Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:46.673
2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:47.401
3. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:47.821
4. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:47.845
5. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.927
6. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:47.940
7. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:47.982
8. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:48.042
9. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:48.107
10. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:48.154
11. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:48.154
12. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:48.223
13. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:48.326
14. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:48.380
15. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:48.424
16. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:48.532
17. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:48.656
18. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:48.859
19. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:49.139
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:49.180
21. Olivier JACQUE, Moriwaki, 1:50.509
22. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:51.388
23. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:51.466

Not qualified (Out 107%) 1:54.140

24. Youichi UI, Harris WCM, 1:54.743


Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. M.TAMADA, Honda, 1:46.673
2. J.HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.230
3. V.ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:47.275
4. M.BIAGGI, Honda, 1:47.401
5. C.EDWARDS, Honda, 1:47.821
6. M.MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:47.845
7. L.CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:47.886
8. K.ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:47.929
9. N.HAYDEN, Honda, 1:47.940
10. A.BARROS, Honda, 1:47.963
11. C.CHECA, Yamaha, 1:47.982
12. S.NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:48.042
13. S.GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:48.107
14. T.UKAWA, Honda, 1:48.154
15. N.ABE, Yamaha, 1:48.154
16. T.BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:48.174
17. N.HODGSON, Ducati, 1:48.656
18. R.XAUS, Ducati, 1:48.859
19. A.HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:48.885
20. J.McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:49.139
21. O.JACQUE, Harris WCM, 1:49.545
22. N.AOKI, Proton, 1:51.388
23. S.BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:51.466

Not qualified (Out of 107%)

24. Y.UI, Harris WCM, 1:54.743


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:


Super Shinya steps forward for home race

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano moved seven places up the grid, to claim a fourth row starting spot for his home race at Motegi, in this afternoon’s highly competitive final qualifying session.

In an impressive comeback from yesterday’s technical troubles, Nakano showed speed and consistency to post the 12th fastest time, an improvement of 1.2s over his best lap in first qualifying when he was 19th on the grid.

Nakano had use of both of his Ninja ZX-RR race machines today, after an engine problem and oil fire sidelined one of his bikes yesterday. The additional track time allowed the Japanese ace to optimise his chassis set-up at a track that he knows intimately.

Nakano won his first GP at Motegi with victory in the 250cc Japanese GP in 1999.

Nakano concentrated on the ZX-RR fitted with the latest Magneti Marelli fuel injection and engine management system, which provides improved engine braking and power delivery characteristics.

He will race with the Magneti Marelli system for the first time in tomorrow’s 24-lap Japanese Grand Prix, as will his German team-mate, Alex Hofmann, who will start from 19th on the grid.

Hofmann was frustrated not to improve his qualifying time from yesterday, and took responsibility for this afternoon’s lacklustre performance in his first appearance at Motegi for three years.

After being fast and consistent in the morning free practice session, Hofmann could not reproduce his best form after a series of laps evaluating a different profile Bridgestone rear tyre.

Final qualifying was run in warm and humid conditions, on a mainly dry track after a light shower of rain early in the one hour session.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1’48.042)
“Twelfth is not fantastic, but it is much better than yesterday. I had a very good feeling after going back to a base set-up from earlier in the season, and I could push very hard and do consistent times. I just need a little more front stability on the brakes. I was enjoying riding, especially with so many fans here for my home race. The engineers were able to solve our problems from yesterday, and the Magneti Marelli system is an improvement with engine braking and throttle response. Bridgestone have a very good race tyre here, so I’m hoping for a good result.”

Alex Hofmann: 19th (1’48.885)
“That was a bad session for me and I’m not happy with my performance. I just couldn’t find the rhythm I had in the morning session and I was too aggressive on the brakes and couldn’t carry enough corner speed. The team improved the set-up but I couldn’t show it with lap times so I’m hoping to get to grips with the track in warm-up tomorrow morning. After being happy this morning I tried a new shape Bridgestone, which is different to ride, and that upset my rhythm when it came to going faster. Hopefully I can sort things out before the race and make a good start, because overtaking here is very difficult. It is going to be a tough job to score some points, but that’s what I’m aiming to do.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“After yesterday’s problems, Shinya made an impressive step forward and he was one of the riders to consistently improve his lap times. I think Shinya has a chance of finishing top ten at his home race. Alex tried hard, perhaps a little too hard in some parts of the track, and this cost him some rhythm but I expect a strong race from him. With revised chassis settings and adjustments to our new electronics package the ZX-RR is showing more potential for fast and consistent times at this track than I thought it would. Now we just need a dry race.”


