FIM MotoGP World Championship Shanghai, China May 5, 2007 Qualifying Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, 1:58.424 2. John Hopkins, USA (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, 1:59.315 3. Colin Edwards, USA (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, 1:59.406 4. Casey Stoner (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 1:59.516 5. Dani Pedrosa (Hon RC212V), Michelin, 1:59.602 6. Marco Melandri (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, 1:59.863 7. Randy de Puniet (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, 1:59.985 8. Alex Barros (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 2:00.052 9. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon RC212V), Michelin, 2:00.087 10. Shinya Nakano (Hon RC212V), Michelin, 2:00.157 11. Alex Hofmann (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 2:00.175 12. Toni Elias (Hon RC212V), Bridgestone, 2:00.205 13. Carlos Checa (Hon RC212V), Michelin, 2:00.319 14. Loris Capirossi (Duc GP07), Bridgestone, 2:00.369 15. Chris Vermeulen (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, 2:00.680 16. Kenny Lee Roberts, USA (Hon KR212V), Michelin, 2:00.763 17. Sylvain Guintoli (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, 2:01.157 18. Makoto Tamada (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, 2:01.178 FIM 250cc Grand Prix World Championship Shanghai, China May 5, 2007 Final Qualifying: 1. Jorge Lorenzo (Apr RSV250), 2:04.543 2. Hector Barbera (Apr RSV250), 2:05.285 3. Mika Kallio (KTM RR250), 2:05.416 4. Julian Simon (Hon RS250R), 2:05.587 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Hon RS250R), 2:05.595 6. Alvaro Bautista (Apr RSV250), 2:05.650 7. Thomas Luthi (Apr RSV250), 2:05.718 8. Alex de Angelis (Apr RSV250), 2:05.938 9. Shuhei Aoyama (Hon RS250), 2:05.489 10. Marco Simoncelli (Gilera), 2:06.778 FIM 125cc Grand Prix World Championship Shanghai, China May 5, 2007 Final Qualifying: 1. Mattia Pasini (Apr RS125), 2:11.946 2. Hector Faubel (Apr RS125), 2:12.284 3. Lukas Pesek (Derbi), 2:12.384 4. Gabor Talmacsi (Apr RS125), 2:12.433 5. Bradley Smith (Hon RS125), 2:12.547 6. Sergio Gadea (Apr RS125), 2:12.774 7. Simone Corsi (Apr RS125), 2:12.841 8. Tomoyoshi Koyama (KTM), 2:12.987 9. Michael Ranseder (Derbi), 2:13.093 10. Sandro Cortese (Apr RS125), 2:13.526 27. Steve Bonsey, USA (KTM), 2:15.060 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Rossi runs away with pole record in Shanghai qualifying shootout Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China Saturday 5th May Report Day 2 Valentino Rossi put in a storming lap of 1’58.424 lap at the Shanghai International Circuit to smash the pole record and place himself at the head of grid for the Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China. The Fiat Yamaha rider was simply unstoppable in the latter stages of the qualifying practice, and his pole time eclipsed free practice top dog John Hopkins by just under nine tenths of a second. The Rizla Suzuki rider was by no means shirking off, and marked his return to the scene of his first ever MotoGP front row by once again putting himself on the first line of attack. Hopkins has one of his best shots at the elusive maiden MotoGP podium at Shanghai, and has been running well all season on the now highly competitive GSV-R800. Colin Edwards joins team-mate Rossi on the front row for the third time this season, albeit nearly a second slower than the Italian. Casey Stoner trailed by riders looking for a tow from the Desmosedici GP7 on the long straights, heads row two, ahead of last year’s dominant force in China Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri. Randy de Puniet, Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden and Shinya Nakano complete the top ten, making it a mixed bag for both factories and tyre manufacturers. The threat of rain tomorrow could make things even more interesting for the MotoGP riders, with the previous two races at Shanghai undertaken in very different conditions. Makoto Tamada suffered a crash towards the midway point of the session, whilst Chris Vermeuelen and Loris Capirossi’s chances of a late push for the upper echelons of the grid went up in smoke after they collided on their hot laps. 250cc Jorge Lorenzo confirmed his provisional pole from yesterday in this afternoon’s 250cc qualifying session, and was the fastest quarter litre rider for the third time this season. Having been unable to maintain his 100% record two weeks ago in Turkey, the Spaniard has the perfect opportunity to show that he is still in charge as the reigning World Champion. His 2’04.543 lap enabled him to edge out last year’s winner Hector Barbera, his fierce rival and Team Toth rider on the second Aprilia in the top three. A varied front row was completed by 250cc rookie Mika Kallio on the Red Bull KTM and Julian Simon riding the fastest Honda. The latter was one of only seven riders to clock their fastest time in the opening session, alongside Alvaro Bautista in sixth. The two Spaniards were separated by 2006 runner up and winner in Turkey Andrea Dovizioso. Thomas Luthi, Alex de Angelis, Shuhei Aoyama and Marco Simoncelli completed the top ten for tomorrow’s race. Two big crashes were suffered by Chinese wild card Shi Zhao Huang, who cracked a vertebrae in a collision with De Angelis, and Yuki Takahashi. The Japanese rider broke his left arm after falling in the session, and will be taken back to his homeland to have a steel plate replaced. 125cc Mattia Pasini’s third pole of the season was confirmed in the 125cc class, with no rider able to beat his provisional time of 2’11.946 set yesterday. The Italian is using a picture of a black cat to reference his bad luck in previous races, having failed to finish a Grand Prix in the first three attempts of 2007. Winner in 2005 and runner up last year, Pasini is the only 125cc rider to have ridden round in under 2’12 so far this weekend, and will start alongside Hector Faubel, Lukas Pesek and Gabor Talmacsi in tomorrow’s race. Pesek crashed late on with Lorenzo Zanetti, but will be ok to ride tomorrow, whilst Talmacsi reaches the milestone of 100 Grands Prix. Sixteen year old Oxfordshire schoolboy Bradley Smith had his best ever qualifying performance this afternoon, and will be in a prime position to build on his eighth place in Turkey as he starts from fifth on the grid. Sergio Gadea, Simone Corsi and Tomoyoshi Koyama make up the second row. The Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China begins tomorrow at 12pm local time, with the MotoGP race taking place at 3pm. More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Front row start for in-form Hopkins at Chinese Grand Prix Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins will start from the middle of the front row for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix after qualifying in second place. Hopkins (1’59.315, 24 laps) continued his good form around the 5.281km Shanghai circuit. He was the quickest rider on race tyres during this morning’s free practice session and for a large proportion of the qualifying session. His fastest lap time was only bettered by Valentino Rossi. Chris Vermeulen was unfortunately again the victim of an incident with another rider, as he looked to make up time on his last qualifying lap. Vermeulen (P15, 2’00.680, 20 laps) seemed destined for at least a second row start, but he and Loris Capirossi collided and both riders went down. Vermeulen will now have it all to do tomorrow as he starts from the fifth row of the grid. His times on