MotoGP Jerez: Saturday (updated regularly)

Ducati Marlboro

Casey Stoner recorded his best ever MotoGP qualifying performance at the Jerez circuit to secure a front row spot for what promises to be a scintillating Spanish Grand Prix tomorrow. The Ducati Marlboro rider clocked the third fastest time in this afternoon’s qualifying session behind local pair Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, with his team-mate Nicky Hayden set to start from sixteenth on the grid after being unsettled by a dramatic change in the track conditions this afternoon.

After a tentative first day yesterday, Hayden made improvements this morning and was tenth fastest in the final free practice session. However, with a 15ºC increase in track temperature and the arrival of high winds he was unable to maintain his progress in the afternoon, lapping almost half a second slower than he had in the morning. Stoner also struggled with the tricky conditions but increased his pace and confidence towards the end of the session, eventually closing to within half a second of Lorenzo’s pole effort.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd (1’39.415)
“Our bike has never really worked well here in the past but we worked hard during the test and over the past two days to come up with a package that is at least competitive. This morning it felt really good and even though we weren’t top of the time sheets I felt confident. Unfortunately the wind tends to unsettle our bike and it was pretty hairy out there this afternoon – it certainly didn’t help me feel more confident with the bike after the front end issues we had yesterday! I set myself the target of a position on the second row so to get on the front row is an unexpected bonus and it will be really helpful for tomorrow. Until the last couple of years I’d always found it hard to do well in my home race but the Spanish and Italian guys always seem to find an extra gear on their own turf. The support for Dani and Jorge is fantastic, they are both riding well and they’ll definitely be competitive tomorrow. It should be great fun!”

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 16th (1’40.953)
“This morning certainly went a lot better, I thought we’d found a good way forward with the bike but this afternoon I had a very different feeling. The wind certainly didn’t help things but that is the same for everybody. It was very unstable in the fast corners and just not holding the line. We tried our best to fix it but things just didn’t go nearly as smooth as we’d like and we’ve ended up with a difficult grid position. We’ll see what we can do about it tonight. We’ll make a few small adjustments to the bike, make a few tweaks to the set-up here and there and see how it goes in warm-up. The only thing is that it’s quite cool here in the morning compared to the afternoon and, like today, the feeling with the bike changes a lot without touching a thing. It’s going to be tough but we’ll keep working hard and hopefully be in shape to put on a good show for these incredible fans tomorrow afternoon.”

Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2008), 1’40.116 – 159.053 Km/h
2009 Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’38.933 – 160.945 Km/h
Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2008), 1’38.189 – 162.164 Km/h

*************************************

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

A rather too sensational start to the 2009 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season saw Sturla Fagerhaug claim victory even though he crashed heavily and was half a lap behind the leading pack. The 17 year old Norwegian benefited from a restart following a 2 rider crash and pulled through to win an incredible 6 lap race 2 ahead of Mathew Scholtz and Danny Kent.

It was 16 year old South African Scholtz who rocketed away from the initial start into a 5 second lead only to run off the track when the extremely blustery wind took his front wheel away. He regained the track to cross the line 8th as the race was stopped. Featuring strongly in the first race and thus lining up for the restart in 2nd place the 15 year old Briton Kent was in the hunt for the win again after the restart.

Fagerhaug lined up at the back of the grid but with Scholtz unable to make the break-away that he did first time the battle that the South African had with 16 year old Frenchman Nelson Major and the rest of a 10 man lead pack slowed the race pace. That was all the help that Fagerhaug needed and he charged through.

Outbraking 2 or 3 riders a time into some corners Fagerhaug was unstoppable and finally stole the lead on the last lap. “When I crashed in the first day I thought it was going to be the worst day of my life. I couldn’t believe it when the race was restarted but you never want to see anyone get hurt so none of us were happy about it.”

“I’d made such a mess of the first start when I let out the clutch and the rear tyre slid sideways I just made sure I didn’t do it again. I was determined to get some good points and I saw the pack was not getting away. I started to realise that I really could get a good result but I never thought of winning it until the last lap when I saw I could do it,” concluded Fagerhaug.

