Dorna

Max Biaggi sounded out a warning shot to his MotoGP rivals at the Brno circuit this afternoon with a new pole position record which plants him firmly at the front of the provisional starting grid for the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky. Biaggi, who has taken seven career wins at this circuit, left it until the final seconds of a warm and sunny first qualifying session to post a lap of 1'59.520 and knock great Honda rival Valentino Rossi off the top of the time sheets, with Ducati rider Loris Capirossi the only other man to dip below the two minute mark. Tohru Ukawa took some valuable cornering tips off his team-mate Biaggi to set the fourth fastest time of the session and seal the final spot on the provisional front row.

"That was a good start to the weekend but I hope to finish it even better," said Biaggi. "I spent the time working for the race so I am not at 100% yet. I know I can go faster but we are already doing a good job. We had a positive test at this circuit one month ago and that has really helped us today."

Sete Gibernau also made steady developments with the set-up of his Honda as he qualified fifth fastest, whilst Nicky Hayden continued his good progress from recent weeks with a provisional second row start in sixth. Carlos Checa was the quickest Yamaha, qualifying in seventh place ahead of factory colleague Shinya Nakano, who completes the second row. Proton Team KR switched back to their new V5 four-stroke today, with Jeremy McWilliams qualifying on the fourth row of the provisional grid in sixteenth.

Randy De Puniet sent out a reminder of his title potential with provisional pole position in the 250cc class. The Frenchman has dropped vital places in the championship after picking up just 24 points from the last three races but he remains just 24 points behind the leader Manuel Poggiali and was back on form today as he pipped Roberto Rolfo to pole position. Rolfo has started the weekend well, buoyed by the confidence of his maiden career win at the Sachsenring in the last round and a good showing in this race last year when he crashed out of a fight for victory with Marco Melandri on the penultimate lap.

Poggiali qualified on the outside of the provisional front row in fourth place behind Franco Battaini, with Spanish pair Fonsi Nieto and Toni Elias heading up the second row ahead of Sebastian Porto and Sylvain Guintoli. Czech wildcard rider Radomil Rous was the surprise package of the session, qualifying in thirteenth place on his Aprilia.

Casey Stoner has been ruled out of the 125cc race after breaking his left collarbone and scaphoid in the first qualifying session. The Australian teenager was dominating proceedings and looked to be on his way to provisional pole when he highsided his Aprilia on a fast lap just six minutes from the end. A number of riders mounted pole attempts in a typically frenetic finale but only Dani Pedrosa could overcome Stoner with a clean lap of 2'09.330.

Stefano Perugini made the most of his slipstreaming experience to clock a series of fast laps at the end of the session which moved him up to third place, whilst Youichi Ui faltered in the final section of a promising pole attempt and qualified fourth. Mika Kallio enjoyed an excellent debut on the KTM, provisionally qualifying on the second row in eighth, whilst fifteen year old female debutante Marketa Janakova was the highest placed wildcard, comfortably qualifying in 31st position.

Suzuki

Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins made a good start in the first day of practice for Sunday's Czech Republic GP, running fast times from the start of the session as he enjoyed the sensation of riding the ultra-powerful Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP machine round the sweeping curves of his favourite circuit.

Hopkins spent most of the session in the top ten of the list, dropping to a close 13th towards the finish, in a batch of very close times. With the three fastest riders below the two-minute barrier, the next 11 were all within one second of each other, with the Anglo-American rider in the thick of the group. With a few small changes to the machine, Hopkins was confident he could hope to add another top ten finish in the development season of the 2003 version of Suzuki's 990cc V4 prototype racer.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts was some way back, after a difficult first day of practice. The 2000 World Champion ended up 22nd overall, expecting for a big improvement in tomorrow's final sessions.

The Brno race follows the first part of a truncated summer break, and the factory race department has been busy in the interim, with a number of new solutions to try. However these are untested, and prudently are being kept for two-day tests at the Brno circuit on Monday and Tuesday after the race.

Today's first qualifying took place in dry sunny conditions in the afternoon, but free practice in the morning was on a damp track after drenching rains overnight. There is one more day of qualifying before Sunday's race.