race tyres had improved considerably today and he was seventh quickest before other riders started to use qualifiers, so he is still confident of a good performance tomorrow. Tomorrow’s race is round four of the MotoGP World Championship and the 22-lap event will take place at 15.00hrs local time (07.00hrs GMT). John Hopkins: “I’m really happy with the way things have gone today. We’ve put in a lot of work already this weekend, to make sure we get the best set-up for the race tyres. Bridgestone has done a great job and the Suzuki GSV-R is working exceptionally well. We have been consistent throughout all the practices and have been really running hard to make sure everything is right. Now it’s time to translate that hard work into the race. It’s still a bit up in the air with the weather, but whatever comes we’ll be ready, and if it’s dry I’m certain we will be running near the front!” Chris Vermeulen: “We had made progress all day long with the bike on race tyres and in this afternoon’s session we went quicker again. We made a change to the bike on the first qualifier but it was the wrong direction so we changed it back for the second one. That lap felt good and I was catching Loris, he made a mistake and I went up the inside of him and he then hit my back wheel and we both went down that’s the second time in two weekends someone has taken me out! I’m obviously not very happy about that as I think I could have been on at least the front two rows. That’s racing though and we need to try and get a good start and see how the race goes.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “There is no question that John and the Rizla Suzuki deserve to be on the front row today – he’s done an incredibly consistent job all weekend! There are eight or so riders that are capable of going fast in the race here and John is certainly amongst those. He has given himself the best chance of a good start and to be able to go for it straight away. “Chris has made big steps today and has been running close to the front group on race tyres. Qualifying is so important and he had no choice but to go for it and try to achieve the best position possible. It wasn’t a race, but it seems that what happened with Chris and Loris is what you call a ‘racing incident’. The good news is that he was not seriously hurt and will be fit enough to race tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Front row for Hopkins after Shanghai flyer Round 04 China – Qualifying Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai, China Saturday 05 May 2007 Suzuki’s John Hopkins has continued his impressive form around the Shanghai International Circuit by securing his second consecutive Chinese GP front row position with a flying second place in this afternoon’s qualifying. Hopkins was only beaten on qualifying tyres by Valentino Rossi who blitzed the entire field with a lap of 1m58.424s, almost 0.9s quicker than Hopkins’ 1m59.315s. Current championship leader Casey Stoner put his Ducati fourth, the same starting position that he had at the last race in Turkey. Stoner and Hopkins’ respective teammates Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen were both unable to post representative qualifying times after becoming entangled towards the end of the session and will line up on 14th and 15th on the grid. Honda Gresini’s Marco Melandri will start from the second row of the grid in sixth after his best qualifying result of the season so far. Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet and Pramac d’Antin’s Alex Barros also excelled to take seventh and eighth. De Puniet was one of seven riders to dip under the 2m barrier on qualifying tyres and one of seven riders to set lap times under 2m01s on race tyres in this afternoon’s session. Twice race winner already this season, Stoner set the standard in race trim with a best time of 2m00.311s, two-tenths quicker than Hopkins’ pace-setting time from Saturday morning practice and three-tenths faster than his nearest rival this afternoon, Rossi. Tyre Talk with Junichi Kawajiri Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development What are your conclusions from today’s practice and qualifying session? “We can be quite pleased with our overall performance today both on race and qualifying tyres, but clearly there is a substantial gap in lap time between John’s second place and Valentino’s pole position result in qualifying. For that performance, our compliments must go to Rossi, Yamaha and our tyre rivals. However, we see one of our riders on the front row of the grid for the first time since Qatar and a further four Bridgestone-equipped riders in the top eight, which is quite favourable ahead of tomorrow’s race.” How do you assess the race tyre performance? “We have carried out extended evaluation of the race tyres following Friday’s two practice sessions and have confirmed the performance and durability of different specifications. In long runs today, a few of our riders have been able to set times in the mid-high 2m0s which appears to be the pace required this weekend. Casey, John, Marco and Randy were all able to set such times this afternoon which shows that our tyres seem to be competitive with each of our four manufacturers’ bikes, something that is especially pleasing for us.” Riding Perspective John Hopkins Suzuki 2nd Place “I am very happy with how everything has gone. We have been putting in a lot of work over the weekend, just working the race tyres as much as possible. Bridgestone has really done a lot of good work here and the tyres are working really well for us. The Suzuki is also working exceptionally well. We have been consistent in all practice sessions and have been running real hard, so right now we have to translate our hard work into a good race result tomorrow. It is going to be a long race and the weather is still a bit of an unknown quantity, but we have to be ready whatever happens and I am sure we will be.” Bridgestone Qualifying Practice Session Results Pos Rider Team Best Lap Gap P2 John Hopkins Suzuki 1m59.315s +0.891s P4 Casey Stoner Ducati 1m59.516s +1.092s P6 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 1m59.863s +1.439s P7 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 1m59.985s +1.561s P8 Alex Barros Pramac D’Antin 2m00.052s +1.628s P11 Alex Hofmann Pramac D’Antin 2m00.175s +1.751s P12 Toni Elias Honda Gresini 2m00.205s +1.781s P14 Loris Capirossi Ducati 2m00.369s +1.945s P15 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 2m00.680s +2.256s Weather: Dry – Air 24°C, Track 29°C, Humidity 43% More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Saturday May 5 2007 Chinese GP – Qualifying Practice STONER ONE TENTH OFF FRONT ROW IN CHINA, CAPIROSSI OUT OF LUCK Ducati Marlboro Team rider Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s Chinese GP from the second row of the grid after a dramatic qualifying session at Shanghai that saw team-mate Loris Capirossi brought down by a rival during his crucial final qualifying run. Capirossi’s misfortune left him 14th. World Championship leader Stoner also showed impressive race pace and is feeling confident for this fourth race of the 2007 season. Capirossi is happy with his speed in race trim but knows he has a tough task ahead of him to fight back from a fifth-row start. CASEY STONER, 4th fastest, 1m 59.516 “We are competitive with our race tyre lap times, they are very good, so once again we are feeling quite confident. Unfortunately we were a bit unlucky in qualifying, I had a little problem with my number one bike, with which I’ve been doing all the settings, it stopped just before we went to start our qualifying laps and I think it took me maybe ten minutes to get back to the box on a scooter. That was a lot of time out and also we didn’t have the same settings on the second bike, so when I tried to do some fast times I just didn’t feel as comfortable as I had with my number one bike. Anyway, the second row is quite good enough, with almost the same lap time as the front row. I’m very happy with the settings we found during practice and I’m looking forward to the race even if there are a lot of other riders going so fast this weekend, the race tyre times are very close indeed. I think it will be a very close race until maybe the last five four laps.