FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain March 29, 2008 Final Qualifying Results: 1. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:38.189 2. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, 1:38.789 3. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:38.954 4. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.061 5. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:39.064 6. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.122 7. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:39.286 8. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:39.334 9. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:39.439 10. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:39.484 11. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:39.559 12. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:39.704 13. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:39.767 14. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:40.037 15. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:40.088 16. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:40.286 17. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:40.939 18. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:41.027 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP shows good race pace Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen greatly improved their race pace during today’s final free practice session and the early part of this afternoon’s qualifying session, in readiness for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Capirossi and Vermeulen will both start from the fourth row of the grid as they qualified in 10th and 12th places respectively, but their form on Bridgestone race tyres saw the Italian record the fourth fastest time whilst team-mate Vermeulen was seventh quickest this afternoon – before all riders switched to qualifying tyres. Today’s sessions were again held in warm and sunny conditions with the track surface reaching 39ºC, as the air temperature rose to 25ºC. Capirossi and Vermeulen both worked on finding the best settings for their Suzuki GSV-R’s and despite starting from the fourth row believe that they have a good chance in tomorrow’s race. Pole position today was set Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo on a factory Yamaha his second successive pole position of the season. Tomorrow’s 27-lap race is round two of the MotoGP World Championship and the event gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT), when both Rizla Suzuki MotoGP riders will be aiming for glory. Loris Capirossi: “I think that if we look at our grid position it is not too good, but we are quite happy with the performance on race tyres. We are one of the best if not the best on Bridgestone race tyres on the track today and for sure tomorrow it will be harder to start on the fourth row but we are quite optimistic. The reason for this is because we have a good feeling here with the bike and we will certainly be trying as hard as we can to get a good result tomorrow.” Chris Vermeulen: “We had a good session on race tyres and we found something in the bike and with the Bridgestone tyres. We seem to have a good pace and we improved quite a bit during the session and I think there is more to come. With the qualifiers we made good time today, but it was nowhere near the front guys. It shows that we still have some work to do with the qualifying tyres as we have had in the last few races! I am really happy with my race set-up, but unfortunately I’m on the fourth row of the grid so I will need a good start. I think I’d better get my elbows sharpened to make my way through!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “There is an easy summary for today; we’re not happy with the positions and with the difficult job that will give the guys, but I’m really happy with the general competitiveness and how well the team and riders have responded this weekend in Jerez. Loris was one of the quickest guys on race tyres today and Chris was right up there as well – they have both got the potential to do really well tomorrow. A lot of that will depend on the start and the first couple of laps. Jerez is a tight and difficult place to pass, but I think our guys have a good package underneath them and they will be looking to significantly improve on these qualifying positions during the Grand Prix tomorrow!” Gran Premio bwin.com De Espana Qualifying Classification: 1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1’38.189: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.600: 3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.765: 4. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +0.872: 5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.875: 10. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.295: 12. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.515: More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Solid Results for Bridgestone Quartet in Spanish Qualifying Round 2: Spain Qualifying Circuito de Jerez Saturday 29 March 2008 Four Bridgestone-equipped riders from different teams will start tomorrow afternoon’s Spanish Grand Prix from the top ten of the grid with Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi the highest placed in fifth position. Casey Stoner will start from seventh for Ducati, John Hopkins will start ninth for Kawasaki while Loris Capirossi rounds out the top ten for Suzuki. Jorge Lorenzo scored pole position for his home race by a margin of 0.6s from Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa and Tech 3 Yamaha’s Colin Edwards. Despite Lorenzo’s dominant pole, Bridgestone is reasonably satisfied with the improved performance of its qualifying tyres this afternoon. Rossi and Stoner both recorded best laps quicker than last year’s pole position time but had their final runs interrupted preventing them from attaining higher positions. Jerez was the only venue at which a Bridgestone-shod rider did not claim a podium result last season, something which the tyre manufacturer is keen to overcome this weekend. Lap times in race trim have been very competitive all weekend with several riders running well under last year’s best race lap, so consistent tyre performance over the full race distance will be the key to a good end result tomorrow afternoon. Tyre Talk with Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Q: How satisfied has Bridgestone been with today’s qualifying session? A: “We have been quite satisfied with the performance of our qualifying tyres in today’s session, even if the final grid positions are not where we want to be. I was surprised by the pace of Lorenzo and his pole position time just shows that we still have more work to do