Results from the MotoGP Test May 3rd at Jerez

1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1′39.425
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1′39.480
3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1′39.506
4. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1′39.609
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1′39.760
6. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1′39.786
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1′39.906
8. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1′39.958
9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1′40.040
10. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1′40.042
11. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1′40.129
12. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1′40.370
13. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1′40.446
14. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1′40.463
15. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 1′40.470
16. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1′40.686
17. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1′40.932

The traditional post-Spanish Grand Prix one day test session for MotoGP teams at the 4.423km Jerez circuit was run in perfect weather conditions and the Honda RC212V riders and team technicians worked non-stop from 10.00. until 18.00. testing new parts and as many set up options as time permitted. All six RCV riders improved upon their race performances of yesterday with Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, who finished second in the grand prix, topping the time sheets today.

Pedrosa, and Repsol Honda team mate Andrea Dovizioso, had a full day testing a variety of updated engine and chassis parts brought to Jerez by the HRC engineers. Both men improved upon their best lap times posted in Sunday’s grand prix, Pedrosa’s best time of 1m 39.425s was three-tenths of a second inside the track record he established in the race.

Pedrosa has struggled to adapt to the Ohlins suspension system that the Honda factory team has chosen to run this season but today he finally made the sort of progress he has been chasing all season. Dovizioso has more experience with Ohlins and he was on the pace from the outset today. The Italian was very pleased with the new swinging arm and chassis specifications which, together with updated engine performance, particularly the increased acceleration, allowed him to slash seven-tenths off his best race lap with a time of 1m 39.760s.

LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet was disappointed with his performance in Sunday’s 27 lap race. The Frenchman started the race form sixth on the grid but a bad start and traffic restricted him to a ninth place finish in the race. De Puniet was consistently fast all day today his best lap one second better than his best race lap yesterday.

The San Carlo Honda Gresini duo of Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli put their track time to good use today with both men setting faster lap times than during Sunday’s race. More importantly the test allowed the Gresini team technicians the time they need to test the multipule chassis and suspension options available to them in order to get the best out of the overall set up on the Bridgestone control tires.

Melandri was stronger today than during the race weekend, his race simulation was the most encouraging result and the team made progress on set up while using the softer Bridgestone tire compound, something that has plagued Melandri from the beginning of the season.

MotoGP Rookie Simoncelli has suffered with rear grip problems since he first rode the RCV and still has much work if he is to improve his rolling chassis set up to a point where he is completely comfortable. He made progress in some areas and was almost half a second faster during the test than in the race.

Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda, put in a marathon session today running 97 laps of the Andalucian circuit. The Japanese MotoGP Rookie still has much to learn about the RC212V and spent the day working on general machine set up trying several alternative configurations and was pleased with the results having set lap times faster than during the GP on Sunday, his best over one second faster than his best race lap..

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1st. 1m 39.425s – 60 laps.
“This was a useful day of testing and we spent some time working in detail on suspension adjustments – some of the things we didn’t have the time to test in the pre-season because we were focusing on other issues. We also tried a modified spec engine and collected some information for the development engineers, but it’s too early to say whether it’s a step forward yet because we only had two runs out of the pits with it. The crash was a little strange and I wasn’t expecting it, but the important thing is that I’m not hurt and I can look forward to Le Mans which is a circuit I’ve raced well at before. I’m looking forward to the next round.”

Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 4th. 1m 39.609s – 63 laps.
“Well … I am happy about the further improvements we got today but in the mean time this testing session was very tough for me because last night I suffered a bad stomach pain and still feel weak. Anyway we are pleased with the chassis and suspension adjustments we have developed today. After two races we had a few things to fix but we did not have the time to do it during the race week ends so it was a good day to clear some points. We have been working on the start because my result was affected mainly by my bad start and my lap time have been consistent throughout the whole session both on used and new tires so we have ended this first testing with a promising progress”.

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 5th. 1m 39.760s – 71 laps.
“I’m happy with my lap time today and, although the track conditions were better than yesterday, 39.7 is a good time on the Bridgestone harder option tire and it’s only two tenths behind the fastest time set with that tire, so I’m pretty satisfied with that. Our machine lacks a bit of stability so it’s not easy to be consistent but I’m really happy with the new parts Honda has brought here. We tried the new chassis and swingarm which have improved the last part of the braking area and corner entry. The new specification engine has improved the acceleration slightly and we’ll look at the data and decide if we’ll use it in the upcoming races.”