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 14th fastest, 2m 00.369s “Unfortunately when I was doing my final fast lap I had an accident and lost the chance to get a good starting position for the race. I was using a wider line through that corner in order to get a better exit speed. Vermeulen saw some space and tried to pass me but there wasn’t enough room. I’m disappointed that I didn’t have the chance to improve my time but I’m not complaining about the accident because these things can happen. I’m okay, though my right arm is bruised and quite painful. Tomorrow we’ll try to make a good start and recover during the race, because in race conditions we are not so bad at all.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MARCO MELANDRI READY TO ATTACK IN CHINA Marco Melandri is ready to go on the offensive from the second row of the grid in the Grand Prix of China after qualifying in his best position of the season at Shanghai. The Honda Gresini rider continued his recent improvements by making the most of his qualifying tyre and finishing two positive days of progress with the sixth fastest time. Marco is now confident of making a good start in the race and sticking with the front group throughout. His team-mate Toni Elias faces a more difficult challenge after qualifying in twelfth place. After his stunning performance in Turkey the Spaniard is struggling to find a tyre that suits his own demands and those of the Shanghai circuit. MARCO MELANDRI (6th, 1’59″863): “I’m satisfied with this result. We have met our primary objective, which was to qualify on the front two rows. We are improving a lot and with the first qualifying tyre I set a good time without realising I was going that fast. On the second lap I made a couple of mistakes which meant I wasn’t able to improve the time. We still have a little work to do on the suspension but I’m happy with how the bike is working at this demanding circuit. Tomorrow I hope to get a good start in order to stay with the lead group from the beginning. It will be a really tough group race because there are a lot of fast riders out there. For this Grand Prix I’m using a special helmet inspired by this country. The idea is to bring Europe and China together. Also, red and yellow are the colours of Ravenna, my home town.” TONI ELIAS (12th,2’00″205): “We have improved a little compared to yesterday but we’re still having some small problems that are not allowing me to ride as I like. Unfortunately it seems our tyre choice for this race is not the best but tomorrow I will all I can to get the best result possible.” FAUSTO GRESINI: “For Marco this is his best qualifying of the season and that shows that we are on the right lines to make him a consistent challenger. To start from the second row is really important in a race like this, which looks like being extremely close. Toni is having a little more trouble but I’m sure his grit and determination will carry him to a good result.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Event: Grand Prix of China Date: Saturday, May 5th 2007 Ambient temperature: 24 degrees C Track temperature: 29 degrees C Humidity: 43% ROSSI CLAIMS SENSATIONAL POLE AHEAD OF SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN An incredible flying lap from Valentino Rossi saw the Fiat Yamaha Team rider take his third pole of the season in China this afternoon, the Italian bettering last year’s pole time by more than half a second with a perfect lap around the 5.2km Shanghai International Circuit. For the third time this season Rossi is also joined on the front row by his team-mate Colin Edwards, who qualified third, with the Yamaha pair separated by Edwards’ fellow American John Hopkins. The promised rain once again failed to appear and the hour-long qualifying session was played out on a dry track with the clouds giving way to bright sunshine by the end. The first 45 minutes passed busily for the Yamaha duo, who were intent on using all the available time to fine-tune their set-up and gather information about tyres before concentrating on their qualifying laps in the final stages. Edwards’ first run with a soft Michelin qualifying tyre moved him close to the top of the order but it was Rossi’s first flying lap that left everyone amazed, the Italian completing a faultless lap right on the limit of his Yamaha’s capabilities to put in an incredible time of 1’58.424. Edwards’ second flying lap was good enough to move him into second but he was eventually pushed down one place by Hopkins. Although Rossi’s lap proved well out of the striking distance of his rivals, he showed it was no fluke by going within 0.1 seconds of his own time on his second qualifying tyre just minutes later. Valetino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 1’58.424 Laps: 24 “That was sincerely an incredibly exciting feeling for me; to ride my M1 right on the limit and make such a perfect lap at 100%. When I saw the time on the television I was quite surprised because I didn’t know it was that fast, but I had pushed the bike to the maximum and I knew that it was a good lap. I had great grip from my Michelin qualifying tyre and my Yamaha worked perfectly, so a big thank you to everyone involved. I was able to arrive at every corner very fast and to brake at the last possible moment; a couple of times I was worried I was too late but every time my bike responded perfectly and I had great grip. I felt a lot of adrenalin from this lap! Despite both of us being on the front row, maybe we’re not favourites for tomorrow and the race is a very different story. Anyway we’ve all done very well today. We need to make a couple more small modifications to the setting and then we will just hope for good weather again, a good start and a good race.” Colin Edwards Position: 3rd Time: 1’59.406 Laps: 18 “Well done to the team, once again they’ve done a really good job, worked their tails off and here we are again on the front row alongside Valentino. The qualifying tyres are working really well this year and with the extra grip they give us we can really push hard. As for the race setting, we’ve changed a few things with the geometry today and it seems to have improved things a fair bit, although we’ve still got to make a final decision with regards to the race tyre. It’s always going to be a little bit of a gamble but hopefully we’ll make the right choice. The bike feels very good and a podium is definitely a realistic aim, but it’s going to be a very long and hard race. Starting from the front row will be pretty important here and hopefully we can make the most of this advantage, avoid any repeats of the first-lap pile-up in Turkey and try to better last year’s podium!” Fiat Yamaha Team Davide Brivio Team Director “It’s great for the team to have both riders on the front row once again, after the problems we had last year it’s very encouraging that this is becoming a regular occurrence. When everything is working well our riders are always at the top so this shows the great potential of our package. Valentino’s lap was exceptional today and Colin is also in good shape and riding very well; we’re especially happy for him to be on the front row again after his unlucky crash in Turkey. Despite this qualifying result we know that tomorrow’s race is going to be very difficult and our riders will have to fight at 100% throughout it. The team have done a great job and now they just need to make a few final preparations in the morning and then we’ll be ready for an exciting race!” Qualifying Times FRONT ROW 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’58.424 2. