Final MotoGP Qualifying Results: 1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:42.337 2. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:42.390 3. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:42.723 4. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:42.756 5. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:42.847 6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:42.992 7. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:43.109 8. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:43.129 9. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:43.159 10. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:43.207 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:43.291 12. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:43.607 13. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:43.787 14. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:43.864 15. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, 1:44.122 16. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:44.193 17. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:44.934 18. David CHECA, Yamaha, 1:45.310 19. Shane BYRNE, Proton KR, 1:45.636 20. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:46.750 21. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:47.599 More, from a press release issued Gauloises Yamaha: GAULOISES YAMAHA PAIR SET SOLID RACE PACE AT CATALUNYA Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards are confident of mounting a strong challenge in tomorrow’s Catalunya Grand Prix despite suffering unexpected setbacks in this afternoon’s single qualifying session, which limited them to third and seventh place respectively on the starting grid. Both riders set a fast and consistent race pace throughout the day but, in the chase for a quick one-off lap time in the intense afternoon sunshine, Rossi lost time trying a tyre that did not work for him whilst Edwards was held up by slower riders on a lap that would have almost certainly put him on the front row of the grid. Despite the minor setbacks the pair have confirmed their progress from a positive opening day yesterday, making key adjustments to the bike settings in order to find improved machine stability in the fast corners of the sweeping Catalunya circuit. Tomorrow they will enjoy the support of a predicted crowd of over 100,000 people, with local favourite Sete Gibernau (Honda) starting from pole after clocking a new outright record time of 1’42.337 this afternoon. Gibernau’s team-mate Marco Melandri was second fastest and will line-up alongside Rossi on the front row of the grid for the 25-lap race. VALENTINO ROSSI (1’42.723, 26 laps) “Tomorrow will be tough for the riders in these conditions and for sure 25 laps will make it a long, long race. For the tyres it will be very hard work because this track is so demanding on both the front and the rear, although the conditions were better today than yesterday. We did a lot of work this afternoon to fix all the problems and in the end I am happy because we did a good job. I lost ten minutes in the middle of the session testing a tyre that didn’t work, so we have to work very hard with Michelin because the tyres are so important for this race. At the end I didn’t have time to use my last qualifying tyre and I didn’t ride 100% on my fast lap so I’m happy to be on the front row and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. The guys on the front row will be favourites, but there will be lots of other fast riders out there.” COLIN EDWARDS (1’43.109, 25 laps) “I’m not happy with that at all I know I could have gone much faster. Santa Claus came early for us last night and Michelin brought us a really good front tyre, so my pace on a race setting was pretty good, in the low 1’43s. At the end I put on a qualifying tyre and went out for a warm-up lap, but then when I went for my lap time I ran into three guys in the first corner who were just sat there, looking around and wondering what to do. I tried to take that lap slowly and save some rubber for another try but the front cooled down too much and, even though I pushed as hard as I could, I had no front grip. It’s a shame because I know I could have easily done a 1’42.5, which would have put me on the front row. I guess I’ll just have to ride extra hard for the first few laps in the race”¦ again! “ DAVIDE BRIVIO TEAM DIRECTOR “I think both riders are looking very good to meet their targets in the race. Vale and Colin were both able to make a very good lap time on their race setting so that is very positive. For different reasons both riders were not able to get the best possible result out of the qualifying session. For Valentino it’s not so bad because he stayed on the front row but Colin starts a little bit behind. There are a handful of riders who have got the lap times to be at the front and our guys are amongst them. It is a credit to our team, who have done an excellent job in very hot conditions this weekend. Hopefully it will be an exciting race!” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: KAWASAKI RIDERS IN SEARCH OF MORE PACE AT CATALUNYA Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, ended a frustrating qualifying session in 12th and 14th positions respectively at the Catalunya Circuit this afternoon. Both riders had anticipated much stronger performances, but were hampered by a lack of grip as they tried for faster times on soft qualifying rubber. Nakano posted his fastest lap, at 1’43.607s, on race rubber and could not improve when he switched to qualifiers late in the session. Hofmann was just 0.2s slower than his teammate and also mystified at the lack of pace and grip in the warmer afternoon session. Both riders had been more consistent, and almost as fast, in the cooler morning free practice session as they evaluated race suspension and tyre set-ups. Nakano’s free practice time on race tyres was 1’43.8s, just two tenths slower than qualifying. Also in free practice Hofmann did a string of low 1’44s laps, almost the equal of what he achieved in qualifying. Grip levels appeared to change dramatically when track temperatures rose for qualifying as the sun broke through threatening lunchtime clouds. Tyre supplier Bridgestone have provided a wide range of new tyres for evaluation this weekend and, while there has been an improvement, both riders and technicians are searching for another step forward. Nakano, who finished a brilliant seventh in this race last year, is predicting a long and hot struggle in the forecast warm and humid conditions. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Twelfth – (1’43.607) “It was very strange, I was faster on a race tyre than the soft qualifying rubber. The positive point was that our race pace is improved from yesterday, but this is going to be a very difficult race for us. I’m looking for and need more traction and grip in the high-speed corners. I’ll give it 100% in the race, but I would prefer to be able to qualify closer to the front than the fourth row.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – Fourteenth – (1’43.856) “I’m not happy with this qualifying result. I got 100% out of the qualifying tyres, but this was the best time that was possible. The performance in the morning free practice with race set-up was more positive, I was able to do 1’44.1s laps comfortably. This will be our race pace, but it is going to be a long and hot race that will require a lot of consistency from the set-up. It wasn’t easy this afternoon with a lack of grip, perhaps because of the higher temperature.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “Our tyre performance has improved a little from the IRTA test here in March, but we still need more edge and drive grip; this sums up our performance today. We have concentrated heavily on tyre testing this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Gibernau to start from pole in front of record home crowd Sete Gibernau raised the hopes of a home victory for over 100,000 fans at the Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya with a new pole record at the Montmeló circuit on Saturday. With a record crowd expected to descend on the circuit tomorrow, Gibernau provided the perfect appetiser with a dominant end to this afternoon’s qualifying session, setting a string of fast laps including a best time of 1’42.337 to remain just out of reach of his hungry team-mate Marco Melandri, who lapped just 0.053 seconds slower than the Spaniard. “I’m still not totally happy even though I’m on pole position because we’re still not as competitive as I would like to be,” explained Gibernau, who also started from pole position here last season. “Basically the bike doesn’t seem to work as well when the temperatures rise and it is a problem we also found at Mugello. In any case it is obviously nice to be on pole position for my home race and I want to thank all my team and Michelin for their help. Tomorrow will be a long race but I’m ready.” Valentino Rossi completed the front row of the grid in third place after encountering tyre problems midway through the session and then later admitting that he “didn’t ride at 100%” on his decisive qualifying lap. Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also encountered problems as he ran into a group of slower riders during his own assault on the grid positions, dropping from a potential front row start all the way down to seventh place in a typically unpredictable finale. Max Biaggi ran out of time as he rushed to make a final tyre change at the end of the session, returning to the track as the chequered flag was being prepared and then running into the gravel as he pushed to make it to the line in time for a final flying lap. However, the Italian will be satisfied to have dropped no lower than fourth place on the grid as he continues his resurgent form following a disappointing start to the season. Biaggi’s Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden and Ducati rider Loris Capirossi, who took the factory’s only MotoGP win at this circuit two years ago, also made the second row as they took advantage of Edwards’ misfortune to move up to fifth and sixth place respectively. Carlos Checa and Alex Barros join Edwards on the third row in eighth and ninth, with the fourth row consisting of the hard-charging trio of Makoto Tamada, John Hopkins and Shinya Nakano. David Checa, who today stepped in for injured Yamaha rider Toni Elías, qualified 18th