Marco Melandri, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 11th. 1m 40.129s – 84 laps.
“It has been a really positive day which we have spent working on our race pace, having suffered a little yesterday after a few laps with a full tank. We made some changes and completed a race simulation to see if they had the desired effect and I’m quite happy with what we found. I also tried for a fast time on a soft tire but I ran into too many riders on track and didn’t manage to improve by the few tenths that I could have but really that wasn’t the priority today. Things are progressing now and although we are still some way short of the top guys we still have to take things step by step. My pace today was noticeably stronger than yesterday, when I only managed two laps in the 1’40s and spent the rest of the time in the mid-1’41s. Today I was consistently in the 1’40s so I’m confident about going to Le M ans, where I hope we can take another step forward.”

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 12th. 1m 40.370s – 83 laps.
“I’m quite happy because we found a few positive things today. We haven’t completely resolved the problem I had in the race but we reduced it and I managed to improve my pace on a consistent basis on hard tires so I’m happy. We didn’t manage to find any more rear grip but we took other steps forward, like improving my speed on a soft tire, so we go to Le Mans with high hopes of doing well. With time to sit down and analyse the data we gathered here, working out what worked and what didn’t, I’m sure we can improve even more in time for the next race. We could do with test days like these more often!”

Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 15th. 1m 40.470s – 97 laps
“We did a lot of testing today and we were able to find some positive things. I could gain some more experience because of this test and I have some ideas for the upcoming Grand Prix. The average lap times were better than in the race, this means we improved and that is good. I would have loved to be even faster, but I will keep that for the next time.”

The Fiat Yamaha Team made the most of a rare day’s testing at Jerez, one of the few post-race tests they will have this season. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo had a busy and successful day, finishing second and third respectively in the standings behind Dani Pedrosa.

Rossi, who finished third in the race on Sunday, worked with his crew to improve the M1 race setting, trying to understand the problems that had hampered them during the weekend. It was a largely successful day as his fastest time was an improvement on his best time from the weekend. He also tried a new engine evolution, which it is hoped will improve acceleration, reporting a small improvement. The Italian had one upset during the day when he had a low-speed crash at turn two, luckily causing no further damage to his recovering shoulder.

After his incredible home win, Lorenzo had to delay the celebrations one day more in order to get back on board yesterday. The main aim for his side of the garage was to try to improve his starts and his early race performance, and the Spaniard did over 20 practice starts during the day. He too had some new parts to try, including a chassis development, electronics and the modified engine. Lorenzo, who turns 23 today, finished the day in third, just behind his team-mate.

Valentino Rossi – Position: 2nd Time: 1′39.480 Laps: 61
“We improved our race setting a bit and found better stability and grip, so we arrived at the right place finally, even if we were too late for the race! We tried a new front tire for Bridgestone, which was good and also a slightly different engine from Japan, trying to improve the acceleration. The difference was small but important, although we don’t know yet when we will be able to use it in a race. My lap times were fast and apart from the small crash, when I just put a bit too much lean on and lost the front, it was a good day. I was only doing 65 km/h so luckily it wasn’t a problem. Now we have a long rest and I want to fully recover so I’m back to full strength in Le Mans.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 3rd Time: 1′39.506 Laps: 71
“It was an interesting day. Most of all we worked on our starts; I think I did something like 25 starts! I do find it quite difficult because the clutch and acceleration aren’t always the best parts of our package, but today was good to understand how we can improve. We also tried some new electronics, including traction control, and chassis parts, as well as trying a slightly different engine. The difference wasn’t big but I did notice it, so I think this is the right way. Today is my birthday and I am looking forward to finally celebrating my win!”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“This was a very positive test because we tried many things and got some good information. The first important thing was to try to improve the setting of the weekend and understand where we went wrong, and this was more or less successful. Then we tried some different electronic maps and a new front Bridgestone which was very promising. Finally we tested a slightly different engine; a developed model that we may not see soon but our feedback will be very valuable for Yamaha in their future work. An important day’s work.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“Today was very interesting, especially because we don’t have many tests this year. We worked largely on trying to understand why Jorge is so much faster later in the race and also we worked on starts, because we need to improve them too. We found out some interesting information, which will help us to understand how to have the same speed throughout the race. We need to go to another track now to get a better idea of the situation but hopefully the work we’ve done will be very useful.”

