MotoGP Qualifying Jerez de la Frontera, Spain 1. Dani Pedrosa, Honda RC212V, Michelin, 1:39.402 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha YZR-M1, Michelin, 1:39.453 3. Carlos Checa, Honda RC212V, Michelin, 1:39.460 4. Colin Edwards, Yamaha YZR-M1, Michelin, 1:39.486 5. Casey Stoner, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, 1:39.524 6. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSV-R, Bridgestone, 1:39.625 7. Shinya Nakano, Honda RC212V, Michelin, 1:39.632 8. Toni Elias, Honda RC212V, Bridgestone, 1:39.660 9. Marco Melandri, Honda RC212V, Bridgestone, 1:39.722 10. Kenny Roberts, KR212V, Michelin, 1:39.727 11. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC212V, Michelin, 1:39.834 12. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki ZX-RR, Bridgestone, 1:39.883 13. Alex Barros, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, 1:40.196 14. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki GSV-R, Bridgestone, 1:40.328 15. Loris Capirossi, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, 1:40.391 16. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki ZX-RR, Bridgestone, 1:40.405 17. Makoto Tamada, Yamaha YZR-M1, Dunlop, 1:40.617 18. Alex Hofmann, Ducati GPO7, Bridgestone, 1:40.710 19. Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki GSV-R, Bridgestone, 1:41.202 20. Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha YZR-M1, Dunlop, 1:41.219 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying 1. Jorge Lorenzo, Aprilia, 1:43.099 2. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:43.383 3. Julian Simon, Honda, 1:43.707 4. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:43.764 5. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 1:43.955 6. Marco Simoncelli, Gilera, 1:44.096 7. Roberto Locatelli, Gilera, 1:44.116 8. Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, 1:44.174 9. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:44.185 10. Thomas Luthi, Aprilia, 1:44.200 125cc Grand Prix Qualifying 1. Mattia Pasini, Aprilia, 1:47.245 2. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 1:47.483 3. Lukas Pesek, Derbi, 1:47.485 4. Sergio Gadea, Aprilia, 1:47.670 5. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:47.727 6. Tomoyoshi Koyama, KTM, 1:47.791 7. Pol Espargaro, KTM, 1:48.030 8. Simone Corsi, Aprilia, 1:48.115 9. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:48.153 10. Sando Cortese, Aprilia, 1:48.435 More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Saturday Mar 24 2007 Jerez GP – Qualifying STORMING STONER JUST 0.1 SECONDS OFF POLE IN CLOSEST TOP TEN EVER Ducati Marlboro Team man Casey Stoner rode a superb qualifying session at Jerez today to take a second-row start just 0.122 seconds off pole position. Team-mate Loris Capirossi had a tougher day, with 15th fastest time, still less than a second off pole. World Championship leader Stoner made the running on race tyres this afternoon, leading the first 40 minutes, then twice returned to pole on his two runs with qualifying tyres before slipping to an ultra-close fifth quickest. Just 0.325 seconds cover the top ten riders, the closest top ten in premier-class history. Capirossi, winner here last year, will make some big changes for morning warm-up to improve his chances in the race. Tomorrow’s Spanish GP will be his 250th GP start. The Italian made his GP debut at Suzuka, Japan, exactly 17 years ago on March 25 1990. Casey Stoner, 5th fastest, 1m 39.524s “This morning we were struggling with a few set-up problems, we seemed to go backward with the turning and the grip. So we looked over everything, saw what we needed and came up with a good package before the afternoon session. We hadn’t been able to find a good feeling with the second bike, so we swapped the forks out of the first bike and that seemed to solve the problem. Straight away I felt comfortable, we made a couple more changes during the session and our race pace is looking very good. I’m not sure if the problem was in my head or in the forks! I don’t know which bike we’ll race, both have performed pretty well. We found out what race tyre we wanted in the last session and if it’s around this temperature tomorrow we’re going to be pretty happy. Qatar worked out perfectly and this weekend could do the same but we’ve got to be realistic because there’s going to be a lot more riders up front in this race. As you saw last year the first turn can be a bit rough here, I think I went from 15th to fifth, you never know what can happen at this track.” Loris Capirossi, 15th fastest, 1m 40.391s “We started the qualifying session quite well, I was soon faster on race tyres. But then I took two big risks and nearly lost the front, and given that the crash I had in Qatar was because I lost the front, and we still don’t know why, I lost a bit confidence in the front. We tried to make some small set-up changes, but with no success, so we have decided to make quite a drastic change for morning warm-up, trying to put more weight on the front. Anyway, our race rhythm isn’t so bad. We are all very, very close and in the race the situation is always different from practice. We have to get the maximum from the warm-up and to try to do our best in the race.