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1’59.315 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1’59.406 SECOND ROW 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’59.516 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’59.602 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1’59.863 THIRD ROW 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 1’59.985 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d’Antin 2’00.052 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 2’00.087 FOURTH ROW 10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda 2’00.157 11. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d’Antin 2’00.175 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 2’00.205 FIFTH ROW 13. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 2’00.319 14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’00.369 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’00.680 SIXTH ROW 16. Kenny Roberts Jr (USA) Team Roberts 2’00.763 17. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.157 18. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.178 Shanghai: Lap Record D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1’59.318 Shanghai: Best Lap D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1’59.009 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Grand Prix of China at Shanghai Saturday May 5, 2007 HONDA MEN DANI AND MARCO MAKE IT ONTO ROW TWO In a MotoGP qualifying session dominated by Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who qualified on pole, Honda riders Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) managed the fifth and sixth fastest times here at Shanghai. John Hopkins (Suzuki) and Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards complete the front row. In dry conditions with the track at 29 degrees and ambient temperature at 24 degrees bathed in hazy sunshine Hopkins headed the timesheet early on in this hour-long timed session. But the early qualifying tyre runners ousted him from the top of the order even before the halfway mark. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) sped to a 1m 59.985s lap, the first under the two minute mark, with 35 minutes of the hour remaining. Alex Hofmann (Ducati) too hoisted himself to a provisional second fastest time behind de Puniet before the serious runners upped their game. With twenty minutes to go the order was de Puniet, Hofmann, Casey Stoner (Ducati), Rossi, Hopkins, Melandri, Alex Barros (Ducati), Dani and then Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V). Then, as is the routine, most riders pitted for qualifying rubber with 15 minutes to go. De Puniet’s time looked hard to beat as Nicky hoisted himself to second and Hopkins rose to third in the order. That was until Rossi recorded his pole record time of 1m 58.424s with nine minutes remaining. The order then was Rossi, Melandri, de Puniet, Edwards, Hopkins and then Hayden in the top six places. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki) was not on track having injured his right arm in yesterday’s untimed session and Stoner was on his number two machine after encountering problems with his number one bike. With five minutes to go riders fitted the last of their qualifiers and made final bids to improve their times. And Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) tangled and fell as they both made efforts to put themselves up the order. With just one minute left on the clock Edwards elevated himself to second fastest, before Hopkins dislodged his fellow American. No one however could come within touching distance of Rossi’s pole time. Hopkins time is 0.891 seconds shy of the pole. Dani said, “We were lucky to have two dry sessions in which to work on machine settings and tyre choice. This allowed us to test all the tyre options from Michelin and we’ve improved the bike set-up and have a pretty good idea of which tyres we’ll use in the race so let’s hope it stays dry tomorrow too. I struggled a little bit on my qualifying runs and braked too deep at the end of the straight on both laps, which cost me a better time. However Rossi did a very fast time today and there are several riders with a good pace on race tyres. Marco said, “I’m satisfied with this result. We have met our primary objective, which was to qualify on the front two rows. We’re improving a lot and with the first qualifying tyre I set a good time without realising I was going that fast. On the second lap I made a couple of mistakes, which meant I wasn’t able to improve the time. We still have a little work to do on the suspension but I’m happy with how the bike is working at this demanding circuit. Tomorrow I hope to get a good start to stay with the lead group from the beginning.” Nicky, ninth fastest, said, “The day hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped and we didn’t make much of an improvement over yesterday. We tried a few changes to get the bike turning better and improve the edge grip though we haven’t found what we needed so that’s not great. There are a lot of guys going fast and I’ll definitely be sitting down with the team tonight to see if I can come up with a few ideas to improve the machine for tomorrow. My qualifying runs didn’t go perfectly. My ideal time would have put me sixth but I was the next guy through after Vermeulen and Capirossi crashed.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) qualified 10th and said, “We had a meeting after practice yesterday and decided to go back to our previous standard settings which helped. I also tried to improve my riding and checked all my braking points and found my lap times getting better and better. We also had improved top speed today thanks to some gearing changes. We have found a tyre for the race tomorrow, which should be good as I have quite a good feeling with it. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but I think everyone would prefer a dry race.” “We have improved a little compared to yesterday said Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V), who was 12th fastest. “But we’re still having some small problems that are not allowing me to ride as I like. Unfortunately it seems our tyre choice for this race is not the best but tomorrow I will do all I can to get the best result possible.” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) qualified 13th. He said, “Again I struggled with a lot of chatter at the front on the qualifying tyres. I expected some chatter, but not at this level and it was impossible to use the full potential of the bike and the tyres. But my race pace is OK, not enough to win, but the chassis and tyres are consistent. The LCR team and Ramon Forcada have worked very hard to find solutions but one thing we are missing is more engine performance, and perhaps a little more grip at the rear. It is possible to pass here, but first you have be close to the rider in front.