FIM MotoGP World Championship Misano, San Marino September 5, 2009 Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), 1:34.338 2. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), 1:34.560 3. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), 1:34.808 4. Toni ELIAS (Honda), 1:34.907 5. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), 1:35.184 6. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati), 1:35.223 7. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), 1:35.343 8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), 1:35.492 9. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), 1:35.554 10. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), 1:35.561 11. Mika KALLIO (Ducati), 1:35.601 12. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki), 1:35.785 13. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), 1:35.790 14. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), 1:36.070 15. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati), 1:36.228 16. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), 1:36.264 17. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda), 1:37.091 More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI TAKES SUPERB HOME POLE, LORENZO KEEPS FRONT ROW RECORD INTACT Local hero Valentino Rossi took his sixth pole of the season at Misano in Italy this afternoon, meaning he has finished on top of the standings in all three sessions so far this weekend. Team-mate Lorenzo qualified third, edged out by Dani Pedrosa but continuing his 100% front-row qualifying record for the season. A welcome sea breeze meant temperatures today were marginally cooler but it was still tough work as Rossi and Lorenzo pushed each other hard in the morning session, the Italian finishing two-tenths in front of the Spaniard. Lorenzo then took an early lead in this afternoon’s practice before Rossi took over with twenty minutes remaining, both riders showing a strong race pace as they continued to fine-tune the settings of their M1s around the 2.626 km track. Rossi’s time looked fairly untouchable until the riders put in the softer Bridgestone tyres at the end of the session and the lead then swapped a few times between him, Lorenzo and Pedrosa. The championship leader had the last word however with a brilliant final lap to take his 58th career pole. Lorenzo tried his hardest to answer back and set his fastest time of the session on his last lap, but the 22-year-old couldn’t quite get there today and had to settle for third. Tomorrow’s race promises another exciting battle between the championship leaders when it gets underway at 1400 local time. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 1’34.338 Laps: 29 “We expected it to be a bit cooler today but in the end it wasn’t so different from yesterday and it’s still very hard work for all the riders. This afternoon the grip wasn’t great and we found it a bit harder with the race pace, but then we made a second round of modifications and everything felt very good. I am very happy to get the pole position here in Misano. I was able to do a great first lap on my final tyre and that was enough for pole, and the team changed the tyre in the time of an F1 pit stop so thanks to them! We know that it’s going to be a very tough race tomorrow, but we are in good shape. If anyone is wondering about my helmet…I have the donkey on it because in Italy, if you make a stupid mistake we say that you are a donkey. I made a mistake in Indy so this is why! I think it’s very funny!” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: 1’34.808 Laps: 32 “I think the race tomorrow is going to be quite painful in this heat and the physical condition is going to be very important! It will be a long race but we are in good shape and I am looking forward to the challenge. Unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough with the soft tyre right at the end, but we are still on the front row once again and this is the most important thing. My race pace is very good and I did some consistent runs, even though we still have some areas that we need to improve a bit because our setting isn’t perfect yet. But I know that I can push tomorrow, even if it will be very hard.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “It looked like Valentino really wanted this pole here in Misano! I think we’ve worked very well here so far this weekend, and we’ve got a good base. Valentino is in great shape and we think we’re ready for another big battle. It’s going to be difficult and we expect to see Lorenzo and Pedrosa there at the front as well, but we’re in the best position. Let’s race!” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “In the end we’re happy about today, the front row is always our target and at this track it’s especially important. Of course we were looking for pole position and Jorge did a great job, the last lap was his fastest but unfortunately it wasn’t quite fast enough to beat Valentino, who was very strong today. Our race pace is good but we still need to make a few improvements to the setting, especially the front end as we have a bit of understeer. Now we will check the data and see what we can do to make sure we’re able to put up a good fight.