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner, Hopkins Secure Second Row in Spain Round 02 – Jerez Qualifying Circuit de Jerez, Spain Saturday 24 March 2007 Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Suzuki’s John Hopkins have secured strong second row grid slots for tomorrow afternoon’s Spanish Grand Prix after a fiercely competitive MotoGP field saw the top twelve riders separated by less than half-a-second. Qatar GP winner Stoner was just 0.122s from Dani Pedrosa’s pole-setting time but the Australian was ultimately forced to settle for fifth place after some last-gasp efforts from other riders. A mere 0.1s adrift of the Ducati was Suzuki’s John Hopkins who had to settle for a competitive sixth place after another solid qualifying showing from the Anglo-American. Honda Gresini duo Toni Elias and Marco Melandri have shown promising race pace on their Bridgestone tyres this weekend and will look to make their way up the order from 8th and 9th places on the grid respectively. Ensuring that all four manufacturers on Bridgestone tyres are represented within the top twelve for the second consecutive GP, Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet took 12th position. After some difficulties with qualifying tyre performance over the winter and at the pre-season IRTA test in Jerez, the reduced gap to the front runners in this afternoon’s session gives Bridgestone cause for optimism even if the final grid results do not truly reflect the increased competitiveness of its qualifying rubber against its rivals. Bridgestone will now carry out further development work on its qualifying tyres during a two-day test in Jerez on Monday and Tuesday. Tyre Talk with Shinji Aoki Bridgestone Motorsport Assistant Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Q: Were you pleased with the outcome of qualifying in Jerez this afternoon? A: “On the one hand, I am pleased that our qualifying tyres have measured up against our rivals in terms of lap time and that the gap to the pole time has been significantly reduced following the pre-season Jerez test. However, the end results effectively masked the competitiveness of our qualifying tyres because of the compact nature of the grid. With the top five separated by just 0.1s, it was hundredths-of-a-second that made the difference between pole position and second row.” Q: How do you expect Bridgestone’s selection of race tyres to perform tomorrow? A: “We were able to do some long run tests in today’s practice sessions and we did not experience any major problems. We evaluated both soft and medium compounds over 20 laps or so and based on the results, we believe that we are ready to race with either option. So far, it would seem that tyre wear over a full 27 lap race distance will be crucial and the battle for podium places will be between those riders who can lap consistently in the low-mid 1m41s. That said, the final race tyre selection will be quite dependent on the weather because the current forecast is for cooler, cloudier conditions than we have experienced today.” Riding Perspective – Casey Stoner Ducati 5th Place “We have struggled a bit to get the rear tyre to work at a hundred percent and we have experienced some spinning, but this afternoon we have found an almost perfect setting to get the bike and Bridgestone tyres to work well. We only missed out on pole by a tenth and if I had pushed a little more we would have had it, but I’m happy. After last year everything is already working much better and I am very confident for the race. I am sure we can last the distance.” Bridgestone Qualifying Practice Session Results Pos Rider Team Best Lap Gap P5 Casey Stoner Ducati 1m39.524s +0.122s P6 John Hopkins Suzuki 1m39.625s +0.223s P8 Toni Elias Honda Gresini 1m39.660s +0.258s P9 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 1m39.722s +0.320s P12 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 1m39.883s +0.481s P13 Alex Barros Pramac D’Antin 1m40.196s +0.794s P14 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m40.328s +0.926s P15 Loris Capirossi Ducati 1m40.391s +0.989s P16 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki 1m40.405s +1.003s P18 Alex Hofmann Pramac D’Antin 1m40.710s +1.308s P19 Kousuke Akiyoshi Suzuki 1m41.202s +1.800s More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Event: Grand Prix of Spain – Qualifying Date: Saturday, 24th March 2007 Ambient temperature: 24 degrees C Track temperature: 40 degrees C Humidity: 13% FRONT-ROW START FOR ROSSI IN JEREZ AS EDWARDS JUST MISSES OUT Valentino Rossi will start from second position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez after an exciting and extremely close qualifying battle today, while his team-mate Colin Edwards will be just behind him in fourth having lost out on third position in the dying moments of the session. It is Rossi’s eighth consecutive top-three start for Yamaha, the Italian having started from the front row in the final six races of 2006 and at this season’s opener in Qatar. After struggling for grip once again this morning and finishing free practice way down the order in 18th position, it was clear from the start this afternoon that warmer temperatures and the latest changes made to the setting of his M1 had improved Rossi’s package and he quickly posted his fastest time of the weekend so far. Edwards and his crew had made drastic changes to his bike setting overnight and he too showed a marked improvement to his race pace both this morning and again this afternoon, as he and Rossi used the improved track conditions in their quest to find the right tyre package ahead of tomorrow’s 27-lap race. With eight minutes to go Rossi moved into pole position with the first of his two Michelin qualifying tyres, only to be ousted by his team-mate less than a minute later as the Texan set his first flying lap. The last five minutes saw the usual flurry of quick laps and position-changing amongst the leading protagonists before Rossi took the top slot once again with a lap of 1’39.453, before being pushed into second by Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who set the eventual pole time of 1’39.402. Edwards’ final lap seemed sure to give him a front-row slot alongside his team-mate but he fell victim to another local favourite as Carlos Checa (Honda) claimed third in the last seconds of the session. Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’39.453 Laps: 26 “It’s been an up and down weekend for us so it’s good that we’ve achieved our number one goal of getting onto the front row. It’s going to be very important for tomorrow’s race I think. It was a good qualifying session and my lap was quite good, but we know it’s possible to be a lot quicker because last month at the test I was more than one second faster! We knew it would be difficult to match the 1’38.394 I did then however, because then we had four qualifying tyres and with the new tyre restrictions now we only have two. With the race tyre we were struggling quite a bit yesterday and this morning it was even worse, so we were a bit worried, but we looked at the situation together with Michelin and found a good solution and this afternoon we were in much better shape. I think tyres are going to be the biggest issue tomorrow and the last ten laps especially are going to be very hard and difficult for everyone. I think it’s going to be an exciting race for the fans!” Colin Edwards Position: 4th Time: 1’39.486 Laps: 28 “I’m pretty annoyed to have missed out on the front row by so little! I didn’t have quite enough speed into turn one with my last qualifying tyre and so lost a little bit of time in the first section and that proved to be the difference that mattered. Anyway, you live and learn! We were a bit worried last night but my team turned the bike upside down overnight and it felt much better this morning. Then this afternoon we used the tyre we’re planning to use for the race and things improved again, so I’m feeling quite happy about my race pace now. We’ve still got a few things to tweak and a couple of decisions to make before tomorrow afternoon but we’re more or less there so hopefully we’re going to be able to get a good start and run a good race. It was pretty close today and everyone’s really stepped up their game, I think it’s going to be one hell of a race tomorrow! Finally I want to say thank you again to my team for working so hard last night to come up with a good setting – they did a great job.” Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Team Director “Well things are much better when it’s warmer! This afternoon we could really work properly and get some proper testing done. In fact Colin was much better this morning and again this afternoon, he seems happy with his tyre choice now so I think he can do a good race tomorrow. Valentino had some troubles this morning but we found a good solution and this afternoon the situation was more normal. It was a shame Checa pushed Colin off the front row and we missed having them both there, like in Qatar, but anyway second and fourth is not so bad and I think they both have the pace to fight at the front now. We’re in a good position for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing: JUST TWO TENTHS OFF POLE The Grand Prix of Spain looks as though it could be one of the closest of the season after a host of riders staked their claim for a podium place today. The MotoGP Qualifying Practice session saw an incredible number of riders taking their turn at the top of the time sheets, with ten of them inside three tenths of pole at the end. The front row is headed by Dani Pedrosa (Honda), closely followed by Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) and Carlos Checa (Honda). Toni Elias was just two tenths of a second off pole time, qualifying in eithth place (1’39″660), whilst Marco Melandri was just another tenth behind (1’39″722) and is one position further back on the outside of the third row. The Team Gresini Honda riders worked hard on their preparations for the race and are satisfied with their pace, their grid positions not really a true reflection of their potential. Tomorrow both Melandri and Elias are confident of making up positions early in the race with a good start. TONI ELIAS (8th ,1’39″660): “I’m happy because we are continuing to improve. We are only two tenths off pole but I can’t say I’m satisfied with eighth position. Today we worked well and my race pace is quite good. Tomorrow I just hope to get a good start and recover some important positions. The fans at Jerez are amazing and I’m sure they’ll give me plenty of support.” MARCO MELANDRI (9th, 1’39″722): “I’m happy with the bike. This morning we had a good endurance test with the bike in race setting and I’m confident. We’re getting much better with a qualifying tyre and I was able to get a good lap in with the first one. I was confident because there was still room for improvement. With the second tyre I pushed a bit too hard and the tyre went off. I made a mistake in the final corner which cost me the few tenths of a second that mean I’m now on the outside of the third row. Physically I feel better – the fever has passed although I am still a little blocked up and it’s hard to breathe.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: JEREZ PROVES CHALLENGING FOR KAWASAKI Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet was disappointed to end today’s qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix in twelfth position, despite lapping less than half-a-second off the pole position time set by Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. While de Puniet will start tomorrow’s 27-lap race from the fourth row of the grid, his Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, is facing a much tougher challenge, as he tries to make up places from the sixth row of the grid, after finishing today’s hour-long timed session in 16th position. Subtle adjustments to the chassis and suspension set-up of de Puniet’s Ninja ZX-RR during today’s practice and qualifying periods led to a slight improvement in rear traction, with the Kawasaki pilot lapping consistently on race tyres before