FIM MotoGP World Championship Estoril, Portugal April 29 Free Practice Two Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Marco SIMONCELLI, Italy (HONDA), 1:37.663 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:37.724 3. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:37.727 4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:38.102 5. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 1:38.102 6. Colin EDWARDS, USA (YAMAHA), 1:38.203 7. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:38.473 8. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), 1:38.563 9. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), 1:38.596 10. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:38.611 11. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), 1:38.645 12. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (HONDA), 1:38.658 13. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (YAMAHA), 1:38.760 14. Toni ELIAS, Spain (HONDA), 1:38.912 15. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:39.021 16. Randy DE PUNIET, France (DUCATI), 1:39.137 17. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:40.173 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista made an astonishing comeback to MotoGP action at Estoril in Portugal today just six weeks after breaking his left femur in Qatar. Bautista (P17, 1’40.173, 40 laps) has made an amazing recovery to be fit enough to ride at this weekend’s event. The Spaniard showed a true racer’s courage around the 4,182m Portuguese circuit to complete today’s two sessions. After finishing the first free practice session this morning – with a time only three-hundredths-of-a-second behind his best lap-time from last year at Estoril Bautista made a further step-up in his performance during the afternoon session. He finished the first day’s practice only two-and-a-half- seconds away from the quickest rider of the day Marco Simoncelli on a Honda – and almost half-of-a-second inside his best time from 2010. Bautista had no ill-effects from the serious injury he suffered last month and will rest his leg this evening after receiving some physiotherapy from the Clinica Mobile. He is eager to make sure that he is a fit as possible for tomorrow’s final free practice in the morning and the afternoon’s qualifying session and is in a good condition for Sunday. Sunday’s 28-lap race is the third round of the MotoGP championship and the main event gets underway at 13.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Álvaro Bautista: “I am very happy because I think that nobody expected that after little more than one month I would be able to jump on the bike and ride! When I broke my femur my target was to ride here and I worked very hard to make it happen. I did many kilometres every day between Talavera and Madrid, for my visits to the hyperbaric chamber and for the physiotherapy that I needed – now I can say that I am here and I am riding because of that! I am still not 100%, because I need some more power in my leg, but to be able to ride and get a feeling for the bike and the reference points around the track in my mind to be a MotoGP rider, I am certainly fit enough. I went one second faster this afternoon than I did this morning and my feeling on the bike was very similar, I was just a bit more confident so I could push more. I didn’t want to risk anything today, it was all about riding and getting a feeling I didn’t want to push too hard to find that fast lap-time. I am improving every time I get on the bike so that makes things look good for the rest of the weekend. My leg is a bit stiff now so I will need to recover and get a bit of work on it this evening, but it recovered quickly after this morning’s session, so I don’t think that will be a problem. I think my body is also remembering how to ride a MotoGP bike as well as my mind is, so that is a very positive thing. “I want to say a big thank-you to all the team for all the confidence they have shown in me. They all know that it is difficult for me to get to my maximum level, but they have given me their full support so thanks to all of them for that.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Performance is usually only measured by lap-time and position, but today’s performance by Álvaro rates amongst the best we’ve seen at Rizla Suzuki over the last few years. The effort and commitment that he has made to get his body into a good enough condition to ride a Grand Prix bike in such a short time is simply outstanding – he needs to be applauded for his bravery! We didn’t use the softer rear tyre this afternoon, which was undoubtedly the one needed to improve the lap-time, because Álvaro simply concentrated on getting the feeling back and recovering his confidence we have to remember that the last time he was on the bike was not a particularly pleasant experience! The decision to ride this weekend was wholly Álvaro’s and so far it has proven to be the right one. Today was the first step in his recovery back to a competitive level.