MotoGP 2005 Qualifying

Kawasaki rider, Shinya Nakano, recovered from a harmless crash to qualify in tenth place for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

While Nakano heads the fourth row of the grid, his French teammate, Kawasaki test rider Olivier Jacque, will start from thirteenth in his return to racing after missing the Qatar Grand Prix.

Track conditions were near perfect for qualifying, sunny and cool, with the usually gusty winds of Phillip Island staying calm for the one hour session that saw Nicky Hayden qualify on pole position.

After crashing at the first hairpin Nakano returned to the track on his spare Ninja ZX-RR and posted his fastest lap, half a second under the track record, with 12 minutes remaining.

Unfortunately Nakano's spill upset his normally fast and smooth qualifying rhythm, and the Japanese ace was disappointed not to be starting further up the grid.

Overnight improvements to machine set-up, and further evaluation of a new range of Bridgestone tyres, have allowed Nakano to find a consistent race package.

In his first race appearance at Phillip Island on the Ninja ZX-RR, Jacque has made a dramatic improvement over two days of practice and qualifying, dropping his times by more than three seconds.

Jacque was more comfortable today with improved grip levels and more stable set-up, although he is still finding the limits of braking performance, especially on the hard braking required for the first hairpin.

Again today the 4.4km Phillip Island circuit, with its dominant sequence of fast left-hand curves, presented the problem of generating heat and grip into rear tyres.

Tomorrow's 27-lap race is the 15th round of the MotoGP World Championship, with Nakano aiming to consolidate his top ten position in the championship standings.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Tenth - 1'30.628
"I'm okay after the crash, I just bumped my head a little and have a small bruise on my right foot - but for sure I can race at 100%, luckily I have nothing broken. I crashed on entry to the first hairpin while trying a different specification rear tyre, but the the right-side was not working at all. I was hoping for a stronger qualifying, but for the race I think we have a consistent package, our race tyre performance is good, but it will not be easy to stay with the front group. There is no big problem, just many small things that we could improve for better overall lap time - even small improvements to braking stability and traction would help a lot."

Olivier Jacque: #19 - Thirteenth - 1'31.079
"Today was a more comfortable day, I'm much happier with the grip level, and I am now more confident for my first time here on the ZX-RR. My times have come down in every session since Friday morning and I think there is more to come, but now it is time to race. However, another two hours of practice would be good! It's just a matter of set-up, especially in the fast corners and for braking stability. I went straight-on a couple of times at the Hairpin, so in the race I know I have to be less optimistic about braking performance. And through the fast left handers I need to concentrate on finding more corner speed and traction. In two days we have made some good steps, hopefully I can move forward in the race."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Shinya was unlucky to crash in these circumstances and it put him out of rhythm for the session. Compared to other circuits this appears not be one that favours Shinya and I expect this will not be an easy race for the Kawasaki team."

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