MotoGP 2002 - Round 1 - Suzuka - Qualifying 1

Garry McCoy - 19th 2'07.976 - "With the wind being the way it was today it was very difficult for me to go any better than I did. I never really got a chance to do what I'd call a good lap. I'm still struggling for strength in my leg but that is to be expected. I'm a little disappointed but there's not really much more I can do given the windy conditions and the problems I have with my leg."

John Hopkins - 16th 2'07.686 - John crashed with around two minutes of the session remaining but escaped unhurt. "I was really happy up to the point I crashed. I'd just come in for a new rear tyre to try and improve my time and had got behind a good bunch of guys when I crashed at the last right-hander leading up to the chicane. I was trying to get out of the turn fast so that I could get a tow off the guys who were in front of me down the straight but the rear just broke away. I guess there just wasn't enough heat in the tyre because I'd only done one out lap. Luckily I didn't pick up an injury. The bike has been working really well and we haven't really made many changes to the set-up. I was hoping to get down to a time in the high 2.06 bracket but apart from the crash at the end of the session it has been a good day."

Capirossi - 2m05.052s
Rossi - 2m05.096s
Ukawa - 2m05.561s
Roberts - 2m05.630s
Itoh - 2m05.650s
Checa - 2m05.846s
Katoh - 2m05.858s
Biaggi - 2m05.910s
Jacque - 2m06.253s
Nakano - 2m06.339s
Ryo - 2m06.378s
Abe - 2m06.567s
Goorbergh - 2m06.731s
Gibernau - 2m06.964s
Barros - 2m07.015s
Hopkins - 2m07.686s
Aoki - 2m07.822s
Laconi - 2m07.916s
McCoy - 2m07.976s
Harada - 2m08.168s
McWilliams - 2m08.294s
Riba - 2m15.140s

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