switching to the first of his three qualifying tyres halfway through this afternoon’s timed session. His first run saw him top the timesheet for a short time, with Jacque just behind in second place, but de Puniet soon found himself demoted to 12th position on the grid as his MotoGP rivals also switched from race tyres to soft qualifying rubber as the end of the session approached. De Puniet will approach tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix in the same way as always, aiming to get a good start and then trying to stay in contact with the leading group of riders for as long as possible. Tyre life will be critical in tomorrow’s race, and the 26-year-old Frenchman will be looking to use the consistency of his Bridgestone tyres to maximum effect should any of his rivals start to suffer with tyre wear towards the end of the 27 laps. Olivier Jacque was disappointed not to have made the same level of improvement today as his teammate. The 33-year-old Kawasaki rider worked his way through a number of different chassis and suspension set-up options today, but was unable to significantly improve his feeling on the Ninja ZX-RR. Despite a rise in track temperature increasing available grip in the afternoon, Jacque was still complaining of a lack of confidence in the front end of his Ninja ZX-RR as the end of the timed session approached, leaving him with no option but to switch to qualifying tyres and simply ride the bike as best as he could. Struggling to get the bike turned around the tight and technical Jerez circuit, Jacque was unable to take full advantage of his qualifying tyres and eventually had to settle for 16th position on the grid for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. The qualifying performance of both riders fell short of the targets set by Kawasaki’s Racing Director, Ichiro Yoda, but the Japanese engineer had nothing but praise for de Puniet and Jacque, as they were forced to overcome handling problems that were absent during the IRTA test at Jerez just one month ago. Both Kawasaki riders will be aiming to further improve their race set-up during morning warm-up tomorrow. Randy de Puniet 12th – 50 Laps – Best Lap 1’39.883 “Compared with yesterday, this morning I felt better riding the bike and I improved my lap times on race tyres in the afternoon. With the changes done, we reduced a little the rear tyre sliding but it is not enough. I don’t feel yet at 100% but I hope to make the last adjustments tomorrow morning. With the qualifying tyres I improved my lap times with every set that I used. Finally I did the same lap time that I did here one month ago at the IRTA test, but today I have qualified twelfth. If I do a good start tomorrow, I think that a top ten position is still possible.” Olivier Jacque 16th 43 Laps Best Lap 1’40.405 “We worked hard this morning but things seemed not to change at all compared to yesterday; it was a little bit frustrating. However, things went a little bit better in the afternoon, although I don’t like the way the bike is working on the track. We don’t have enough rear grip; I fight to make the bike turn and I can’t keep the speed in the corner. The bike is controllable but not efficient. I improved my lap times and I felt more comfortable with the qualifying tyres than I was in Qatar, but I couldn’t do it better.” Ichiro Yoda Kawasaki Racing Director “This is not the position in which we expected to be, but after two days of practice and qualifying sessions, in which we suffered some problems that we weren’t expecting, we discovered some areas that need to be improved both in chassis and engine. Both riders have done a good job, but we need to improve three or four tenths making the power delivery friendlier and working in other areas to improve rear tyre grip. We have found some directions to follow for Monday’s test, as we have almost dismissed this race. Our hopes are not really high, though we expect our riders to finish the race and do it in the points.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Pedrosa takes home pole in historic qualifying Gran Premio bwin.com de España Saturday 24th March Report Day 2 motogp Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow’s Gran Premio bwin.com de España from pole position, after a blistering qualifying session at his home race. The Repsol Honda rider laid down a record breaking lap at the Circuito de Jerez to take his first top spot of the season, driving the tens of thousands of fans gathered at the Spanish track wild with delight. The session created the closest ever top ten in MotoGP history. Pedrosa traded the fastest time honours with Valentino Rossi, and the two will start alongside each other on the front row at a race in which they are predicted to fight for the win all the way. The two were the quickest at last month’s Official MotoGP Test, with Rossi emerging as the victor in a 40 minute shootout on that occasion, however this time they will do battle over 27 laps. The pole-setting 1’39.402 lap from the 21 year old was just five hundredths of a second quicker than that of the five-time World Champion, with Carlos Checa just seven thousandths behind him. Checa has been on great form all week at his home track, and will start tomorrow from the front row after a long absence from the leading three. Colin Edwards, Casey Stoner and John Hopkins, who on any other day might have taken pole with their jaw-dropping times, will follow the leading three from row two. Shinya Nakano picked up his pace to take seventh, ahead of Gresini Honda duo Toni Elias and Marco Melandri and Kenny Roberts Jr. 250cc Reigning 250cc World Champion was at his dominant best in qualifying for tomorrow’s race at the Circuito de Jerez. The Spanish star led the way this afternoon, quicker than arch-rival Hector