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Home pole for Rossi in last-lap shootout at Misano Round 13: San Marino GP Qualifying Misano World Circuit, Saturday 5 September 2009 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard Using a hard compound front and medium compound rear Bridgestone slick tyre, Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi scored his sixth pole position of the season on his final lap of the hour-long qualifying session, beating his own previous lap record by 0.6seconds. The Italian overcame last-lap efforts by teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who was the only rider in the top ten to use the softer option front and rear for his fastest lap, and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa who in turn each went fastest in a three-rider shootout in the closing seconds of the qualifying session. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias also secured fourth position on his last lap, equalling his highest start of the season. The three riders on the front row for tomorrow’s race all set laptimes faster than the existing circuit lap record, and Elias was only 0.003seconds from doing so himself, indicating the intense pace at the end of the session. The track conditions for the qualifying session for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano circuit were hot, although slightly cooler than during yesterday’s practice session as the ambient temperature was six degrees Celsius cooler. Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department It was an intense end to qualifying and the pace was very fast. What can you say about the session? The ambient temperature today was cooler which meant the track temperature was a little lower, but again the hard compound front Bridgestone slick was the favoured option. As we are used to in qualifying sessions, most riders used the softer rear for their fastest laps, but Jorge used the softer front as well. The pace was fast and it was a good battle at the top of the timesheets, so we can expect a good race tomorrow. What can you say about tyre performance during the qualifying session? With the top three riders all faster than the existing lap record, set by Valentino last year, the laptimes show that the performance of both the softer and harder Bridgestone slicks was good today. Rider feedback was positive and some riders completed long runs with good consistency. Towards the end of the session we did see one of Valentino’s hard compound rear tyres lose a small portion of tread, although I am confident it does not represent a durability concern. Tyre temperature this weekend is average and well within the operating range of both tyre compounds. Tyre wear is normal too, so this is not something that will affect tomorrow’s race. Of course, we will take the rear tyre back to our technical centre in Japan to investigate in more detail. Top ten from qualifying (Saturday 13:55 14:55 GMT+2) Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Gap Compounds Front, Rear 1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m34.338s Hard, Medium 2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m34.560s +0.222s Hard, Medium 3 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1m34.808s +0.470s Medium, Medium 4 Toni Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m34.907s +0.569s Hard, Medium 5 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m35.184s +0.846s Hard, Medium 6 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m35.223s +0.885s Hard, Medium 7 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m35.343s +1.005s Hard, Medium 8 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 1m35.492s +1.154s Hard, Medium 9 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 1m35.554s +1.216s Hard, Medium 10 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m35.561s +1.223s Hard, Medium Weather: Dry. Ambient 27°C; Track 44°C ( Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki looking for better in Misano race Rizla Suzuki racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen will be looking to get good starts in tomorrow’s San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix after a below-par qualifying left the pair with tough grid positions. Capirossi (P10, 1’35.561, 29 laps) looked promising in the first part of this afternoon’s qualifying session and a top-six grid position certainly looked within his reach. He couldn’t quite keep the momentum going through the whole session and with qualifying lap-times being so close he just wasn’t able to find those extra tenths-of-a-seconds that he needed for a higher place. Capirossi will start tomorrow’s race from the front of the fourth row and will be hoping for a strong start to get up with the front group early on. Vermeulen (P13, 1’35.790, 32 laps) will start Sunday’s race immediately behind his team-mate, as he heads the fifth row. His problems from yesterday were corrected overnight by his crew and he was able to use all of today’s practice to improve the set-up of his Suzuki GSV-R in preparation for the race. Today’s qualifying was held in pleasant summer conditions at the Misano circuit, with air temperatures getting up to 27ºC and track