It was the nasty fall of 15 year old Briton Harry Stafford that stopped the first race. He was right in the battle for the lead when the bike slid suddenly and highsided him right in front of the following pack, the front wheel of Florian Marino’s bike clipped the fallen rider and the 15 year old Frenchman also went down. Marino walked away but Stafford was taken by ambulance to hospital with a broken collarbone and severe concussion.

Scholtz had good reason not to try and repeat his attempted run-away in the restarted race. “The wind got under my bike and pushed the front wheel away in the first race. It was even worse after the restart and I had to make sure it didn’t happen again. I couldn’t believe it when Sturla caught us. One minute I looked behind and Danny was there then suddenly on the last lap… it was Sturla.”

Scholtz actually thought that the board said it was the second to last lap as did Kent. “I thought there was another lap to go,” said the Briton. “Still it was a great race and I’ll just have to see if I can go and win the race tomorrow.”

Fourth man home and strongly featuring throughout the two races was 14 year old Swede Alex Kristiansson. “I enjoyed myself so much, I really had fun. I wanted to get on the podium but it didn’t work out on the last lap, I’ll have to do it tomorrow.”

Similarly hoping for a better result in Sunday’s race, pole man Daijiro Hiura ended Saturday with no points as he crashed after pulling through to second following a mediocre start in the first race. “The wind was so hard, it just took my front wheel away,” explained the 14 year old Japanese who was unable to restart because of the damage to his KTM RC125.

***********************************

Team Haojue

The Chinese Haojue team continued its development programme at the bwin.com Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez today, with Michael Ranseder qualifying for tomorrow’s 125cc GP race on the 4.423 km circuit.

The Austrian rider put his proven experience and skill to good use to qualify within the required 107 per cent of the fastest qualifier, but his young British team mate, Matt Hoyle, riding in his first year in the GP class, just failed to make the cut.

Haojue team director Garry Taylor knows that improvements must be made; “The honeymoon period is over for us now and we need to get our heads down and make some real improvements in the next few GP races.

“Everyone knew it would be hard in this ultra-competitive class, but we are very concerned that we are still as much at 17kph down on top speed. We hoped to be far closer to the top runners on top speed and power by this time in the development programme. Our engine designers Jan Witteveen and Franco Moro are very aware of the problem and are working hard to overcome it. We also clearly have a reliability problem which we are working on.

“Our performance is certainly no reflection on the ability and commitment of our two riders, who are both contributing massively to the development programme.

“The whole team’s enthusiasm and the support of Haojue remain firm and we are all fully-committed to the success of this exiting and demanding project. But we need to resolve these problems very quickly if we are to show a real improvement.”

***********************************

DeGraaf Grand Prix (125cc)

On the Saturday of the Gran Premio bwin.com De España it was all about the wind. After rain at Qatar and Japan, there is a lot of sun but also a lot of wind in Spain. The lightweight Danny Webb was in advance with his weight and manages to grab the second row with an 8th position. Randy Krummenacher was smart in this session and used other riders ! their slipstream and ended up at a nice 13th starting position.

In the Saturday morning session the wind wasn’t as strong as in the qualification session but still much more compare to the Friday. Randy Krummenacher was the fastest DeGraaf Grand Prix rider with a 14th position. Danny Webb was struggled with the set-up and wasn’t happy with his 16th position.

The wind was so hard during the qualification session that it was hard for the mechanics to hold their light weight carbon pit boards. Also the DeGraaf Grand Prix riders found it difficult to ride with this wind but manage to have both a good qualification. Danny Webb grabbed the second row and Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher just missed the third row and will start tomorrow from a 13th position.

Danny Webb (8th, 1:49,353): ‘This second row feels good. It is the best qualification we had for this season. I’m happy with the progression we make. We not on a perfect set-up yet but we working in the right direction and it feels better and better on the bike. The wind was really extreme today. I had to work hard to hold mine line but manage to ride to the second row. For tomorrow in the race I hope to fight for a top 5 position but it will be tough to get there!”

Randy Krummenacher (13th, 1:49,968): “I’m pretty happy with today. It is a shame I just missed the third row. I’ve been held up by Sergio Gadea in mine fastest lap and lost some time there. We going in the right direction with the set-up and I’m happy how things going at the moment. I know I can ride these lap times constantly and try to get a top 8 position in the race tomorrow.”