The Ducati Marlboro Team were back on track in breezy but pretty warm conditions at Jerez today for the first of two post-race test days planned for this season. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden took the opportunity to try a variety of different set-up options, clocking the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 6th fastest 1:39.786 (66 laps)
“Today was quite productive because we found a race set-up for this track that was better than yesterday, with improved front feeling which is what we had been looking for all weekend. We went for quite a radical change and it did the trick but we’ll have to wait and see if it works at other circuits because this place tends to put more pressure on front tires than a lot of places and it requires a particular approach. Anyway, we go to Le Mans with a lot of useful data and hopefully it can help us there too.”

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th fastest 1:39.906 (70 laps)
“It has been a useful day even though we haven’t found anything spectacular. That’s to be expected because we have taken huge steps forward to get to this point and it’s always going to be more tricky to find those last couple of tenths. We changed some things with the geometry, suspension settings and a few general areas that we hadn’t had time to try over the weekend. We got a lot of data which will be useful because we don’t have another chance to test until after Brno.”

Daniel Ruiz won his home race from Danny Kent and Daijiro Hiura. 16 laps of edge-of-the-seat action with up to 8 men fighting for the lead. The 18 year old Spaniard was squeezed either side by Hiura and Kent into the last hairpin corner but fought them off to take his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Ruiz. “To win at my home Grand Prix is just incredible. When I got in front early on in the race I thought I should try and get away but it just wasn’t possible. When Daijiro came past I followed him a bit and changed my plan. I knew it would come down to a last lap battle. I got in front again on the last lap but even at the last corner I had Daijiro up the inside and Danny outside, I just had to keep going and get on the gas as soon as I could.”

Hiura, the 15 year old Japanese, had the frustration of 3rd after 2nd on Saturday. “I tried to get away but again it was not possible. We were all together on the last lap and I thought I could win. Then at the end of the back straight Kent and I went wide and Dani Ruiz got ahead, that’s where I lost the race today.”

Fourth man home was 17 year old South African Mathew Scholtz and he was a lot happier than he had been on Saturday, “That was a much better race, cleaner and faster, a lot more fun. The front guys had got away a bit but towards the end I really got my rhythm together and closed back up to them. Going onto the last lap I thought I was in a good position but just at the last corner it all got too tight and the best I could do was to chase them across the line. I am happy with that though and we go to Mugello next. That’s a track that I love so I hope I can get on the podium.”

Scholtz out-dragged Harry Stafford to take that 4th place but the 16 year old Briton had a brilliant race. He pulled a chasing pack of 5 through to join Ruiz, Hiura and Kent to make it an 8 man lead battle that also included Jake Gagne, Niccolo Antonelli and Florian Alt. Stafford was the fastest man on the track as he charged through and had pace enough to take the lead. “It was great fun, I loved catching those guys it was a great feeling and I thought I might win it. Then we also started passing and re-passing each other and I couldn’t get clear. It was still a great race and I can’t wait for Mugello.”

It was another fine ride from Jake Gagne but the 16 year old Californian was not happy with 6th. “Not really, it was OK, I got some points but it’s not where I want to be, I just didn’t really have it together here. At least we are a bit closer on bike setting going to the next race and Mugello doesn’t have the same slow corners so it should be better anyway. I want to go much better there.”

Niccolo Antonelli, the 14 year old Italian in his 2nd Rookies race was a superb 7th and had thoughts of even better. “I had a great race, a lot of fun. I was going to try for the podium but braking into the last corner Scholtz was inside and I got pushed wide so couldn’t make it. I’ll try again in Mugello.”
Josh Hook’s 8th was impressive, coming as he did from 20th on the grid. “That wasn’t too bad, I am happy with the way the weekend ended because the crash I had on Friday took my confidence away and I didn’t qualify well. So I’ve got my confidence back with that and am looking forward to the next race,” concluded the 17 year old Australian.