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Simoncelli fastest as opening day in Estoril just stays dry Round 3: Portuguese GP Free Practice One & Two Estoril Circuit, Friday 29 April 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard Whilst the weather forecast predicted rain all day, Estoril demonstrated how unpredictable its climate is and both MotoGP free practice sessions remained dry, although the rain came the moment the flag dropped on the premier class this afternoon. Overnight rain left the tarmac dirty and slippery however. Marco Simoncelli finished the day fastest in both sessions, though it was very close at the front. After the second session, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa were second and third respectively, separated from Simoncelli by just 0.06seconds. On the dry track, Bridgestone’s harder option front and softer asymmetric rear slicks were favoured today by almost all riders. The weather for the rest of the weekend is set to be just as unpredictable as today as rain can quickly blow in from the surrounding mountains, but the soft compound Bridgestone wets are ready and have been selected because Estoril is a particularly slippery circuit in the wet. The final free practice session will run at 1010hrs local time tomorrow morning, and for now at least the forecast is for the rain that has now hit the circuit to remain. Tohru Ubukata General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Many of the teams said they hoped for dry running here in Estoril so they will have got a lot of valuable track time today. The times were good, but at 0.7seconds off the circuit lap record there is clearly more to come if tomorrow’s sessions are also dry. We know from past experience that the weather here is unpredictable so I am confident we have chosen the best tyres to cope with all situations we could encounter this weekend. After rain last night the circuit was still dirty for all of today and the circuit grip was low as a result. Also, without much direct sun tyre temperatures were a little lower so this is why almost all riders preferred the softer rear slick. But on the front, riders need good stability under heavy braking from high speed, over 300kmh, so this is why the harder front was favoured. Today was the first use this season of our asymmetric slicks and durability was good with Jorge and Valentino in particular each producing a string of consistent laps.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Edwards and Crutchlow return in style at Estoril Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow made an impressively fast return to MotoGP action in Portugal today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders lapping consistently inside the top ten during the opening day of practice at the Estoril track. Edwards ended with the sixth fastest time, the experienced American taking full advantage of unexpectedly dry and warm conditions to set a best time of 1.38.203 that put him less than 0.5s away from the top three. Forecasts had predicted rain for the opening day of the Portuguese Grand Prix but both sessions took place on a full dry track with temperatures this afternoon nudging close to 25 degrees. Edwards, who was fourth until the final moments of the second 45-minute session, made big progress in improving side grip with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine having made swingarm set-up changes after he was seventh fastest this morning. Rookie Crutchlow produced another fantastic performance that not only showcased his ability learn and master new tracks quickly, but the British rider also demonstrated his determination to ride at 100 per cent despite facing a gruelling physical test. During the long break following the postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix, Crutchlow underwent surgery to solve a numbness issue in his right hand that occurred during the first two races in Qatar and Jerez. But Crutchlow was struck by a chronic arm pump issue again this morning and he needed a large build-up of fluid draining from his right arm in the Clinica Mobile ahead of the second session. A modified handlebar position helped Crutchlow feel m uch more comfortable on his YZR-M1 machine this afternoon and he was unlucky not to finish inside the top seven after a brilliant performance. He was as high as seventh in the final stages when he was unfortunate to be bumped down the order to 13th. He ended with a best time of 1.38.912 having knocked nearly 1.5s off from his best time from this morning and he was only 0.5s behind Edwards and marginally over a second away from the fastest pace set by Marco Simoncelli. Colin Edwards 6th 1.38.203 42 laps “That was a pretty good day and I’m really satisfied. We just rolled the bike off the truck and immediately I had a good feeling without having to make any changes. I’ve always gone well at this circuit and I’ve no idea why, but right out of the gate I felt comfortable on the bike and I was able to lap easily insi de the top six for most of both sessions. This afternoon I never used the soft tyre and I probably lost a bit of time that would have put my further up the timesheets, but that’s not a big issue on Friday. We played with the balance of the bike this afternoon a little bit and tried something different with the swingarm that gave me better side grip with the hard tyre. I wanted to be open the