This final qualifying session for
the final MotoGP race of the season was not quite what Nicky Hayden
(Repsol Honda RC211V) wanted. On his fastest qualifying lap Nicky
was forced off line on the third time split when he encountered a
slowing rider and will now start from row two as fifth fastest
qualifier. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) starts from pole with Ducati
riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi completing the front row.
Nicky has Kawasaki man Shinya Nakano ahead of him in fourth and his
team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) alongside him in sixth.
Nicky briefly held pole with 15 minutes of the hour remaining – but
if his race set-up proves ideal for tomorrow’s 30-lap encounter he
would gladly relinquish the top grid slot in exchange for a win.
It was Capirossi who laid down the first marker here with a 1m
32.255s lap as riders worked on race tyre endurance tests in the 50
minutes before the majority of riders fitted ultra-sticky qualifying
rubber. But with 25 minutes gone Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) opted
for a qualifier to put in an early pole time of 1m 31.914s.
Capirossi then returned the compliment on the half-hour mark with a
1m 31.682s time to hold pole before the pace hotted up. With 20
minutes to go the action started with the order; Capirossi, de
Puniet, Bayliss, John Hopkins (Suzuki), Rossi, Hayden and then Casey
Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V)
Nakano then rocketed to the second fastest time before Bayliss
marked his one-off return to MotoGP with a blistering 1m 31.585s lap
to go pole. But delighted as most onlookers were with the Australian
visitor’s impact, most eyes were on the more serious business of
where Hayden and Rossi would end up.
Nicky hit the front on the 15-minute mark and Rossi went second
fastest ahead of Bayliss. With ten minutes left on the clock, Rossi
put in a 1m 31.234s lap to snatch pole, the order on the front row
being Rossi, Hayden, Nakano.
Then with three minutes remaining Bayliss stole pole again, but only
for a matter of seconds as Rossi followed him over the line to
record a 1m 31.002s lap that would not be bettered. The placings
behind pole would be fiercely disputed though.
Nakano fought back onto the front row in third and it looked as if
he might stay there until a fired-up Capirossi charged into third
spot relegating Nakano to row two in his final ride in green livery.
Casey Stoner, riding with an injured back, ended the day in seventh
place with Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) 12th fastest, Toni
Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) 13th on the grid, Kenny Roberts
(Roberts KR211V) 14th and Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda
RC211V), in his last MotoGP ride, 15th.
Nicky said, “We’re starting on the second row and that means I need
a lightning start tomorrow. We’re definitely going all in for the
win and it’ll be interesting because there are some guys going
really fast out there. I need fast guys – but I don’t need them to
be faster than me! I didn’t get on the front row where I needed to
be which makes it a bit harder for me – and I’m not thrilled about
that. I just need to focus on the race and finish the year strong –
whatever happens happens.”
Dani said, “On the qualifying tyres this afternoon at first I was
not so fast. I improved a little on my later runs and we finished in
sixth place – which is not perfect because Rossi is on pole. From
the second row I will need to do a great start tomorrow and get away
with the leaders. It’s going to be a big race in front of many, many
fans so I’m really looking forward to it.”
“I made a small mistake on my fast lap,” said Stoner. “And lost
0.2s, which would have put me up in the top four positions. But I’m
close to the front, and not 14th, which is where I was before I got
that new tyre from Michelin. The tyre felt more predictable and
didn’t upset the bike. My back is OK when I am riding so that’s OK.
This race is always close in qualifying but a lot of riders drop-off
towards the end. I’m just going out to do my own thing in the final
race of the season.”
Melandri said, “I am not satisfied because it will be a very hard
race tomorrow. I hope to make a good start as I have the race rhythm
to be up with the front-runners. I did not make best use of the
qualifying tyre and could not guarantee myself a good position on
the grid. I want to try and get a good result so that I can confirm
third place in the Championship.”
Elias said, “I’m not happy with the result because I wanted to be
further up. However, I don’t want to write off my chances as in
Portugal I started 15th but ended up winning the race. I hope to
make a good start and make up as many positions as I can quickly. My
race rhythm has improved over the weekend so I hope I can get a good
result.”
Kenny Roberts said, “I think the machine is closer than I am at the
moment. There’s probably more to come from myself than anything.
This morning I did some mid- to low-33s, and felt pretty good. I
thought I could go quite a bit faster. I started on used tyres, then
we got down to the time that I was doing this morning. I guess if
we’d have left the bike with one setting and just kept throwing in
tyres I might have been a little bit better off, but we’re always
trying to improve it, and just never seemed to hit.”
Makoto Tamada said, “I made a long series of laps with a race bike
setting and I have to say that, with these conditions, the set up
I’ll have at my disposal tomorrow is really satisfying. When using
qualifiers, the feeling with the bike changed completely and, as
many times throughout the season, I was not able to make the best
use of the grip I had. The bike handling becomes harder in corner
entry.”
In the 250cc class Hiro Aoyama (KTM) qualified on pole for the first
and last time this season, with series points leader Jorge Lorenzo
second fastest qualifier, Alex de Angelis third fastest and with
veteran Roberto Locatelli completing the front row (all Aprilia).
The only man capable of depriving Lorenzo of the 250cc World title,
Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW), qualified seventh
for a second row start. Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW)
qualified eighth and David de Gea, standing in for the injured
Martin Cardenas, (Repsol Honda RS250RW) ninth.
Dovi said, “It’s difficult for me as this track doesn’t suit me at
all. The main problem is my riding because I struggled a lot. On top
of that, we lose out on acceleration compared to my rivals,
especially the KTMs. However, the bike set-up is OK but I can’t take
full advantage of the Honda’s potential. The hope for the title is
really slim but I’ll do my best until the chequered flag.”
Aoyama said, “I’m not so happy with the result. We had some problems
with the suspension. In fact, we managed to improve a bit compared
to yesterday and this morning, but it was not enough, the problem is
still there. The start position is not as good as I expected, second
row, so I’ll have to make a good start in order to be able to keep
up with the leading group.
I’ll give my best, let’s see what happens.”
His team-mate de Gea said, “The afternoon practice was definitely
not as good as in the morning, I was fifth in the morning and ninth
in the afternoon. However, we all know that no rider gives it all
during the free practices. But I think that the result is good,
because we also had a problem during the practice that made us lose
some time which I would have needed to get a better pace.”
True to form, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) was the dominant force in
the half-hour of 125cc qualifying. The Spanish World Champion headed
the timesheet early and was only knocked off the top spot once
during the session by his team-mate Hector Faubel. The front row
comprises Bautista, Faubel, Sergio Gadea and Mattia Pasini (all
Aprilia)
This is Bautista’s eighth pole of his World Championship season and
he made it look easy, improving his time with 18 minutes to go, then
besting Faubel’s attempt, before shaving his 1m 39.083s time down to
1m 39.058 on his final lap.
Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) fell four times during
qualifying over these two days, the fourth with 20 minutes of this
stint remaining. He qualified 23rd, while the best Honda qualifier
was Sandro Cortese (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) in ninth on the
grid. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) qualified 12th
fastest.
Talmacsi said, “Well it was a positive session this afternoon and we
worked well on the race set-up. Unfortunately, we chose the wrong
rear tyre at the last turn of the qualifying session and the bike
was sliding too much. In general, though, we are almost ready; we’re
all very close and tomorrow it could be a spectacular race.”
Smith said, “Tomorrow is when everything counts, so I'll try to make
a really good start, give everything in the first few laps and try
to keep going until the end, and we'll see what we can get."
Honda GP rider quotes:
MotoGP:
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 5th: "We're starting on the second row
and that means I need a lightning start tomorrow. We're definitely
going all in for the win and it'll be interesting because there are
some guys going really fast out there. I need fast guys - but I
don't need them to be faster than me! I didn't get on the front row
where I needed to be which makes it a bit harder for me - and I'm
not thrilled about that. On my last qualifier I had a good lap going
and then had a bit of an issue with traffic in the last split when I
had to pass a guy who was starting a lap while I was still on a hot
one. It kinda got me off line and I lost a lot of time in the last
split but I don't want to make excuses. We need to tweak on it
tonight and see if I can find a little more pace. Regardless I just
need to focus on the race and finish the year strong - whatever
happens happens."
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 6th: "Today we had a good practice in
the morning and made some more progress with the race set-up and
tyre choice.
We more-or-less have the set-up now although we still need to find a
few tenths of a second because some riders improved their race pace
in the afternoon. On the qualifying tyres this afternoon at first I
was not so fast. I improved a little on my later runs and we
finished in sixth place - which is not perfect because Rossi is on
pole. From the second row I will need to do a great start tomorrow
and get away with the leaders. It's going to be a big race in front
of many, many fans so I'm really looking forward to it."
Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 7th. "I did the best qualifying lap I've
ever done compared to my times on race tyres after finally getting a
decent qualifying tyre. And I made a small mistake on my fast lap
and lost 0.2s, which would have put me up in the top four positions.
But I'm close to the front, and not 14th, which is where I was
before I got that new tyre from Michelin. The tyre felt more
predictable and didn't upset the bike. My back is OK when I am
riding so that's OK. This race is always close in qualifying but a
lot riders drop-off towards the end; I'm just going out to do my own
thing in the final race of the season".
Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 12th. "I am not satisfied, it will be
a very hard race tomorrow. I hope to make a good start as I have the
race rhythm to be up with the front-runners. I did not make best use
of the qualifying tyre and could not guarantee myself a good
position on the grid. I want to try and get a good result so that I
can confirm third place in the championship."
Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 13th. "I am not happy with the result
because I wanted to be further up. However, I don't want to write
off my chances as in Portugal I started 15th but ended up winning
the race. I hope to make a good start and make up as many positions
as I can quickly. My race rhythmhas improved over the weekend so I
hope I can get a good result."
Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 14th: "I think the machine is closer
than I am at the moment. There is probably more to come from myself
than anything. This morning I did some mid- to low-33s, and felt
pretty good. I thought I could go quite a bit faster. I started on
used tyres, then we got down to the time that I was doing this
morning."
"We've been trying different settings in both bikes each time I went
out. I guess if we'd have left the bike with one setting and just
kept throwing in tyres I might have been a little bit better off,
but we're always trying to improve it, and just never seemed to hit.
We'll change a bit more for the morning and try and get to the low
33s. If we do that, that's pretty good for the race. Just a matter
of getting a good start. I was never really in synch with it today,
so I don't think it's the end of the world. We were round the same
place in Portugal. Get a good start and have a good pace, and that
should be us."
Kenny Roberts - Team Owner: "We've been fighting grip since we got
here.
Now the package is getting better. It's a combination of not getting
it right on day one and practice one, then playing catch-up the rest
of the time. We have no experience on the race-track, and if you hit
it wrong at the beginning, it's difficult. In Portugal it seemed
good right from day one."
Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 15th. “I made a long series of
laps with a race bike setting and I have to say that, with these
conditions, the set up I’ll have at my disposal tomorrow is really
satisfying. When using qualifiers, the feeling with the bike changed
completely and, as many times throughout the season, I was not able
to make the best use of the grip I had. The bike handling becomes
harder on corner entry.”
250cc:
Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 7th: "It is difficult for me as
this track doesn't suit me at all. The main problem is my riding
because I struggled a lot and this doesn't help. On top of that, we
loose in acceleration compared to my rivals, especially the KTMs.
However, the bike set-up is okay but I can't take full advantage of
Honda potential. The hope for the title is really slim but I'll do
my best until the chequered flag".
Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: Will not start the race due to
broken leg sustained in Friday's free practice session.
Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 8th: "I'm not so happy with the result.
We had some problems with the suspensions. In fact, we managed to
improve a bit compared to yesterday and this morning, but it was not
enough, the problem is still there. The start position is not as
good as I expected, second row, so I'll have to make a good start in
order to be able to keep up with the leading group. I'll give my
best, let's see what happens."
David de Gea, Repsol Honda: 9th: The afternoon practice was
definitely not as good as in the morning, I was fifth in the morning
and ninth in the afternoon. However, we all know that no rider gives
it all during the free practices. But I think that the result is
good, because we also had a problem during the practice that made us
loose some time which I would have needed to get a better pace. I'm
really looking forward to the race tomorrow. The position is not
bad; I'm the first of the third row, so I'm going to give it all.
The bike's setting is very good and I also have a good pace, so I'll
try to give my very best.
Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 15th. "I'm losing a little
confidence with the bike. I had several real bad slides so we tried
several different tyres but I got a little confused about what to do
with the suspension. We have to work tonight to choose the best
option to stop the sliding. My race rhythm is good and I can run
1.36.5s no problem. In the race I need a good start and I will have
to pass a lot of riders if I want to get a good result, I am aiming
for the top ten. I can run a fast race but not as fast as I was in
Portugal."
Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 18th. "Everything is OK. In the
final session I had found a very good race rhythm and didn't want to
push too hard to chase a time and risk a crash. The track is so -
so, not a particular favourite of mine. I can run 1m 37s times all
the race and will be OK. The engine, chassis and tyres are working
well and all I need to do is get a good start and run my race pace
and I will score points."
Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 22nd. "The bike was much better this
afternoon than in the morning when the suspension settings were
causing the rear end to slide badly. The team have found a good
solution. The engine is good and with the chassis working well I
should have a good race tomorrow.
I live less than one hour from the track and know it well, I won a
Spanish Championship race here but even then its not one of my
favourites."
125cc:
Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 9th. "That was my best qualifying
session of the season and I'm the best Honda on the grid so I am
pleased about that.
We did have a few problems in that session. From the start we had
carburetion problems but the team fixed that. My engine is good and
I could out-accelerate Talmacsi, and I have good top speed. The
front suspension was not helping me hold my line but it's now
working the way I need it to.
Good engine, good chassis so I'm ready to race - I just need another
good start tomorrow."
Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 12th. "Well it was a positive
session this afternoon as we have worked well on the race set-up.
Unfortunately, we have chosen the wrong rear tyre at the last turn
of the qualifying session and the bike was sliding too much. In
general, though, we are almost ready; we all riders are very close
and tomorrow it could be a spectacular race".
Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 13t. "I was aiming for the second row of
the grid but end up on the fourth row. I am down on acceleration and
need to slipstream riders but to get the best time you need to
slipstream the best and I wasn't in a good group to do that. We will
fight in the race tomorrow this is my last race on a 125cc and I
want to finish as the top Honda rider in the championship. From my
grid position I need a good start and then try to pick them off one
by one to get to the front - try and score as many points as
possible. "
Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 14th. "The bike set up today was
better than yesterday and this morning. The bike lacks acceleration
but it was always like that this year. I’m satisfied because we are
solving some set up problems and tomorrow I can be competitive".
Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: 17th. "I'm happy with my time, my best
ever here, but unhappy with my grid position, the speed is high this
year. The bike is pretty good we did have an engine problem - I
could feel something was not quite right so I didn't push too hard,
it felt as if it was not pulling too hard. I like this track, I was
second here in a national race, so when the team fixed the problem I
could run very fast today. I need a good start - if I get that then
I can have a good race."
Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 23rd.: "Well, today didn't go really as
planned. The first crash was really my fault, I didn't allow the
front tyre to warm enough. It's a left-handed circuit and I went
into the right-hander and the heat wasn't quite in, my line wasn't
quite correct and with this mix together I crashed. Then I went out
with the second bike and didn't really do so well, though I did the
best I could. We made some changes in the afternoon which I thought
were ok but from the beginning the rear didn't feel quite right.
When I crashed I didn't realise. It was all of a sudden. The rear
slid and I went down. I went out on the second bike and improved on
my lap time. After three crashes in the weekend and improving with
bike number too, it's a slightly positive thing, but negative
overcomes everything positive this weekend. Tomorrow is when
everything counts, so I'll try to make a really good start, give
everything in the first few laps and try to keep going until the
end, and we'll see what we can get."
Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 35th: "I found a lot of traffic
during all the session and I couldn’t do a good lap".
Kazuma Watanabe, Humangest Honda: 36th. "In this morning session and
at the beginning of the qualifier my feeling with the bike wasn't so
good and I could not push as I would. Then, we put a different tyre
and things went definitely better. In the last two laps, I suffered
a small technical problem and couldn't improve further. Anyway, we
are going in the right direction".
Joey Litjens, Molenaar racing: 38th : "I put too much pressure on
myself in the qualifying session, I was too focused on a fast lap
and was just trying too hard. The high temperatures of today didn't
help us, the near 30'
robbed us of a little power. The team have worked really well and
have given me a bike that works well. They found a solution to the
front fork problem we had yesterday and put in a longer first gear.
I was 1.1 seconds faster today but I know if I had been relaxed I
could have gone 0.5s faster."
Clement Dunikowski, replacement rider for Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda:
39th:
“Today, the practices were more difficult than yesterday. This
morning I started the session quite well with a Honda bike that had
a very good maximum speed; I was 20th for a while and I quickly
improve my lap time of two tenth. Then, I entered a corner faster
and I unfortunately crashed. I finished the session with the second
machine of the team but my ankle was very painful. After the free
practice, I went to the medical centre because I could not walk.
However, despite the medical cares, I was not in a good shape for
the qualifying session. My ankle was still painful and I had a lot
of difficulty to feel comfortable on the bike. I could not do again
the lap time realized in the morning and so now, I am in 39th place
on the starting grid. ”
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