The 14 year old German Florian Alt was also pleased with his 9th. He had been with the lead 8 man battle for much of the race. “I could stay with them but only when I had the slipstream, when I lost it there was nothing I could do and I dropped back. Still I have learnt a lot and really enjoyed the weekend.

There were a number of fallers, mostly without injury but Brazilian 14 year old Antonio Chiari is nursing a plastered left forearm after badly wrenching his thumb and unfortunately Alan Techer, the 15 year old Frenchman, was taken to hospital with moderate concussion and a broken left upper arm that will probably require and operation to reset.

Jorge Lorenzo produced one of the rides of his life to take a superb win in Spain today, the grandeur of a full-to-bursting Jerez providing a fitting amphitheatre for his first MotoGP win on home soil. Valentino Rossi finished third, making it a sixteenth double podium for the Fiat Yamaha pair since 2008.

Lorenzo got a bad start and had dropped from second to fifth by the second lap, as he struggled to find a rhythm with a full fuel tank. On lap five he was able to pass Casey Stoner and then, five laps on, Nicky Hayden but he looked destined to stay in third as he languished 1.5 seconds adrift of Rossi, who was in turn the same distance from Pedrosa. With a third of the race to go however the Spaniard picked up pace, suddenly the fastest man on track as he stormed up on his team-mate. On lap 22 he despatched the Italian but with only five laps left and a two second gap a victory still looked unlikely. The tenacious youngster was not giving up however in pursuit of a sixth premier-class win and he rapidly gained on his fellow Spaniard to bring himself within striking distance on his penultimate lap. His first attempt to pass resulted in a dramatic moment as they both momentarily looked like running off track and in the end he had to leave it to the last lap to make the definitive move, passing Pedrosa on the brakes at the end of the back straight and crossing the line 0.543 seconds ahead. Lorenzo, who turns 23 on Tuesday, celebrated in hilarious style by leaping into the lake in the middle of the circuit, much to the rapture of the home fans who were already celebrating Spanish wins in the 125cc and Moto2 classes earlier in the day.

Rossi was happy to make the podium, having struggled all weekend to overcome his injured shoulder and set-up problems with his M1. The World Champion got a great start from the second row and was second behind Pedrosa for most of the race. He stayed in touch in the early stages but began to drop back as his bike started to slide, eventually giving best to his charging team-mate and settling for the final podium spot and a valuable 16 points, 0.4 seconds behind Pedrosa.

The Championship is now led by Lorenzo with 45 points, while Rossi is four points off him in second. The riders now have a three-week break before the French round at Le Mans on 23rd May.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1stTime: 45′17.538
“It has always been one of my dreams to win a MotoGP race in Spain and this was like a movie, everything that could possibly happen did! It was a very hard race because I made such a bad start and then found it very difficult in the first laps – I gave myself a tough job to do. After that I started to feel better and rode like a demon to get to the front. Once I passed Valentino I knew that I couldn’t take it easy, I had to try everything to win and it was all I could think about. I had a great fight with Dani and in one moment we nearly crashed so I had to try again, on the very last lap! I know it’s better to win races calmly, from the front, but lately that hasn’t been the way for us and I have had to fight on every lap. I saw the lake on Thursday and thought it would be funny to jump in and I think the fans liked it, but I didn’t really think about how heavy I’d be with wet leathers and for a minute I thought I wasn’t going to get out! This has been an amazing day, I can’t believe I’ve achieved this dream of mine, in front of all the Spanish fans at this magical place.”
Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rdTime: +0.890
“This just wasn’t our race this year. We have struggled all weekend, first with my shoulder and then with the bike, and in the race today I couldn’t do any more than third. I got a great start and was fast with the new tire, I tried to go with Dani but then I started to slide a lot and I just had to play it safe. I made no mistakes and I’m happy about my race in the circumstances, these 16 points are very important. At the end I had a front-row seat to the Spanish party and I admit I was sorry not to be involved, Jorge did a great job today and I think it was very exciting for all the fans. I want to say thank you to Dr. Costa and all the staff at the Clinica Mobile, plus everyone back in Italy who has worked on my shoulder to allow me to be able to race this weekend. I will hopefully be back to full strength in Le Mans so I’m looking forward to that.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“It’s fantastic to win this race in this way. The race itself was amazing, especially the last ten laps; a fight on the edge. Before the race started our target was just to be on the podium again and we managed the highest step, so we could not ask for more! Jorge was so fast at the end of the race, really amazing. We have wondered why he seems to get much stronger at the end of races; I think it’s a combination of his riding style and confidence, because from a technical point of view there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. Apart from a less than perfect start, he controlled the bike very well during and kept a very good pace. He was able to keep the pace at the beginning and never gave up; he just got better. The target for the season remains the same, to keep aiming for the podium every weekend. We all know there are a lot of great riders out there and they all want to win, so it won’t be easy. We have always been confident about our potential and now we are even more so. Well done to Jorge and all the team.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Considering his recent injury we can see this as a very good result. The shoulder was okay and in fact the setting was the bigger problem, but the team did a great job to improve it as much as they could and we are happy that we made it onto the podium. Valentino got a fantastic start and was fast in the early stages but later on he couldn’t keep pace with Lorenzo and Pedrosa so 16 points is good for us today. We have some work to do for Le Mans, when we hope Valentino will be back to full fitness. Well done to Jorge and all his side of the garage, he did a great race today.”