temperatures reaching 40ºC in the afternoon sun. The battle for grid positions saw World Championship leader Valentino Rossi topping the time-sheets and he will start tomorrow’s 28-lap race from pole position, which begins at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Loris Capirossi: “We took another step today with the setting so that was good, but we tried two different set-ups this afternoon and I am not really sure which is the best one – we will need to look at the data tonight to see. The first few laps this afternoon were quite good but I struggled a bit in the middle of the session and then I managed to go a bit better again towards the end. I am not happy with my 10th position on the grid as I feel we have a much better potential than that. Tomorrow it will be important to do a good warm-up and get a good feeling and then to start the race well. Our rhythm is as good as anyone in the top-six – other than the two Yamaha’s and the one Honda at the front – so we need to get in that group and make sure we stay there!” Chris Vermeulen: “We have improved the bike a lot today and the issues we had yesterday never came back because the guys worked really hard to overcome them last night. The bike felt much more consistent and we are very close to sixth place, but it is so tight here on times and there is a big group all together. We have been going quicker all day and the last lap I did was my fastest. The only downside was that we kept the same front tyre in for the whole session and at the end it had done 33-laps – much more than race distance. I am disappointed with 13th place but I am happy with my race pace and the lap-times I was doing in qualifying I am sure I can do in the race, so hopefully we’ll be quite strong tomorrow.” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “We have improved the bike by a reasonable amount over the course of the weekend and in the end the lap-time and consistency is quite reasonable. However, the result – particularly when we consider Loris set his qualifying time on a front tyre with more than race distance on it and on a nearly race distance hard rear – is quite disappointing because there should have been more potential with fresh tyres in qualifying mode. It is the same story as last weekend that we need to step it up in the race and despite it being a tricky track to pass on we’ve definitely got better potential over race distance.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: PEDROSA SECOND IN MISANO QUALIFYING, DOVIZIOSO EIGHTH Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa secured his fourth front-row start in succession at the Misano circuit today as qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix produced a gripping spectacle that went right down to the final seconds. The Spanish ace spent the bulk of the hour-long session working with his crew on race set-up, before unleashing a series of quick laps on Bridgestone’s softer option rear tyre. Pedrosa’s best lap of 1m 34.560s was an impressive half second faster than his time from the morning practice, but in the final moments of qualifying he was pipped for top spot by Valentino Rossi riding at his home circuit. Still, Pedrosa’s front row start – his seventh of the season – gives him an excellent chance of getting away at the front tomorrow. Andrea Dovizioso will start two rows behind Pedrosa after clocking the eighth fastest time this afternoon. The Italian was able to significantly increase his race pace and looked good for a starting position on the front two rows. However, he wasn’t able to extract the maximum from the softer tyres which were the favoured option for riders setting their fastest qualifying laps. As a result Dovi will start from the middle of the third row and will be relying on a quick getaway when the lights go out for tomorrow’s race. The 28-lap San Marino Grand Prix begins at 14.00 local time (GMT +2 hours) after a 20-minute warm-up in the morning. DANI PEDROSA 2nd 1m 34.560 “It’s great to get a front row start here and we weren’t far away from pole position which is a good result from this afternoon because our rivals are very strong again here. During the session we were working on race set-up and we still have a little way to go to improve my race pace and consistency compared to the others. In qualifying I was able to up my speed towards the end and I was pushing really hard because it’s very important to get on the front row here and give yourself the best chance of a clean getaway. It’s sure to be an exciting race tomorrow and I hope we can find that little bit extra so we can challenge for the win again. It’s likely to be a tough race because it was hot and windy today, but I’m looking forward to it – the atmosphere is sure to be special.