fastest. Dani Pedrosa knocked over 1.5 seconds off his provisional qualifying time to snatch pole position for his home event, stopping the clock at 1’46.238 to dislodge Jorge Lorenzo from the top of the time sheets. Lorenzo will be confident of his chances in the race, however, after lapping 0.018 seconds quicker than his compatriot’s pole time in the morning free practice. The teenager starts from second on the grid and is joined on the front row by Aprilia team-mates Sebastián Porto and Randy de Puniet. Andrea Dovizioso, who lies second in the championship, did not ride this afternoon after suffering minor injuries in a high-speed crash this morning. The Italian is hopeful of being declared fit for tomorrow’s race, however, with his provisional time from yesterday enough for ninth place on the starting grid. Mika Kallio returned to the top of the pile in the 125cc class with his fourth pole position of the season just six days after losing the World Championship lead to Thomas Lüthi. Kallio clocked a best lap of 1’51.451 to hold off the challenge of Mattia Pasini by just 0.064 seconds, with Lorenzo Zanetti also making the front row for the first time in his career behind Marco Simoncelli. Lüthi, who holds an eight-point advantage over Kallio, qualified tenth fastest. More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: Camel Honda duo in good shape for race The two Camel Honda riders were unable to make the most of their obvious potential in the qualifying practice for the Catalan GP, but over two days of practice they have proved they have a good rhythm in race conditions. Both Alex and Troy rode quicker with the race tyres in the morning that with the qualifying tyres, so they expect to make an attack in the race tomorrow. Sito Pons Camel Honda “Even though Alex didn’t get the result we expected having seen the positive results in the morning, tomorrow he starts from the third row, a position that should allow him to get a good start and hang on to the front runners. If he can, then for certain he will be able to fight for the podium because in these two days he has done some good work with the team, improving the set-up of the bike and getting a good pace under his belt. As regards Troy, I don’t understand how he slipped down the order this afternoon; I think that something didn’t work, because in the previous sessions he went well. In any case, he can ride in a high 1’43 pace, so tomorrow he should have the chance to make a good result.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’43.159 9th position “My objective today was to do better than the last race in terms of qualifying, and that was the case, although I’m not happy with the third row, I could go better. I made a slight error, maybe two, going a bit deep into a couple of corners, and I paid for it; I’m gutted, because the second row was there for the taking for us. This morning we managed to get the forks working well enough and I even rode faster than this afternoon. The bike is pretty much set-up and we just need to clear up any doubts over tyre choice for the race. We will have a meeting with Michelin this evening and in tomorrow morning’s warm-up we will check this area.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 1’44.122 15th position “Obviously I’m not too happy with how the qualifying session went. There’s only one this year and the final minutes are more crucial than ever. Just in that vital last stretch of the session I was unable to improve on this morning, when with race tyres I went quicker. It’s a tough starting position for me then, and my race will be decided by my start – so I’ll give everything to claw some positions back.” “ More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO RIDERS MAKE STRIDES IN SPAIN Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa used the improving track conditions at Catalunya to secure sixth and eighth places on the grid, after a day spent working out final race set-up for Sunday’s 25-lap Grand Prix. Both riders made huge improvements in lap time, bettering their 2004 qualifying efforts at the 4.727km Catalunya circuit, with Checa also going a over a second faster than yesterday, despite suffering a fall this morning. “That was a very positive finish to our day because we made ground consistently,” said Ducati MotoGP Project Manager Livio Suppo. “Carlos had a crash this morning, but thankfully with no adverse consequences, and each rider was able to make good use of their qualifying tyres in the timed session. We have good race tyres but we still miss something. We know that at some circuits we can take an advantage but at this track probably we do not have. But we are at the start of a growing partnership with Bridgestone and we can be reasonably happy for the race.” CAPIROSSI ON ROW TWO AFTER FINAL CHARGE Loris Capirossi made great leaps in qualifying this afternoon, running his fastest lap almost a second better than his first day Catalunya best. Working hard to find the optimum setting for race conditions, his charge to a second row starting position was a necessarily late one. “This afternoon was much more positive than yesterday and this morning,” stated Capirossi. “We have made a lot of modification in the set-up of the bike to suit the tyres, and their durability for the race. With these changes the bike is not super-competitive compared to our normal race set-up but it seems to be OK for the tyres. I’m am satisfied with the front tyre especially, as I had a lot of problems with it yesterday. This makes us more confident for tomorrow. We will need a good start and from the second row I should be able to get away with the leaders. Today I lapped in the 44s in full race trim, which is not bad, but a lot of riders were also very fast. So we will have to see what happens tomorrow.” CHECA ON THIRD ROW FOR HOME RACE Checa had to wait until the very last minute of qualifying to ensure his third row start, improving his previous best times substantially to go eighth fastest. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had been up in third place at one stage, early in the final hour of qualifying, and found some of the confidence in his race set-up that he was missing on day one. “We are struggling to find competitiveness at this GP, but we have improved a lot since yesterday and this morning,” said the Spaniard at his home race. “The main problem is the that the other competitors also improved a lot and I think the asphalt is in much better condition, so everyone could go faster. I am quite satisfied in many regards, and in our circumstances, eighth position is acceptable. We will keep working through warm-up as I would like to improve even more for tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Suzuki: So close but so far for Hopkins in Catalunya Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer John Hopkins was less than a second from pole position after today’s qualifying session for the Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya. Suzuki’s young star found himself back on the third row for the start of tomorrow’s race. Hopkins (P11, 1’43.291) was only 0.954 of a second behind home favourite and pole-setter Sete Gibernau and only 0.3 seconds away from a second row start. Hopkins was disappointed with his final qualifying place: “I’m gutted to be 11th. We’ve been in the top-ten all weekend and I don’t feel that I got the best out of the bike. “The team are trying to console me by saying if I was a fraction of a second quicker I would be on the second row, but I need to get good qualifying positions to get away with the front-runners early on. “The Suzuki GSV-R has improved this weekend, that’s another step in the right direction. We still need more but it’s good to see the Factory understands the way we need to go. “I’ll now put this qualifying behind me and get on the bike tomorrow and give it 100 per-cent for the race – as I always do.” Kenny Roberts Jr (P13, 1’43.787) will start tomorrow’s Catalan Grand Prix from the head of row five. Roberts Jr and his crew used this morning’s free practice to further work on the new engine development parts for the Suzuki GSV-R and confirm some race settings. Roberts Jr said: “I tried everything I could. I’d liked to have been a bit quicker but as ever the qualifying tyre situation doesn’t really tell the race story. “The Factory has made a good step this weekend with the new engine parts. But we need that step to be made significantly larger in order to get the best out of the GSV-R and compete on level terms.” Team SUZUKI MotoGP Manager Paul Denning was full of praise for both his riders: “A great effort again by both the guys and to see them in 11th and 13th places really doesn’t do them or their crews’ justice for the amount of work they’ve put in. “John got into some traffic on his final qualifying run and aborted the lap, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to put in another tyre before the end of the session. So we don’t know what might have been. He’s very disappointed but as a Team we are not disappointed in him for his efforts. “Kenny is not a huge gap away from John on qualifiers. He’s been working hard on set-up and is consistently in the low 44’s on race tyres. I hope he will get a decent improvement in tomorrow’s race after the disappointment in Mugello.” Team SUZUKI MotoGP – who this weekend announced a one-off title partnership deal with Red Bull for the USGP – will be racing in the Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya from the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona in Spain at 14.00hrs CET on Sunday 12th June. More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: CRUCIAL HOME POLE FOR SETE GIBERNAU Sete clinches the ninth pole position of his career as Marco Melandri takes second place in a hot qualifying session CATALUNYA GP – MOTOGP OFFICIAL QUALIFYING The Telefónica Movistar Honda MotoGP team will start tomorrow’s Catalunya Grand Prix from the front of the grid, with Sete Gibernau on pole position and Marco Melandri immediately to his right as the pair aim to excel in a race where the high temperatures and tyre choice could be the key. In the free practice this morning last year’s MotoGP World Championship runner-up was already on the pace, finding a good set-up for his bike and gathering the confidence to ride on the limit in the afternoon. With 15 minutes remaining, Sete moved to the top of the time sheets with a lap some two tenths of a second