Footnote: French motorcycle racing superstar and current Suzuki Endurance Racing Team rider Jean-Michel Bayle was back in the Suzuki pit, and will be joining the team for the two-day test next week. Bayle brings not only extensive GP experience and an analytical and intelligent approach to the task of developing the GSV-R, but also has the advantage of being able to test without having to bear the next GP in mind.

JOHN HOPKINS 13th Position, 2:01.263 - "The biggest thing for me is this track. This was where I rode a GP bike for the first time, and I love the layout and everything about it. I went right out this afternoon and got straight into the 2 01s. That helps the confidence. One thing I m struggling with is rear grip on race tyres. That s costing me time on the tighter turns, and also on the corner exits, which spoils your speed down the following straights. We need to improve that, and I hope we can with setting changes, so I m hoping for some dry sessions tomorrow. If all goes well, another top ten finish would be possible, and that s what we really need now."

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. 22nd Position, 2:03.589 - "The break was not long enough from the last race for the factory to respond with new stuff for this race, so the situation is the same as in Germany to try and make the best of what we have. I tried a new chassis today, which weights the front differently, but it didn t really have much effect either way, so I have no idea now if I will race it or not."

Yamaha

The 2003 MotoGP World Championship returned from its scorching three-week summer break to a hot Brno circuit, located in the Czech Republic, for the tenth round of the 16-round season. For the Yamaha camp it was the first time that Carlos Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team), Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team), Marco Melandri (Fortuna Yamaha Team), Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team) and Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team) had been aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 since the Sachsenring MotoGP last month. Still, refreshed from their time off, each of the five were hopeful of producing a reputable result at Brno, a circuit which has traditionally favoured Yamaha.

Checa kicked off proceedings with a respectable provisional performance, featuring well on the time sheets during the hour-long session before eventually finishing the opening day seventh fastest. The Spaniard’s 2’00.682 saw him just over a second behind provisional polesitter and Brno expert Max Biaggi (Honda, 1’59.520). Second fastest was defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1’59.708), with Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1’59.739) and Tohru Ukawa (Honda, 2’00.338) completing the front row.

Nakano followed close behind Checa with a 2’00.800 for the eighth fastest time to round out the second row after a constant session, despite a lack of front-end feel. For Melandri, the start to the second half of the 2003 season didn’t proceed as planned, with the MotoGP rookie crashing out during the first third of the opening qualifying session. Although the Fortuna Yamaha Team rider was unaware of exactly why he lost the front of his 220-horsepower machine, Melandri was able to return to the fray, unhurt, on his second bike.

It was the 20-year-old’s first visit to the Brno circuit riding the M1 in anger, but not his first time lapping the 5403m layout on the high tech four-stroke – the Fortuna Yamaha Team tested in Brno for two day in July. Therefore the likeable Italian was hopeful of a more promising result than the tenth place he eventually closed proceedings with today. Although his time, a 2’00.892, was respectable Melandri is confident there is a great deal of room to improve.

Jacque (2’01.167) and Barros (2’01.334) completed the Yamaha line-up in 11th and 14th respectively after a difficult first day.

Fortuna Yamaha Team
Carlos Checa 7th, 2’00.682: “I am fairly satisfied with this for the first day. I’ve done the same lap time as I did when we tested here last month, after Donington. The problem I’m having is with the braking and then flicking the bike into the turn. I don’t have enough front grip when the bike’s on its side. Our main target is to have a more stable front and more side grip and then I’ll be able to do 1’59s.

“This morning’s damp conditions were a shame, but you can always take something positive from time on the bike in whatever conditions. We were able to try a few things. Tomorrow I’ll continue to work and do my best. I have confidence in Yamaha and my team. Unfortunately we only have two hours to solve the problem, but we’ll keep working together and the results will come.”

Marco Melandri 10th, 2’00.892: “I’m a bit sad because we worked so hard at the test here last time, but for some reason we’re having problems this time and I don’t feel as comfortable as I did then,” said Melandri, who won last year’s 250cc race here on his way to becoming the youngest ever 250cc World Champion. “I had a very slow tumble this afternoon – I didn’t feel very good with the bike and when I tried to take the left hand turn seven, I did it too slowly and fell off. I’m going to spend as much time as I can for the rest of today talking with my team about the best way to improve my set-up by making any necessary changes.”

