Max Biaggi - 2nd - “I had a bad start and everyone was bumping into each other on the first lap, but it was a big race. I didn’t sleep well last night because I was thinking so much about tyre choice, then the tyre we tried in warm-up wasn’t good, so we went for a harder rear. It started sliding after ten laps or so but I just kept on working my way up. Tohru Ukawa (Honda) was difficult to pass, that took a while, then I had a good fight for second with Capirossi. Over the last five laps I pushed really hard to see if I could do it but the gap on Rossi just wasn’t coming down, so I settled for second. I’m happy with the race and I owe the team a big thank you, they did a great job.”

Loris Capirossi - 3rd - "Everything has an explanation, and I have the reason of my slow rhythm very clear: the chatter my back tyre was having from the first time. Under those conditions I could hardly fight with my rivals. Valentino has got more difference in the general classification, but it could still be recovered in two or three races."

Shinya Nakano - 4th - "It was really exciting to be in the lead of a 500 race, although the difficulty is to stay focused and keep the rhythm going in a new class. I made a few small mistakes and that’s why I lost some places. The wind also made it more difficult, but having made the right tyre choice I was able to push hard in the second half of the race. Riding with riders of this caliber really helps my confidence and it forced me to learn to fight harder which will only be beneficial later in the year.”

Sete Gibernau - 5th - "That was the most incredible race. My team worked 110 percent to get the bike so good, and I rode at 120 percent - every corner of every lap. I didn't have one tenth of a second to relax - even on the straights I was concentrating on tucking in, and working out how to make up the time I was losing. I was only ever passed on the straight, but I was passing people every other place, inside, outside, sliding sideways ... This morning Stuart (Shenton) and my team made the bike work better, after we had handling problems yesterday. We need to have the bike more than perfect to be able to ride with the group. I was riding to my absolute maximum, right on the limit. When Rossi came past, I thought I could go with him, but he just had too much acceleration, and of course he is riding very well. It was a very intense race, and I owe a lot to my team for keeping their concentration in a difficult year. We really need some help from the guys at the top. It's difficult to ride at 120 percent all the time, and we need to get the bike so we can ride as normal, saving the extra effort for special moments in the race."

Norick Abe - 6th - “I think that was my best start of the year, from eighth to first! Normally at the beginning of a race I seem to have some chatter problems but this time it felt all ok, so I pushed hard straight away but it was not to be. I nearly ran off the track and it let Nakano take me. The setting was not quite right with a full tank of fuel, because after ten laps I felt much better and I was able to start making back some ground. Then the tyres started to slide too much and I started to lose ground again. We need to make sure we have the full package in Assen.”

Tohru Ukawa - 7th - "I'm happy with my race because I was riding much better than in practice, therefore I'm satisfied with seventh position. It was a very hard race, because right from the start there were many riders battling in one group. But I think I managed the situation quite well, even though I have to admit that I made a few mistakes that I will try to avoid in the next races. The motorcycle worked very well during all the weekend and today's race. I feel fine physically and a podium finish in Assen is not out of reach. Assen is my next target, and once again I will try everything to end up within the first three."

Carlos Checa - 8th - “When you can’t go through a corner 100 percent of your chosen speed it’s difficult to go fast. It was impossible to keep the bike on line in the corners, the chatter was that bad, but things did get a little better as the fuel load got lighter later in the race. I tried modifying my lines and moved to the rear of the bike to keep more weight on the rear. Eighth isn’t the kind of result I want, but we had problems here and we’ll make sure we don’t have that in Assen.”

Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh - 9th - "I'm pleased to be so close to the leader at the finish, and right with the leading group. The start was messed up. I don't know why. We had been having clutch problems, but we tested some changes at Assen, and we thought we had found a good solution. Unfortunately it didn't work when we needed it. I rode hard to catch the leading group, and then to pass Checa, and Haga, and then fight with Checa again at the end. It cost me a lot in terms of my rear tyre. But the bike was steering very well - couldn't have been better. At the races coming up, if I can be within 15 seconds of the leader I think we would have a much better position. I feel that it proves we're not talking nonsense when we say this bike can be competitive".

