2001 Grand Prix 500 - Round 13 - Motegi

After being the fastest rider in the morning wet free practice session Garry McCoy slipped dramatically to 12th place on the provisional grid for Sunday's Pacific Motorcycle Grand Prix at Motegi in Japan.

It was the first time since Michelin's 16.5-inch rear tyre was introduced last year that it could be used for one hour in a full wet session. McCoy had long wondered how his Red Bull Yamaha would perform once given a decent chance to use the tyres that were unavailable to him for most of the 2000 season.

"The morning session was the first time I really had a chance to show something with the 16.5 wets which I missed for all of last season's wet GPs," McCoy said.

But as the track dried for afternoon qualifying McCoy's search for a competitive tyre set-up evaporated as quickly as the Motegi rain, although the sky remained heavily overcast throughout.

Apart from one rear tyre which briefly enabled McCoy to go fourth fastest the lightweight Sydney rider could not find a rubber selection that would allow him to match the front-running pace. He finished the session 1.6 seconds off provisional pole claimed by American reigning world champion Kenny Roberts.

"I spent the whole session going through all the tyres we had but really only found one that had any decent grip for me," McCoy said. "By the end of the session I had run out of choices so I even did a couple laps on a treaded intermediate wet tyre, although the track was dry, just to try something different."

"I'm sure Michelin will have some more tyres for Saturday but if not, and the track doesn't get any grippier for our set-up, I would say I'm struggling. The grip for me is just nothing."

Constant overnight and morning rain accounted for the wet conditions at Motegi. Although first qualifying was held on a dry track the times were still slower than last year and there is the threat of further rain.

Hamish Jamieson, the Red Bull Yamaha race engineer for Garry McCoy, said of the puzzling tyre predicament that has evolved at Motegi: "Every tyre that Michelin have here is a harder compound than Garry raced on at Motegi a year ago and he cannot live with those harder compounds. "Other riders can but Garry's style and bike set-up makes best use of the softer compounds and this season we have seen a lot of races won by riders moving towards the softer compounds after Garry showed they could win.

"It's all a bit puzzling. I don't have answers but I will have to find something or otherwise pray it rains and let Garry lose on Michelin wets like this morning's free practice. That's a race I'd like to see." Jamieson said some of the new construction softer tyres that had been brought to recent races at Valencia in Spain and Estoril in Portugal, and which McCoy liked, were not on the tyre list for Motegi.

World Champion Kenny Roberts today set the provisional pole ahead of Barros, Capirossi and Biaggi respectively.

"We finally have some new parts and they have put us in the top positions, which is where we should have been all season long," said Roberts. "That's how you defend a World Championship, but unfortunately that hasn't been the case for us this year. If things go as planned we can expect another podium finish here in Motegi."

Honda Pons team-mates Barros and Capirossi were consistently fast throughout the afternoon session, often occupying the top two positions on the time sheets. Meanwhile Roberts and Yamaha man Biaggi gradually picked up their lap times to break up a provisional front row which had previously featured the Yamaha of Noriyuki Haga and Valentino Rossi's Honda.

Rossi was lucky to survive a scary moment halfway through this afternoon's session when he braked too late for the track's secondary pit-lane entry. The young Italian locked up his NSR's rear end, smoke pouring from the tyre, and had to run wide and off the track to regain control.

"I decided too late to use that pit road," said the World Championship leader. "I used the brakes too hard and nearly crashed. We spent much of the session trying various tyres which didn't seem to suit this track so well. Eventually we fitted a better tyre to get in a good lap time, because I was only 11th fastest and wanted to get a better provisional grid position in case it rains tomorrow."

Haga ended the day sixth quickest, "I still need a few changes to the set up, but overall I have a good feeling on the bike. Obviously I know this track well and would like to do well at home but I think the fact that we have a good set up is the most crucial factor. Tomorrow though we'll have to go quite a bit quicker to keep the same grid position."