to close the gap to the front. Valentino and Casey both did good laps but encountered difficulties on their final runs, and without those I am sure both riders would have been further up the order. Nevertheless we now have to concentrate fully on tomorrow in the hope that our riders can make up important positions at the start of the race.” Q: How is Bridgestone’s race tyre performance? A: “We have worked hard to understand the variations in our race tyre options this weekend, but I think most of our teams have reached a clear direction for tomorrow. We are still lacking rear grip and some riders have also had front-end falls this weekend which we have been looking into. Initially we used front tyres which appear to have been a bit too hard for some riders in the conditions we have in Jerez this weekend, but we have softer specifications in the allocation which give better grip to combat this problem. We have a final warm-up tomorrow morning to finalise our preparations before the race, which I am sure will be closely-fought. I hope that our riders can all get good starts and can race towards the front of the pack.” Bridgestone-shod Riders’ Qualifying Session Results Pos. Rider Team Qualifying Time (pos) Gap to Pole P5 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m39.064s +0.875s P7 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 1m39.286s +1.097s P9 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team 1m39.439s +1.250s P10 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m39.484s +1.295s P11 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m39.559s +1.370s P12 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m39.704s +1.515s P14 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m40.037s +1.848s P15 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 1m40.088s +1.899s P16 Toni Elias Alice Team 1m40.286s +2.097s P17 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 1m40.939s +2.750s P18 Marco Melandri Ducati Corse 1m41.027s +2.838s Weather: Dry Air 25°C, Track 26°C, Humidity 35% More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Saturday Mar 29 2008 Jerez GP – Qualifying DIFFICULT QUALIFYING FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM AT JEREZ Casey Stoner will start from the third row of the grid in tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Spain with his team-mate Marco Melandri a further three rows back after a particularly demanding qualifying practice for the Ducati Marlboro Team at Jerez. The team and riders had expected to struggle at the Spanish circuit, one of the few tracks in the world where the GP8 proves extremely difficult to set up. Stoner almost fought his way onto the second row but for a mishap on his best lap, when he lost vital tenths after running wide. However, the World Champion remains confident of a good result tomorrow after setting a good consistent pace on race tyres. Melandri’s day was even tougher as the Italian tried to turn around a disappointing start to his season at the most hostile circuit on the calendar for his bike. The former 250cc World Champion will need all his trademark grit and determination in what promises to be a battle to the finish in tomorrow’s race. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th fastest – 1’39.286 “Things haven’t really been going too well for us here. We managed to go pretty much as quick as we’d gone all weekend early in the first session today but didn’t really improve from there so that’s disappointing. Qualifying could have been a lot better – I had a good lap going but unfortunately with the settings not being perfect the front just pushed me wide in one turn and I lost a good few tenths of a second, otherwise we would have been on the second row. We should be in a little bit better shape for the race – we got a decent pace and rhythm but we’re not quite at the point where we need to be. I think there are a lot of guys in a similar situation to me, we’re all struggling with the same thing so we’ll have to wait and see what we can all do in the race tomorrow but we’ll give it some!” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 18th fastest – 1’41.027 “I had a crash in this afternoon’s qualifying session and it was strange because I wasn’t pushing very hard. The front felt a bit nervous and suddenly folded. We went straight back out with the other bike on qualifying tyres but the setting was a little different and I really struggled with it. It’s a shame because my last run this morning went quite well but when we dialled the same settings in this afternoon the feeling wasn’t the same. I don’t know, maybe it’s going to be hard to go any better at this track but I know this is not my level – something’s not right and we have to find a solution. I’m not happy but this is what we have to deal with at the moment.” Circuit Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2005) 1’40.596 – 158.284 km/h Best Pole: Loris Capirossi (Ducati – 2006) 1’39.064 – 160.732 km/h More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: Circuit: Jerez Date: 29/03/2008 THE PACE HOTS UP IN JEREZ An agreeably warm and sunny Jerez today hosted the qualifying session for the second round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship and the afternoon kept a significant crowd of race fans, gathered for the event, on the edge of their seats. Kawasaki’s John Hopkins managed to take his Ninja ZX-RR to ninth on the grid with a very respectable time of 1’39.439, just over a second off pole man, Jorge Lorenzo’s extraordinary record-breaking lap. It was a great showing for Hopkins, who yesterday crashed at the end of the fast back straight. He and his crew had been forced to play catch-up in tyre testing after the reduced amount of laps the Anglo-American had been able to do at the IRTA test at Jerez in February, due to injury. Hopkins is the third of only three Bridgestone-shod riders in the top ten of the time sheets, with current world champion, Casey Stoner, and Valentino Rossi ahead of him, after Michelin appeared to dominate somewhat. However, only Sunday’s race will reveal whether that dominance will extend from qualifying tyres to race tyres. During yesterday’s sessions, Hopkins’ team mate, Anthony West, had problems with stability in the circuit’s numerous heavy braking zones and with traction coming out of the corners. By the end of the day, his crew chief, Juan Martinez, indicated that some changes would be made to the set up before the start of today’s practice. Consequently, West had taken a large chunk out of his best time from yesterday by only his third lap of the qualifying session but then went on to massively reduce even that, eventually putting in a time of 1’40.088 on his second to last