***********************************

Red Bull KTM Moto Sport (125cc)

Red Bull KTM Moto Sport’s Marc Marquez, clearly at home in front of his home crowd in Jerez, Spain, finished fourth in qualifying for Sunday’s 125 cc GP on Saturday to secure a front row position on the grid.

It was the first time in his young career that the 16-year-old Spanish rider will be on the front row and he is understandably excited that he has achieved it in front of his home crowd. “I am very excited because I am on the front row in a GP for the first time, and now I can’t wait to go out and race. I really want to do well here at my home GP, but I know that I must not get too over-excited, because too much excitement can be treacherous! Yesterday we struggled a bit with our front fork, so we put a new one in for today and with the settings that we figured out at the texts in March eventually worked really well,” he added.

Marquez said he tried to adapt his riding style to cope with the winds that prevailed at the Spainsh circuit. “I shifted my body weight as much as possible towards the front of the bike to make it turn,” he said. “It worked quite well even though the wind gusts pushed me around here and there and everywhere.”

The team’s second factory rider, young American Cameron Beaubier, a former Red Bull Rookie and riding his first year with Red Bull KTM Moto Sport, finished in seventeenth place. “It was really windy this afternoon,” the 16-year-old American said. “We fine-tuned the set-up for the final session, but due to the conditions, I wasn’t able to go much faster. In fact, my lap times during the February tests here were a little faster. But never mind, I feel good and I am ready to race. I hope for a good start and to finally break into the point rankings which I missed so narrowly at the last race in Japan!”

Factory team boss Harald Bartol was also satisfied with his machinery and riders.
“Practice was really good for us, and being on the front row of the grid is certainly a highlight,” Bartol said. “Obviously, Marc is very motivated at his home GP, but at the same time, it’s remarkable how he withstands the pressure at his young age. But I am also impressed with Beaubier’s performance. He was doing whatever was possible with very windy track conditions without taking unnecessary risks. We completed all practice sessions without any problems on our bikes, which also boosts our confidence for a good race tomorrow!

Riders were at last able to complete a qualifying practice after rain had washed it out in the two GPs so far held, in Qatar and in Japan. This season the class has only one qualifying session instead of the two held in previous seasons. They faced almost perfect conditions on the famous Spanish circuit although they did have to content with the strong winds that affected the lighter bikes more than the other classes.

Repsol (125cc)

After two free practice sessions in the sunshine and some excellent track conditions in Jerez, a strong wind was an unwelcome guest during the classification session today. In spite of this Marc Márquez managed to make progress and classify on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s race, the first time ever for him in the World Championship.

Scott Redding will be on the second row – in seventh position – demonstrating that, like Márquez, he can also adapt to the risky conditions, riding in strong gusts of wind. It is no coincidence that these two riders also got good results last year at Donington Park where they got their first ever podium finishes in their careers in a strong wind which they reacted to spectacularly.

Esteve Rabat’s British teammate will start a little further behind, fourth row, after setting the sixteenth fastest time. The Repsol rider did not feel comfortable at any time today, the adjustments that the team made and which worked well in both the free session yesterday and this morning did not suit him this afternoon, this meant that he was not able to ride with confidence when the wind blew strongly. In fact, with 15 minutes left in the official session, Rabat fell on the second corner when his bike lost adherence on the front wheel.

The fourth Repsol rider in the category, Cameron Beaubier, finished in a positive seventeenth position, in a session where the American got better as time passed. The Repsol rider improved gradually, few riders were able to improve their times because of the wind, but Cameron was able to lower his best time yesterday by 4 tenths of a second, showing that he is slowly getting the hang of things in this category.

Marc MÁRQUEZ >> 1’48.931 secs, 34 laps, 150 km.
“This morning we thought that we could do things well, because the set up we got in practice a month ago finally worked well when we put a new fork on. I knew that I could set a good time, but when the wind got up it made things more difficult for me. I was dying to do a good lap, and although I could not be constant because of the strong gusts, sometimes they push you and other time it is against you, I was not able to do a set of fast laps, but I set a time that was the fourth fastest. I tried to adapt my style to the strong wind, throwing my weight forward to make the bike turn. I am very pleased because this is the first time I will be on the front row and I am really dying to put in a good performance. We will still be cautious because sometimes your desire gets the better of you and what the important thing is that you finish the race.”