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Tamada snatches home pole at Motegi

Makoto Tamada snatched pole position for his home race with a stunning final lap at the Motegi circuit this afternoon. With hot conditions limiting grip on the track, several riders struggled to improve their provisional times from Friday and it looked as though provisional pole holder John Hopkins would start from the front of a MotoGP grid for the first time in his career. However, Tamada mounted his record breaking charge as the chequered flag was waved, dislodging the American to take his second pole position in as many races.

“Everything is pretty much ready for the race tomorrow but the warm-up will confirm that,” said Tamada, who set his debut pole and went on to finish second at Estoril two weeks ago. “I am happy with this pole position for Honda and for Bridgestone. It will be an important race and to start from pole is fundamental. There are not too many places to overtake at this track, especially over the first laps, so to be at the front is definitely an advantage.”

Despite being unable to improve on his provisional time, Hopkins starts from the front row of the grid for the first time in his MotoGP career. Valentino Rossi was also unable to lower his best effort from yesterday but hung on to the final front row spot despite the best intentions of Max Biaggi, who closed to within 0.126 seconds of his great rival.

Biaggi’s efforts consolidated fourth place at the front of the second row on tomorrow’s grid, where he will be joined Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri, who also made good progress despite the conditions. The American and the Italian both took the place of a compatriot on the second row, with Loris Capirossi and Kenny Roberts unable to improve their times and dropping to the third row in seventh and eighth respectively. Nicky Hayden qualified ninth fastest and completes the third row despite the effects of a recently broken collarbone and damaged knee ligaments.

Elsewhere it was a bad day for Sete Gibernau, who will start from the fifth row in thirteenth place as he looks to stay in touch with Valentino Rossi, whom he trails by 29 points at the top of the championship.

Dani Pedrosa and Hiroshi Aoyama sealed a one-two for Honda at the front of the 250cc grid as pole contender Randy de Puniet ran off track at the end of the session. De Puniet was able to avoid crashing but could do nothing to stop Pedrosa from clinching pole at Motegi for the third successive season, his previous two efforts coming in the 125cc class, despite suffering from a fractured toe suffered in a practice crash yesterday. With Aoyama’s last lap effort moving him up to his highest grid position this year in second place, De Puniet was forced to settle for third, the lone Aprilia in the top four as Toni Elias completed the front row on his Honda.

The 125cc grid remain virtually untouched, with Andrea Dovizioso hanging onto pole thanks to the provisional time he set yesterday as Casey Stoner, who closed in on pole record time in the morning free practice, crashed just minutes into the session. The Australian returned to the track on his second machine but injured his right shoulder and will fight through the pain barrier to ride tomorrow. Roberto Locatelli took advantage of Stoner’s misfortune to move up to second place on the grid, being the only rider on the front two rows to improve his provisional time. Hector Barberá, who lies 20 points behind Dovizioso at the top of the championship, completes the front row in fourth place.


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:


Rossi on Motegi front row as Checa digs in

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa will line up on the first and fourth rows respectively in tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix, after an arduous second and final qualifying session at Motegi today. Despite a valiant effort Rossi was unable to improve on his Friday best time, and team-mate Checa also fought hard in an attempt to get into the front running start positions but finally finished eleventh fastest overall.

Rossi experienced some problems with his Yamaha M1 in the latter stages of the session, and was thus robbed of a final chance to challenge eventual pole position winner Makoto Tamada (Honda) and second place rider John Hopkins (Suzuki). Front end troubles held back the smooth progress of Rossi in the last 20 minutes, a disappointment after an otherwise fruitful period of pre-race preparations.