Barbera at the track where the factory Aprilia rider took his first quarter litre victory last year, to put himself in a prime position to repeat his 2006 triumph. The ex-teammates have had their run-ins in the past, and tempers were flaring on track with a number of angry gestures between the compatriots. Lorenzo and Barbera will lock horns tomorrow on the front row for the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, with fellow Spaniard Julian Simon and 2006 World Championship runner-up Andrea Dovizioso all looking to take the holeshot when the red light goes out. Reigning 125cc World Champion Alvaro Bautista, a non-finisher in Qatar two weeks ago, heads row two, followed by Marco Simoncelli, Shuhei Aoyama and Thomas Luthi. Alex de Angelis suffered a small accident at low speed in the afternoon session, and will be disappointed to only start from 13th tomorrow. The paddock awaits news of the condition of 250cc rider Roberto Locatelli, who suffered an horrific crash in this morning’s practice session and remains in hospital at nearby Cadiz. The full extent of the popular veteran’s injuries are not yet known. 125cc Mattia Pasini will start tomorrow’s 125cc Grand Prix from pole position, ahead of a number of his rivals for the lower cylinder category title. The Italian’s 1’47.245 lap was enough to edge out Gabor Talmacsi, the poleman two weeks ago in Qatar. Talmacsi once again edged out the rider below him on the timesheets, with Lukas Pesek this time missing out on the second spot. The Derbi rider was just two thousandths of a second off Talmacsi’s time, lining up on the front row alongside home rider Sergio Gadea. Hector Faubel, Tomoyoshi Koyama, Pol Espargaro and Simone Corsi round off the top eight all separated by less than a second. British rider Bradley Smith was the fastest Honda of the session, leading the way for the Japanese factory in eleventh. Red Bull Rookies A Spanish rider will be on pole for the first ever Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup race tomorrow afternoon, as Luis Salom will start the event for young talent ahead of Johann Zurco and Lorenzo Savadori. British riders Jamie Mossey and Matthew Hoyle join Swede Robert Gull in the top six. The Gran Premio bwin.com de España begins tomorrow at 11am local time, with the MotoGP race taking place at 2pm. Fans are reminded that clocks go forward one hour tonight in Spain, where time will then be GMT +2. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Final qualifying Spanish GP Jerez, March 24, 2007 Saturday March 24, 2007 DANI TAKES A FIRM GRIP IN SPAIN WITH ‘HOME’ POLE The MotoGP class served up a typically hard-fought hour of qualifying with Spanish sensation Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) powering to pole here in Jerez. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) qualified second fastest with another Spanish star Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) completing the front row. With the 4.423km track notoriously sensitive to temperature changes, grip was not at the level provided during tests here earlier in the month when times were well up on last year’s. Dani’s pole time is 0.388 seconds slower than Loris Capirossi’s 2006 pole mark of 1m 39.064 seconds. The track surface was at 24 degrees C, ambient temperature at 40 degrees C as the 800cc machines began the hour. Casey Stoner (Ducati) got things moving with a swift early lap of 1m 40.903 to head the timesheet until the halfway point. Rossi and yesterday’s quick-man Checa lay second and third fastest. Dani, who had been parked in 13th spot opened the real attempts at pole with a 1m 40.899s time to grab the number one slot with 26 minutes gone. Rossi then responded by firing his machine to the second fastest time before the Kawasaki team launched Randy de Puniet out of pit lane with a qualifying tyre on for the Frenchman to put in a 1m 40.523s lap to take pole from Dani. His team-mate Olivier Jacque slotted into a provisional second place before the bulk of the field began to pit for qualifiers with 15 minutes of the hour remaining. With 12 minutes left Stoner sped to a 1m 39.940s lap good enough for pole but only for now. John Hopkins (Suzuki) snatched second spot with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) now temporarily third fastest. With ten minutes left on the clock things got serious with Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) rocketing to second and then Rossi grabbing pole with a 1m 39.765s time. Then Colin Edwards (Yamaha) put in a 1m 39.765s lap to head the proceedings and it seemed many men had the speed to figure at the front of the rankings. With five minutes left on the clock, the order was Edwards, Rossi, Melandri, Stoner, Pedrosa and Hayden. But Qatar winner Stoner had some more speed left to dial in a 1m 39.524s lap and go pole again. Then Rossi intervened with a 1m 39.453s time and as Hayden shot to fourth and Hopkins to third, Dani was on a hot lap”¦ The clock stopped at 1m 39.402 seconds and try as the rest of the grid might, no one had the legs on the homeboy. It’s a significant pole for Dani and with Rossi second fastest and Checa completing the front row the race promises to be a firecracker of a contest. Just 1.003 seconds covers the first 16 riders. It is also the closest the top ten riders have been on a grid in the entire history of the premier class. Dani said, “The race set-up we have for the bike is quite good and the tyre choice looks OK as well so we’ll have to see how their performance continues over the race distance. The times are very close so a good start will be very important tomorrow. The crowd was amazing today. On the last lap coming into the pits I was more relaxed and I could actually notice how many people there were. It’s great for the Spanish riders