Esteve RABAT >> 1’50.249 secs, 34 laps, 150 km.
“The two free sessions went perfectly and I felt fine on the bike. The problem was this afternoon in the strong wind, the sensations were nothing similar. The set up was not the same and it seemed that I was riding a bike that was not mine. I did not feel comfortable and I even fell trying to follow Iannone. On my final lap I tried to improve but I came across a rider on the track and that ruined things a bit. It is obvious that I would have liked to do things better, but it was not possible. We will continue to battle on and we will have to classify this session as just a set back, because if I get a good start tomorrow I can be up with the leaders.”

Scott REDDING >> 1’49.310 secs 31 laps, 137 km.
“Things went quite well. It was not possible to ride as fast as in the morning because of the wind, but we managed to adapt well. I am feeling better and better on the bike, and I can ride normally, like last year, so I should be able to make progress and get a good position. I think that the set up for tomorrow should work, because today I think it was a good one, even in the wind. I think we can finish in a good position in the race. It is complicated riding in the wind but I like it because I can control the bike well, and when I have had good races there have been strong winds blowing.”

Cameron BEAUBIER >> 1’50.256 secs, 32 laps, 142 km.
“At the beginning it took me some time to pick up the pace and I began slowly. But I put new tyres on and I was able to do much faster laps. I hope to have a good start tomorrow and work my way up to get among the points. We have the set up quite clear in our minds, the tyres too, and I just need to be consistent in the race tomorrow.”

Official Results
1. Julián SIMÓN
1:48.237
2. Bradley SMITH
1:48.434
3. Andrea IANNONE
1:48.519

4. Marc MÁRQUEZ
1:48.931
5. Sergio GADEA
1:48.955
7. Scott REDDING
1:49.310
16. Esteve RABAT
1:50.249
17. Cameron BEAUBIER
1:50.256

***********************************

Repsol Honda

Dani Pedrosa today came within 0.051s of claiming pole position for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix in an exciting qualifying clash at Jerez. Riding in front of his home crowd, the Repsol Honda star was quickest in this morning’s 45-minute session, and headed the timesheets for much of the afternoon, before being pipped for pole by only five one-hundredths of a second by fellow Spaniard, Jorge Lorenzo.

In both sessions today Pedrosa was inside the Jerez lap record he set in last year’s race and, with a few final adjustments to the race settings on his factory RC212V, the 23-year-old from Barcelona will be confident he can battle for a repeat of the victory he scored here last year.

Andrea Dovizioso will line up for tomorrow’s 27-lap race in 8th place on the grid after setting a lap time just over a second behind his team-mate. The Italian was able to improve his pace from yesterday by 0.6s in the morning practice, and believes he could have secured a spot on the front two rows this afternoon, but for the strong wind blowing across the 4.423km (2.748-mile) circuit which made for unpredictable riding conditions. Dovizioso remains confident of his chances in the race though, and will work with his team on final adjustments in tomorrow’s 20-minute warm-up.

With more sun forecast, a huge crowd is guaranteed to greet the MotoGP grid as they line up at 14.00 for the race start tomorrow.

Dani Pedrosa – 2nd – 1m 38.984s
“I’€™m happy because we’€™ve improved a lot from yesterday and we’re starting from the front row. This is always important – but especially at my home race. It was very windy this afternoon which made it quite difficult to ride with a consistent line and keep the rhythm on the bike, but still, my pace was good and I’€™ll go into the race with a lot of confidence. We still have some work to do to improve our set-up for the race but I’m happy with how we’€™ve progressed so far this weekend. Tomorrow is the important day though. There will be a lot of fans out there supporting me and the team and I really hope I can get a good result for them. If I get a start like I did at Motegi then that will help!”

Andrea Dovizioso – 8th – 1m 39.966s
“It has been a tricky session for everybody because it was really windy and this meant we couldn’€™t confirm some set-up improvements that we were testing. This morning we made some adjustments that gave us some positive feedback, and we wanted to keep working on them, but we couldn’€™t test properly this afternoon because of the strong wind. Still, we improved our race pace which is very important, it‒s just a pity that we will start from the third row. I think I could have been on the second row but during my fast lap I had a moment and lost the front in T4. Tomorrow morning we will work on further improving the feeling of mid-corner stability at the front. For the race I’ll have to make a good start because we cannot afford to lose contact with the guys in front.”