Spaniard Checa worked hard to improve his Friday best lap time by over 0.6 seconds, regaining confidence as he qualified top Spanish rider, ahead of Rossi’s number one championship rival Sete Gibernau (Honda), who finished 13th.

The 4.801km circuit in central Japan was the scene of some nervous moments in the first few minutes of as the rain flags came out almost as soon as the session began. The light smattering of raindrops quickly abated and qualifying continued apace.

Valentino Rossi (3rd, 1’47.275s)
“For sure we were lucky because we did a great lap time yesterday, so we knew we could be on the front row, even if we did not improve on our time today. Sete is further back which takes the pressure off slightly. This morning the setting was OK and the rhythm was good but this afternoon we had problems with the front of the bike – a bit like the brake was sticking. I couldn’t try with the qualifying tyre and we were not able to improve. It just felt wrong so I had to come back in.”

Carlos Checa (11th, 1’47.982s)
“Yesterday was not my best day, as we tried to improve but went backwards. But today we had the feeling back although in some areas I was not able to be fast, and get the right timing. We made some improvements but it won’t be easy for tomorrow. We will use the warm up tomorrow to play with the bike and we can make an acceptable race. I want to stick with the group and see how well we can do.”

Davide Brivio, team manager
“For Valentino something went wrong on the front of the bike, some small problem with the brake. We have to check what happened but it is good that we were able to keep him on the front row. It would have been good to have improved our start position even more but it was more important to be in the first three. First or third makes little difference. I’m sure we will find and fix the problem. Until that point all was going OK. Carlos was able to get his feeling back on the bike and it was important for his confidence to go faster than yesterday. From this point of view his improvement was good. I think especially Biaggi will be a strong contender tomorrow and as for Tamada it will depend on the tyre. But we will be in the fight for the podium.”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

Makoto Tamada on pole in Motegi

Makoto Tamada took a second consecutive pole position today in Motegi, after having taken the same top spot in Estoril in the previous round of the championship. The bright yellow RC211Vs of the Camel Honda team both shone in the final qualifying session, with Max Biaggi also performing well, and knocking four-tenths off his time from yesterday he secured a second-row start for tomorrow’s race. Tomorrow’s warm-up session will be important to concrete the last details of the set-up of their bikes, and the two Camel Honda riders should feature strongly in the race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“Two Camel Honda riders in the first four places, with pole for Makoto and fourth for Max. The rhythm our two riders have shown over the last couple of days will mean we can dream of a podium like the one in Rio. So I’m confident for tomorrow’s race because both Max and Makoto have the speed that could take them to victory. It will be a big race for Makoto because he is on his home track and for Max he is still fighting for the championship.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 4th – 1’47.401

“Today was a positive day, but like yesterday I couldn’t make the most of the qualifying tyres. However I did reduce my time by four tenths, although those tyres should mean at least a second. Anyway, as regards the race pace I’m satisfied, in T2 we reduced the gap from around five to three tenths. For the rest, the perfect set-up doesn’t exist and I think that it’s the same for all riders, in some parts they go better, in some worse. After the practices I went to Makoto’s box to congratulate him because he really did an exceptional time.”

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

“We’ve worked flat out to get even quicker so that it can make the difference in the race but there are still some things we need to be at our best. We tried various settings and the warm-up will give us the last bits and pieces for the race. Makoto has invested a lot of effort into getting everything right for this important home race, and when it came down to the crucial moment, he showed his incredible talent once more and set this fantastic pole position; the only rider going under one minute 47 seconds.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 1st – 1’46.673

“it’s nearly all there for tomorrow’s race, but the warm-up will give me the final confirmation. I’m delighted about this pole position, happy for the team, for Honda and for Bridgestone. It will be an important race, especially starting from pole. On this track there aren’t that many overtaking points, especially in the vital early laps, so being at the front will be a distinct advantage. It will be important to be inch-perfect throughout the race, getting the most out of the bike until the very last bend of the race, but I’m confident and calm.”


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Aoki cuts lap time at Motegi

Nobuatsu Aoki: 22nd, 1:51.338

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki cut more than three tenths of a second off his previous best lap time in today’s final qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese GP, but was frustrated in the hopes of improving his grid position, remaining in a disappointing 22nd place for his home race.