and the others to have so much support and I think the atmosphere tomorrow will be very special.” Checa said, “This front row is a very good feeling, especially for my home race. Predictions are difficult but if the weather and track are the same for the race as in practice, then we have a very good set-up, and a chance to fight for the podium. The LCR team has done a great job, especially to give me more confidence with the front-end. And until today I have struggled with a lot of chatter on the soft rear qualifying tyre but, with the support of Michelin, we have made a lot of progress in this area.” Shinya Nakano, seventh fastest on row three, said, “That was so much better than yesterday! Overnight the team explained what my problem has been. I think that maybe I was pushing too hard in some areas. From the data and by following some of the top guys I could see that something was missing from my technique with this new 800cc bike. I was losing a little confidence, but then I could see that I was entering the corners way too fast and then as a result I could not get on the throttle early enough. As soon as I stopped trying so hard and relaxed a little the times improved.” Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) qualified eighth quickest and said, “I’m happy to confirm the improvements we made. And I’m happy with the lap time, only two-tenths of a second off pole, but not happy with my grid position on the third row. Our target was the first or second row so I have to make a good start and follow the front guys but that depends on the rhythm they set. My pace is quite good but I’m not sure how fast the race pace will be.” “I’m very happy with the bike,” said his team-mate Melandri in eighth. “This morning we made a long run on race set-up, about 13 laps, and I was quite fast. With the qualifying tyres we made a big step forward from Qatar and the IRTA test. The first qualifying tyre was good and I was confident I would improve my performance with the second qualifying tyre but I used up too much rubber too quickly and lost time at the last corner where I didn’t have enough grip. Tomorrow’s race will be between a few riders not just Pedrosa and Rossi.” Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V), whose team has now acquired three new sponsors, managed ninth for a third row start. The American former World Champion said, “We’re three tenths off pole, and on the fourth row! It could have been worse, but I’m proud of the guys. And we’re better off than we were in Qatar. At least we were able to shine when everything was right on Friday. We have to keep plugging away and hopefully the sponsorship stuff kicks in. Everything looks good and the bike looks fine. I think it’s going the right direction.” Reigning World Champion Hayden is having a troubled start to his title defence. He qualified 11th fastest and said, “We’ve made some improvements with the bike today and the feeling is pretty good. I wasn’t totally satisfied with my qualifying laps and of course I’m definitely a little disappointed with my grid position 0.4s doesn’t sound like a long way off but right now in this league at this track it’s a lot. It’s frustrating to be this far back especially knowing how tight it could be on the first lap you’ve got to be smart in turn one, but you can’t go in there tip-toeing either.” In the 250cc class Honda battler Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) hauled himself onto the front row of the grid as fourth fastest man behind Jorge Lorenzo on pole, Hector Barbera (Aprilia) second fastest and speedy 125cc graduate Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) third fastest. The two Honda men are just over half a second off the pole time and should be well in contention tomorrow if they can get off the line in close contact with their Aprilia rivals. Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) qualified eighth fastest for a second row start. An injured Simon, after a qualifying tumble, said, “The team has made a great job. I have to thank them for what they’ve done both in Qatar and here, because they have taken care of me and have been trying to help me to ease the pain of my collarbone on the bike. And we are managing to do so. The main target for tomorrow is finishing the race and withstanding the pain, because despite the good results in practice the race may be very hard for my shoulder.” Dovi said, “I had many problems all day today in practice and qualifying always setting around 10th best time. Then on the last lap my time was good enough for fourth place that was a big surprise to me. The truth is I am not in good shape here, the front-end is not as good as I need it to be and I have a little problem finding traction. This has probably got a lot to do with me not liking this track too much.” Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) secured pole in the 125cc class. The Italian rider was fastest in yesterday’s session and today he turned in a best lap of 1m 47.245s to head the field in qualifying. Gabor Talmacsi (Aprilia) qualified second fastest with Lukas Pesek (Derbi) third on the grid and Sergio Gadea (Aprilia) completing the front row. Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) is the best Honda qualifier in 11th, with Alex Masbou (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) 16th fastest, Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) lining up as 19th fastest rider and Mike di Meglio (Humangest Honda RS125R) qualifying 20th despite a huge crash in the final five minutes of the session today. He broke a collarbone however and will not ride tomorrow. Smith said, “My feeling with the bike is good, even on a cold track I set good times. In the afternoon I could have been better but it’s OK. The track conditions were not so good in qualifying as before and I’m not quick enough to adjust to changing conditions yet. I’m on the third row, like at Qatar, but I hope for a better start here than I got there.” Honda riders quotes: MotoGP. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1st: “I think we did a good job and I’m very happy to have qualified on pole position of course, though the really important thing is to be on the front row that was our main aim today. The race set-up we have for the bike is quite good and the tyre choice looks ok as well so we’ll have to see how their performance continues over the race distance. I don’t think there’s any extra pressure that comes from being on pole position but the times are very close so a good start will be very important tomorrow. The crowd was amazing today. On the last lap coming into the pits I was more relaxed and I could actually notice how many people there were. It’s great for the Spanish riders and the others to have so much support and I think the atmosphere tomorrow will be very special. I hope I can make a great start and fight for the win.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 3rd: “This front row is a very good feeling, especially for my home race. Predictions are difficult but if the weather and track are the same for the race as in practice, then we have a very good set-up, and a chance to fight for the podium. The LCR team has done a great job, especially to give me more confidence with the front-end. And until today I have struggled with a lot of chatter on the soft rear qualifying tyre but, with the support of Michelin, we have made a lot of progress in this area. ” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 7th: “That was so much better than yesterday! Overnight the team explained what my problem has been. I think that maybe I was pushing too hard in some areas. From the data and by following some of the top guys I could see that something was missing from my technique with this new 800cc bike. I was losing a little confidence, but then I could see that I was entering the corners way too fast and then as a result I could not get on the throttle early enough. As soon as I stopped trying so hard and relaxed a little the times improved. From seventh on the grid the start will be so important and if I make a start like I’ve made during practice then we should be able to get away with the top riders. Race pace will be low 1m 41s I think, so maybe I need to improve by a couple of tenths. I want to have a good race as my father is over from Japan to watch me!” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 8th: “I’m happy to confirm the improvements we made. Happy with the lap time, only two-tenths of a second off pole but not happy with my grid position on the third row. Our target was the first or second row so I have to make a good start and follow the front guys but that depends on the rhythm they set. My pace is quite good but I’m not sure how fast the race pace will be. We are still improving and working hard with Bridgestone and we are confident we will improve at the next races.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 9th: “I’m very happy with the bike. This morning we made a long run on race set up, about 13 laps, and I was quite fast. With the qualifying tyres we made a big step forward from Qatar and the IRTA test. With the first qualifying tyre I was good and I was confident that I would improve performance with the second qualifying tyre but I used up too much tyre too quickly and lost time at the last corner where I didn’t have enough grip. Tomorrow the race will be between a few riders not just Pedrosa and Rossi. The only problem will be in the warm up. With the clocks going back it will be like 8.45 and the bike will feel very different in the race! I’m not 100% fit yet my fever is less than this morning but I am still having trouble breathing.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 10th: “That was more difficult than it looked. We’re at 100 percent capacity within our group, but sometimes we don’t have enough manpower to pick up on things. We think there was an error made going into qualifying with the rear suspension. According to the computer, it wasn’t sitting where it should. The guys picked up on it halfway through the session, but I was already on my good tyre and had already done everything up until qualifying at that point. They made an adjustment, and I was able to do one lap, and it felt like it was in the right position, so then we just jumped right into qualifying. “I shouldn’t be in this position after what we were able to do Friday, but everybody in this garage is trying 100 percent. We’re three tenths off pole, and on the fourth row! It could have been worse, but I’m proud of the guys. And we’re better off than we were in Qatar. At least we were able to shine when everything was right on Friday. We have to keep plugging away and hopefully the sponsorship stuff kicks in. Everything looks good the bike looks fine. I think it’s going the right direction.” Kenny Roberts Sr: Team Owner: “We’re living up to our sponsor in Las Vegas, sometimes you win, sometime’s you lose. We were fourth, until the last splits. But with 15 guys within one second, it doesn’t take much to change your place. All in all, after Qatar, we’re back in touch.