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 8th 1m 35.492 “I have a good pace with race tyres, and we improved the rhythm and reduced the gap to the front riders this afternoon which I’m pleased about. We are six tenths behind with our race pace and quite close to Dani so I was happy about this. Unfortunately I couldn’t go fast enough with the soft tyre and so my starting position is not what I wanted. I’m disappointed about that because it could compromise the race and it means I really have to make a good start and try to recover positions right from the beginning. It won’t be easy as it’s tricky to overtake in the first corners because you have a group of bikes all going through together. But still, I think we’ve been making progress with the set-up and the potential from our package is good.” KAZUHIKO YAMANO – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER “Dani has put his RC212V on the front row which was his main target today. Pole position is always nice for the record, but actually it doesn’t give you any significant advantage and this wasn’t our focus. Still, he came close and that’s good for the team. Andrea was unlucky to not qualify better and he’s a little frustrated naturally, but we can work on his race pace still further and I think he can have a good showing in front of the Italian fans tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Edwards in fast form at hot and sunny Misano American rider Colin Edwards was in superb qualifying form at a baking hot Misano World Circuit today and will start from fifth on the grid in tomorrow’s San Marino Grand Prix. The Texas Tornado posted his fastest time – 1.35.184 – on his 27th and penultimate lap in advance of his 115th MotoGP start. With 18 minutes remaining Edwards surged from tenth to fourth, before finishing fifth just 0.3s off a front row start. Despite a cooling, Adriatic sea breeze track temperatures still hit 40 degrees at the sun blessed 4.2 km circuit on the Italian Riviera. Edwards is aiming for a top five finish in tomorrow’s 28 lap race, backing up his impressive pace in last Sunday’s Indianapolis GP. < /p> Meanwhile Briton James Toseland was frustrated to qualify in 14th position as he struggled to find the perfect balance with the revised front set-up on his Monster Yamaha Tech3 YZR-M1. After a meeting with team engineers Toseland is confident that crucial changes for the pre-race warm-up session will be positive for his race day performance. Colin Edwards 5th 1.35.184 – 28 laps “I would like to say I could win the race but it’s going be tough. Anything in the mid-35s pace in this heat will be very good and I’ll need a good start and push it early with guys up front. It’s been a little bit tough this weekend to get right on the pace, everything feels like it is happening faster than normal which takes a little getting used to. This morning we tried a different weight balance but that didn’t work, I couldn’t get enough weight on the front. We have playe d around with the front geometry and now I have headed towards the set-up used by Jorge Lorenzo and I think it’s better. I’ve been fighting with running wide and not having enough turning. At the end of the session I put in the soft tyres and I thought, ‘I either crash it or put in a fast lap’ and I’m not sure I even shut off the throttle for the corner onto the back straight. The weather is hot but it’s OK, when the adrenaline is pumping you don’t know if it’s the ice age or heat wave.” James Toseland 14th 1.36.070 – 28 laps “I had a tough session. With the new set-up from Indy last week we are still finding our way with this geometry and just got a little bit lost with the direction but right at the end the feeling was a lot better. I think there is positive potential in the changes from Indy and following a meeting with the team I think we now have a better direction. We have been making changes to improve the rear grip but this has been compromising the front feeling, the changes aren’t big but it’s frustrating to be 14th. We are so close to finding something really good and being where Colin is and I know I can do the same job. I’ve got some more pace for the race and I’ll give it my best shot even though it’s difficult to pass here. On my final two laps the bike was feeling good and I was behind Dovizioso and I could stay with him but then Talmacsi was waiting for someone and got in behind Dovi, but he couldn’t keep up and that slowed me. It is no one’s fault, just bad timing.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: DIFFICULT QUALIFYING SESSION FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM IN MISANO Difficult day for the Pramac Racing Team in Misano Adriatico during the qualifying session valid for the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini. Pramac Racing riders, Aleix Espargaro and Niccolò Canepa, have respectively concluded in fifteenth and sixteenth position, fifth and sixth row in tomorrow afternoon starting grid. The Spanish rider went really well in the morning session registering good lap times and concluding with the tenth fastest lap time. Both of the riders will have to try to improve the set up of their bikes tomorrow morning to try to climb the classification in tomorrow’s race that will start at 2pm local time. Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing rider – 15th in 1’36.228 “This morning with the hard tyre it went much better while in the afternoon I couldn’t manage to improve. With the soft tyre instead it went well in both sessions. Tomorrow we will see the temperatures and we will have to evaluate which kind of tyre to use in the race. During my fast lap I always remained blocked in the group and I couldn’t improve so much, but notwithstanding the fifteenth position I remain trustful for tomorrow’s race and I will try to reach the points zone just like seven days ago in Indianapolis.” Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 16th in 1’36.264 “Today we have worked a lot with my technicians. The bike set up is almost ready in case the track temperature will remain the same. I lose too much time in the third sector where anyway I have improved compare to this morning. We will have to gain some tenth of a second in tomorrow’s warm up to be able to be closer to the faster riders in the race. For sure I will give all I have to accomplish a good race.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DUCATI MARLBORO RIDERS SHOW GOOD RACE PROMISE AT MISANO Ducati Marlboro Team riders Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio are confident of putting on a performance to delight the thousands of Ducatisti in the crowd at tomorrow’s San Marino Grand Prix after qualifying sixth and eleventh respectively in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Hayden was the second fastest rider on track in the first and final sections of the Misano circuit but, like yesterday, he struggled with the fast right-hander in T3. However, on his penultimate lap the American shaved two tenths off his previous best through that sector alone to improve his overall best time by three tenths and move up to the second row for the second successive race. Kallio also made progresses but not enough to improve his position on the time sheets and the Finn will start from row four. NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Marlboro Team) (6th; 1’35.223) “This morning I had a really good feeling with the bike and put together a good rhythm I was fastest in T4 and that’s the first time this year I’ve been fastest at anything in the dry! I’d hoped to improve and do my best dry qualifying of the year this afternoon but to begin with the track was a little warmer and I didn’t get that same level of feeling, so we had to make some tweaks to the set-up. Like I say, I’d hoped to do better than what I did but we got on the second row and our focus turns to tomorrow. I need to get a great start because those first two or three turns are going to be harsh everybody will be fighting for positions and there’s a good chance of some drama there! We want to get through that cleanly and as high up the order as possible in the early stages. From there it’s a case of giving my maximum for all the Italian fans and trying to put their bike up front. It is great to have their support here and all the staff from Bologna Claudio (Domenicali), Filippo (Preziosi), Vitto (Guareschi), Alan (Jenkins)”¦ It’s fun and I’m enjoying having them around so hopefully we can celebrate a result together tomorrow.” MIKA KALLIO (Ducati Marlboro Team) (11th; 1’35.601) “We have improved by eight tenths of a second on yesterday, which isn’t bad but clearly isn’t enough because the other guys have improved more. We’ve tried many things this weekend to try and get a better feeling with the front but we’re still not getting the feedback we would like and we’re struggling to work out why that is. Now we need to think carefully about what we try in the morning because confidence is a big issue and if we go completely in the wrong direction it can be damaging. We’ll make some small modifications that I hope can be enough to help me push more and get more out of the bike in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: PEDROSA SO CLOSE TO POLE, ELIAS 0.099s OFF FRONT ROW Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was in the thick of the fight for pole position at Misano this afternoon, finally ending qualifying second quickest, just 0.222 seconds off pole. The Spaniard went fastest with seconds remaining but was bettered moments later by local hero Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Nevertheless, Pedrosa believes he can have a strong race tomorrow. Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) also showed strongly on the eve of his team’s home race, going fourth fastest, a tantalisingly close 0.099 seconds off the front row. Team-mate and San Marino rider Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) was seventh, less than a tenth off the second row and just ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda). Conditions were slightly cooler than yesterday when ambient temperature reached 35 degrees with the seaside circuit cooled somewhat by a sea breeze. Pedrosa was determined to score his fourth front-row start in as many races because Misano’s first few corners are tight and tricky, so it’s essential to get a good start here. He made it with a heroic effort in the final minutes of the session, and though he has more work to do on his race set- but he believes he should have the pace to challenge for the win here. Pedrosa took pole at Indy last weekend and was leading the race when he slid off. He recovered to finish a dogged tenth. Pedrosa and his RC212V once again achieved the highest top speed of the day at 276.1km/h (171.56mph). The RC212Vs of Elias and De Angelis were third and fourth on top speed, at 273.3km/h (169.82mph) and 