The Japanese rider was frustrated also in his hopes of finding a good race set-up and choosing race tyres, instead chasing grip that would allow him to brake hard and accelerate hard at a stop-and-go circuit that puts a heavy emphasis on these aspects of performance.

After the last round in Portugal, Aoki tested the prototype KTM V4 engine, built in Austria – but while offering good horsepower and overall performance, that engine is still not race-ready. Aoki was back on the team’s regular V5 motor for this race and for the rest of the season, with no decision yet made on the future of the KTM V4.

Second rider Kurtis Roberts was not in Japan, after undergoing surgery less than a fortnight ago on his left wrist, injured two rounds ago at the Czech Republic GP.

Today’s final qualifying sessions took place in mainly sunny conditions, with a sprinkling of rain at the start of the afternoon session. It was not enough to wet the track, and soon passed. The Japanese GP, 12th of 16 World Championship rounds, is the only race in Japan this year, with the Suzuka circuit dropped from the calendar pending safety improvements.

Nobuatsu Aoki
Another really tough weekend for us. We’ve been trying many different things, both chassis-wise and suspension-wise, but without being able to find any improvement. The lack of grip means we can’t make progress, and we’re getting a bit confused. It’s very hard to stop, and to put the power down. The result is that I can’t get a good corner speed. As for choosing a race tyre … at the moment I have no idea.

Kenny Roberts
It’s upsetting to say the least, but we’re a second slower than last year. We could pin it down to a lot of different things, but it’s obvious our combination is just not working, and there’s been no time to find out why. We’re having problems in low-speed corners and off-camber corners … it was the same at Donington Park, and now here also. They tell me it will be different at the next tracks coming up. We’ll see.


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

SETE STILL FIGHTING AND COLIN EYEING ANOTHER PODIUM

JAPANESE GP – 2nd OFFICIAL MOTOGP QUALIFYING PRACTICE

The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team endured a day of highs and lows at Motegi today. Sete Gibernau was unable to step up the pace in the final qualifying session and will start tomorrow’s race from the fifth row of the grid, his worst position this season. Sete did not come to Motegi to salvage a result and is hopeful of making progress in tomorrow’s warm-up which will allow him to recover his options for the race, even though his rhythm is better than his position might suggest. Colin Edwards recovered his confidence after finding a good feeling with the new chassis which Honda gave him here in Japan. The American will start from fifth place, a position which has him dreaming of a repeat of his Donington podium.

COLIN EDWARDS (5th, 1’47″821): “We began the session with the wrong front tyre but I came in quickly to change the tyre and switched back to the setting we had this morning. Now the set-up is perfect and this is the first time I have felt completely comfortable with the bike all season. I’ve got a good feeling and whenever we make a change we see the result straight away. With respect to the race, we can set a rhythm of mid 48s, which is good, and we’re starting from fifth so I’m really hopeful about this race.”

SETE GIBERNAU (13th, 1’48″107): “Unfortunately we continued as we were yesterday, although we improved slightly. It is the worst grid position all year although the rhythm isn’t that bad compared to the starting position. Hopefully we can find a valid solution in the warm-up and rescue the Grand Prix, although that is not what we came here for. I’ve lapped in low 48s on a race tyre, which isn’t bad, and they told me that my fastest lap was just too late. It’s a bit tight but we’ve still got the warm-up”.

FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager): “Things haven’t gone well at all today. We’ve got Sete in a position where he hasn’t been all year and at this stage of the season it’s important to be in the top positions and fighting for victories. But things don’t always go as you want them to and the only thing we can do about it is try our hardest to work out where the problem is and hope it works better in the warm-up. Colin had a good session and made the most of the qualifying tyre to get on the second row, which isn’t bad. He has a pretty good race rhythm, maybe not quick enough to be in the lead group, but I hope he can stick it out and get a good result”.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

TAMADA MAKES POLE HIS OWN WITH MASTERLY LAP

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres at his home track set a pole lap of 1:46.673 to put himself more than half a second ahead of his nearest challenger John Hopkins (Suzuki). Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) completes the front row in third place.