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) was 16th quickest and said, “We’ve been around this level for a while now as far as qualifying goes. You ride at 100% and slide the rear everywhere and you’re pushing the front and you’re doing your best and you’re on the last part of the grid. I wouldn’t say there’s anything we could really pinpoint as far as where we are at the moment. But we’re trying everything we know.” Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) dominated the 250cc session and sped to his third pole of the season with a scorching lap time of 2m 04.543s. Hector Barbera (both Aprilia) was second fastest, Mika Kallio (KTM) third quickest and Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) fourth fastest, 1.044 seconds off the pole time. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) heads the second row with a fifth place performance and Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) qualified ninth and will start from the third row. Simon said, “It’s not been that easy today. But the team has worked really well and I’m happy. As I said, it’s been harder to improve times today because I had some trouble with the bike and I didn’t expect it to feel as good as it did. But, well, fourth is motivating and I expect to be in the leading group tomorrow. I hope to finish the race well and close the good weekend with a good result.” Dovi said, “Track condition were hotter than yesterday and I had some rear grip problems. Before today’s qualifying I had a good rhythm so I am not happy with 5th place. Set-up of the machine is OK except for rear grip and I think I have chosen right tyre for tomorrow. I like this track but the straights are too long for me at the moment. The gap between Lorenzo and me is more than one second and that is too much so it will be difficult for me to win again here but I will try to get a good start and see how it goes.” Aoyama said, “We made some changes at the beginning of the qualifying session and I was able to improve the feeling of the bike. However, the times are still slow compared to those of the riders in the lead, but I think that we’ll be able to do better tomorrow. I still have to improve my riding style and some things on the bike, although I’ll have to give my best during the warm-up and the race.” Mattia Pasini put his machine on pole in the 125cc class and fellow Aprilia rider Hector Faubel will line up alongside him as second fastest qualifier. Lukas Pesek (Derbi) was third fastest and series points leader Gabor Talmacsi (Aprilia) completes the front row. Fastest Honda man was British rider Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) who continues his rapid rise to prominence in the class with a strong ride to fifth on the grid. His team-mate Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) managed 12th place. Other Honda men are Alex Masbou (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) who qualified down in 22nd spot and Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) who is returning from injury. He qualified 23rd. Smith said, “It’s the first time I managed to be fifth in the combined practice results and on the second row since I entered the World Championship so I must be happy. My lap times are good and I’m very close to the top riders. There’s a very long straight and you can use the slipstreams to recover what you may lose in other places so I think there’ll be a large group racing tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see. Our intention is to be there in the top group.” Honda Team Quotes MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th “Well, the weather forecasts were wrong and the rain never came so we were lucky to have two dry sessions in which to work on machine settings and tyres choice. This allowed us to test all the tyre options from Michelin and we’ve improved the bike set-up here and have a pretty good idea of which tyres we’ll use in the race – so let’s hope it stays dry tomorrow too. I struggled a little bit on my qualifying runs and braked too deep at the end of the straight on both laps which cost me a better time. However Rossi did a very fast time today and there are several riders with a good pace on race tyres. A front row position would have been nice but I’ll look to get a good start tomorrow and hopefully we can have a good race – it looks like it could be close.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 6th. “I’m satisfied with this result. We have met our primary objective, which was to qualify on the front two rows. We are improving a lot and with the first qualifying tyre I set a good time without realising I was going that fast. On the second lap I made a couple of mistakes which meant I wasn’t able to improve the time. We still have a little work to do on the suspension but I’m happy with how the bike is working at this demanding circuit. Tomorrow I hope to get a good start in order to stay with the lead group from the beginning. It will be a really tough group race because there are a lot of fast riders out there. For this Grand Prix I’m using a special helmet inspired by this country. The idea is to bring Europe and China together. Also, red and yellow are the colours of Ravenna, my home town.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 9th. “The day hasn’t gone quite as we’d hope and we didn’t make much of an improvement over yesterday. We tried a few changes to get the bike turning better and improve the edge grip though we haven’t found what we needed so that’s not great. There are a lot of guys going fast and I’ll definitely be sitting down with the team tonight to see if I can come up with a few ideas to improve the machine for tomorrow. My qualifying runs didn’t go perfectly. My ideal time would have put me sixth but I was the next guy through after Vermeulen and Capirossi crashed. Looking back now it shouldn’t have slowed me down but when I was approaching that corner there were bikes sliding across the track and they came together. I didn’t know if one bike was going to stay in the middle of the track or if they were both going to slow down and really that ruined my second flying lap. I did my best lap on my first qualifying tyre and normally you can go faster on the second one. So, I need an awesome start tomorrow and we’ll try to hang in there.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th. “We had a meeting after practice yesterday and decided to go back to our previous standard settings which helped. I also tried to improve my riding and checked all my braking points and found my lap times getting better and better. I think we made too many changes yesterday so the team helped me and things improved when we reverted to the previous set-up. We also had improved top speed today thanks to some gearing changes. We have found a tyre for the race tomorrow, which should be good as I have quite a good feeling with it. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but I would prefer a dry race I think everybody does!” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 12th. “We have improved a little compared to yesterday but we’re still having some small problems that are not allowing me to ride as I like. Unfortunately it seems our tyre choice for this race is not the best but tomorrow I will do all I can to get the best result possible.