MotoGP 2006 - Round Three

Shinya Nakano will start from the second row of the grid in tomorrow's 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in fifth place during this afternoon's timed session at Mugello.

The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider used a new innovation from Bridgestone on his Ninja ZX-RR during today's practice and qualifying, in the form of a 16-inch rear tyre in place of the standard 16.5-inch slick used by every other rider in the MotoGP field.

The smaller tyre retains the rolling radius of the standard 16.5-inch slick, but taller sidewalls offer better shock absorption properties, while a more rounded profile enhances the Kawasaki's nimble handling through the many high-speed turns at Mugello.

Nakano also ran a standard rear tyre during both practice and qualifying, and will make a decision on which tyre to race after consultation with his crew and the Bridgestone tyre technicians this evening.

Randy de Puniet faces an uphill battle in tomorrow's 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, after two difficult runs on qualifying tyres during this afternoon's timed session left him down in 16th position, and facing a start from the sixth row of the grid.

Despite his qualifying position, de Puniet remains confident that he can put in a strong performance for Kawasaki in tomorrow's race, after finding a good race set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR during today's practice and qualifying sessions.

De Puniet also tested the 16-inch rear from Bridgestone today, but has opted for a standard 16.5-inch tyre for tomorrow's race. The Kawasaki rider will evaluate the new tyre further during a planned test at Mugello on the Monday after the race.

Shinya Nakano: 5th - 1'49.328
"On my last flying lap I could see Cardoso some way in front of me, so I used him as a target. I thought to myself that, if I didn't overtake him before the end of the lap, my time wouldn't be a good one, so I concentrated on chasing him down. I caught him just before the end, and as a result I qualified fifth. So, thanks for that Jose Luis! Compared to the three free practice sessions this afternoon's qualifying was much better. During free practice I was struggling to keep my times consistent, but then this afternoon everything came together and I was able to put together a string of laps in the 1'51 bracket on race tyres, which puts us in a strong position for tomorrow's race. Today we ran with a sixteen-inch rear tyre for the first time. Nobody has used this type of tyre before, so it was something of an unknown quantity, but it definitely offers some advantages compared to the standard size tyre. On corner entry the smaller tyre seems to absorb the bumps better, producing less chatter than the standard slick, and it also makes changing direction a little easier. After the jump start at Le Mans I've been practicing my starts here, using the rear brake to stop the bike creeping forward, so I'm confident there won't be any repeat performance tomorrow!"

Randy de Puniet: 16th - 1'50.597
"For sure, my qualifying position is not the best, but I can take some consolation in the fact that, on race tyres, we have a good set-up. I ran two qualifying tyres in the last fifteen minutes of the session, but I just didn't seem to be able to use them to their full potential. I don't know why, but both tyres were the same; it was strange. But, most important is that the bike is good for the race tomorrow. Starting from the sixth row of the grid for sure makes my job harder in the race tomorrow, but if I can get a good start then, hopefully, I'll be able to close the gap on the leading riders and finish with a good result."