D’Antin Yamaha Team
Shinya Nakano 8th, 2’00.800: “It wasn’t so bad. This morning was difficult because the track was wet, but this afternoon I was much more comfortable for me, and as a result I ended up eight fastest, which is okay for now. Tomorrow we’ll improve our front chassis setting and work hard with the people of Michelin to choose the best race tyres for Sunday.”

Gauloises Yamaha Team
Olivier Jacque 11th, 2’01.167: “Given that we weren’t able to come testing here after Donington as planned, and that the track was wet this morning, I’m reasonably happy with how the session went this afternoon. We have a new specification fork which shows promise, but at the moment it is causing the bike to chatter. I reckon that is costing us about half a second per lap. If we can sort that and a few other details out tomorrow we should be considerably more competitive.”

Alex Barros 14th, 2’01.334: “Because we didn’t test here, and effectively lost this morning’s session, we had to try a lot of tyres this afternoon. Unfortunately the last one we put on was a bit too hard and meant I couldn’t really go for a time. As far as my injuries are concerned both my shoulder and hand are still hurting. I’ll take full advantage of Dr Costa’s facilities this evening. That said I am in considerably better shape than I was at Sachsenring three weeks ago.”  

Repsol Honda

Valentino Rossi ended the first day of qualifying for Sunday’s Czech GP in second place with team mate, Nicky Hayden, on the row behind having posted the sixth fastest time in the hour-long qualifying session at Brno this afternoon.

Looking relaxed after a the break and sporting bright red dyed hair the 24-year-old Italian was in fine form. Looking to increase his lead in the Championship, that currently stands at 29 points over fellow Honda RC211V mounted Sete Gibernau, Rossi headed the leader board for the majority of the session at a bright Brno, only to be deposed by arch rival, Max Biaggi in the dying seconds by a mere 0.188 seconds.

The provisional front row reads Biaggi (Honda), Rossi, Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Tohru Ukawa (Honda).

Hayden continues to impress. The 22-year-old admitted in the pre event press conference yesterday (Thursday) that although things were coming good after only nine races in his maiden MotoGP season with a season’s best fifth place finish at the last GP in Germany last month, the timed qualifying sessions is the area with which he was having most difficulty with.

After posting the fifth fastest time in the Free Practice this morning in conditions not ideally suited to the American (drying from a morning squall) he went on to secure a provisional second row start for the 22-lap race on Sunday on the fast, sweeping 5.406km circuit.

Valentino Rossi - “Today I’m happy. We made good work here in the test last month and the bike works well. We are able to maintain a good, constant fast rhythm. The Michelins are good on a track where grip is so important. The tyres are moving around but I’m pretty happy with traction. We are not at 100% but we are in good shape. We use the new exhaust system here on both bikes as we find it has the advantage here in the tests. We look at all the data tonight to make improvements for tomorrow.”

Nicky Hayden - “Overall a pretty good day. Fifth fastest this morning and sixth this afternoon. That’s the highest I’ve ever been! Gotta be happy with that. We had a good test here a few weeks back that helped a lot with the settings and for me gettin’ to know the place. I’d like to get the bike to steer a little better but we’re workin’ on that. The bike feels good generally. Tomorrow we’ve gotta do it all again and stay on the second row or go better for the race on Sunday.”   

Pramac Honda

In the first day of qualifying for the tenth round of the world championship, Makoto Tamada came within a hairsbreadth of the second provisional row. In eighth place during the very last stages of the official sessions, he was then nudged back into ninth by a final dash made by Nicky Hayden. Even so, it was a good result on the Czech Republic circuit: this is a track that the Japanese rider of the Pramac Honda Team is already on good terms with, since he was able to get a feeling for it during the recent tests in July. It is a result that promises well for the qualifying round for pole position and for Sunday's race.

During the session, Makoto used the same configuration he had tried out during the tests, though he had to deal with a level of grip that was different from last month's. The fact that there was a different degree of adherence to the tarmac was probably due to the fact that it rained during the night and in the early hours of the morning in Brno. Initial tests were made on the choice of tyre for the race, even though the real, in-depth studies will be made tomorrow.