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 11th: “We’ve made some improvements with the bike today and the feeling is pretty good. I’m wasn’t totally satisfied with my qualifying laps and of course I’m definitely a little disappointed with my grid position 0.4s doesn’t sound like a long way off but right now in this league at this track it’s a lot. It’s frustrating to be this far back especially knowing how tight it could be on the first lap you’ve got to be smart in turn one, but you can’t go in there tip-toeing either. Nonetheless I’ll be trying to get an awesome start and ride hard for 27 laps and try to move forward. I’m due for a good start so I’ll be banking on that tomorrow. I haven’t got any excuses on the qualifying laps I didn’t hit traffic though the last laps I didn’t get perfect. “ 250cc: Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 3rd: “The practices have been good so far. The team has made a great job. I have to thank them for what they’ve done both in Qatar and here, because they have taken care of me and have been trying to help me to ease the pain of my collarbone on the bike. And we are managing to do so. The main target for tomorrow is finishing the race and standing the pain, because despite the good results of the practices the race may be very hard for my shoulder. But I’m motivated with the third place and I hope to be in the leading group tomorrow just like during the practices and finish the race the best I can.” Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 4th: “I had many problems all day today in practice and qualifying always setting around 10th best time. Then on the last lap my time was good enough for fourth place — that was a big surprise to me. The truth is I am not in good shape here, the front end is not as good as I need it to be and I have a little problem with finding traction. This has pobably got a lot to do with me not liking this track too much.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 8th: “It’s not been very good. The settings of the bike and the engine were the same as yesterday and the feelings were also the same, but I haven’t been able to improve my laptimes. I think that the problem is my riding style. We will work with the telemetry this evening to see if we can see were we can improve looking at the data. As regards the tyres, we’ll have to see tomorrow’s weather conditions to decide which tyre will fit best. “ Yukio Takahashi, Scot Honda: 15th: “Compared to Qatar Jerez is hard work for me. My right foot has little feeling and when it touches the track I don’t always feel it. Today I tried to change my riding style a little to help. Usually I square off some of the corners at this track but now I am running smooth lines through the turns to help improve my feeling on the bike.” Ratthapark, Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 19th: “I’m satisfied with today’s result as I was convinced I could dip under the 1m 46s mark. The session was a bit more complicated than usual as we had some problems with the carburettor, but the team was able to solve the issue promptly. On my last run I was able to make significant progress. The set-up of the bike for the race is quite good; my goal is to improve every day and tomorrow I will try to get into the point-scoring positions.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 25th: “This morning’s crash was a big highside between turns three and four, I just made a silly mistake. I improved my times this afternoon but I still have a problem with rear end grip, I know I can do better.” 125cc. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 11th: “My lap time and my feelings are better. This morning was positive; we managed to be quite fast despite the cold. I might have done better in the afternoon, but I’m happy. It’s true that I’m a bit further away from the front row than expected, but the track conditions weren’t as good as before. I’ll be starting from the third row tomorrow, like in Qatar, and I really hope to make a better start, to be able to stay with the other riders. Let’s see if I manage to set a good pace and stay in the group and make a good race.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda:16th: “I’m fairly disappointed for this first European Grand Prix because my first day of practice was very positive after I managed to qualify tenth. But today, in the closing stages of the session we didn’t anticipate enough on our tyre choice. I’m finally 16th on the grid after qualifying 15th for the seasons opening race in Qatar, but here the lap times are closer. It’s going to be tough tomorrow. Tonight we will keep working on the chassis set-up in order to further improve my lap times in tomorrow morning’s warm-up. For the race It’s extremely important that I have a good start, in order to keep pace with the leaders.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 19th: “This morning was good and we were able to make a good job. But I was eager to do things right in the afternoon and we had several problems that hindered me from being fast. I hope to be able to solve everything tonight to make a good race tomorrow.” Mike Di Meglio, Scot Honda: 20th: Di Meglio crashed heavily on the 10th lap of final qualifying sustaining a badly gashed chin that required hospital treatment. He will not race tomorrow. Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 30th: “I had a crash and could not better my time qualifying today. I hit my team-mate (Joey Litjens) I got a better drive off a corner than Joey did and clipped the rear end of his bike. Pity because my bike was really good in that session. We had improved the set up with a few suspension changes and the engine was really good. I’m a long way back on the grid so I’ll need a good start. But I have raced here before and like the track. “ Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 31st: “I was half a second faster today than at the IRTA test last month so I am happy about that. I made my best times alone I just didn’t find anybody to slipstream. On my fast lap I made a mistake coming into the two fast right hand corners near the end of the lap, I accidentally downshifted two gears instead of one.” Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez