MotoGP 2005 - Round 3

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa will start tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix, the first-ever motorcycle GP to be staged in the People's Republic of China, from the first and third rows of the grid. Both men played starring roles in the battle for pole position during this afternoon's entertaining qualifying session, proving once again that the Ducati Marlboro Team is back.

The past two days have been a challenging time for the squad, with rain affecting two of the four practice sessions at this spectacular new circuit, which features MotoGP's longest straight.

"This is the second race in a row that we've had one of our riders starting from the front row, so it's been another very positive day for us," said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. "Last time it was Carlos, this time it's Loris, but what's most important is that both riders are happy with their race set-up and their Bridgestone race tyres. We were praying for a dry qualifying session today, and our prayers were answered, so we're hoping for the same tomorrow!"

Loris Capirossi turned in a stunning qualifying lap in the closing stages of this afternoon's qualifying session to hold pole position until the final moments when he slipped to third. That was still good enough to give the Ducati Marlboro Team man an all-important front-row start for tomorrow's race.

"I'm really happy with that, though I know the race will be more difficult," said the gritty little Italian. "The ankle I cracked at Jerez wasn't a problem today, so I hope it doesn't cause me any serious trouble over full-race distance. This track is pretty difficult, especially the really slow first section, but the bike's going well, it seems to like the place. I tried three different race tyres and there's one that seems really good. I'm expecting a nice fight because there's a few riders really close on lap times."

After dominating this morning's free practice, Carlos Checa led the first half of the session but slipped down the order as he focused successfully on choosing the best race tyres for tomorrow's race, round three of the 2005 MotoGP series. With a light drizzle falling on some parts of the track in the early stages of the session, the Ducati Marlboro Team man went out with his first qualifying tyre after a few laps to set a lightning-fast pace. He ended up seventh, just 0.081 seconds off row two.

"We fitted a qualifier early, in case it rained some more," explained the Spaniard. "After that we focused on trying different things for the race. Then when I did fit another qualifier near the end, I lost the rear then spoiled another lap but I ran into some traffic. I know I can run a good pace, so we just need to get a good start. I feel comfortable on the bike and it's nice to know I've got the fastest bike on the track. I've never been as fast as I was today, except in a plane! Braking into the hairpin at the end of the main straight is amazing - from 343kmh to 55kmh in 350 metres!"

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