 board! Overall I’m real happy with the way it ended. The set-up is good and P4 should be less dusty than a start on the inside. Really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 2nd: “I’m not completely satisfied of my position, tomorrow morning we will try some new solutions in order to improve the pace and the feeling with the bike. This afternoon we did some endurance practices with the tyres used during the free practice of the morning but we still need to work in order to find the best setting. All in all I’m confident because I have the best team and I’m confident in myself.”

Colin Edwards, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 5th: “Today we did a good job working for the race. I lapped with a good rhythm. I had a good pace even if there wasn’t the occasion to score a fast lap. For sure we need more time to test, the rain spoiled both Irta test sessions so we will continue the development of the bike during the two-day test scheduled at Jerez immediately after the race.”

Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: ” Today we did a good job. For sure we need to test some more solutions tomorrow morning in order to find the best setting for the race. I’m sure it will be a tough race for everyone and very interestesting but I’m confident the Team Telefonica MoviStar riders will be fighting in front.”

Alex Barros, Repsol Honda Team, 8th: “We’ve improved from yesterday and the bike feels good. We made some small adjustments and it was in the right direction. The main problem is the stability in the fast corners but I’m confident we can improve. The front of the grid is very tight and we’re not so far away. My qualifying tyre was a little cool and in turn 1 and 2 I lost a little time but the main thing is I’m happy with the race set-up. We have to make the final tyre decision in the warm up tomorrow morning but I’m nearly 100% sure I know which way to go. I’m looking forward to the first race for the team tomorrow!”

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal) : “Max’s first row is a reward for the work everyone has done to get the best settings on the bike worked out. He’s got the right rhythm for the race and we’ll be playing a prominent role in the race precisely because the pace set during this qualifying session was the best. So we can now hope for victory. The team’s working really hard and I’m sure everyone will do their very best.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 3rd: “I’m very pleased with the way the session went today because I managed to achieve a rhythm that I didn’t get yesterday, so we’ve made a good step forward. We’ve worked well, combining our work on the settings to adapt the bike to this track, and the adjustment of the materials that Honda has given us. For this, I’d like to thank HRC for all the support they’re giving us, so we can stay out in the front and fight for victory. Our thoughts can only go to Antonio, who is no longer with us. We’ll try to do our very best for him too. It’ll be important to start off well tomorrow, and then we’ll see what strategy to adopt. But we’ll sure be making our mark.

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager) : “The preparation work for the race was extremely intense and we didn’t manage to make best use of the closing phases of the session when the time came to aim for a good position on the starting grid. Makoto still has to improve his feeling for the track, especially in the closing section before the home straight. I’m trusting in his determination and in his ability to move up during the race.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 12th: “A pity – I wasn’t able to do better and I’m starting out from a position that isn’t exactly ideal. Even so, we’ve made the best choices for the race and also on the tyre front I’ve got my ideas clear. It’ll be a race in which I have to go flat out so that I can move up, but I know how to do this so I can say I’m feeling pretty relaxed about tomorrow.”


250cc:

Dani Pedrosa, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Jnr Team, 4th: “Today was incredible for me and the team. It was a great surprise but my goal for tomorrow is to finish the race and gain experience racing a 250. The winter was very hard for me and I didn’t expect this, I’m very happy. I have found a very good rhythm but not high enough to hold De Puniet and Porto.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Jnr Team, 9th: “This morning in free practice I broke my engine and did not get back to the pit to recover lost ground. In qualifying I recovered to get ninth place n the grid. The big surprise for me was the last 10 minutes of final qualifying, everybody rides like crazy to get a time. I hope to do well tomorrow but I have a very bad cold and sore throat. The Clinica Mobile are giving me treatment so I hope to be in better shape for the race.”

Eric Bataille, Wurth Honda BQR, 8th: “The evolution Honda have made with the bike from last year to now is very impressive. The bike is faster and the power constant. I like the new chassis and the new Showa suspension. Honda has worked hard and if we work harder we can improve even more. I set my time on race tyres so my eighth place is a good omen for the race. I set the time behind Poggiali and felt OK.”

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda, 21st: “Not too bad, I was 15th with about 15 minutes to go. I came into the pit for new tyres but had a brake fade problem and some guys set better times. Now I’m 21st on the grid but only 0.4s off 14th so I’m happy.”

125cc:

Andrea Dovizioso. Kopron Scot Honda, Pole position: “We are in very good shape, we set the time on race tyres. We had a few small problems adjusting to the suspension but together with Showa we have worked hard and improve with every practice, I’m happy. The engine is very good and I already know which race tyre to use. I need a good start and if I get one I will try and get away from the group because it will be hard work over the last few laps if I’m in the group.”

Julian Simon, Angaia Racing Honda, 10th: “Everything is fine. My engine is running really well. I just have a little front-end chatter but only at the right hand corners just before the end of the lap. The back-end slides around a little coming off the corners but nothing to worry about. I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Simone Corsi, Kopron Scot Honda, 21st: “In the winter tests I couldn’t get a good feeling from the bike, it took time to adjust to the settings of the new machine. Now after four hours here at Welkom I have improved a lot and will be faster tomorrow. I’m confident I will improve on my qualifying performance.”

Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda, 23rd: “Not my day today, I just had no grip on the rear. I tried the wide rear tyre in the first half of qualifying today but was not too happy with the feeling. Then I went out with the smaller profile but although I went a little faster the rear end was sliding a lot when I got on the gas out of the corners. We have to work on the suspension settings and try something else in the warm up.”

Robin Harms, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 22nd: “This is my first time on the bike, we have had no real testing. But I’ve raced a Honda before so it’s not all-new for me but we have a lot of work to do. The engine working well, and the suspension is good, the rest we have to work on. I’m going into the race learning about the bike. I’m focused on that not chasing points but I hope to score some all the same.”

Raymond Schouten Molenaar Honda, 34th: “I have no grip on the rear, the back end slides a lot when I get on the throttle off the corners. I an catch riders running into the corners but cant hold them when we exit the corner. We have a few things to try on chassis and suspension tonight so we will know a little more after the warm up.”

From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

ROSSI TAKES FIRST POLE POSITION OF SEASON WITH YAMAHA

This afternoon’s final MotoGP qualifying session was fought out in perfect sunshine with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi taking pole position at the Welkom Circuit in South Africa. He will line up at the front of the new-look grid for the first race of the season tomorrow, with three riders per row instead of four. His Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Carlos Checa had a difficult afternoon, unable to find a good feeling on his qualifying tyres and finishing 14th fastest. He will start from the fifth row of the grid tomorrow.

The timesheets remained largely unchanged for most of the session, with Rossi’s provisional pole time from yesterday of 1:33.353 keeping him up front until Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano took the lead with nine minutes to go, with a time of 1:33.347. The top spot then changed hands several times over the course of a few minutes as Honda riders Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden all put in flying laps, before Rossi reclaimed pole position with just three minutes to go. The 25-year-old smashed Gibernau’s record from last year before bettering his time again on the next lap with a final best lap of 1:32.647. A late charge from Gibernau after Rossi had entered the box was enough for second place (1:32.682), whilst Biaggi took the final front-row spot with a time of 1:32.919.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st, 1:32.647)

“That was a fantastic lap, I’m really happy to get pole position! We’ve done something that nobody expected in a really short time, in just a matter of months. I gave 100 percent and I think this is a great moment for the sport and especially for everyone at Yamaha. This is probably one of the greatest moments of my career so far but now we need to win a race. Tomorrow is going to be very difficult, I don’t know how the bike will perform on race tyres and we still have more work to do. We’re not going to change anything on the bike for tomorrow. Anyway let’s see for tomorrow and hopefully I’ll sleep OK tonight!”

CARLOS CHECA (14th, 1:33.884)

“I couldn’t get the lap time I wanted and I cannot really say why that is; I just couldn’t get a good feeling with the soft tyres. In the beginning with the race tyres it wasn’t too bad, but I’m over-steering a little bit too much. I can’t make any big changes for tomorrow but I’m quite confident that I can at least make some consistent laps during the race. It will be difficult starting from row five, but let’s see what happens.”

JEREMY BURGESS, ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF

“I’m not too surprised, I knew we’d worked really hard, that everyone at Yamaha had worked very hard, and Valentino of course, and I expected we’d be near the front. However these are early days, this is one race of sixteen and this is our first pole position. But as a team it’s great to be in this position today and now we have to turn that into something positive tomorrow. Because this bike is new for us at every circuit we’ve been working and changing a little bit more than in the past in order to get the best out of the machine, particularly suspension and transmission. We’ve seen the Yamaha’s potential in the past and now we need all the components to be in the right place at once; the bike, the rider and the team.”

FRONT ROW

1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA 1:32.647
2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1:32.682
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda 1:32.919


SECOND ROW

4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1:33.098
5. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1:33.111
6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team 1:33.276


14. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA 1:33.884