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 13th. “Again I struggled with a lot of chatter at the front on the qualifying tyres. I expected some chatter, but not at this level and it was impossible to use the full potential of the bike and the tyres. But my race pace is OK, not enough to win, but the chassis and tyres are consistent. The LCR team and Ramon Forcada have worked very hard to find solutions but one thing we are missing is more engine performance, and perhaps a little more grip at the rear. It is possible to pass here, but first you have be close to the rider in front.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 16th.”We’ve been around this level for a while now as far as qualifying goes. You ride at 100% and slide the rear everywhere and you’re pushing the front and you’re doing your best and you’re on the last part of the grid. I wouldn’t say there’s anything we could really pinpoint as far as where we are at the moment. But we’re trying everything we know. I don’t have any teammate to ask and the tire rule is difficult for us. Everything at the moment is difficult, but I know the team’s working hard and I’m hoping we can turn it around pretty soon.” Chuck Aksland: Team Manager “Started off yesterday morning and everything didn’t look too bad, because we came off a pretty good test in Turkey. We were able to get through a lot of tires in the first session. So right away we were kind of limited on the amount of tires that we could actually use to address the bike, because you tend to get into a scenario where you make adjustments on the bike and then you have a different tire and you’re not sure if the tire’s affected or the suspension. So what’s going to happen is we haven’t progressed as much as we need to. We’re still down a bit on acceleration and top speed. He doesn’t really have a problem running some riders down the back straight. Otherwise it makes it pretty difficult for us.” 250cc: Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 4th. “The truth is that it’s not been that easy today. But the team has worked really well and I’m happy. As I said, it’s been harder to improve times today because I had some trouble with the bike and I didn’t manage to feel as well as I did. But, well, fourth is motivating and I expect to be in the leading group tomorrow. I hope to finish the race well and close the good weekend with a good result.” Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda: 5th. “Today track condition was hotter than yesterday and I had some rear grip problem. Before today’s qualifying I had a good rhythm so I am not happy with 5th place. Set-up of the machine is OK except rear grip and I think I have chosen right tyre for tomorrow s race. I like this track but the straights are too long for me at the moment. The gap between Lorenzo and me is more than one second and that is too much so it will be difficult for me to win again here but I will try to get a good start and see how it goes.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 9th.”We made some changes at the beginning of the qualifying session and I was able to improve the feelings. However, the times are still slow compared to those of the riders in the lead, but I think that we’ll be able to do better tomorrow. I still have to improve my riding style and some things on the bike, although I’ll have to give my best during the warm-up and the race.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 15th. “It’s a good result, even if I expected to improve a bit on my final run, when there were 14 minutes to go. The track conditions changed compared to this morning and yesterday and I think that’s why I struggled to make it on the fourth row. With higher track temperatures, the rear was sliding more, but anyway I’m happy with today’s result and the job the team did, I’m now looking forward to the race.” Yukio Takahashi, Kopron Scot Honda: 16th. Crashed.”I crashed during the fourth or fifth lap. I was going normally into the first corner and suddenly I was thrown out of the machine. I don’t know what had happened. The worst part is I broke left forearm which I broke during the 8 hr testing. There is still a plate inside and it looks like it is bent. I will go back to Japan tonight and have operation. Then I will move to Italy for rehabilitation. I cannot race in Le Mans but am hoping to race in Mugello.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 22nd.”I improved 0.7s from yesterday but it is not where I want to be. I only got one fast lap with a tow behind Anthony West and I still have problems with the race set-up, I need a better compromise with the chassis and gearbox.” 125cc: Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 5th.”It is the first time I managed to be fifth in the combined practice results and on the second row since I entered the World Championship so I must be happy. Moreover, my lap times are good and I’m very close to the top riders. There’s a very long straight and you can make use of the slipstreams to recover what you may loose in other places so I think that there will be a large group racing tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see, though we’ll try to do a good start. Our intention is to be there like in Turkey, when I managed to be in the top group. We’ll try to fight for a podium finish because I almost made it in Turkey and I know that I can do it. I have to make good use of my good position for tomorrow and fight to the limit.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 12th.”The truth is that things weren’t that bad this morning. I was able to set a good pace and prepare the race well. I also had a good pace on the track this afternoon, all by myself, and I managed to improve, although I still lack experience. I still have a lot more to learn on this circuit; we’ll try to continue improving as much as possible tomorrow.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 22nd.”This weekend started quite good with 8th position for the first free practice yesterday. Then I was 12th during yesterday’s qualifying. This morning was also not so bad with 13th place. Then this afternoon I chose hard rear tyre which was sliding a lot at fast corners. So I am quite disappointed with my position today. Front suspension is not so bad and I am quite comfortable at corner entry. Tomorrow I have to make a good start and stay with a group because this track has long straights and if you have a gap between yourself and the rider in front of you, it is hard to catch up. So there will be several groups tomorrow.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Scot Honda: 23rd. “The free practice was good, we improved our lap time compared to yesterday and I was satisfied. This afternoon at the beginning of the session I was touched by another rider and because of this I broke the pot of my first bike. Then I changed bike but the second one was not good, it was sliding on the back and I couldn’t ride at my best. I’m a little bit demoralized but now we try to solve the problems for tomorrow morning in order to make a good warm up and a good performance in race.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 29th.”This morning was Ok but during the qualifying session I had rear brake problem. Also the tyre I tried was not working so well. Suspension was OK and I hope the tyre I will use tomorrow would work. I like this track but the back straight is too long for 125. I like more technical tracks where there are a lot of corners. Tomorrow I will enjoy the race and get the best possible result.