Kazuhiko Yamano – Repsol Honda Team Manager
“€œIt was a promising day for Dani, and second on the grid is a good place to be. His understanding of the machine is growing all the time. This is the first front row of the season for the team and indicates we’re going in the right direction. The machine is not perfect though and there are some small improvements we want to make before the race so that Dani can fight for the win. Andrea made some gains testing new parts this morning, though there are still some areas he’€™d like improved. We know he’€™s excellent in race conditions though so I’€™m hoping to get both riders on the podium tomorrow. The team did a really good job today and that’s what we’€™ll be targeting.”

*************************

Pramac Racing

Not the happiest qualifying practice ever for the Pramac Racing riders, Mika Kallio and Niccolò Canepa, who have respectively concluded in seventeenth and eighteenth position. The Finnish rider didn’t manage to confirm the great performance done during the official test in Jerez last March, where he concluded with the sixth fastest lap time, and will have therefore try another great comeback like last week in Motegi. Niccolò has made it to improve his lap times compared to yesterday and this morning, but he will have to start tomorrow’s race from the sixth row. The Italian rider will not give up and will try his best tomorrow to conquer more world championship points.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director
“We have a lot of work to do but we remain trustful for tomorrow’s race. The track conditions weren’t the same as in the last March test and we found some difficulties. We have tried many things without finding a good solution. We believe that during the warm up we will be able to put together the positive things found in these two days to give a competitive bike to Mika.”

Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider – 17th in 1′41.238
“Many things didn’t go in the right direction today. We have modified the bike many times without any luck. The only thing to do in this moment is analyze the data to understand in which direction we have to go. Today’s track condition was different compare to last March, but for sure we didn’t expect to be so far behind. Tomorrow it will be for us another comeback race.”

Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 18th in 1′41.253
“It went a bit better today even if with the race tyres I still need some more confidence. We have anyway got closer to the other riders and this for sure it will give us morale for tomorrow’s race. My learning period is going well and with patience we improve practice after practice. I want to thank my Team member for the great work they are doing for me.”

*************************

LCR Honda

The LCR Honda MotoGP Team rider Randy De Puniet got the second row for tomorrows 27-lap race at the crowded Jerez de la Frontera circuit which hosts the third round of the season. The Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V nr. 14 made 21 laps in total in this afternoon qualifying session clocking his quickest time of 1’39.806 on lap 17.

Thanks to the specific adjustments made in this morning free session when Randy finished 4th overall, the Frenchman improved his pace at the 4.423 Km Spanish track lapping consistently fast on race tyres with a ground temperature of 39°C. The 45-minute qualifying session was held in the dry but with a strong wind and the 28-year-old rode his HRC machinery to the 5th fastest time hoping to get a top-six finish in tomorrow’s race that gets underway at 14:00 local time.

The Spaniard rider Lorenzo on Yamaha topped the timesheets today with a 1’38.933 lap time followed by Pedrosa on Honda and Stoner on Ducati.

De Puniet – 5th – 1’39.806
“At the beginning of the session we run on our race set up and I am happy with that as we improved a little bit the engine mapping on the power delivery. Then, for the last few runs, we lapped on soft tyres to improve our grid position but it was difficult due to the strong wind. It was not easy to do one perfect lap and I made some small mistake as the wind pushed me outside and inside of the track but this second row makes me very happy. The Team made a good job and we improved the bike step by step. Honestly I aim to get a top-six finish and we have good chance to do it as we will start from the 5th position and our package is pretty competitive”.

*************************

MotoGP

The man of the moment in MotoGP, Jorge Lorenzo delighted the home crowd at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in beautiful conditions on Saturday afternoon, as he repeated his 2008 pole for this year’s Gran Premio bwin.com de España.

In stark contrast to the appalling weather at Motegi a week ago, which saw qualifying cancelled altogether, the growing Spanish crowd at the Andalusian track were bathed in some typical Iberian sunshine and the riders only had a strong wind to contend with during the timed sessions.

Lorenzo and his Spanish rival Dani Pedrosa did battle for pole position during the 45-minute session, with the Fiat Yamaha rider eventually emerging on top with a 1’38.933 hot lap on the eighteenth of his 21 turns of the track.

Saturday morning’s fastest rider Pedrosa again demonstrated his improving form and fitness on his Repsol Honda RC212V machine, lapping just 0.051s behind his young compatriot.

Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner, who won the BMW M Award at Jerez in March’s Official MotoGP Test, was around half a second behind Lorenzo; his best effort put him third on the grid at one of his least-favoured tracks.

Friday’s top man, World Champion Valentino Rossi could not match his championship rivals and after a modest Saturday morning free practice outing the Italian qualified off the front row for the first time this year in fourth place.

A good effort from Randy de Puniet saw him as the top satellite qualifier in fifth place for the LCR Honda team, whilst the second line of the grid was rounded off by Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi – who made sure four different manufacturers are represented on the front two rows.

The third row, meanwhile, features Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini).

Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) was tenth fastest, with Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) twelfth and 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) down in sixteenth.

San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis crashed at the end of the session and qualified in fifteentth place, but was not reported to be injured.

250cc
An interesting 250cc qualifying practice concluded the Saturday action, with Álex Debón (Aeropuerto Castello-Blusens) making it three Spaniards on pole in the three World Championship categories, following Julián Simón’s 125cc success earlier in the day.

The fans in Andalucia had further reason to cheer, as Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team Aprilia) qualified in second place, edging out the third fastest rider – Metis Gilera’s World Champion Marco Simoncelli – who suffered the second of two Saturday crashes in the session.

Mapfre Aspar’s Álvaro Bautista was the third Spanish 250cc rider notching himself a front row start, whilst the second row will feature Jules Cluzel (Matteoni Racing), Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team), Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Thomas Luthi (Emmi – Caffe Latte).

125cc
The 125cc qualifying session followed the free practice form as Simón took top spot for his home race, with a 1’48.237 best lap. In a great QP for the Bancaja Aspar team Bradley Smith put himself second on the grid, behind teammate Simón with a lap two tenths off the Spaniard’s pace, whilst the team’s third rider Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar) qualified in fifth.

Tucking themselves in behind Simón and Smith were series leader Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A) and young Spanish rider Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) – who missed last year’s race in his debut campaign due to a preseason injury.

Gadea missed the front row by just 0.024s, but heads the second line of the grid in front of Dominique Aegerter (Ajo Interwetten). Scott Redding (Blusens Aprilia) and Danny Webb (Degraaf Grand Prix) were seventh and eighth respectively, meaning that there are three Britons on the front two rows.

*************************

Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi will start his 285th Grand Prix from the second row of the grid tomorrow, as he rode his Suzuki GSV-R to sixth place during a windy Jerez Grand Prix qualifying today.

Capirossi recorded a fastest time of 1′39.862 from his 20 laps of the 4,423m Spanish circuit, less than a second off pole-setter and home favourite Jorge Lorenzo. Capirossi made many changes to his bike today during both this morning’s free practice session and this afternoon’s qualifying. He now believes that tyre-wear will be a big issue for all riders tomorrow, but is convinced he – and his crew – have the GSV-R set-up to go for a high-placed finish.

Chris Vermeulen will start from 10th place on the grid as he recorded a best time of 1′40.185 from his 22 laps. Vermeulen worked tirelessly with his crew in both sessions and his confidence rose as the day progressed. Suzuki’s Australian star made big steps with the bike and now has a good setting for tomorrow’s race. He is targeting to get away well from the start and fight for a top-five position.

Sunday’s 27-lap race is the third round on the calendar, and riders and fans alike will be hoping for the �good weather that has been present this weekend �to continue when the lights change to signal the start of the race at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) tomorrow.

Loris Capirossi:
“Even though we were second yesterday and we were sixth this afternoon, it has been a much better day for us today. We did a great job this morning on the bike’s setting and we improved a lot. We tried three different settings and found the best one to preserve the life in the tyre – this is a good step for us. The condition this afternoon was very difficult because it was so windy; this is the third race where we have not had perfect conditions. The sun was beautiful, but the wind was very strong and it made it difficult out there. Overall I am happy with where we are and we are ready for the race. We will be on the second row for the third time this year, but we were so close to being on the front row. I will be fighting hard right from the start and try to understand how the tyres will behave and make them last the distance!”