lap of the day, to claim 15th position on the grid. The qualifying hour was certainly a nail-biting one. Premier class rookie, Lorenzo, repeatedly bettered his own record-breaking times to finally settle for a staggering 1’38.189 lap, to the amazement of onlookers. Further entertainment was also supplied by Colin Edwards. After losing control of his Yamaha, the American, who looked absolutely certain to run off the track in a haze of gravel, picked the bike up with his knee, kept it on the circuit and managed to wave in jubilation to the ecstatic crowd in one, flowing manoeuvre. And Kawasaki’s own John Hopkins used an elbow to stablise the ZX-RR in a scary moment! Tomorrow’s 27-lap Spanish Grand Prix starts at 14.00 hours, local time. John Hopkins #21: 9th 26 laps 1’39.439 “I’m reasonably happy with today as we’re on the third row. To be honest, the fastest qualifying lap we did wasn’t the best as I lost the front going into one of the long fast right turns, so I know we had the potential to go even quicker. I ended up scraping my elbow but I managed to pick the bike up and get the power down to make a fairly decent lap time. The tyre choice for the race is a bit of a gamble, as we’ve only had a few laps on it due to the lack of testing, but I’m confident that with Bridgestone’s help we have made a good decision. The machine set-up feels good and my injury is much better so tomorrow we have to get away from the start well and fight for a good finish.” Anthony West #13: 15th 25 laps 1’40.088 “The qualifying session has given us some inspiration as we’ve managed to slash our lap times by a huge amount. I am disappointed not to be further up the grid, and the position isn’t quite where we would like to be, but at least we are making progress. The qualifying tyre gave me a lot of confidence as the machine was much more stable, we could turn into the corners better and this enabled us to achieve a reasonable lap time. The rest of the field is within our grasp now and although it’s going to be very tough out there tomorrow, I’m looking forward to racing.” Naoya Kaneko Kawasaki Technical Manager “John, Anthony and the team have worked hard today and although the grid positions aren’t fantastic, I am happy that we are moving forwards. John has had to play catch-up, as he didn’t get much time testing here; however, with a good start I am sure he can gain a strong result. Anthony may not have the best grid position but his lap time is, comparatively, much better than at the first race at Qatar and, step-by-step, he is getting there. Our main aim for the race is to collect as much data as possible so we can optimise the machine and tyre set-up to make our package stronger.” 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha 1’38.189; 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.600; 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.765; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.872; 5. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +0.875; 6. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Honda LCR +0.933; 7. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.097; 8. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3 +1.145; 9. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.250; 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.295; 15. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.889 More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Event: Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Date: Saturday, 29th March 2008 Ambient temperature: 25 degrees C Track temperature: 26 degrees C Humidity: 35% LORENZO SMASHES JEREZ RECORD TO TAKE SECOND CONSECUTIVE POLE Home hero Jorge Lorenzo continued his impressive rookie assault on the MotoGP class with an outstanding pole position in Jerez today, smashing the existing pole record by almost a second aboard his Fiat Yamaha M1 in front of thousands of Spanish fans. The youngest rider on the grid produced a masterful qualifying display to take his second consecutive pole position and his 3rd at this circuit. After topping the time sheets yesterday, Lorenzo continued gradually refining his set-up throughout this morning’s free practice and the early part of the afternoon session, before setting the fastest lap so far on the first of three Michelin qualifying tyres with 20 minutes remaining. He bettered himself once again soon after before an inch-perfect final lap on his third soft tyre saw him improve another half a second to consolidate pole position. Dani Pedrosa was over half a second slower in second place whilst third spot was filled by Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards for the second race running. Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi had looked on course to join him on the front row before an electronic problem caused him to abandon his final hot lap, and he will start from fifth for tomorrow’s 27-lap race. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 1st Time: 1’38.189 Laps: 26 “The pole position and the second place in Qatar were like a dream, so it’s an amazing surprise for me to repeat that pole position here, and even better because it’s in front of my home fans! I was really happy with the last qualifying lap, my earlier ones were already quite good but not perfect, so I was really excited to make such a great final lap. Our race pace is good as well and I am feeling very comfortable on the bike and with my Michelin tyres. My rivals are very strong and will be trying hard to beat me, but I will definitely be fighting for the podium! Thanks to my team for doing a great job; I am really excited about tomorrow and I hope we have more weather like this and a fantastic show.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Today was a perfect day. We watched today’s qualifying with great emotion as Jorge demonstrated an excellent race pace and then beat the pole record in fantastic style on his qualifying laps. We were amazed! Yamaha and Michelin were able to provide a perfect package for us today, enabling Jorge to do an excellent job and ride in an incredible way. After today’s result it’s clear that we have the possibility to be on the podium tomorrow, and we will try our best to be there.