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 30th. “I crashed during the qualifying on my out lap. Then I came in to the pit and went out again and crashed again with engine problem. It was the end of the main straight and speed was quite fast. My left toe is hurting now but I am OK for the race. This is my first race in Shanghai and I find this track not so difficult. Tomorrow, I will try to get a good start and improve my position during the first two laps.” Dino Lombardi, Kopron Scot Honda: 31st.”The morning session was positive, I gained one second and we worked well. It’s a pity for the qualifying in which I had some stability problems and in turns I wasn’t able to go fast as I wanted, so now I’m in the last row. It will not be easy tomorrow regain positions, but I’ll try.” Honda Team Quotes MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 5th “Well, the weather forecasts were wrong and the rain never came so we were lucky to have two dry sessions in which to work on machine settings and tyres choice. This allowed us to test all the tyre options from Michelin and we’ve improved the bike set-up here and have a pretty good idea of which tyres we’ll use in the race – so let’s hope it stays dry tomorrow too. I struggled a little bit on my qualifying runs and braked too deep at the end of the straight on both laps which cost me a better time. However Rossi did a very fast time today and there are several riders with a good pace on race tyres. A front row position would have been nice but I’ll look to get a good start tomorrow and hopefully we can have a good race – it looks like it could be close.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 6th. “I’m satisfied with this result. We have met our primary objective, which was to qualify on the front two rows. We are improving a lot and with the first qualifying tyre I set a good time without realising I was going that fast. On the second lap I made a couple of mistakes which meant I wasn’t able to improve the time. We still have a little work to do on the suspension but I’m happy with how the bike is working at this demanding circuit. Tomorrow I hope to get a good start in order to stay with the lead group from the beginning. It will be a really tough group race because there are a lot of fast riders out there. For this Grand Prix I’m using a special helmet inspired by this country. The idea is to bring Europe and China together. Also, red and yellow are the colours of Ravenna, my home town.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 9th.”The day hasn’t gone quite as we’d hope and we didn’t make much of an improvement over yesterday. We tried a few changes to get the bike turning better and improve the edge grip though we haven’t found what we needed so that’s not great. There are a lot of guys going fast and I’ll definitely be sitting down with the team tonight to see if I can come up with a few ideas to improve the machine for tomorrow. My qualifying runs didn’t go perfectly. My ideal time would have put me sixth but I was the next guy through after Vermeulen and Capirossi crashed. Looking back now it shouldn’t have slowed me down but when I was approaching that corner there were bikes sliding across the track and they came together. I didn’t know if one bike was going to stay in the middle of the track or if they were both going to slow down and really that ruined my second flying lap. I did my best lap on my first qualifying tyre and normally you can go faster on the second one. So, I need an awesome start tomorrow and we’ll try to hang in there.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th. “We had a meeting after practice yesterday and decided to go back to our previous standard settings which helped. I also tried to improve my riding and checked all my braking points and found my lap times getting better and better. I think we made too many changes yesterday so the team helped me and things improved when we reverted to the previous set-up. We also had improved top speed today thanks to some gearing changes. We have found a tyre for the race tomorrow, which should be good as I have quite a good feeling with it. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but I would prefer a dry race I think everybody does!” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 12th. “We have improved a little compared to yesterday but we’re still having some small problems that are not allowing me to ride as I like. Unfortunately it seems our tyre choice for this race is not the best but tomorrow I will do all I can to get the best result possible.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 13th. “Again I struggled with a lot of chatter at the front on the qualifying tyres. I expected some chatter, but not at this level and it was impossible to use the full potential of the bike and the tyres. But my race pace is OK, not enough to win, but the chassis and tyres are consistent. The LCR team and Ramon Forcada have worked very hard to find solutions but one thing we are missing is more engine performance, and perhaps a little more grip at the rear. It is possible to pass here, but first you have be close to the rider in front.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 16th.”We’ve been around this level for a while now as far as qualifying goes. You ride at 100% and slide the rear everywhere and you’re pushing the front and you’re doing your best and you’re on the last part of the grid. I wouldn’t say there’s anything we could really pinpoint as far as where we are at the moment. But we’re trying everything we know. I don’t have any teammate to ask and the tire rule is difficult for us. Everything at the moment is difficult, but I know the team’s working hard and I’m hoping we can turn it around pretty soon.” Chuck Aksland: Team Manager “Started off yesterday morning and everything didn’t look too bad, because we came off a pretty good test in Turkey. We were able to get through a lot of tires in the first session. So right away we were kind of limited on the amount of tires that we could actually use to address the bike, because you tend to get into a scenario where you make adjustments on the bike and then you have a different tire and you’re not sure if the tire’s affected or the suspension. So what’s going to happen is we haven’t progressed as much as we need to. We’re still down a bit on acceleration and top speed. He doesn’t really have a problem running some riders down the back straight. Otherwise it makes it pretty difficult for us.” 250cc: Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 4th. “The truth is that it’s not been that easy today. But the team has worked really well and I’m happy. As I said, it’s been harder to improve times today because I had some trouble with the bike and I didn’t manage to feel as well as I did. But, well, fourth is motivating and I expect to be in the leading group tomorrow. I hope to finish the race well and close the good weekend with a good result.” Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda: 5th. “Today track condition was hotter than yesterday and I had some rear grip problem. Before today’s qualifying I had a good rhythm so I am not happy with 5th place. Set-up of the machine is OK except rear grip and I think I have chosen right tyre for tomorrow s race. I like this track but the straights are too long for me at the moment. The gap between Lorenzo and me is more than one second and that is too much so it will be difficult for me to win again here but I will try to get a good start and see how it goes.