throttle smoothly and generate some speed and we found a good direction, so I’m happy.” Cal Crutchlow 13th 1.38.760 38 laps “I’m really happy because to be only a second off the pace on a track I’ve never seen before gives me a lot of confidence. I honestly feel I should have kept that seventh place because I made a late change to the bike and everybody went quicker. I could have gone quicker once I was back on track but I encountered a lot of traffic and it was like a 125 session! I got held up and that cost me at least a couple of tenths, which would have easily put me in the top ten. This track is much harder to learn than Jerez. It is quite bumpy and you have to be so precise with your lines that it has been quite difficult. But I’m only 0.5s behind Colin and he has a good record at this track. After this morning I didn’t think I’d be so fast because I was really struggling with my arm. There was a massive build-up of fluid at the end of the session that I had to get drained and I’m not sure why it has happened. I rode a motocross bike last week without any drama, but the brake pressure on a MotoGP bike is incredible. We moved the handlebars out for this afternoon and it was definitely better and I felt more confident on the brakes, but at the end I’ve got another big fluid bump on my forearm.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli was quickest in both practice sessions at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal on Friday, as the World Championship resumed action. The Italian lost the front end of his Honda going into Turn 3 midway through the second session so had to jump onto his second machine, but he was never headed. The 24 year-old won at this circuit back in 2009 in the former 250cc class and will be aiming for his maiden podium finish this weekend, after missing out on the opportunity at Jerez in the previous round. The second session of the day in the afternoon was run in much hotter temperatures underneath the Portuguese sunshine. The MotoGP class just missed out on the rain which began to fall at the end of the 45-minute practice, and all 17 riders improved on their earlier times to end the day spread across 2.510s. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) who has won from pole position at Estoril for the previous three seasons was consistently quick throughout the day and finished with a deficit of just 0.061s to Simoncelli. The 23 year-old was 0.003s faster than his rival Dani Pedrosa in third. The Repsol Honda rider has yet to win in any category at this circuit and it is one of only four venues the Spaniard has been unable to achieve victory at. Finishing on identical lap times of 1’38.102 were Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) after their much talked about coming together from the last race in Jerez. The Italian has had five wins here in the premier class, whilst the Australian is yet to take victory in the premier class at Estoril. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was again solidly in the top ten, keen to put the disappointment of Jerez behind him. The American has had two fourth places here, in 2006 and 2008, which are his best results at this circuit. Rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) was seventh quickest, and the Czech rider finished in 10th place here last season in the Moto2 race. Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) has not had a happy time so far at this venue after crashing on the sighting lap in 2010. After a run off in first practice in the morning, the Yamaha rider was eighth fastest, 0.9s off Simoncelli’s best time. The final two places in the top went to two Ducati machines. Ninth was Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) who will be hoping to achieve the first win for Ducati at this circuit. Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team), who had his best ever finish in MotoGP thanks to his sixth place in Jerez, was tenth quickest in FP2. The ten riders were covered by less than a second. Making his return to action was Rizla Suzuki rider Álvaro Bautista, who completed both the practice sessions in his first MotoGP action since breaking his left femur in Qatar. Moto2 The Moto2 class experienced different fortunes with the weather, enjoying good conditions for the morning session but being affected by rain in the afternoon. Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing) topped the day’s times with a 1’42.202, closely followed by Tom Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) at 0.011s further back and Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) who was 0.042s off the Japanese rider’s time. Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing) and Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing) were both in the top five, with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing), Bradley Smith (Tech 3), Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing), Andrea Iannone (Speed Master) and Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) all inside the top ten. 125 Thanks to the scheduled order of the sessions the 125cc riders escaped the rain along with the MotoGP class, and true to form it was Nico Terol leading the way. The Bankia Aspar rider’s best lap of 1’46.385 from the second session of the day topped the combined session times, placing him a substantial 0.708s ahead of Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany). The German was followed by Johann Zarco (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo) inside the top three, with Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar) and Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica) completing the top five. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: FIRST STEP FORWARD FOR ELIAS AT ESTORIL GP OPENING DAY Estoril, 29 April: premier class riders and teams returned to action today at Estoril race track which hosts the third round of the season after a 3-week break due to the postponement of Japanese GP. Both MotoGP practices were held in dry conditions but only 2 minutes after the second session the famous changeable weather of the Portuguese track affected the Moto2 session with rain showers. LCR Honda MotoGP racer Toni Elias returned to the scene of his greatest triumph when he won his first premier class race in 2006 ahead Rossi and Roberts Jr. This is the track where the Spaniard hopes to regain his positive feeling aboard the RCV and with the 14th lap time of the day it seems that the 28-year-old has found the right direction. Elias 14th 1’39.912: “Obviously we had a positive first day of practices and I am very happy. Doubtless we still have to improve our position and the bike set up but we have found the right direction to follow and this gives us more confidence. This first step forward was necessary to me and the guys and once we arrived here we established different ways to work. Finally I could make a couple of long run with a good pace and I could try to improve myself as I feel more stable on the bike now. It was a quite good opening for us and want to thank the Team for their efforts”. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: The Repsol Honda Team working hard in Estoril The Repsol Honda Team has today returned to action at the Estoril circuit for the first two free practice sessions of the Grand Prix of Portugal nearly a month of inactivity after the Jerez race. Although the sky threatened rain all morning, the MotoGP riders were thankful to have 90 minutes of dry practice time to start working on the race set up. Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso hope to improve their set up tomorrow and fight for a good grid position for Sunday’s race. After setting the third fastest time of the day just 0.064 seconds behind Marco Simoncelli, Dani Pedrosa finished reasonably satisfied with the performance of his left arm after his surgery on the collarbone. The lack of strength has not reappeared, but obviously the muscles in that area are still very tense and painful. He will continue treatment to his shoulder during the course of the weekend. Casey Stoner, fifth today with an identical laptime to fourth place Valentino Rossi, and Andrea Dovizioso, twelfth, need to continue work on the set up looking for solutions to deal with issues under braking in Casey’s case, and with the front wheel in Andrea’s. DANI PEDROSA 3rd 1’37.727 “I think the first day of practice has been positive, it’s the first race after a major operation so it’s only logical that I feel sore and I understand that with a little more time and treatment this will disappear. The pain I feel and some cramps are caused by tension I have in the shoulder area. The last round of laps this afternoon I wanted to extend a little longer to see how I felt, but I made seven laps in a row, which would be about 15 minutes, and this is not enough to make a definitive judgement. Also, if it rains tomorrow it will be important to have a positive practice to get a good position on the grid”. CASEY STONER 5th 1’38.102 “To be honest I’m not very happy with how the day has gone, we had a few small issues with the bike that took quite a lot of time out of our sessions today. We could have had a much more productive day than we did as we didn’t really find any improvements, we have to wait for tomorrow and hope for some dry weather because at this moment we’re not too happy with the setting of the bike. We need to improve it a little under braking point and in the middle of the corner where we seem to be struggling to get the bike to turn so if there is some good weather tomorrow we should be able to improve the situation and not be so far”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 12th 1’38.658 “Today I had two difficult practice sessions and I can’t be happy. I had no feeling with the front so we made several runs to test the modifications, but the situation in general didn’t improve in the afternoon and I struggled to make lap times. Today was dry and I hope tomorrow we can continue to work with the same conditions. According to the weather forecast, it should rain and this would complicate the situation”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Promising Start For Lorenzo in Estoril Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies managed to avoid the rain today as the Portuguese GP got underway at Estoril. Lorenzo got down to business quickly in the first