Tough Spanish MotoGP race for Monster Yamaha Tech 3

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team was left to contemplate what might have been after a difficult and disappointing Spanish MotoGP race at the Jerez circuit this afternoon.

Colin Edwards fought a determined battle at the rear of a frenetic battle for seventh position in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 122,048 passionate Spanish fans.

The Texan eventually had to settle for 12th position after he encountered small rear grip issues in the crucial final stages that left him unable to mount a sustained offensive on the exciting mid-pack dice.

It was also a frustrating first Jerez MotoGP experience for 25-year-old Ben Spi es, who had started the race with high expectations after a brilliant performance in practice and qualifying.

The reigning World Superbike champion made a blistering start and gained two places on the opening lap to sit menacingly behind former world champion Casey Stoner in sixth position.

But just as Spies looked to consolidate his place in the leading group, he encountered a front-end issue that saw him unable to maintain his fast pace.

Despite his valiant efforts to continue and score valuable points for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, Spies opted to retire at the end of lap eight after he’d fallen out of the top ten.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team will be hoping for improved fortunes when the MotoGP world championship resumes in France later this month. The Le Mans clash is the all-important home race for the Monster Yamaha Te ch 3 Team, with high hopes of a strong display in the third round of the 2010 campaign.
Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – Position: 12thTime: +38.371
“I think I’ve had one good race at Jerez in my entire career and today wasn’t it. This weekend has been a struggle and I’ve never been comfortable on the bike to show the pace I know I am capable of. Right from the start I had issues with the rear grip and I couldn’t hold any load on the tire at full lean angle. That also created some problems with the front-end, so I just struggled with the balance of the bike. It’s the exact same issue that I had in Qatar even though the set-up I’m running is quite a bit different. I’d just like to be in a race. At the moment I just feel like I’m riding around and suffering. I can only look forward to Le Mans knowing that I go really well at that track and so does the Yamaha.”
Ben Spies

Ben Spies – Position: DNF
“It’s just one of those things that can happen but it’s really unfortunate because after coming here and learning the track really quick I thought we had a really good package for the race. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team had worked really hard but I just had some problem with the front-end. I’m not sure what the problem is but I’ve looked at the data and you can clearly see I had an issue. The bike just wasn’t reacting like it should and it is a big shame. I got a really good start and was right behind Casey but pretty much from the first lap I knew I had a problem. I tried to round around the problem but at the end of the day I wasn’t going to be scoring any points and I’d have risked crashing if I’d continued. The consolation is that I know we had the speed for a good result and there are a lot of positive points to take from the weekend. We can go to Le Mans confident that I’ll be able to show more of my true potential.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“I won’t say it’s a disaster but it certainly is a big disappointment for us. We had high hopes after we saw how quickly Ben mastered the track and it wasn’t unrealistic to hope that he could have been at least in the top five again like in Qatar. He got a good start but after a few laps it was obvious that he couldn’t maintain his pace and he was losing ground. He had to pull into the pits and he said he didn’t have any feeling with the front. We’ll analyse the data and check everything with Bridgestone to see if we can find out exactly what caused the problem. It is a shame for Ben but we have to accept it. Colin was never really comfortable with the bike all weekend. He had an interesting fight but it wasn’t the result he wanted, so we’ll work hard to understand some of his issues. Hopefully Le Mans will be better because that is a hugely important race for Tech 3 and Monster.”

Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner took top five finishes in the Grand Prix of Spain today, fourth and fifth place respectively representing satisfactory if not sensational results at Jerez. Both riders had higher hopes as they targeted a podium challenge from fifth and third on the grid but it was a demanding 27-lap affair as they lost touch with eventual top three Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in the first half of the race.

Stoner’s front end troubles forced the Australian to accept 11 important championship points. Meanwhile Hayden made a great start to the race and was lapping in third place over the early laps but didn’t quite have the pace to stick with the leaders.

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 4th
“Fourth place is no disaster but I was hoping to stay closer to the top three towards the end and put up a bit of a fight. I’m not happy to be nine seconds adrift but we’re trying to build something here and we’ve had another solid weekend. The team, the bike, everything has been great this weekend but we just fell a couple of tenths short on race day. To be honest I thought we might find a little extra for the race, like we did in Qatar, but it wasn’t to be. Like I said yesterday my guys worked like dogs to put me in this position today and we’ve got more to do tomorrow so I want to give a big thanks to them. This is the Ducati factory team and we don’t jump up and down at fourth place but we’ll take it. We got some great data to work from that should help us be stronger at Le Mans and hopefully we can keep this upward trend going.”

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 5th
“I’m disappointed with today’s performance. We started the weekend strongly but only got worse compared to our rivals as the sessions went by and we were never able to improve on the base set-up that we started out with. I think we fell into the trap of making changes to the bike that were too radical and it only served to confuse us because we never went in the right direction. I made an okay start to the race and felt comfortable over the opening laps, Jorge was actually slowing my progress at that point and I was eager to get past him and chase Nicky and the others but as soon as I came up to pass Nicky I lost the front and almost crashed. The bike was pretty much on the ground but I managed to pick it up and then tried to push on from there but the front folded two or three more times on that lap alone. That shot my confidence so Jorge was able to pass me easily and from that moment I just wanted to take as many points as I could. As the tires went off in the second half of the race the bike felt better and I had more contact with the front but it was little too late and I couldn’t catch Nicky. We need to work hard to find some answers in the test tomorrow and move on to Le Mans ready to battle again.”

Friday and Saturday in the sun at Jerez. The bikes the Track even the people are all really beautiful. The race (except for the RBRC Kids) hasn’t even started yet….

Dani Pedrosa produced a sublime display of riding at sun-drenched Jerez this afternoon to claim his first pole position of the year, ahead of fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha). This was the 24-year-old’s 14th premier-class pole and his first at Jerez since 2007.

Pedrosa who is making the most of a revised RCV chassis has an enviable Jerez record to build on tomorrow. Since graduating to MotoGP in 2006 he has never finished lower than second here. Race winner in 2008, the former 125 and 250 World Champion was Jerez runner-up in 2006, 2007 and 2009. He also won the 250 GP here in 2005.

Pedrosa’s best lap cheered all the way by a massive and patriotic crowd was a stunning 0.285 seconds faster than the rest, an impressive advantage in modern-day MotoGP racing. But the next five riders were covered by just 0.104 seconds, suggesting that tomorrow’s second round of the 2010 MotoGP series should be a close and thrilling race.

Privateer Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) rode another dazzling qualifying session to claim a second-row start at the tail end of that five-strong group, despite sliding off at Turn Ten this morning. The Frenchman who finished fourth at Jerez last year will be gunning for a podium tomorrow.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) had expected great things this afternoon after lapping within four tenths of the fastest time this morning. But in the quest for an even better pace, Dovi tried some modifications this afternoon which actually took him back a step. Nonetheless, while his grid position isn’t what he would have wanted, Dovizioso’s pace is fast enough for him to be in the hunt for a podium, so long as he gets away with the front-runners. His best lap was less than half a second off fourth-quickest Valentino Rossi (Yamaha).