Tamada did not use the latest version of the frame, as the comparative tests on the new component are slated for next Monday, again here in Brno, in a further session of tests.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 9th - 2'00.835 - "The rain 'washed' the track so the grip was different from what it was like in the tests in July. But it doesn't matter: we just need to adapt and make sure we make the right choices for the race. I really like this circuit, though I can't quite say why, but it's fun to ride and I've got a great feeling for it. I also feel it makes the best of the characteristics of our tyres. I left Japan after a short holiday with the determination to do well, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Tomorrow we'll have time to work out all the details and choose the right tyres for the race. We'll see how it goes."

Telefonica Movistar Honda

The World Championship is back on track and Sete Gibernau is ready to continue fighting as he has so far this season. Sete, who has won the most races this season, has begun working on his Honda for Sunday’s race. The Team Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider did not find the optimum set-up in the first qualifying session but he is confident he can do so tomorrow. Gibernau is still highly motivated after his most recent victory at the German GP.

FAUSTO GRESINI, Team Manager - “Today we focussed on working towards the race. Unfortunately we haven’t found the best possible set-up for the bike but we still have time. It is a shame because we brought Sete into the pits without leaving enough time for him to go out and set a fast lap. Kiyonari has improved on the time he set here during the a test in July. Ryuichi is working hard with the team to ensure that he does not stop learning and improving.”

SETE GIBERNAU - “Today was not a very successful session. We have encountered a few problems and we have to sort out why. I was only able to complete eighteen laps and wasn’t able to find a good rhythm at any point. I have been constantly coming into the box to try and find the problem and it wasn’t to be. The positive thing is that despite not having such a good session we are still fifth and that is not bad, even if I would prefer to be on the front row. The negative side is that we have lost a session, but we are close – less than a second off pole. Now the most important thing is to sit down with my mechanics, have a look at the telemetry and work out the problem. I am sure we will find a solution. Brno is a circuit I have always liked a lot and I am really looking forward to the GP.”

RYUICHI KIYONARI #23 - “At last I am racing at a circuit I know. I am looking for a set-up which will allow me to ride how I want to. We will see tomorrow.”

Kawasaki

Development work carried out on the Ninja ZX-RR engine during the recent summer break paid dividends for Fuchs Kawasaki's trio of riders at Brno today, with Alex Hofmann, Andrew Pitt and Garry McCoy all improving on lap times set during a two day test at the Czech circuit back in July.

Kawasaki Racing Team engineers used the summer break to evaluate a revised ZX-RR motor on the transient dynamometer located within the research and development centre of exhaust fabricator and team partner, Akrapovic. Revisions to a number of internal components allowed more power to be liberated from the 990cc inline four motor, an improvement that all three Kawasaki riders used to good effect around the fast Brno circuit today.

German wild card, Alex Hofmann, was once again the fastest of the three Kawasaki riders, ending this afternoon's opening qualifying session 17th fastest. With such a long break since his last outing at the German Grand Prix, Hofmann struggled to find his rhythm on the Ninja ZX-RR today, but is confident that he can improve his qualifying position with more time on the bike tomorrow.

Andrew Pitt spent both of today's hour long sessions refining the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, but still managed to improve on his previous best time by over a second to qualify within of a tenth of a second of his German team-mate on race rubber. The Australian ran two very different set-ups on his Ninja ZX-RR today, but will make a decision on which to concentrate on for the rest of the weekend during tomorrow morning's free practice session.

The front end chatter problems that plagued Garry McCoy during the recent test at Brno reappeared during free practice this morning and, although his crew were able to improve the situation somewhat, they were unable to dial out the problem completely during qualifying. McCoy eventually qualified in 19th place on the provisional grid, just 0.005s behind team-mate Pitt, after being baulked on his final flying lap by a slower rider.

Alex Hofmann: 17th - 2:02.270
"I'm running a different chassis to the one I ran here during the test and the rain this morning meant we didn't get as much time as we’d have liked to set it up for this afternoon's qualifying session. Also, I'm not totally back up to speed after the break, but I'm sure things will be better with more time on the bike tomorrow. The changes to the engine have made a difference when I'm riding the bike; the data will tell us more, but it definitely feels like we have more power available than we did before. Overall I'm quite happy with the progress we've made today and I'm looking forward to further improvements tomorrow."