273.2km/h (169.76mph). Elias was delighted with his performance, which followed a difficult first session on Friday, and is confident he will be able to fight for another podium finish if he gets a good start. Elias scored his first podium of the year at last month’s Czech GP. Team-mate De Angelis ran with the leaders for much of the session, proving that he has a superb race pace. But when he switched to softer tyres for his end-of-session ‘time attack’ he couldn’t find the extra speed he needed. He thus ended up on row three and will need a flying getaway if he’s to go with the leaders and repeat the brilliant podium he scored last weekend at Indianapolis. Dovizioso also struggled to up his pace on softer tyres but is confident that he has a good pace on race rubber. This is the first race weekend that Dovi has used Öhlins suspension, so he has been focusing on adapting his machine set-up to suit. De Puniet claimed the final spot on the third row of the grid with a spirited ride to ninth. The Frenchman is still suffering from the left ankle fracture he sustained a month ago. Despite that he reckons he could have been further up the grid if he hadn’t run into some traffic at the very end of the session. Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) made useful progress today, benefiting from the input of the team’s new suspension technician. The Hungarian believes he has finally found a good set-up direction and will aim to learn more in tomorrow’s race. World 250 leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) produced a dazzling final run in today’s 250 session to score his first pole position of the year. He ended the outing in ecstatic mood after lapping 0.008 seconds faster than Hector Barbera (Aprilia). His main title rivals, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) and Marco Simoncelli (Gilera) were eighth and third fastest. Pole position was a huge boost for Aoyama who is defending a 16 point championship lead. The Japanese star and his locally based Scot crew worked hard on set-up, the sweet-handling characteristics of his RS250RW a real advantage at this tight and bumpy track. Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) did brilliantly to qualify on the second row, considering the problems he’s having with a back injury that has handicapped him at the last few races. His team-mate Ratthapark Wilairot (That Honda PTT-SAG) was also going for a place on the second row but ran off the track while chasing a group of fast riders and thus lost his chance. Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) lost crucial time in qualifying with an electrical gremlin and is riding in some discomfort from the partially dislocated left shoulder he sustained in a crash at Indy last weekend. Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) made a good job of his first two days at Misano, ending qualifying 17th fastest, which suggests he should be capable of netting another good points score tomorrow. The Japanese rider didn’t race at Indy last Sunday after damaging his machine beyond repair during practice so he is very much looking forward to this race. French youngster Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda) also impressed, ending the afternoon 0.474 seconds behind his team-mate. Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) was 21st quickest and confident he can score some more points if he gets good race-long performance from his tyres. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd – 1m 34.560s. “It’s great to get a front row start here and we weren’t far away from pole position which is a good result from this afternoon because our rivals are very strong again here. During the session we were working on race set-up and we still have a little way to go to improve my race pace and consistency compared to the others. In qualifying I was able to up my speed towards the end and I was pushing really hard because it’s very important to get on the front row here and give yourself the best chance of a clean getaway. It’s sure to be an exciting race tomorrow and I hope we can find that little bit extra so we can challenge for the win again. It’s likely to be a tough race because it was hot and windy today, but I’m looking forward to it the atmosphere is sure to be special.” Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 4th – 1m 34.907s. “I’m really pleased because nobody ever expects to improve by two seconds in one day. One second is quite easy, but two? It’s amazing really but it shows what a great job the team have done. I wasn’t happy yesterday but I knew exactly where the problems were and I was able to get the message across to the team, who responded perfectly once again. We still have a couple of things to work on and I’d like to take another step forward before the race to close the gap further on the three guys ahead of us, but for the moment I’m contented and excited about our chances tomorrow.” Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 7th – 1m 35.343s. “I started out the session well and we put a really good rhythm together on race tyres but for some reason we couldn’t make an improvement on the softer tyre and that’s a shame because even if we’d just found an extra tenth I’d have been on the second row. Anyway, the important thing is the race set-up and we’re in good shape, so if I can get a good start tomorrow then we can look forward to another good race. I have a lot of fans here and a lot of support from everybody in San Marino so it would be great to give them all something to celebrate.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 8th – 1m 35.492s. “I have a good pace with race tyres, and we improved the rhythm and reduced the gap to the front riders this afternoon which I’m pleased about. We are six tenths behind with our race pace and quite close to Dani so I was happy about this. Unfortunately I couldn’t go fast enough with the soft tyre and so my starting position is not what I wanted. I’m disappointed about that because it could compromise the race and it means I really have to make a good start and try to recover positions right from the beginning. It won’t be easy as it’s tricky to overtake in the first corners because you have a group of bikes all going through together. But still, I think we’ve been making progress with the set-up and the potential from our package is good.” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 9th – 1m 35.554s. “I am quite happy because we improved our machine set-up, winning a lot of time in this morning’s session. My lap time was quite fast and I could have shaved off a few more tenths at the end of qualifying but I found some traffic. Anyway, I am pretty close to the fifth-fastest guy, so I’m pleased with that, considering that a month ago I was in hospital with a fractured left ankle. We are back in the group where we should be. If we get a good start I think we can score another positive result. We still have to fine-tune the machine and adjust a few things in warm-up, but I like this track and we are going in the right direction.” Gabor Talmacsi, Scot Racing Team: 17th – 1m 37.091s. “We have a new man in our crew a suspension technician. It seems that the cooperation started well here, because we have been able to improve our performance by one second from the beginning to the end of the qualifying session. We tested different set-ups, and in my opinion are going in the right direction. The bike still feels a bit too light in the straight and still suffers a bit in the tight corners. The day did not begin in the best possible way I did not feel well and I had to ask for help at the Clinical Mobile. This afternoon I felt much better.” HONDA 250cc RIDER QUOTES Hiro Aoyama, Scot Racing Team 250cc: 1st – 1m 38.867s. “Today wasn’t easy because of the temperature, which is very high, and the strong winds. We tried different set-ups and with the last one we were able to improve a couple of seconds and that gave me pole position. It’s going to be a tough race I see several Italians and Spaniards going very strong. But it is the team’s home race and we’ll do our best to get a great result.” Hector Faubel, Valencia FC Honda SAG: 7th – 1m 39.602s. “My doctor in Valencia told me that I need 15 days to recover from my back injury but I don’t have the time! Maybe I am not at my best here but I will do the best I can. Anyway, I have achieved my first goal here, starting from the second row. The bike is working good, we just need a little bit more work on the engine and the suspension. Tomorrow’s race will be very competitive.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT SAG: 10th – 1m 39.969s. “I don’t like my position on the grid. I did my best time alone, but I had the possibility to make a time to be within the top eight while following a good group of fast riders, but I lost it because I made a mistake and ran off the track. The bike is working really good. Tomorrow we must see what the weather brings, then we will adjust the setting to make the bike perfect for the race.” Raffaela De Rosa, Scot Racing Team 250cc: 16th – 1m 40.832s. “We suffered with an electronic problem that we weren’t able to detect and fix. The chassis is working pretty well, but the time we lost trying to fix the electronics meant we could not test another few ideas we had tio improve the setup.” Shoya Tomizawa, CIP Moto Honda: 17th – 1m 41.429s. “Today was not so bad. We tried many things with the set-up and my feeling with the bike is good. But this is a very tricky circuit, with so much to learn, so I am still finding new ways to save time whenever I go out. I can’t wait for the race, especially after missing last Sunday’s race at Indy.” Valentin Debise, CIP Moto Honda: 18th – 1m 41.903s. “We have a good chassis set-up which is so important here with all the technical corners and bumpy parts of the track. But we are losing some power in the heat.” Bastien Chesaux, Racing Team Germany: 21st – 1m 42.957s. “We geared the bike a bit shorter today and that certainly helped. I’ve been getting quicker every session, and the most important thing is that with every race I get another tenth or two closer to the leaders. I think points are definitely possible tomorrow, but it will be a tough race for the tyres.