Christian Kellner, 3rd - "The race was very hard but I made a good start from the second row and was third into the first corner. I had a problem in the middle of the race when I arrived at a corner too fast and I lost time to Chambon and Foret. All of the bikes are very close and I think any one of us can win the next round."

Chris Vermeulen, 4th - “I got him back going into the last turn, but I got a big slide. The tyres were pretty wrecked by that stage and I just couldn’t catch him down the straight. I just wanted to get on the podium, oh well that’s the way it goes. I’m fourth in the championship now so that’s pretty good. The set up was good. I was bit down on power, but everything feels good. In two weeks we’re at the Island and I am going to make sure it’s a weekend to remember. Today was good for everyone in the team and all my sponsors."

James Whitham, 6th - "Points are points at the end of the day. I thought I could overtake Andrew Pitt but it would have been risky for me, so I chose safety. He was actually a very good gauge for speed towards the end, because it is easy to fall when chasing the riders in front when you're on your own. I would rather have got away with the leaders and tried to win - but last year I came away from here with nothing. At least we have left the first race with decent points in the bag, and not gravel burns."

Paolo Casoli, 8th - "Eighth is a good result for me at Valencia because it's usually a disaster. In 2000 I crashed out and 2001 I finished 12th so this year is better. I do not like the track; for me I need my tyres to grip to go fast and here they slide for everyone. I am happy because I have the Australian, Japanese and Italian races coming up, which I like very much."

Piergiorgio Bontempi, 11th - "We must value this result as a good result. The eleventh position in this circuit full of corners is good. I have pushed hard with my NCR Nortel Network 748 Ducati in the first laps, then at the middle of the race the clutch have missed a little bit and I must use it with attention to not slide too much. At the end it started to work correctly and I have gained some position. The tyres were good today, only the engine was not at the top."

Karl Muggeridge, 14th - "I absolutely murdered the rear tyre in the early stages of the race. For the last few laps I was sliding around everywhere and almost crashed a couple of times. I've got a couple of points on the board with 14th and, considering we missed the test here and I've got a broken ankle, I'm not that upset. We'll be in much better shape in two weeks' time in Australia."

Jörg Teuchert, 16th - "I came into the last corner, which I do not like, just touched my front brake and I lost the front straight away. I tried to pick it up on my knee but I couldn't do it. Nothing was broken on the bike so I tried to score points but in the end I finished 16th. Maybe this is a good omen for me as last year I crashed here but by mid-season I was leading the championship - and for 2002 there is an extra round."

John McGuinness, 19th - "I was doing 1m 40s laps in the race ­ I should have been doing those sort of lap times on Friday morning when practice started. Missing that three-day test has hurt us badly. I'm pleased to just finish after all the agro. My shoulder was really hurting for the last 10 laps, that's the longest time I've spent on a machine for ages, six or seven laps at once in practice is OK but it's not race distance. I'm really looking forward to getting my season under way properly in Australia ­ I think the team feels the same way."

Iain MacPherson, DNF - "After my bad start I managed to make up a lot of places. I think I went from 22nd in the first corner to 10th before I crashed. I burned my tyres up a bit trying to make up for the start but I felt comfortable even though I was sliding about quite a bit. When I crashed I didn't even think I was having a moment, I just lost the rear end in the final turn and that was that. But I feel more confident each time I ride the bike and I'm not down about today at all."