MotoGP – Istanbul QP1 – Tamada satisfied with the work done

The second day of testing on the Istanbul circuit went much better for the Konica Minolta Honda Team, in fact, Makoto Tamada was always among the fastest in both today's sessions. During the morning test, which lasted an hour and a half like yesterday, Makoto recorded the sixth best time, while in the afternoon session valid for the starting grid he achieved seventh position on the last lap. Makoto, therefore, will start in the first Turkish Grand Prix from a favorable position, the first on the third row, on the best trajectory. Tomorrow's GP could bring a lot of satisfaction to the Konica Minolta Honda Team if, thanks to the final technical adjustments that will be made in tomorrow morning's warm-up, Makoto manages to find the right confidence to push his Honda RC211V even more incisively.

Luca Montiron – Konica Minolta Honda Director

“The team worked well today. We constantly lowered the times throughout the day. In the morning session we improved by one second compared to the best time recorded yesterday. We then gained another second in the afternoon. Of course this doesn't make me euphoric, but satisfied with how our Konica Minolta Honda Team worked. We managed to give Makoto a competitive bike and he, thanks to his talent, managed to position himself in seventh place on the grid. His feeling with the Michelin qualifying tires is improving significantly and this gives us confidence also in view of the last race of the season, which will take place in Valencia. Tomorrow morning we will have to make the final changes to the bike because Makoto is having some problems dealing with the sudden braking on this circuit. Let's hope we can do it to allow Makoto to give us some satisfaction tomorrow afternoon."

Makoto Tamada – Konica Minolta Honda rider
(7th Best Time – 1'53.667 – 23 laps)

“I am satisfied with the work carried out in these two days of testing. We managed to develop the bike without too many complications and unexpected events. I had some grip problems using the second set of soft tyres, while with the third and final set at my disposal I made a small mistake in the first intermediate which slowed me down. I could, perhaps, have started a few positions further up.
On this track it is of fundamental importance to tackle the corners with the right aggressiveness because if you try to take the corners cleanly, losing important tenths is almost guaranteed. If tomorrow morning we manage to further improve the setting of my RC211V, I'm sure we could do well, but first of all I will have to start well because, as always, the start will be of vital importance for the outcome of the race.”

JiR Racing