Noriyuki Haga - 10th - "Ten laps from the end on one of the last two corners coming onto the main straight I lost my right knee slider and I now realise just how important they are as it was quite difficult to ride without it. If I didn’t lose it I think it would have been possible for me to finish behind Shinya. Sure we still have a few setup problems I want to fix but this is the best setting we’ve run all year. I guess I have the next two rounds to look forward to as I know both Assen and Donington very well and should do well there.”

Alex Crivillé - 11th - "The first part of the race was good, but then the engine started to lose power and I couldn't keep up with the pack on the straight. I started very well, but at the end of the main straight, Sete ran a bit wide, and I went off my line and slightly touched Rossi. I started to recover positions after that, because the motorcycle worked well as far as suspension and chassis are concerned, and I believed in my chances for a strong finish. But then something started to fail, and I had some big moments trying to make up for it on the brakes. On one occasion, I crossed the lines of Nakano and Ukawa because I was too late on the brakes, but I didn't touch them. It's a shame that we ran into problems because today I really wanted to offer my fans a good result."

Olivier Jacque - 12th - “I’m really happy with this race from a physical point of view, it’s what I really needed. I had the opportunity to test many things with the bike and to get acquainted with it. It was only in the last lap or so that my wrist began to hurt a little, but it was the first time I felt at one with the bike. I decided to ride with the setting we started with on Friday and it has given us a base which I think we can now build on during the next few days of testing.”

Chris Walker - 13th - "After the weekend I've had I just wanted to score some points in the race. After about 12 laps I couldn't feel my arm, I had severe pins and needles. At about the same time my soft tyres went off and I couldn't control the bike as I wanted to with my weak arm."

José Luis Cardoso - 14th - “I got a good start but that means nothing if you don’t finish well. I tried to stay with the lead group but I had trouble keeping the bike under control. It was doing its own thing rather than what I wanted. It wasn’t as stable as I’d like and it was sliding everywhere. And the wind didn’t help the situation. I wasn’t feeling 100 percent fit, but it
is no excuse for this result.”

Kenny Roberts - DNF - "It was a case of trying too hard too soon. I was close to the leaders, and I didn't want to let them get too much of a gap. I knew I had to make up time because of what we were losing on the straight, and going into Turn One I just out-braked myself. It's real disappointing. With the lap times the other guys were doing and the times I know I could do, I think I could have had a podium finish. It's going to take a lot of catching up from here."

Anthony West - DNF - "This morning I was just going through the first chicane and when I opened the throttle in the middle the engine felt weak. I thought it might seize and I grabbed for the clutch lever. Unfortunately I didn't quite get to it in time, and it locked solid and threw me off. I hit my head and scraped my helmet. I was a bit dazed, but didn't hurt my arm or anything else. The team rebuilt the motor for the race, but on the sighting lap it felt a little 'doughy'. I knew they'd set the carburation a bit rich for safety, and I thought it might clear. I was revving it like mad on the line trying to get it to run clean. It was still bad on the first lap. I was having problems accelerating, and on the S-Bend up the hill it died for a second or two. I was already behind after the start. After two laps it started to run a little better, but it still wasn't right. In practice I had been able to go with the Pulse V4 on the straight, but in the race Jay Vincent just flew by me. I don't like to give up, but I was just going backwards. There's always the risk of another seize, or doing some damage to the motor, so I pulled in."

Alex Barros - DNF - "I was starting to push while trying to overtake Loris after he got out of a turn. The front tyre slipped and this was the end of a race in which I laid my best hopes and which I might have won. The rhythm was very slow and I was waiting to lead the race to ride at 1.46. I am very upset, this is no way to finish a race when I had worked so hard in the training and then to realise that it is no use."

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