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Lorenzo’s dream debut season continues with Jerez pole Gran Premio bwin.com de España Saturday 29th March motogp Jorge Lorenzo´s dream start to his MotoGP career continued in qualifying for the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, with the Spaniard taking pole position for his home race courtesy of an amazing series of laps. In doing so, the Fiat Yamaha rider made it two pole positions in as many races in the premier class, an impressive 100% record that proves the 20 year-old is very much the real deal on an 800cc machine. The 1´38.189 lap that places Lorenzo at the head of Sunday´s grid smashed the previous pole position record -set by Loris Capirossi in 2006- by over eight tenths of a second, and was the last of three blistering hot laps from the reigning 250cc World Champion. After improving his time on the second occasion, Lorenzo pulled a huge wheelie, to the delight of the ecstatic Circuito de Jerez crowd rooting for their hero at this weekend´s race. Spanish fans will have divided loyalties when the lights go out tomorrow afternoon, with Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa also fighting his way to the front row. On any other day his time would have seen a second pole position at Jerez in as many years for the factory rider but, as it was, not even the 2007 World Championship runner up could get anywhere near Lorenzo´s marker. Pedrosa´s fastest lap was dead-on six tenths slower than his long-time rival. For the second race in succession, Colin Edwards bolstered the Yamaha representation on the front row. The `Texas Tornado´ was the final rider to breach the 1´39 mark, riding with the older version of the M1 used by the Tech 3 satellite outfit. The man from the lone star state also provided ample entertainment for those in the grandstands, putting in an early contender for save of the season when his elbow and knee were both scraping the asphalt and following that up with a wave to the crowd. Row two is an equally star-studded affair, with 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden lining up alongside five-time titlist and frequent Jerez victor Valentino Rossi. The latter -onboard the second Fiat Yamaha M1- was the highest placing Bridgestone rider of the session. The former champions will be joined by LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet, who suffered a late crash to put a dampener on his afternoon. In his lowest qualifying finish since Motegi 2007, current World Champion and series leader Casey Stoner had a frustrating time of things and could only manage seventh place on the grid despite using a wealth of qualifying tyres. The Ducati Marlboro star showed rare signs of stress during the session, culminating in a kick aimed at former team-mate Capirossi on his final lap. Battling bronchitis, Tech 3 Yamaha´s James Toseland will be side-by-side with Stoner on row three, joined by John Hopkins from Kawasaki Racing. Further crashes came from San Carlo Gresini Honda´s Alex de Angelis and Ducati Marlboro newcomer Marco Melandri, with the Italian factory having a difficult day all round in Jerez. 250cc 250cc Spanish star Alvaro Bautista sent fans at Jerez home happy, with a quarter litre class pole position in the final activity of the day adding to their elation. The Mapfre Aspar rider and former 125cc World Champion cut nearly a second off his Friday best time to take his first top spot of the season. Bautista clocked a time of 1´43.071 to dislodge Red Bull KTM´s Mika Kallio from the head of the grid, with a difference of just 0.040 separating the two riders. Joining both on the front row of the grid on Sunday will be Lotus Aprilia´s Alex Debon, providing the Spanish veteran experiences no lasting effects of a last minute tumble that left him in some discomfort. Row one is completed by Emmi-Caffe Latte´s Thomas Luthi, with the second line of attack housing the KTM-running duo of Julian Simon and Hiroshi Aoyama, home rider Hector Barbera and Roberto Locatelli from Metis Gilera. The latter´s performance deserves special attention, coming after the practice crash at the Circuito de Jerez last year that left many doubting if he would ever ride again. As in 125cc, the current World Championship leader was unable to place higher than the third row, as Polaris World´s Mattia Pasini finished the afternoon in tenth. 125cc Three weeks on from his first 125cc pole position in Qatar, Polaris World Aprilia´s Bradley Smith will once again head the lower cylinder category grid at Jerez. The Briton put in a stinging one-two combo of hot laps in the final five minutes of the session, the eventual knockout blow to the competition a 1’48.587 time half-a-second ahead of any rival. With that final push, Smith demoted home rider Nico Terol from provisional pole to second on the grid, the first front row of the Jack&Jones WRB man´s career. Smith now has a nervous night ahead, with his fingers crossed that there is no repeat of the mechanical problems experienced by his bike in either Qatar or last year´s Jerez visit (when it was ridden by Mattia Pasini) Once again sneaking amongst the frontrunners, Stefan Bradl put himself on the first row after a sterling session with the Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing Aprilia. The German will be alongside not only his fellow teenagers Smith and Terol, but also experienced 125cc veteran and reigning World Champion Gabor Talmacsi, with the holeshot set to be eagerly contested on Sunday. Simone Corsi leads off row two onboard the second Jack&Jones WRB machine, alongside the ever-improving American Stevie Bonsey, French Derbi rider Mike di Meglio and rookie sensation Scott Redding. There was no room for current series leader Sergio Gadea in the top ten, and he closes the third row in a less-than-ideal position for the still-tender Spaniard. However, as seen in Qatar, the Mapfre Aspar rider recovering from a dislocated collarbone is not to be ruled out, whatever the circumstances. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: MotoGP World Championship Spanish GP Second practice session DANI PEDROSA, SECOND, SECURES HIS PLACE ON THE FIRST ROW FOR THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX Nicky Hayden will start in fourth position, Julián Simón was fifth in the 250cc category, and Rabat was sixteenth, under a second away from the leading rider in the 125cc category Tomorrow, at 2:00 pm, the Jerez Circuit will be the setting for the chief event of the Spanish Motorcycling Grand Prix. This Sunday’s MotoGP race has all the ingredients to become a spectacular event, after Dani Pedrosa today secured a key role for himself. The Repsol Honda Team rider today managed to improve on yesterday’s performance, running the second best time in the timed session, six tenths behind Lorenzo, who again took pole position. American Repsol Honda Team rider Nicky Hayden gave a good performance again today, running the fourth best time, thus securing his start from the second row on tomorrow’s grid. In the quarter-litre category today things did not run as well as yesterday in the Repsol KTM Team ranks, though Julián Simón is optimistic regarding tomorrow’s race. The Repsol rider will