Chris Vermeulen:
“It was not the position we wanted so I am a bit disappointed with that. We made some good steps with the bike and I am now a lot more comfortable on it. It has given me confidence to push a bit more and my speed was definitely up in that session, but we still need to make another step to get totally competitive. In this morning’s session I concentrated on using a race-tyre and doing a lot of laps to give us an idea of what it would be like at the end of the race. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and move up through the field in the first couple of laps and try to do whatever I can. Hopefully with a good race we can get a top-five position, which is going to be tough from the fourth row, but it’s certainly our target!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“It is good to see Loris maintain his run of second row starts, and whilst Chris is disappointed with 10th we can all tell from his body language this afternoon that he is in a much better position for the race than he was this morning. The wind made things incredibly difficult for all riders this afternoon and the lap-times were quite surprising considering that. It seems that we have improved the feeling of the bike for both the guys this afternoon. There’ll be some additional things to try in the morning warm-up, but hopefully we can carry this improvement on into the race tomorrow and perform at our best!”

*************************

Fiat Yamaha

Man-of-the-moment Jorge Lorenzo put in a blistering qualifying display at his home race in Jerez this afternoon to take his fifth pole with Yamaha in MotoGP. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi meanwhile qualified fourth on a blustery afternoon in Andalucia.

It was Lorenzo’s second consecutive pole at this track, having taken the top grid spot this time last year before finishing the race third. After last weekend’s win in Motegi the Mallorcan was disappointed to run into a few difficulties yesterday but all that was reversed today with a few set-up changes and the youngster hit form in style, setting a string of fastest laps this afternoon and looking happily in tune with his Yamaha M1 and Bridgestone tyres. The only rider to get close to him was fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa, who qualified second to set up a mouth-watering Spanish showdown for the partisan 120,000-strong crowd in tomorrow’s race.

Rossi looked the man to beat yesterday but was unable to replicate a similar pace today, struggling to find the same feeling in the windy conditions. The reigning World Champion put in his best lap at the end of the session but was unable to knock Casey Stoner off the outside of the front row and will have to settle for starting at the head of the second tomorrow, directly behind his team-mate.

Jorge Lorenzo, Position: 1 Time: 1′38.933 Laps: 21
“It’s amazing to have the pole position here again, in my home country. Riding at this track is extra special for a Spanish rider and I felt a great motivation today. Yesterday we had some problems and I was a bit worried but we have worked well in the team and today we managed to resolve everything so that I could ride my Yamaha just how I wanted to. I felt very comfortable and I hope that this will be the same for the race. We’re starting in the best possible position; I know it will be hard tomorrow because everyone is close but I feel confident that we can fight to be on the podium again, as at the last two races. I hope it’s a bit less windy tomorrow though!”

Valentino Rossi, Position: 4 Time: 1′39.642 Laps: 21
“I’m a bit unhappy because we had a few problems and it actually hasn’t been such a good day, it was also very windy which made it more difficult! Yesterday we were very fast from the start and we hoped to keep going like this today but we have lost some feeling and now I can’t ride and push how I want to. At the moment I am not happy with the setting for the race and we need to work hard to understand the situation and try to improve it because we must be stronger tomorrow. Now we will make a long meeting and try to find some solution to try for the warm-up tomorrow.”

Daniele Romagnoli, Team Manager – 99: “We couldn’t ask for more than this as far as a qualifying performance goes! The team did a great job to fix yesterday’s problems and give Jorge a bike that enabled him to have a good pace for race conditions and also allowed him to be very, very fast for his flying laps this afternoon. It’s going to be a close race tomorrow because the top riders are all fast but we are confident that we can make it a good one for us.”

Davide Brivio, Team Manager – 46: “Missing out on the first row means that tomorrow’s race will be a bit more difficult in the early stages. Our race pace and rhythm are not so bad but we still need to make some adjustments because our potential is a lot better than this. We have to make Valentino more comfortable so that he can ride how he wants to, so now our engineers will study the data and look to come up with something to improve the setting.”