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 9th.”We made some changes at the beginning of the qualifying session and I was able to improve the feelings. However, the times are still slow compared to those of the riders in the lead, but I think that we’ll be able to do better tomorrow. I still have to improve my riding style and some things on the bike, although I’ll have to give my best during the warm-up and the race.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 15th. “It’s a good result, even if I expected to improve a bit on my final run, when there were 14 minutes to go. The track conditions changed compared to this morning and yesterday and I think that’s why I struggled to make it on the fourth row. With higher track temperatures, the rear was sliding more, but anyway I’m happy with today’s result and the job the team did, I’m now looking forward to the race.” Yukio Takahashi, Kopron Scot Honda: 16th. Crashed.”I crashed during the fourth or fifth lap. I was going normally into the first corner and suddenly I was thrown out of the machine. I dont know what had happened. The worst part is I broke left forearm which I broke during the 8 hr testing. There is still a plate inside and it looks like it is bent. I will go back to Japan tonight and have operation. Then I will move to Italy for rehabilitation. I cannot race in Le Mans but am hoping to race in Mugello.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 22nd.”I improved 0.7s from yesterday but it is not where I want to be. I only got one fast lap with a tow behind Anthony West and I still have problems with the race set-up, I need a better compromise with the chassis and gearbox.” 125cc: Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 5th.”It is the first time I managed to be fifth in the combined practice results and on the second row since I entered the World Championship so I must be happy. Moreover, my lap times are good and I’m very close to the top riders. There’s a very long straight and you can make use of the slipstreams to recover what you may loose in other places so I think that there will be a large group racing tomorrow. We’ll have to wait and see, though we’ll try to do a good start. Our intention is to be there like in Turkey, when I managed to be in the top group. We’ll try to fight for a podium finish because I almost made it in Turkey and I know that I can do it. I have to make good use of my good position for tomorrow and fight to the limit.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 12th.”The truth is that things weren’t that bad this morning. I was able to set a good pace and prepare the race well. I also had a good pace on the track this afternoon, all by myself, and I managed to improve, although I still lack experience. I still have a lot more to learn on this circuit; we’ll try to continue improving as much as possible tomorrow.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 22nd.”This weekend started quite good with 8th position for the first free practice yesterday. Then I was 12th during yesterday’s qualifying. This morning was also not so bad with 13th place. Then this afternoon I chose hard rear tyre which was sliding a lot at fast corners. So I am quite disappointed with my position today. Front suspension is not so bad and I am quite comfortable at corner entry. Tomorrow I have to make a good start and stay with a group because this track has long straights and if you have a gap between yourself and the rider in front of you, it is hard to catch up. So there will be several groups tomorrow.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Scot Honda: 23rd.”The free practice was good, we improved our lap time compared to yesterday and I was satisfied. This afternoon at the beginning of the session I was touched by another rider and because of this I broke the pot of my first bike. Then I changed bike but the second one was not good, it was sliding on the back and I couldn’t ride at my best. I’m a little bit demoralized but now we try to solve the problems for tomorrow morning in order to make a good warm up and a good performance in race.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 29th.”This morning was Ok but during the qualifying session I had rear brake problem. Also the tyre I tried was not working so well. Suspension was OK and I hope the tyre I will use tomorrow would work. I like this track but the back straight is too long for 125. I like more technical tracks where there are a lot of corners. Tomorrow I will enjoy the race and get the best possible result.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 30th. “I crashed during the qualifying on my out lap. Then I came in to the pit and went out again and crashed again with engine problem. It was the end of the main straight and speed was quite fast. My left toe is hurting now but I am OK for the race. This is my first race in Shanghai and I find this track not so difficult. Tomorrow, I will try to get a good start and improve my position during the first two laps.” Dino Lombardi, Kopron Scot Honda: 31st.”The morning session was positive, I gained one second and we worked well. It’s a pity for the qualifying in which I had some stability problems and in turns I wasn’t able to go fast as I wanted, so now I’m in the last row. It will not be easy tomorrow regain positions, but I’ll try.” More, from a press release issued by Team Roberts: ROBERTS LOOKING FOR SPEED IN CHINA Shanghai, China May 5, 2007: Kenny Roberts Junior qualified 16th for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of China, held on one of the fastest circuits on the grand prix calendar. The hand-built KR212V hybrid is in a state of constant development, both at the team’s headquarters in England’s Formula One belt and also at the racetrack. Progress continues to be made, but there still remains a top speed deficit. The result is that Kenny Jr. is forced to ride with renewed enthusiasm to make up for the speed differential. The 5281 meter track on the western edge of Shanghai is a combination of long straightaways and long, looping corners, which keeps the riders on the very edge of the tire for extended periods of time. Further complicating matters is the tire rule instituted for 2007, which limits the total number of tires available on the race weekend. Having a limited number of race tires makes it more difficult to confirm the progress of the technical crew during practice and qualifying. Pole position went to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), at 1’58.424. Kenny Roberts Jr.: 16th position, 2’00.763 We’ve been around this level for a while now as far as qualifying goes. You ride at 100% and slide the rear everywhere and you’re pushing the front and you’re doing your best and you’re on the last part of the grid. I wouldn’t say there’s anything we could really pinpoint as far as where we are at the moment. But we’re trying everything we know. I don’t have any teammate to ask and the tire rule is difficult for us. Everything at the moment is difficult, but I know the team’s working hard and I’m hoping we can turn it around pretty soon. Chuck Aksland: Team Manager Started off yesterday morning and everything didn’t look too bad, because we came off a pretty good test in Turkey. We were able to get through a lot of tires in the first session. So right away we were kind of limited on the amount of tires that we could actually use to address the bike, because you tend to get into a scenario where you make adjustments on the bike and then you have a different tire and you’re not sure if the tire’s affected or the suspension. So what’s going to happen is we haven’t progressed as much as we need to. We’re still down a bit on acceleration and top speed, which is not helping us much.