free practice as he looked to set up for his fourth consecutive win in Portugal. The afternoon’s second session saw him make a step forward, spending the majority of the 45 minute practice as one of only two riders to break under the 1’38 barrier. The reigning World Champion and current Championship leader completed the second heat in second place just 0.061 from first. Today marked Texan rider Spies’ first opportunity to ride the Estoril circuit in the dry. With no race experience and no dry set up from last year the crew started with a base set up from Jerez in the morning. A number of set up changes followed and Spies also tried the harder Bridgestone tyre option in the afternoon session. The Yamaha Factory rider made steady improvements from morning to afternoon, finishing the day in eighth having improved on the morning session by 0.332 of a second. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: 1’37.724 Laps: 40 “It’s good to be back on track here, I really love riding at Estoril. We have to improve some sectors for Sunday, especially in braking. We lost some tenths in the first sector but we make up for it in the other three so we are up there in second. We are always in the top four which is important.” Ben Spies Position : 8th Time: 1’38.563 Laps: 41 “It hasn’t been a perfect day; we’ve struggled a little bit. We tried to get a feel for the harder tyre this afternoon and don’t think that’s the right way for us. We tried some different settings through the sessions and we think we know what we need to do. We’re not close to the front but we’ll find our way up there. I’m pretty confident my guys and me can step up and be there, it’s in me and the bike so we’ll come back tomorrow and improve.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “We’re quite lucky because it started to rain on the last lap of the second session. We’re happy we missed it because we had quite a few things to try today. This afternoon we focused on some new electronic settings for better grip. We’re not ready yet but we had positive comments from Jorge so we are satisfied with the position and lap time so far.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “We worked to find a good, balanced set up today for Ben. It was his first day on a dry circuit here in Estoril so it was a learning experience. We’ve been working hard to make the bike as he wants it; we still have more to do as the set up is not as he would like it yet. Jorge did a really good long run; he definitely has the right rhythm and good pace and should make another step forward tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: VALENTINO ROSSI AND NICKY HAYDEN START WELL IN PORTUGAL The rain that was forecast for the first day of practice at the Estoril Grand Prix arrived, but fortunately for the MotoGP riders, both sessions took place in dry conditions. After a nighttime shower, the weather granted a respite until shortly after the finish of the premier class’ 45 minute second free-practice session of the top class. It was a good day for both Ducati Marlboro Team riders, with Valentino Rossi fourth and Nicky Hayden ninth, making progressive improvement from the morning to the afternoon. The Italian rider improved his time by approximately five tenths, while the American actually dropped a second and a half from his earlier time. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 4th, 1:38.102 “I’m pretty satisfied with how the day went. Let’s start with my physical condition, which I’m very happy with: I was obviously aware of being a little better when I arrived here, but I wanted to wait until I tested my shoulder on the track, which confirmed that I’m able to ride well and have fun. It still hurts a little, and I’m missing a little strength, but the difference compared to my left shoulder is less. I can concentrate on riding the bike, and when watching myself on television, I can see that my style is starting to be a little more normal. Naturally, we’re also working on the bike. Today we used a different weight distribution and some changes to the electronics that worked well. For the first time, we went faster in the afternoon session than in the morning. We dropped almost half a second, getting us closer to the top. I still have some problems with rear grip, so tomorrow we have to do better, but I’m happy for now.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 9th, 1:38.596 “This morning was not a good session at all, but the afternoon was a lot better. We had a problem with one bike in FP1. I’m not sure what happened, but we’ll send the engine back to Bologna to check it out. I went back out at the end, but we used hard tyres because I didn’t want to waste another soft tyre, since it looks like it will be a soft-tyre race this weekend. Also, I had just gone out with a new setting, and since I only did about four corners, we got no information on that. We lost some valuable time, but this afternoon went better””not spectacular, but pretty steady. I was in the top ten for most of the session, and I had a decent feeling with the bike””I would say better than what the lap time shows. I’m sure everybody thinks they can do better tomorrow, but I feel like we can do a good job and try to get in a good lap in qualifying, which is going to be really important.