Biaggi's smooth lap record was in stark contrast to Rossi's stumble and slide into the gravel trap which saw his NSR 500 bounce down the track and leave debris across the asphalt, causing a seven minute delay to the first qualifying session. When the red flags were lowered Biaggi headed to the top of the time sheets to hold off the challenge of Honda Pons team-mates Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros, who qualified second and third respectively.

"We improved the set-up from this morning and the bike feels better," said Biaggi. "We made a small change to geometry and the bike feels good into turns. We've still got some work to do on stability and we just need to do some fine tuning. With the weather looking unsure it's good to be on pole, but we're looking beyond tomorrow and more towards the race on Sunday."

The other star performer of the session was Jurgen vd Goorbergh, who put the Proton KR machine on the provisional front row for the first time this season with a gritty display of riding.

Although there is one day of qualifying remaining before the race, rain has been forecast, so that today's times may set the pace. Even if not, rider and team are confident that today's result was no flash in the pan. The lightweight Proton is tailor made for this type of circuit - where complex corner combinations put the emphasis on high corner speed and accurate handling.

Conditions were overcast and muggy for today's first practice day for the British GP. A light drizzle threatened but did not dampen the track.

Jurgen - "I had a small engine problem with one bike, so I stopped on the circuit and ran back to the pits. Luckily, my second bike was even better. I knew we could get a good time - this morning I was following Biaggi quite easily, and in the afternoon we improved the set-up a little more, and I was able to go quicker and quicker. The red flag came at a bad moment for me, just as I was finishing my fastest lap, which was discounted. I gave it another good shot at the end, and I was able to go faster again. There may even be a bit more lap time in the bike - but what is more important was we could do consistent fast times. I'm feeling quite happy now."

Suzuki team-mates Kenny Roberts and Sete Gibernau head the second row.  "I'm concentrating on finding settings to get the bike up front in the race." commented Roberts while Gibernau had much more to say - "Over the last two or three races, we've really been getting dialed in to the package, every time a little more. I think we're pretty close to the other guys now - but we still have to work very hard to do it, and we're still not capable of pushing them. At least we're going forward, even if we're not where we want to be. Today we solved some chatter problems. I still hope to make the bike a little better tomorrow. Once again it is very important for me to thank my great crew. It's nice to see how we all work together when things are difficult. And if it rains tomorrow, at least we are on the second row."

Another rider to impress was Frenchman Olivier Jacque, who turned in his best performance of an injury-hit season to qualify seventh on the Yamaha.

Carlos Checa was a lowly 17th halfway through the session, biding his time as he evaluated the contrasting set-ups of his two Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500s. But a few drops of rain mid-session were enough to give him the hurry up and the Spaniard soon got up to speed, moving to fifth at one point, eventually ending up eighth.

"I started the session with different settings in my bikes, just slight differences in suspension balance, and I was using used tyres," said Checa. "When I saw some rain on my visor, I thought ‘Okay, now I must go’. There wasn’t much rain but it was enough to make you cautious but then it was pretty much dry again so I was able to have a real go. I chose my best bike and it felt good. We’ll leave things virtually unchanged for tomorrow and hope it stays dry."

Further Yamaha riders in the shape of Shinya Nakano and Jose Luis Cardoso complete a top ten which features just two Honda machines.

Two other riders joined Rossi in the gravel this afternoon. Loris Capirossi lost control early in the session before recovering to set his best lap on his second bike, whilst Leon Haslam also slipped on the greasy surface but emerged uninjured and was able to complete further laps before the clock ran down. Sebastien Gimbert was less fortunate after falling from his Paton this morning, discovering that he has a broken ankle and will not be fit to race.

Repsol Honda riders Tohru Ukawa and Alex Criville found the going at Donington particularly tough.  Criville was 13th quickest -"Today we went out with a bike that is a little different to the one we used until now, with some settings that are very similar to the ones Valentino Rossi is using. But we still haven’t been able to fine-tune the set-up. I don’t feel comfortable yet, therefore there is a lot of work left to do. We altered the position of the handlebars, they are higher now like Rossi’s ones, and even though I think it was a change to the better, we still have to find the right balance for our package. I still have the same strange feeling going into the turns, I just lack confidence. But I suppose the only thing we can do is continue working until we find the right way. This is the only way for us to go.”

Ukawa right back in 18th - "The free practice session this morning didn’t work out very well for us, so we decided to try major changes on the set-up of my motorcycle, just to see how the bike would behave this afternoon. We improved in some points, but in others, we went backwards. After the result this afternoon, it’s obvious that the changes haven’t helped us in improving my position from this morning (17th), even though I managed to cut a second off my lap time. We still don’t have a set-up that allows me to ride in comfort and with confidence, and we still haven’t eliminated the chatter that slowed us in Holland. Right now I’m quite confused, because even though we’ve tried so many different things, I still can’t see which is the right way to go.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE NR.1
1. Max BIAGGI Marlboro Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'31.964
2. Loris CAPIROSSI West Honda Pons Honda 1'32.077
3. Alex BARROS West Honda Pons Honda 1'32.384
4. J. VD GOORBERGH Proton Team KR Proton KR3 1'32.593
5. Kenny ROBERTS Telefonica Movistar Suzuki Suzuki 1'32.866
6. Sete GIBERNAU Telefonica Movistar Suzuki Suzuki 1'32.988
7. Olivier JACQUE Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'33.059
8. Carlos CHECA Marlboro Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.066
9. Shinya NAKANO Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'33.106
10. J.L. CARDOSO Antena 3 Yamaha D'antin Yamaha 1'33.204
11. Valentino ROSSI Nastro Azzuro Honda Honda 1'33.266
12. Noriyuki HAGA Red Bull Yamaha WCM Yamaha 1'33.487
13. Alex CRIVILLE Repsol YPF Honda Team Honda 1'33.495
14. Chris WALKER Shell Advance Racing Honda 1'33.501
15. Norick ABE Antena 3 Yamaha D'antin Yamaha 1'33.662
16. Haruchika AOKI Arie Molenaar Racing Honda 1'33.707
17. Anthony West Dee Cee Jeans Racing Team Honda 1'33.752
18. Tohru UKAWA Repsol YPF Honda Team Honda 1'33.797
19. Jason VINCENT Red Bull Yamaha WCM Yamaha 1'34.731
20. Leon HASLAM Shell Advance Racing Honda 1'34.732
21. Mark WILLIS Pulse Racing Pulse 1'35.996
22. Johan STIGEFELT Sabre Sport Sabre V4 1'36.083
23. Barry VENEMAN Dee Cee Jeans Racing Team Honda 1'36.354