Andrew Pitt: 18th - 2:02.371
"Overall that was a good session, although I ran out of time towards the end and didn't get a chance to put in a flying lap on a qualifying tyre. One of my bikes is set up as it was for the test here, while the other is set-up exactly how it finished the race at Sachsenring. The Sachsenring bike is more neutral and feels more stable on the brakes, but the other bike definitely steers better. Hopefully we'll be able to arrive at a set-up during tomorrow's free practice session that combines the strengths of both bikes, ready for final qualifying in the afternoon."

Garry McCoy: 19th - 2:02.376
"The revised engine made a noticeable difference today; it's definitely a step in the right direction, even if it hasn't yet had a major impact on lap times. Front end chatter has been a real problem here, just as it was when we tested at Brno last month. Even so, I felt I was capable of putting in a good qualifying lap. Unfortunately, as I came through the last turn to start my flying lap the rear spun up and I lost quite a bit of time. I think I was probably a bit too easy on the out lap and didn't get enough heat into the qualifying tyre. Half way round the lap I had to overtake Nori Haga - never an easy task - and that lost me even more time. Hopefully we'll be able to improve things tomorrow."

WCM

David de Gea - 24th - 2m05.896 - "Our bike doesn't really suit this track, it's just too slow. On Monday we are testing the 4 stroke, so we will have some more speed by Portugal."

Chris Burns ­ 25th - 2m06.667 - "My collarbone that I injured in Donington is quite sore after today's session and I am struggling to change direction, anyway I just have to get on with it. I've raced here before in '97 on the 125's so at least I know which way to go around here. We had some problems today and I lost horsepower mid-way during the session and then had problems with the rear disc, which cut my session short and I didn't have the opportunity to go out on any qualifying tyres. We were doing well during the wet in practice, I think at one stage I was about 5th so I am hoping for rain on Sunday."

Peter Clifford ­ Team Manager - "We always new this was going to be the toughest of the 3 races for the2 stroke, The climb back to the pits is a real killer for the dear old girl. The guys are dealing with it as best they can and we are all looking forward to running our 4 stokes for the rest of the Season."

Proton Team KR

Team Proton KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobu Aoki were back on the radical new 990cc four-stroke KR V5 at the sweeping Brno circuit, and enjoying a package of minor but significant revisions that have addressed teething troubles found in the bike’s first few races, as well as unleashing more of the potential horsepower of the new machine.

Changes include reworked crankshaft design and construction, to improve strength and endurance of that crucial component; as well as revisions to engine breathing that have increased the power output somewhat. But the bike is still in its infancy, and still in first prototype form – this tenth round of the season is only the machine’s fifth GP, after it was brought out for shake-down tests at the French GP, with the season already well under way.

McWilliams was happy with the improvement, but had mixed feelings. He knew he could be faster at this technical circuit on the old 2002 500cc two-stroke, but at the same time is dedicated to pushing the new project forward, even at the cost of short-term race results. He was frustrated also by just missing the chance for one last fast lap on qualifying tyres, after crossing the start line just seconds after the chequered flag was displayed, denying him the chance of one more lap.

Aoki also appreciated the power boost, but was struggling today with rear tyre grip on the way into corners, which hurt his lap time.

Today’s first practice took place in dry and sunny conditions, after heavy rains overnight and in the morning. There is one more day of qualifying remaining, with one hour-long timed qualifying session tomorrow afternoon to determine final grid positions.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS - "I missed my chance at the end, when we took a little bit too long to get a qualifying tyre on. I could have gone a little bit faster. But the times show that we have definitely improved. In tests here a few weeks ago we were doing 2’03s. I thought we would be a second quicker, so I am pretty happy to be in the 2’01s. The bike feels much the same as before at the top end, but it’s definitely better mid-corner and on the exit. I’m struggling a bit with suspension settings, but I hope that can be fixed just with spring changes, pivot position and oil levels. I know I could get below 2’00 on the two-stroke, and I will probably ask if I can ride it. But that wouldn’t really help us in the big picture."