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: PRAMAC RACING ECO HOSPITALITY HITS THE MOTOGP PADDOCK AT ESTORIL It has been ten years since Pramac started participating in the MotoGP World Championship as a Ducati satellite team. Thanks to the passion and commitment of Paolo Campinoti, Team Principal and owner of the Pramac Racing Team, the Pramac name is well-known in the motorcycling world. Last season, to promote its new commitment toward renewable energy and the environment, Pramac Racing Team was launched as the Green Energy Team, as a team focused on the ecological sector by reducing environmental pollution, demonstrating that even in a world like motorcycle racing, it’s still possible to commit to the environment. Starting from simple initiatives such as the use of electric bikes in the paddock (charged by solar panels and wind turbines located on the team truck), the use of food and beverages produced in certified zero CO2 emission companies, the use of ecological paints and biological detergents, always refueling trucks with ecodisel, recycling when at the track, using only recycled paper for press releases””with these and other little things, the Pramac Racing Team has shown that something can be done. Something more and even bigger was born with the creation of the Eco Hospitality, a special vehicle that in one project can synthesize and focus the best technology available dedicated to the environment. Pramac Eco Hospitality project hopes to show that today’s technologies already allow us to reduce to zero the production of CO2 from our homes, offices and companies. Pramac Eco Hospitality is a unique and innovative vehicle with zero CO2 emissions, thanks to features including self-sufficient electricity production by 70 square metres of Pramac Micromorph solar panels and a three-bladed wind turbine made by Pramac and designed by Philippe Starck. The electricity produced is used for the operation of all electrical components inside the hospitality””naturally, low-energy components, such as LED lamps, televisions, kitchen refrigerators, office equipment, etc. In addition, the excess electricity produced is used to charge a battery that will provide up to ten hours of power during the night. The management of all electrical components is delegated to the innovative system developed with Pramac Green Box powered by Microsoft, to optimize the household. In addition, the vehicle was built with light materials such as aluminum coating that reduce pollution from the paint. The weight of this vehicle, which is estimated to be less than half that of a standard three-axle truck in running order, lowers the engine’s consumption, decreasing the CO2 emissions. Paolo Campinoti – Pramac Racing Team Principal “Once again, Pramac distinguished itself for the ecological sustainability that has characterized our company for a few years. This Eco Hospitality is a unique piece in the world. We, as the MotoGP Green Energy Team, couldn’t be more satisfied with this structure. We will completely avoid CO2 emissions, and we will lower the enviromental impact, all for the love and respect of our planet. We are very glad about this initiative, which was prepared thanks to the support of various technical partners.” More, from another press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: Although Loris Capirossi and Randy de Puniet have improved their best time compared to this morning free practice session, in the afternoon, during the second free practice session, the white and green duo dropped back in the final ranking. Fifteenth fastest lap time (1’39 .021) for the Italian rider, just behind the French, who stopped the stopwatch with a time of 1’39.137. No one in the Pramac Racing Team may be satisfied even if the fact of Loris Capirossi can count on a new handlebars (designed by his Chief Engineer, Fabiano Sterlacchini) is already a big step forward. Tomorrow, probably in the rain, the opportunity to redeem the today’s result. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Team Technical Director “We can not be satisfied with this day, because in the end the time and the rankings that matters. Although we finally solved some small problems, others are left to deal with, we will have to do it tomorrow. Unfortunately, today we also had some bad luck saw that Loris was slowed by some riders when he tried to push”. Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team 15th fastest lap time in 1’39.021 “The lap time was bad, no doubt, but I’m happy that we have finally found the right set up of the saddle. Now we will work on other important aspects. I also thank my technical director for realizing my new handlebars. I think tomorrow we will make further steps forward”. Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – 16th fastest lap time in 1’39.137 “I’m not happy with the work done today. I still have problems with the front of the bike, sometimes it is uncontrollable. We tried different solutions, but none was acceptable for the moment. Tomorrow we will focus the work on this aspect. We have always worked well and I am sure we will continue on this path”.