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Qualifying at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini went down to the wire on Saturday afternoon at Misano, but Valentino Rossi ultimately emerged on top. Having crashed out at Indianapolis last Sunday Rossi is fighting back in style at his home event this weekend and he took pole right at the end of an intriguing qualifying practice. The Italian legend has been the fastest rider in every session so far this weekend and his last gasp 1’34.338 lap put him in pole position for the sixth time this season in the Rimini coast sunshine. As the session drew to a close it looked as though Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa had snatched pole from Rossi with a decent 1’34.560 effort, but the Fiat Yamaha rider found another level in the closing seconds to deny the Spaniard. Completing the front row, Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also marked his best time at the end of the hour, but he finally fell half a second short of his title rival. Lorenzo will need to be at his very best if he is to improve on his second place result in last year’s Misano contest. The second row of the grid is headed by San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Toni Elías who lapped with a similar pace to Lorenzo and he will be desperate for a good performance on Sunday as he fights for his future in the premier class. Behind Elías on the grid sits the experienced Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and the Texan’s compatriot Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), who is enjoying plenty of support from the Ducatisti this weekend. The top ten also features home rider Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) – the veteran Italian surviving an off track excursion unscathed during the session. Despite his great overall form this season, with three victories and six podiums to his name, it has taken until the 12th 250cc qualifying session of the year for standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama to achieve his first pole of 2009. The Japanese rider broke his duck with a 1’38.867 time on the 21st of his 23 laps, though it was only just good enough as Spaniard Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) came within 0.008s of denying the Scot Racing man. Local riders Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) and Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) were not far behind, the pair of them lapping around two-tenths down on Aoyama, and both will be expected to fight desperately for victory from the front row at their home round on Sunday. Frenchman Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar), meanwhile, is the only non-Spaniard on the second row, which also comprises Alex Debon (Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens), Héctor Faubel (Valencia CF – Honda SAG) and Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar Team) all of whom lapped within a second of the pole-setting pace. Earlier in the day Bradley Smith set a new pole record for the 125cc class at Misano, as he qualified at the head of the grid in scorching hot conditions in Rimini. The young Englishman secured his third pole of the season with a lightning fast 1’43.727s lap, to hold off a strong challenge by his Bancaja Aspar team-mate Julián Simón, who was just 0.016s behind him. The Aspar pair are joined on the front row by Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team), who both lapped within three-tenths of the pole time. Again, there is a strong Spanish presence on the second row, where Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar), Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) and Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) are joined by Italian rider Simone Corsi (Fontana Racing). More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: DE PUNIET 9th QUICKEST AT MISANO QUALIFYING Misano, 5 Settembre: Qualifying for the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini was run in sunny conditions today with ambience temperature of 28°C and the LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet made solid progress despite the injured left ankle ending the day 9th overall. After having achieved the 4th quickest time in this morning second free session at the 4.226Km race track, the Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V no. 14 set consistent and fast lap times throughout the 60-minute session and rode his machine to the third row with a best lap time of 1’35.554 on lap 21 of 29. Tomorrow’s 28-lap race will get underway at 14:00 local time with Rossi, Pedrosa and Lorenzo on the front row. De Puniet 9th 1’35.554 De Puniet 9th: “Well”¦ I am quite satisfied because we improved our machine set up winning 1.7 seconds in this morning free session. My lap time is quite fast and I could shave some further tenths at the end of the qualifying but found some traffic. By the way I am close to the fifth fastest and I am pleased with this result because one month ago I was at the hospital for my left ankle fracture. We are back to the middle group where we should be. Hopefully if we could take a good start tomorrow we will be able to fight for another positive result. We still have to fine-tune the machine and adjust a few things in the warm up but I like this track and things are going in the right direction”.