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) was a morale-boosting tenth fastest, sixth thousands of a second behind Dovizioso. Melandri’s performance indicates that he is starting to gel with his RC212V after a challenging start to the season in Qatar three weeks ago. He looked rejuvenated on the bike and may well have scored a better grid slot if he hadn’t made a minor error during the final sector during his best lap.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) was second best rookie of the day in 12th place, just behind Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) who will start his 301st GP tomorrow. The reigning 250 World Champion continuing his intelligent, step-by-step progress of acclimatisation into MotoGP, improving today from 14th this morning to make the top dozen this afternoon.

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) had another tough day, ending the hour-long session in 16th place, but the Italian rookie already proved in Qatar that he can find plenty more speed when it comes to the race.

Weather conditions for tomorrow are expected to be slightly cooler than today, which should add an interesting twist to today’s performances in both MotoGP and Moto2.

The new Honda-powered Moto2 World Championship produced a breathtakingly close qualifying session today; the fastest 20 riders separated by just 0.811 seconds! The pack was headed by Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP, Suter), the man who made history in Qatar by winning the inaugural Moto2 race. The 19-year-old Japanese rider set the fastest lap with 22 minutes to go, then slid off his Suter MMX machine two minutes later. Despite that hiccup, the 19-year-old held onto pole position by just two thousands of a second from reigning 125 World Champion Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, RSV).

Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) made it two Spaniards on the front row by recording the third fastest time, a further five hundredths of a second behind his compatriot. Elias – winner of the 2003 250 GP here and Moto2 pole position man in Qatar three weeks ago – is still riding in some discomfort, suffering from a nasty left-hand injury he sustained during a hefty crash at Jerez during preseason testing.

Last man on the front row was Yuki Takahashi (Tech 3 Racing, Tech 3), who was less than three hundredths of a second behind Elias and only one hundredth in front of second-row leader Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki).

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V), pole position at 1m 39.202s,
“It’s always nice to get pole position and especially here because it is my home race and the support from the fans is amazing, so I’m very happy for them. I really didn’t expect this pole to be honest, but I was pushing very hard so I’m very happy about it. Actually though, it’s not so significant for me because the important thing is the performance in the race and we still need to work very hard on this area. The new frame is delivering some improvements but we’re still not all the way there and we must continue to work on the stability because this is very important in order to be competitive over race distance. Our rivals are also showing a lot of potential so we can’t relax in any way because this will be a long, tough race. Obviously I will start the race thinking about the win, and I know there will be a lot of fans out there cheering for me so I hope we can give them something special.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V), sixth at 1m 39.591s,
“I am very happy because it has been a very good qualifying session. I am just eight hundredths off the front row and the adjustments we have made to the bike work well especially in race trim. This afternoon we concentrated to obtain the second row and we are delighted with this result as we are the first independent team on the grid for the second time after Qatar GP. My target is to keep this placement in tomorrow’s race to repeat the positive result we gained in Qatar, but I know it won’t be so easy.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V), ninth at 1m 40.021s,
“I actually think we could have made it onto the second row today so I’m a little disappointed with the result this afternoon because it can be very important to start from the first two rows. We showed our full potential in the morning session where we were four tenths behind the fastest rider, so it’s a shame we couldn’t repeat that in qualifying. For the afternoon we made some adjustments to the electronics and machine set-up and this actually took us back a step, so tomorrow we will return to this morning’s set-up and I’m confident that will give us an improvement. Starting from the third row it will be important to make a good getaway and stay glued to the front riders because this is key to having a good race – as we saw in Qatar.”

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V), tenth at 1m 40.027s,
“We had a great session today, setting an excellent race pace and I’m really confident about the race. We’re struggling a bit for rear grip but we’re working to improve and I think with a small step forward we can make a big improvement. It is a shame about the qualifying lap because I made a small mistake on my last effort and it cost me a lot of time in the final sector. Anyway, I think that with a good start we can have a fun race tomorrow. I’m happy because we’ve done a good job together, everybody in the team is highly motivated and I think we have created the right atmosphere to improve.”