inside his 2004 pole record and 2.3 seconds inside his own circuit record. Marco Melandri was also on top form once again at a circuit he feels comfortable with after positive winter tests here. In the afternoon he was the only rider capable of getting close to his team-mate, with the pair separated by just 0.053 seconds at the end of the session. Fausto Gresini’s team hope to celebrate their 150th Grand prix in style tomorrow as they look to add to an impressive total of 26 victories and 72 podiums. SETE GIBERNAU (1st, 1’42″337): “We’ve done a good job today, especially in the morning the pace was very good. But we can’t get carried away at this stage because the race will be very tough tomorrow if the temperatures stay like they were during qualifying today. We haven’t tested too much in warm conditions and with a few extra degrees on the track this afternoon the grip levels were much lower and the performance of the bike was very different. We have to take a good look at the data and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the race.” MARCO MELANDRI (2nd, 1’42″390): “Today was a very positive day. Yesterday we found the right path to work along and we continued to! make improvements today. The track conditions changed a lot from the morning to the afternoon and the heat made the bike slide around quite a lot. Michelin helped us to find more grip on the qualifying tyre and we also set a good time on race tyres. I made a small mistake in turn one on my fast lap but I’m very happy with this second place.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: GIBERNAU LAYS DOWN CHALLENGE WITH HOME POLE Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) made his rivals sit up and take notice of his determination here in Catalunya with his second pole position of the season. His lap of 1m 42.337 seconds could not be bettered by second-placed Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) or reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who qualified third fastest. With both track and ambient temperatures higher than yesterday at 32 and 27 degrees, data acquired and set-up achieved in yesterday’s sessions was of reduced value as riders worked to replicate race distance performance and put in flying laps on qualifiers in this one hour timed session. At the halfway stage it was Colin Edwards (Yamaha) who topped the timesheet with his team-mate Rossi second fastest, but Melandri and Gibernau were well-placed as third and fourth fastest riders with Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) fifth and sixth at this stage. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) was the first rider to put in a hot lap when he elevated himself to fifth fastest with 25 minutes to go. The Japanese ace is returning to form after a lay-off due to an injured wrist. With 18 minutes to go Melandri showed his speed by snatching pole while Rossi moved ahead of his team-mate to second fastest. But minutes later Gibernau put in his quick lap to obliterate his own 2004 pole time of 1:42.596 by 0.259 seconds. With a full 13 minutes left it was now the turn of his rivals to better the Spaniard’s time. Hayden briefly moved onto the front row as second fastest with 11 minutes to go and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was holding third fastest spot on the front row at this stage too. With five minutes left on the clock Gibernau and Melandri had established their dominance as first and second fastest with Hayden in third making it an all-Honda front row until Rossi squeezed his best time in with just two minutes left. Max and Nicky secured fourth and fifth on the grid for vital start advantage from the second row while Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) qualified ninth on row three with Tamada tenth fastest and Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) a disappointing 15th. Sete said, “We’ve done a good job today, especially in the morning. Our pace was very good. But we can’t get carried away because the race will be very tough especially if the temperature is the same as today. With the higher temperatures this afternoon there was much less grip. We need a good look at the data to make sure we make the right choices for tomorrow.” For Marco it was another strong performance. He said, “Today was very positive, we found the right way to go yesterday and continued to improve today. The heat made the bike slide a lot but I got good grip from my Michelin qualifiers and we made some good times on race rubber too. I’m happy with second place.” Max said, “That was a very important day. We were working hard trying to choose the settings for the bike and we used up all our time on this. I missed out on the front row but the important thing is to get a good start. It seems the worst is over for us.” Nicky was disappointed not to be on the front row, and said, “The front row would have been nice. As usual I’ll need a good start and I’ll need to be on my ‘A’ game throughout the race. I was up front all through the session although I hoped for a little bit more from my qualifying tyres. I got a good clear run but couldn’t improve my lap time.” Alex Barros said, “My objective today was to do better than the last race in terms