start tomorrow from the second row on the starting grid, after taking fifth position today in the second and definitive timed training session. The Repsol rider improved on yesterday’s time, though he almost hit the ground in his last attempt at riding a good time when the rear tyre of his Repsol KTM FFR 250cc skidded dangerously. The riders receiving support from Repsol, Mika Kallio and Hiroshi Aoyama, finished in second and and sixth position, respectively. In the 125cc category, Repsol rider Esteve Rabat is getting more and more comfortable on his KTM FRR 125cc. Today Rabat took sixteenth position fourth row -, in a timed session dominated again by Bradley Smith. Competition in this category is fierce, and a good indication is the fact that between the second rider classified for tomorrow’s grid, Nico Perol, and the sixteenth, Rabat himself, there is not even half a second’s difference. Quotes MotoGP Dani Pedrosa 1’38.789 secs 54 laps, 239 Km. “I’m happy with today’s result, because we have made a big improvement to our performance on qualifying tyres. I didn’t really expect to be as high as second, but I’m happy because this is a tight track, so it’s particularly important to start from the front row. Looking at the race, we still need to make a few improvements, working to get the best compromise from the chassis and the tyres. We haven’t yet made our final decision on race tyres but the situation is quite clear for us, so everything is fine. Tomorrow the atmosphere at Jerez will be fantastic, with maybe more than 130,000 fans watching the race. We know the race will be difficult because there are many fast riders here. We will just try and get a good start and make the most of that.” Nicky Hayden 1’39.061 secs 53 laps, 234 Km. “We’ve made a bit of progress, but this afternoon a lot of guys went quicker and we didn’t quite have the feeling I was looking for to get the rhythm I need to be dangerous tomorrow. Definitely need to try to step it up in warm-up; me, the bike, everything’s going to need more speed if we want to be up there. It’s mainly getting the front working better over the bumps, though the bike/tyre combination’s not so bad. Qualifying, I wasn’t thrilled with my lap, I felt the bike had a bit more potential. I used a different front tyre than I’ve used in the past and maybe in these hot conditions it wasn’t ideal. The Michelin rear qualifier was really good today and definitely had more in it, so big thanks to Michelin. I’m looking forward to the race. Jerez is always unbelievable experience and I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be no different. Man, I just want to be up there and experience it.” 250cc Julián Simón 1’43.620 secs 44 laps, 195 Km. “I think we’ve done our best with this bike, Though maybe my time should have slightly better. I made a mistake during the last lap and was close to falling. I used a very soft tyre, went out there feeling confident, and in the second curve my rear wheel skidded. But to be honest I’m happy, though I would have liked to be on the first row. The important thing is that we’ve done some good work on the basic setup of the bike and tomorrow we have an excellent opportunity to run a good race. We are very motivated about it.” 125cc Esteve Rabat 1’48.520 secs, 36 laps, 159 Km. “This morning was a bit tough, but in the afternoon the sun was shining and we were able to make some progress. I don’t know why I can’t ride faster. It’s actually quite a shame, because both the team and the bike are performing very well. The one who is letting us down is me, though I’m giving it my best. Our aim tomorrow is to get off to a good start in order to follow the leading group. I think tomorrow’s race will be ran in one big group, because between the second classified rider and the sixteenth there is only half a second’s difference. It would be good for me if no one escaped ahead. Smith might do so, though let’s hope nobody escapes and we have the chance to fight for a leading position.” Official results MotoGP 1. Jorge LORENZO (YAMAHA) 1:38:189 2. Dani PEDROSA (REPSOL HONDA) 1:38:789 3. Colin EDWARDS (YAMAHA) 1:38:954 4. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) 1:39:061 5. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) 1:39:064 250cc 1. Álvaro BAUTISTA (APRILIA) 1:43:071 2. Mika KALLIO (KTM) 1:43:198 3. Alex DEBÓN (APRILIA) 1:43:286 4. Thomas LUTHI (APRILIA) 1:43:596 5. Julián SIMÓN (REPSOL KTM) 1:43:629 125cc 1. Bradley SMITH (APRILIA) 1:47:587 2. Nicolás TEROL (APRILIA) 1:48:041 3. Stefan BRADL (APRILIA) 1:48:070 4. Gabor TALMACSI (APRILIA) 1:48:113 5. Simone CORSI (APRILIA) 1:48:128 16. Esteve RABAT (REPSOL KTM) 1’48:520 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez: final qualifying 29, 30 and 31 March 2008 Weather: dry Temperature: ambient 25-degrees C, track 26-degrees C Humidity: 35% DANI SECOND FASTEST AS HAYDEN HEADS ROW TWO This all-important first qualifying session on a European track belonged to new talent Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) who took pole ahead of fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) who was third fastest. Lorenzo, who has now notched his second consecutive pole in his rookie MotoGP season, headed the timesheet twenty minutes into the hour of final qualifying and then was never headed. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) lay second fastest early in the session and the Frenchman was the quickest Honda rider, ahead of Dani, who took pole here in 2007, and who lay fourth as the last fifteen minutes remained and riders opted for sticky qualifying rubber. As Lorenzo upped his pace even further, bettering his 1m 38.964s time with a lap of 1m 38.733, Dani too shaved his lap time but remained fourth in the order. Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) held seventh and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) ninth. Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner (Ducati) was not having an easy time here at Jerez. With twelve minutes left he managed seventh fastest time and that was where he was destined to end up. A former World Champion in the shape of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was another man who had to make the best of this session with fifth on the grid as he ran into mechanical difficulties late on. With ten minutes of the hour left Colin Edwards (Yamaha) had put himself of the front row as second fastest ahead of the tenacious de Puniet. But Lorenzo simply found ever more speed to drop his time to 1m 38.689s. But Dani the responded to Lorenzo’s onslaught with a lap time just 0.15s slower than the Yamaha man’s to go second fastest. Hayden too made inroads to the front with a 1m 39.061s time that hoisted him to fourth. The order was thus Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Edwards on the front row, then Hayden Rossi and de Puniet on the second row with Stoner, James Toseland (Yamaha) and John Hopkins (Suzuki) on row three. This is how the grid would stay, but not before Lorenzo had gone faster still. He pulled a 1m 38.189s time out with two minutes to go and even though Dani responded again to Lorenzo’s threat he was still 0.6 seconds shy of the pole marker. Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) crashed with one minute to go and ended the session 14th, one place behind Dovizioso who finished up 13th. Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) mustered an 11th place start. Dani, second quickest, and 0.6 seconds shy of the pole time, said: “I’m happy with today’s result. We’ve made a big improvement to our performance on qualifying tyres and I didn’t really expect to be as high as second, but I’m happy because this is a tight track, so it’s particularly important to start from the front row. We haven’t yet made our final decision on race tyres but the situation is quite clear for us, so everything is fine. Tomorrow the atmosphere at Jerez will be fantastic, with maybe more than 130,000 fans watching. We’ll just try and get a good start and make the most of that.” Dani’s team-mate Nicky Hayden, fourth fastest, said: “We’ve made a bit of progress, but this afternoon a lot of guys went quicker and we didn’t quite have the feeling I was looking for to get the rhythm I need. I wasn’t thrilled with my lap, I felt the bike had a bit more potential. I used a different front tyre than I’ve used in the past and maybe in these hot conditions it wasn’t ideal. The Michelin rear qualifier was really good today and definitely had more in it, so big thanks to Michelin. I’m looking forward to the race. Jerez is always an unbelievable experience and I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be no different.” De Puniet starts from sixth on the grid. The Frenchman said: “I’m quite happy about this result. The small adjustments we made in this morning’s free session gave me the chance to go faster and the feeling with the bike on race tyres is quite impressive. We solved our rear traction problems working on engine-mapping and chassis set-up and the pace on race tyres improved by four tenths compared with yesterday’s performance. Anyway the second row was our target and we are pretty confident for tomorrows race.” Nakano qualified 11th and said: “The feeling with the bike improved a lot in qualifying and in morning practice compared to yesterday. That allowed me to push hard from the start. I’m satisfied because we knew it was going to be tough to get on the third or fourth row but with the fourth qualifying tyre I pushed hard and managed to seal 11th place. I know we’re still some way off the front but I know I can at least run with the second group and that’s my objective tomorrow.” Dovi managed 13th place on the grid and said: “Things are very positive as we are in good shape in race trim and we’ve found the right Michelin tyre that allows me to keep a good, consistent pace. We need to work a little bit more on corner entrance speed but I think we can make a good race. I want to make a good start and try and gain some positions and not lose contact with the leaders, that’s my aim early on. It won’t be easy, but in any case I have a chance to do well thanks to our good race set-up. Jerez is a difficult circuit to overtake on, which is why my strategy must be to attack all the time.” For de Angelis, 14th place on the grid will have to do. He said: “I’m really disappointed to have crashed on the last lap of qualifying. I was improving on my best time and would have definitely moved up the grid for a Grand Prix where the starting position is really important. We have to study the data and find out why the front is sliding, even though the general feeling is good. We have to look at the cycle parts and find out the problem.” 250cc Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) took pole in front of his home crowd here when he dislodged Mika Kallio (KTM) from the head of the grid with a 1m 43.071s time. Alex Debon and Thomas Luthi (both Aprilia) complete the front row in third and fourth spots. Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW) managed 11th fastest for a third row start while Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing RS250RW) qualified 19th. Takahashi said: “The feeling with the bike is much better today. We had left the bike in the same set-up as Qatar but here it was very hard on tyres, they only performed for five or six laps before sliding. With new steering geometry and some adjustments to the suspension I then had a very good feeling. I set my time running alone and on race tyres so I’m quite happy with qualifying. I need a good start in the race to catch the lead group if I do that I have a chance of the podium.” Wilairot said: “I’m not very happy with myself. The bike is much better than last year but my lap times are the same as in 2007. For some reason I cannot find the confidence I need to go faster. I just cannot find a fast and consistent rhythm. But if I get a good start in the race I’m sure I can run with the group just ahead of me on the grid.” 125cc In the junior class Britain’s Bradley Smith claimed his second consecutive pole of the season ahead of Nicolas Terol, Stefan Bradl and reigning World Champion Gabor Talmacsi (all Aprilia). Louis Rossi (FFM Racing Honda RS125R), Honda’s sole full-time representative in the class, managed 34th on the grid in only his second Grand Prix start of his first full season. Rossi said: “Yesterday I was still in a technical jam and was unable to ride faster. Today, I feel I’ve moved forward. I did some positive work on corner entries and I know I need to improve on acceleration. The more you move forward, the more you focus on specific aspects on which to work. I’m starting to have a good feeling. I followed Mike di Meglio for one lap and could see how he was on the brakes and it was very interesting.” Honda rider quotes. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “I’m happy with today’s result. We’ve made a big improvement to our performance on qualifying tyres and I didn’t really expect to be as high as second, but I’m happy because this is a tight track, so it’s particularly important to start from the front row. We haven’t yet made our final decision on race tyres but the situation is quite clear for us, so everything is fine. Tomorrow the atmosphere at Jerez will be fantastic, with maybe more than 130,000 fans watching. We’ll just try and get a good start and make the most of that.