*************************

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Colin Edwards rode his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine to a brilliant seventh place in today’s Spanish MotoGP qualifying session at a sun-drenched Jerez circuit.

A thrilling 45-minute session run in sunny but breezy conditions saw American Edwards post a best time of 1.39.926 in the final minute to claim a place on the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s 27-lap race.

The 35-year-old encountered some small front-end grip issues this afternoon but was only 0.5s away from a front row start in an exciting session, the top seven riders split by less than a second. Edwards is confident he can be a strong contender in tomorrow’s race having set a consistently fast pace throughout practice on his YZR-M1 machine.

British rider James Toseland had a frustrating afternoon, a best lap of 1.40.670 leaving the 28-year-old in 14th on the grid for the first European race of 2009. Toseland is still searching for a comfortable set-up on his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. He’s confident he can run a much faster pace in the race with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew working tirelessly to improve his feeling.

Tomorrow’s race will carry extra importance for the Tech 3 Team, with Monster Energy President Mark Hall making a special visit to the Spanish MotoGP race, which is traditionally one of the showpiece events on the calendar.

Colin Edwards 7th 1.39.926 – 20 laps
“I was really happy with the bike this morning. I was able to run a fast and consistent pace that only the top three were able to better. But we changed a couple of things on the bike for qualifying and it was the wrong direction unfortunately. Those changes probably cost me a place on the second row. I kept tucking the front and that has never happened before on Bridgestone. I’ve not had the front move on me once since I first tried Bridgestone back in November. The front tyre is magic but for some reason I wasn’t comfortable this afternoon. We’ll just revert back to the set-up we had this morning for the race because I had no issues at all really. I’m still confident for the race. It is going to be hot and tyre endurance will be crucial as always. I did nine laps on the hard compound and it was spinning but it always does that. It’s just how you manage it from that point and I think the setting we had this morning and yesterday will be fine. I’m determined to put on a good show for Mark Hall from Monster Energy and my guys at Tech 3 who have been working hard to give me a good bike as always.”

James Toseland 14th 1.40.670 – 19 laps
“It has been a frustrating day. We have been working a lot on the bike and when we cure one problem we create another. That session was almost like a test than a qualifying session and it is frustrating because I feel like I can definitely run the pace around the top six. I’m just trying to find a compromise between good braking stability and acceleration exiting corners. We seem to improve in one area but then sacrifice something in another area. My pace wasn’t too bad on the hard compound race tyre, so if I can get a good start and get away with the pack in front I’m sure I can have a good race and be in there fighting.
We’ll definitely be working hard tonight to improve for the race. I’ll be giving it my all as always and hope to show Mark Hall how strong the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is.”

*************************

Bridgestone

Tyre compounds used: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium

Motegi winner and last year’s polesitter Jorge Lorenzo claimed pole position by just 0.05 seconds after a great battle with fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who won here last season. Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa was in front for most of the session but Fiat Yamaha’s Lorenzo finished ahead after the two traded places in the closing minutes of qualifying.

Most riders started the session on the hard compound front Bridgestone and the medium compound rear. Two thirds of the way through the 45 minute session, 0.2 seconds separated the top six riders, and the top 12 riders were all within one second.

Towards the end of qualifying, the lap times dropped markedly as riders opted for the soft compound rear Bridgestone for optimum traction on Jerez’s new and more abrasive surface. Lorenzo’s pole lap was 1.2 seconds faster than last year’s fastest race lap, set by Pedrosa.

Fastest in the pre-season test at Jerez, Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s race from third position for the Ducati Team. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi of Fiat Yamaha, LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet and Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi will line up on the second row of the grid.

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development: “The tyre situation was exactly as we expected following the pre-season test here, so I am happy with the compounds we chose. The softer option Bridgestones worked better this morning in free practice when the track temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, and the harder options worked well this afternoon in qualifying when the temperature was 45 degrees so again we can say we have covered all expected conditions with just two compounds.

“At the winter test Casey was far ahead of everyone, fastest by 0.7 seconds, but today we have seen very close competition. I think as the teams and riders get more time on the track with our 2009 tyres, especially those who did not use Bridgestones last year, the field is getting closer. With the race temperature tomorrow expected to be the same as this afternoon, I think almost all riders will choose the hard front and medium rear Bridgestones.”

*************************