Sultry conditions prevailed as the final hour-long session got underway, and within minutes of the riders getting on track rain spots fell, and the white flag with a red cross came out to warn riders. But despite the threat, the small drops never became any bigger, although they reappeared with 15 minutes to go.

Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) was the first rider to improve his time from yesterday and the Roman title contender was to feature again this session when he put a move on Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V).

The pair were circulating in close company in the early stages when Max slid underneath Sete after the tunnel section and then gestured to his Spanish title rival. Sete then re-passed him and the duo continued their feud in pitlane on their ‘in-lap’ when Sete chopped in front of Max before entering his pit garage.

This was the high point of the session until the final ten minutes when the high-pressure laps on qualifying tyres began. HRC test rider and wild card entrant Tohru Ukawa improved to eighth with a 1:48.154 lap, but this brief effort was to prove well short of the standard required for even a top ten start.

With five minutes to go Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) hoisted himself to fifth place and Max had now done enough for a short-lived third place. But there was a feeling that Tamada would be the man to deliver the knockout blow here – and what a powerful punch it proved to be.

With Hopkins sitting on pole with his Friday time intact, Tamada timed his run to perfection and simply annihilated the rest of the field with his lap. Fastest in every section of the track, the Japanese looked devastating and when his time flashed up more than half a second faster than the best of the opposition, it was no real surprise.

Tamada said, “This is a very important race to have pole for. This is a hard track to overtake on in the early stages of the race and everything needs to perfect at the end too – and the tyres we have are working well. Thanks to the team for giving me the means to ride a lap like this.”

Max was satisfied with his second row start. “The perfect set-up does not exist, and I think that all my opponents have some points where they are okay and others where they are not. I just need a good start tomorrow and then have to try to fight at the front until the end. I wasn’t expecting a 1:46 lap from Makoto – he was very good.”

Colin Edwards in fifth said, “For the first time in a while I can really feel what the bike is doing. Every time we change something I can actually feel it. The settings now are excellent, the bike is easy to ride. This afternoon we chose the wrong front tyre, so I came in and then we changed a few more things. For tomorrow the second row should be okay.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualified ninth on row three after returning from injury and said, “I was really hoping for the second row. I don’t want to whine but I’m not the most comfortable I’ve ever been on a bike. With Doctor Costa’s help things are getting better, but there are so many guys going fast out there – it’ll be quite some race.”

His team-mate Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) was tenth and makes row four, “Terribly disappointing,” he said. “We had some front end problems but things got better towards the end of the session. This afternoon we didn’t touch the front end and it was worse. We lost all our speed. We need some good ideas for the warm-up tomorrow.”

But for Sete row five in 13th is not what he needed to challenge for the title with a strong performance here. “Even if we have improved a little bit, this is the worst we have done all year and this is a shame considering the way the Championship is. We have tried lots of different things – braking into the turns is the problem. But I won’t give up tomorrow.”

Nor was 14th enough for Tohru Ukawa, “This is no good at all. I wanted a top six position. I need a really good start to get on the podium here, which is still my aim. This is my first MotoGP race this year and many of my fans are here, so I must do my best tomorrow.”

The 250cc final qualifying session was dominated by Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) who qualified first and second with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) third and Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) completing the front row as fourth fastest.

Despite carrying injuries from a crash in yesterday morning’s free training session, Dani found the resolve to ride through the pain barrier and grab a vital pole at a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

His team-mate, Aoyama, who is improving at every new track he gets to, made the most of a Motegi he knows intimately to take the second grid slot – just 0.229 seconds behind Dani.

“It all felt a bit so-so,” said Dani. “Probably because I’m still in a bit of pain. But the bike is good after we improved it little by little. Today was good in the end and we’ll hope tomorrow is even better.”

Aoyama was brief in his assessment of his front row efforts. “I’ve got a good feeling with the bike,” he said. “It’s good everywhere and we’ll try our best tomorrow and see if we can get a good result.”

Tony Elias is only interested in the race now. “Things look okay for the race on race tyres now,” he said. “I had a good rhythm but ran into a little traffic on the last laps. The important thing is tomorrow not today and we’re ready.”