of qualifying, although I’m not happy with the third row. I made a slight error, maybe two, going a bit deep into a couple of corners, and paid for it. I’m gutted, because the second row was there for the taking. This morning we managed to get the forks working well enough and I even rode faster than this afternoon. The bike is pretty much set up and we just need to clear up any doubts over tyre choice for the race.” Makoto said, “I expected more. When I was entering the turns the tyres didn’t give me enough confidence to push to the limit and this made me lose some precious time. But for tomorrow we’ve found the right tyres, which should allow us to be competitive if the temperature remains the same. Now I want to concentrate on tomorrow’s race, where the start will be crucial for me.” Troy Bayliss was upset with 15th. “Obviously I’m not too happy with how the qualifying session went,” said the Aussie There’s only one this year and the final minutes are more crucial than ever. Just in that vital last stretch of the session I was unable to improve on this morning, when with race tyres I went quicker. It’s a tough starting position for me, and my race will be decided by my start so I’ll give everything to claw some positions back.” Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) starts the 250cc race from pole for the third time this season and the rapidly improving Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) lines up alongside him as second fastest qualifier. Aprilia riders Sebastian Porto and Randy de Puniet are third and fourth. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) crashed heavily in the morning free training session and did not ride this afternoon after sustaining heavy bruising to his right shoulder and rib area. He will make a decision on whether or not to race after the morning warm-up session tomorrow. But if he does elect to ride his best lap time of 1:47.495 seconds was still good enough to give the young Italian a start from ninth on the grid. More encouragingly Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) qualified fifth fastest, equalling his best grid position on the season, while Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) netted his fifth second row start of the year in seventh. Dani said, “After yesterday where we struggled a bit, it was a great effort from the team to get this pole here at the home race. But now we have to make sure we get a good start because it will be another tough race here tomorrow.” Jorge said, “We did four sessions here and I was fastest in three of them. This is very positive. In the last session I didn’t have quite enough front grip and that’s why I missed out on pole. Tomorrow I’ll just do my best and also try to enjoy it.” Dovi said, “Tomorrow I’ll do the warm-up, but I won’t be playing the hero. I know I have to try and get some points but I have to be in good enough shape to be able to take those points if I ride.” The 125cc qualifying session belonged to Mika Kallio (KTM), who grabbed his fourth pole of the season with a 1m 51.451 second lap. Mattia Pasini qualified second fastest with Marco Simoncelli third and Lorenzo Zanetti completing the front row in fourth (all Aprilia). Current World Championship points leader Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) could not get on terms with the front-runners here and he will start tomorrow’s race from row three as tenth fastest qualifier. The man who found form here was Japanese star Toshihisa Kuzuhara (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) who rode his best qualifying session yet this season to snatch a second row start from fifth on the grid. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) qualified eighth fastest to edge onto the second row while Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) who rode to a strong fifth place at Mugello last week starts from row three in 12th. Kuzuhara said, “I made my best lap when I followed Kallio. Then when I went for another quick lap to try and better my time I crashed. The bike will be fine for tomorrow and so will I, so I look forward to the race.” Luthi said, “I’m a little confused. I used the same tyre as this morning but had a lot of chatter from it. The engine wasn’t quite as good as it was in the morning either. The team will sort the engine out for me, but the chatter is more of a concern.” Honda Rider Quotes: MotoGP: Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda: 1st:: “We’ve done a good job today, especially in the morning the pace was very good. But we can’t get carried away at this stage because the race will be very tough tomorrow if the temperatures stay like they were during qualifying today. We haven’t tested too much in warm conditions and with a few extra degrees on the track this afternoon the grip levels were much lower and the performance of the bike was very different. We have to take a good look at the data and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the race.” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda: 2nd: “Today was a very positive day. Yesterday we found the right path to work along and we continued to make improvements today. The track conditions changed a lot from the morning to the afternoon and the heat made the bike slide around quite a lot. Michelin helped us to find more grip on the qualifying tyre and we also set a good time on race tyres. I made a small mistake in turn one on my fast lap but I’m very happy with this second place.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: 4th: “It’s been a very important testing day. We’ve been working to choose the bike for the race and we used all the time we had. For a few thousandths of a second we missed the first row, but it’s ok anyway. The important thing now is to make a good start. The team is working always better day by day. The worst is gone.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 5th: “As we’ve been quick all weekend it would have been nice to get onto that front row but it wasn’t to be. We’ll, as usual, have to make a good start and stay with the boys and I’ll have to bring my A-game tomorrow. This weekend has been good so far. We’ve been up front in all the sessions and I was actually hoping to get a little more from my qualifier. No excuses, I got a good clear run but just didn’t make the lap time. It’ll be a hot pace tomorrow. Everyone is going really quick here that’s what makes it fun.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 9th: “My objective today was to do better than the last race in terms of qualifying, and that was the case, although I’m not happy with the third row, I could go better. I made a slight error, maybe two, going a bit deep into a couple of corners, and I paid for it; I’m gutted, because the second row was there for the taking for us. This morning we managed to get the forks working well enough and I even rode faster than this afternoon. The bike is pretty much set-up and we just need to clear up any doubts over tyre choice for the race. We will have a meeting with Michelin this evening and in tomorrow morning’s warm-up we will check this area.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda Team: 10th: “I expected more, but I found some complications with the qualifying tyres probably also because this is only my third qualifying session of the season. When I was entering the turns the tyres didn’t give me the right confidence to push my bike to the limit and this made me lose some precious time. But for tomorrow we found the right tyres which should allowed us to be competitive if the temperature will remain the same of these firsts two days. In addition during this weekend we have tried many different setting solutions and we consider our self satisfied on the work done. This set up we have found will allow us to be perform well also in the next GPs. But now I want to mainly concentrate on tomorrow’s race, where the star will be fundamental for me.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 15th: “Obviously I’m not too happy with how the qualifying session went. There’s only one this year and the final minutes are more crucial than ever. Just in that vital last stretch of the session I was unable to improve on this morning, when with race tyres I went quicker. It’s a tough starting position for me then, and my race will be decided by my start – so I’ll give everything to claw some positions back.” “ More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: READY TO RIDE IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD Rubén Xaus and David Checa who replaces the injured Elías as in Mugello- will both ride in their home Grand Prix tomorrow. The two FORTUNA-YAMAHA riders hope to get some extra performance from being able to ride in front of the masses of Spanish fans who will fill th Montmeló stands tomorrow. Both riders are confident of making progress in their adaptation to the team. For Checa it was an intense day, given that in just two practice sessions he had to set the bike up, after Toni Elías’ decision yesterday to take no more part in the weekend due to his injuries not being fully healed after his Le Mans incident. Ruben Xaus (11): (Free 3: 1.44.952, 16th +3.637 19/21 laps) (Qualifying: 1.44.193, 16th +1.856 – 19/24 laps) “We are improving daily. Today the step forward was thanks to the qualifying tyre. It’s a shame that when we put on the second set, there was a lot of traffic on track and I didn’t get time to use a third. I think that tomorrow I will be able to maintain a pace around 1.44. Last year I was sixth here and both myself and the team are eager to improve this result because we are all putting in a lot of effort to make it happen.” David Checa (94): (Free 3: 1.46.493, 19th +3.637 24/26 laps) (Qualifying: 1.45.310, 18th +2.973 – 24/25 laps) “I’m happy with what I got out of just an hour and a half on the bike. I enjoed my ride on the M-1 more than in Mugello today, because I know it a little better. Tomorrow, in the warm-up, I will make some small changes which should give us some improvements. In any case, I’m lacking confidence in the front end, although tomorrow I’m going to give 100% so I perform well in front of all the fans.” Antonio Jiménez, Chief Mechanic: “David did a great job today. You can’t ask more of him, above all taking into account the lack of time he has had to set the bike up. Now we just need to work a bit more in the warm-up. I’m sure I’ll do well tomorrow.”