NOBUATSU AOKI - "The engine has got a little better in the summer break, but I’m having a big struggle with rear grip under hard braking. I’m going into all the corners sideways, which is not so good. It’s a matter of engine braking, but I think the slipper clutch is working okay, and that it will have to be solved with engine management in the long term. For tomorrow we will try changing the weight distribution, with a higher front ride height to put more weight on the rear."

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner - "We’re not as far off as we were, though we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see how far we’ve really progressed. Today went good, and I’m pleased we’ve made a step forward."

Ducati

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss were back to work at Brno today following their brief midseason break, the pair clocking third and 12th fastest times in this afternoon’s opening Czech GP qualifying session.

The team has a batch of new bodywork and chassis parts to evaluate here, but changeable weather has so far prevented the riders from making any real conclusions about the chassis parts. The gear includes a new fairing, designed to improve engine performance and rider comfort, a new chassis with optimised rigidity and new front fork and triple clamps. Both riders have one bike fitted with the new chassis/fork combination and one with the existing unit combination.

“It rained this morning, which effectively lost us the first session, so we’ve not had any time to work on the new chassis and fork,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Even in good conditions there’s never much time to test new parts at a GP anyway, you can end up confusing your riders and wasting time. Anyway, the parts aren’t hugely different from what we’ve got already, so there’s no great hurry to introduce them. We test here on Monday, so that might be a better time to evaluate the new chassis and forks. Loris went well today, we’re trying a few small changes to the set-up we ran when we tested here last month. Troy is still learning his way around here, and we’ve been working on his gearbox and front end.”

Loris Capirossi was in the thick of an entertaining battle for provisional pole position at Brno today, the Ducati Marlboro Team man ending up third fastest, just two tenths of a second off pole. The Italian’s best lap was less than a tenth inside last year’s Czech GP pole time – an impressive pace for day one.

“I’m happy with what we’ve done so far,” said Capirossi. “We’re on the pace, the times are fast and the bike is good. Last month’s tests were so useful – we know exactly what we need to do for the bike here. I used the new fairing throughout today but the weather spoiled this morning’s session, so I preferred to spend most of my time riding with the existing chassis which we know so well. I did do a couple of laps with the new chassis, it could be good but it’s too early to say. Everything has gone really well today, third is a good result for day one and I think we already know what we need to do tomorrow.”

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss was second quickest in this morning’s tricky damp session but slipped to 12th in this afternoon’s dry outing, run in warm, dry conditions. The Australian has never raced at Brno before, though he did take part in a two-day test at the track last month.

“It’s good to be back at a race, though I’ve been busy during the break – first doing some PR work with Ducati in Austria, then at the Zandvoort Marlboro Masters,” said Bayliss. “This morning was good in the sketchy, damp conditions, but I knew we’d struggle a bit in the dry. I’m struggling with the front, I don’t really feel comfortable on the bike. At some tracks we find a good front set-up, which we think will work everywhere, but really we seem to end up with a different plan for every racetrack. I’ve tried both bikes, but so far there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between the new and the old chassis.”

125 - Casey Stoner

After the short vacation of three weeks, the championship is back in Brno for the 10th round of the season. 7 races to go for the 125 riders in order to assign the 2003 world title. Amongst the favourites there’s also the SAFILO OXYDO - LCR rider Lucio Cecchinello third qualified in the provisional world classification. Unfortunately the first day of practices was not so positive for the Australian rider Casey Stoner who fell off after having achieved the provisional pole position: the impact was hard and the young no. 27 rider suffered a fracture of the left collarbone and the scaphoid. Casey won’t take part to the rest of the week end as he will be ale to ride again in Estoril.

Casey Stoner 2° (2’09”477) - “I have never been so disappointed to get the second position. I crashed half way through the session at the time I was in first position and it was easy to do this time. Unfortunately I had to back on the power a little early and the bike hurled me far away and I have fractured my left collarbone and the scaphoid. This means that I can not race here and feel very disappointed cause I kike this track and the bike was very fast today. I feel sorry for the team as they worked hard and made a lot of improvements on my Aprilia. Now I hope I can fit for Estoril in 3 weeks time”.