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 4th.”We’ve made a bit of progress, but this afternoon a lot of guys went quicker and we didn’t quite have the feeling I was looking for to get the rhythm I need. I wasn’t thrilled with my lap, I felt the bike had a bit more potential. I used a different front tyre than I’ve used in the past and maybe in these hot conditions it wasn’t ideal. The Michelin rear qualifier was really good today and definitely had more in it, so big thanks to Michelin. I’m looking forward to the race. Jerez is always an unbelievable experience and I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be no different.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 6th. “I’m quite happy about this result. The small adjustments we made in this morning’s free session gave me the chance to go faster and the feeling with the bike on race tyres is quite impressive. We solved our rear traction problems working on engine-mapping and chassis set-up and the pace on race tyres improved by four tenths compared with yesterday’s performance. Anyway the second row was our target and we are pretty confident for tomorrows race.” Shinya Nakano, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 11th. “The feeling with the bike improved a lot in qualifying and in morning practice compared to yesterday. That allowed me to push hard from the start. I’m satisfied because we knew it was going to be tough to get on the third or fourth row but with the fourth qualifying tyre I pushed hard and managed to seal 11th place. I know we’re still some way off the front but I know I can at least run with the second group and that’s my objective tomorrow.” Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 13th. “Things are very positive as we are in good shape in race trim and we’ve found the right Michelin tyre that allows me to keep a good, consistent pace. We need to work a little bit more on corner entrance speed but I think we can make a good race. I want to make a good start and try and gain some positions and not lose contact with the leaders, that’s my aim early on. It won’t be easy, but in any case I have a chance to do well thanks to our good race set-up. Jerez is a difficult circuit to overtake on, which is why my strategy must be to attack all the time.” Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 14th. “I’m really disappointed to have crashed on the last lap of qualifying. I was improving on my best time and would have definitely moved up the grid for a Grand Prix where the starting position is really important. We have to study the data and find out why the front is sliding, even though the general feeling is good. We have to look at the cycle parts and find out the problem.” 250cc: Yukio Takahashi, JiR Scot Honda: 11th. “The feeling with the bike is much better today. We had left the bike in the same set-up as Qatar but here it was very hard on tyres, they only performed for five or six laps before sliding. With new steering geometry and some adjustments to the suspension I then had a very good feeling. I set my time running alone and on race tyres so I’m quite happy with qualifying. I need a good start in the race to catch the lead group if I do that I have a chance of the podium.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT SAG: 19th.”I am not very happy with myself at Jerez. The bike is much better than last year but my lap times are the same as in 2007. For some reason I cannot find the confidence I need to go faster. I just cannot find a good fast and consistent rhythm. But if I get a good start in the race I’m sure I can run with the group just ahead of me on the grid.” 125cc: Louis Rossi, FFM Honda: 34th.”Yesterday I was still in a technical jam and was unable to ride faster. Today, I feel I’ve moved forward. I did some positive work on corner entries and I know I need to improve on acceleration. The more you move forward, the more you focus on specific aspects on which to work. I’m starting to have a good feeling. I followed Mike di Meglio for one lap and could see how he was on the brakes and it was very interesting.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: QUALIFYING 1 REPORT – 29/03/2008 Lorenzo smashes Jerez lap record to take second consecutive pole Home hero Jorge Lorenzo continued his impressive rookie assault on the MotoGP class with an outstanding pole position in Jerez today, smashing the existing pole record by almost a second aboard his Fiat Yamaha M1 in front of thousands of Spanish fans. The youngest rider on the grid produced a masterful qualifying display to take his second consecutive pole position and his 3rd at this circuit. After topping the time sheets yesterday, Lorenzo continued gradually refining his set-up throughout this morning’s free practice and the early part of the afternoon session, before setting the fastest lap so far on the first of three Michelin qualifying tyres with 20 minutes remaining. He bettered himself once again soon after before an inch-perfect final lap on his third soft tyre saw him improve another half a second to consolidate pole position. Dani Pedrosa was over half a second slower in second place whilst third spot was filled by Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards for the second race running. Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi had looked on course to join him on the front row before an electronic problem caused him to abandon his final hot lap, and he will start from fifth for tomorrow’s 27-lap race. Jorge Lorenzo 1st 1’38.189 “The pole position and the second place in Qatar were like a dream, so it’s an amazing surprise for me to repeat that pole position here, and even better because it’s in front of my home fans! I was really happy with the last qualifying lap, my earlier ones were already quite good but not perfect, so I was really excited to make such a great final lap. Our race pace is good as well and I am feeling very comfortable on the bike and with my Michelin tyres. My rivals are very strong and will be trying hard to beat me, but I will definitely be fighting for the podium! Thanks to my team for doing a great job; I am really excited about tomorrow and I hope we have more weather like this and a fantastic show.” Daniele Romagnoli – Team manager “Today was a perfect day. We watched today’s qualifying with great emotion as Jorge demonstrated an excellent race pace and then beat the pole record in fantastic style on his qualifying laps. We were amazed! Yamaha and Michelin were able to provide a perfect package for us today, enabling Jorge to do an excellent job and ride in an incredible way. After today’s result it’s clear that we have the possibility to be on the podium tomorrow, and we will try our best to be there.” Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start the Spanish Grand Prix from fifth position tomorrow. The Italian’s last flying lap was cut short by an electronic issue but he nevertheless has an excellent race pace and looks on course to be a protagonist in tomorrow’s 27-lap race. Rossi spent the first half of this afternoon’s session refining set-up and testing Bridgestone tyres ahead of the race tomorrow, before strong laps with his first two qualifying tyres saw him on the provisional front row. He was confident of dipping under the 1’38 mark with his final try, but the electronic problem saw the end of his challenge and he will start from the middle of the second row. His time of 1’39.064 was dead-on the existing pole record, which was meanwhile bettered by almost a second by his young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. Valentino Rossi 5th 1’39.064 “Our target today was the front row and I think we could have done a 1’38 and maybe been second, but unfortunately I had an electronic problem on my last qualifying lap and I had to stop, which was unlucky. This is a pity and of course it would be better to be on the front, but anyway we’re not far away, the second row is not so bad and I think we can be competitive tomorrow. Our race pace is okay, I think with some small adjustments we can improve a bit more but we’re close. Congratulations to Lorenzo, I don’t know if we can be quite as fast as him on race tyres and he will be hard to beat tomorrow, but let’s see! We still haven’t decided on our final race tyre, we have to wait and see how the temperature is tomorrow, but it’s going to be a very exciting race and we’re all looking forward to it!” Davide Brivio Team manager “It was a pity that Valentino couldn’t finish his final qualifying lap today but unfortunately he had a small electronic issue, which we’re now looking into to work out exactly what happened so that we can avoid it in future. The good news is that, apart from this lap, we were fast with the qualifying tyre as well as on race tyres and so this bodes well for the rest of the season’s races. We still have to finalise our tyre choice for the race and make a few final adjustments, so we will be using the warm-up for this.” Colin Edwards secures front row again Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards emerged from an eventful Spanish GP qualifying session this afternoon with the third fastest time to maintain his 100 per cent front row starting record in 2008. The American ran into the gravel trap and then produced an early contender for save of the season at turn one before logging a best lap of 1.38.954 to secure a second successive front row clean sweep for Michelin this season. A dramatic session for Edwards began when he ran off track at the Curva Dry Sack after six minutes. He then produced a memorable moment just 17 minutes later, somehow producing a miraculous save when he lost the front of his Yamaha YZR-M1 at the first corner. Digging his right knee and elbow into the tarmac, Edwards saved the big front tyre slide, much to the delight of fans packed in the trackside grandstand. Edwards has now finished in the top three in every session so far in Jerez this weekend, raising expectations that he can clinch a second successive Spanish GP podium in tomorrow’s 27-lap race. Weakened by a severe bout of bronchitis, team-mate James Toseland produced a performance full of grit and determination, and he was only 0.3s off the front row. He clocked a best lap of 1.39.334 to finish just 0.048s behind reigning world champion Casey Stoner in eighth position. Far from being in peak condition, Toseland is still determined to become the first British rider since 1990 to claim successive top six finishes in MotoGP tomorrow afternoon. Colin Edwards 3rd 1.38.954 “It was very, very eventful to say the least. I was in the gravel once, somehow saved myself from crashing at the first corner and still managed to get on the front row. After all that I had to get on the front row for the team. My guys at Tech 3 and Yamaha have been awesome and they are doing a great job. I started the session with a rear tyre that had a few laps on it but with a new front. But a few laps in the bike didn’t feel perfect. I came in and put a new rear in and I just got a little bit carried away. I started pushing and obviously got into turn one too hot. It went, came back, went away again and I thought I was down. I tried to dig my elbow in but it kept going so I kind of lifted my arm up and pulled it up on the handlebars. And it came back somehow. The crowd loved it anyway. I’ve done it a few times but this is the first time it has been caught on camera. I was a bit upset with the first incident. I was pushing and I saw Jorge Lorenzo in front of me and I thought he was on a new rear tyre. I’d done 15 laps on mine but I still wanted to keep him in sight. I came to the end of the back straight and I knew the second I hit the brakes I was running off. I just thought ‘oh no, this is about ten metres too deep’ and off I went into the gravel. After Qatar this is my second front row and I’m ready for the race. My pace for the race was a bit better this morning when it was a bit cooler, but we are still looking good.” James Toseland 8th 1.39.334 “I’m disappointed with eighth after I got a front row in Qatar but I am rough. I don’t like to make excuses but I am not feeling at my best at all. To be only three-tenths off the front row and eighth is a bit frustrating. I’m losing three-tenths just with the way I’m feeling. But when you feel this rough it just shows that if you are not fully on it you can be eighth pretty easy because it is so close. I feel a bit better than yesterday and hopefully my condition will have improved a bit more tomorrow for the race, but I’ve never taken so many drugs in my life. It will be a tough race in my condition but my guys are doing a great job and I’m sure the bike will be great. I feel for the team because I’m not feeling on top of the world. It is so close though. Jorge did an unbelievable lap but from second to thirteenth the gap is less than a second. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that close in all the classes I’ve raced in. It is unbelievably competitive. We have a good direction for the race set-up tomorrow but the tyres will be critical. We are just trying to pick the best one for the endurance because the temperature is a lot higher than when we tested here. It is unusually high for this time of year and I think we could do with something a bit stronger. But everybody is in the same boat. Colin showed what this package is capable of but I paid the price for not feeling too great. But credit to Colin because he got the job done.”