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V), 12th at 1m 40.322s,
“My lap times in the qualifying session were not bad today, but the starting position for the race could have been better and therefore I am not 100 per cent satisfied. I am not happy that we are not closer to the front. In general we worked a lot on the setup and it worked out. Tomorrow we want to improve the setup in the warm-up and then I hope we will have a good race.”

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V), 16th at 1m 40.586s,
“After this morning’s session I was hoping for better this afternoon but we’re still struggling a little and I can’t ride how I want. The reality is that we’re not that far off the top guys – 1.3 seconds isn’t a big gap but I am still in sixteenth. All we can do is try to improve a little more before tomorrow and then do our best to make up positions in the race.”

Results from Qualifying at the GP of Spain – Jerez – 05-01-2010

Jorge Lorenzo put his Fiat Yamaha M1 on to the second spot on the grid in Jerez this afternoon, in an exceedingly close qualifying session which saw the first ten riders all within a second of one another. His team-mate Valentino Rossi will start from the front of the second row tomorrow, with Spaniard Dani Pedrosa heading the field for the 2pm race.

Lorenzo had looked in menacing form in the morning practice session, turning out laps in the low 1’39s with meticulous consistency. This afternoon was much warmer however and the Mallorcan found he was a couple of tenths slower in the sweltering heat, as he battled to extend his run of four consecutive poles at this track. With twenty minutes left he moved to the top of the standings but his lead was short-lived as his Spanish rival Pedrosa took over soon after. Lorenzo improved his time twice more but it was not enough to overhaul his compatriot and he eventually finished 0.285 seconds off pole position. The Yamaha man is feeling confident for tomorrow however and the Spanish fans have high hopes for an exciting battle between their two home favourites.

The World Champion found he was in much better shape today and in the end detained from taking any painkillers for his recovering shoulder. Instead he and his crew turned their attentions to improving the set-up of his M1, having lacked rear traction yesterday. Rossi definitely looked much happier this afternoon and indeed led the standings for the first forty minutes of the session before surrendering the lead to his team-mate and then slipping down to as low as sixth at one point. The Italian lost time on a fast penultimate lap when he had to pass another rider but his final push saw him improve significantly and haul himself up to fourth, just 0.047 off Stoner in third position.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 2nd Time: 1′39.487 Laps: 27
“I was very fast this morning and I hoped I would be again this afternoon, but we struggled a bit in the increased heat and couldn’t keep up quite such a good pace. This morning I could ride exactly how I wanted, which was a great feeling, but in qualifying it wasn’t exactly the same. Anyway, my lap time is not so bad and we are on the front row, which is very important. I am very excited about tomorrow and I feel confident that I can make a good race in front of the Spanish fans. This is a very special track to race at and I can’t wait to hear the crowd!”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 4th Time: 1′39.558 Laps: 28
“Of course it would be better to be on the front row but fourth is okay and I’m very happy about how much we’ve improved since this morning. After Pedrosa, the next five of us are all very close and this afternoon I was able to do some laps in the 39s with the harder Bridgestone tire. We are fast now but we’re still not consistent enough so we have to work on this for tomorrow. My shoulder feels a lot better today and I have to say thank you to all of the Clinica Mobile and everyone who has worked on it. I am still lacking a bit of strength but the pain is okay. I am hoping for a great race tomorrow for all the fans.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“It was a lot warmer this afternoon and the session was hot in more ways than one; there’s plenty of good racing rivalry between Jorge and his fellow Spaniard! We were very fast this morning and not quite as fast this afternoon but it’s important to remember that there are no points for qualifying and we’re just happy to be on the front row, which was our target today. The race conditions will be more like those of this afternoon and we had a good rhythm out there so we will be going for it tomorrow.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“We were all surprised and happy today to find that Valentino’s shoulder was a lot better and that he was able to continue to ride without any painkillers. We will start from fourth tomorrow but we know we have the performance to fight; we just need to make sure we can maintain it for the race distance. We have a bit more work to do on the bike and some settings to adjust in order to make the tire work better for us and then we will be ready.”