Wild card rider Takahashi Yuki (Dydo Miu Racing Honda RS250RW) qualified on the second row in sixth while Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) will start from the third row in 12th.

The final 125cc qualifying session belonged to Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) who did enough during yesterday’s provisional session to retain pole despite the best efforts of Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) who qualified second. Casey Stoner (KTM) qualified third with Hector Barbera (Aprilia) fourth.

Today’s final half-hour offered track conditions that proved less favourable than yesterday. Of the top ten qualifiers only two, Locatelli and Pablo Nieto (Aprilia), who qualifed ninth, managed to improve their times.

Dovizioso’s time of 1:58.385 is a mere 0.042 seconds faster than Locatelli’s, and Stoner who crashed on the final turn in the opening minutes of the half hour is only 0.191 seconds away from the pole.

“The bike was fine today,” said Dovizioso. “The reason I wasn’t faster today was the rider. I just didn’t get a good feeling. Somehow the track surface felt different today and quite a few other riders said that. But the bike is strong, we’ve chosen our race tyres and we’re ready to go.”

The rapidly improving Lukas Pesek (Ajo Motorsports Honda RS125R) put his machine on the second row in eighth place and Simone Corsi (Team Scot Honda RS125R) lines up for tomorrow’s 21-lap race on row three in tenth.

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) was lucky to escape injury when he high-sided his machine on the entry to the tunnel. He took no further part in qualifying but will start the race from 19th on the grid.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Makoto Tamada, Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres), 1st: “I had already made sure of a good grid position yesterday in case it rained today. So then today I concentrated on improving the bike for the race. After this morning’s rain, we did a huge amount of work this afternoon and the results came straight away. The tyres I used to get pole were fantastic but I’ve also tried some interesting tyres for the race tomorrow. With the weather unstable today we haven’t been able to do an endurance test on them, but I’m confident about the race, I think it will go well. I’m starting from the very front, and I’ll be able to get involved in the battle with the top guys straight away which will be fun and that’s how I love to race.”

Gianluca Montiron, Camel Honda, (Makoto Tamada Team Manager) : “We have worked a great deal on the bike’s set-up even during the morning rain. In the afternoon session we were then able to optimise these settings, and that allowed Makoto to take his first ever pole in his career, but not only that, also to a good pace which will see him as one of the leading lights tomorrow. After a series of races having to make up ground due to a less than ideal grid position, Makoto is right at the front tomorrow, and he can run the race as he likes best, up there fighting with the leaders.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) : 4th: “I’m quite satisfied with today’s practices, even though I missed out on the front row by a whisker. Today the team and Honda together helped us improve the bike’s handling and getting a faster and more efficient weight transfer from the rear to the front. Perhaps this means we lose a bit in the braking zone, because the bike is a little more sharp, but the overall feeling is undoubtedly better. That’s why we were able to ride at a higher pace than yesterday. There’s still a couple of places on the track where I’m losing time though, and in tomorrow’s warm-up we will try to fine-tune the set-up a bit more. Of course, the big thing will be the weather, which like today could change radically in an instant, from rain to sun or vice versa. In any case, as ever I’ll give my all to do a good race.”

Sito Pons, Camel Honda (Team Principal): “This is a good team result here at the GP of Portugal, where both our riders showed they have a good rhythm and have ended the session with the fastest and fourth fastest times. I’m very confident about the race therefore and I’m hoping for some stable weather which would allow for a fantastic battle which wouldn’t be affected by the rain. I think the yellow RC211Vs of our Camel Honda team could really shine tomorrow.”

Colin Edwards, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 5th: “We began the session with the wrong front tyre but I came in quickly to change the tyre and switched back to the setting we had this morning. Now the set-up is perfect and this is the first time I have felt completely comfortable with the bike all season. I’ve got a good feeling and whenever we make a change we see the result straight away. With respect to the race, we can set a rhythm of mid 48s, which is good, and we’re starting from fifth so I’m really hopeful about this race.”

Fausto Gresini, (team manager): “Things haven’t gone well at all today. We’ve got Sete in a position where he hasn’t been all year and at this stage of the season it’s important to be in the top positions and fighting for victories.