MotoGP – Shanghai – The riders comment on the outcome of Qualifying

Sixty minutes of qualifying in Shanghai were decidedly appreciable and exciting, culminating with the surprising pole position (the third of his career) by Colin Edwards. At the handlebars of the Michelin-shod Yamaha YZR M1 of the Tech 3 team, the “Texas Tornado” managed to break the bank in front of his ex-teammate Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, with Jorge Lorenzo superlative to open a second row that sees also Daniel Pedrosa and our Loris Capirossi, in his first notable performance in qualifying with Suzuki. Many issues ahead of tomorrow, starting with the increasingly insistent rain forecast, and a prospectus relating to the race pace with the Stoner-Rossi-Pedrosa trio the only ones to consistently lap in the 1'59”. We'll see tomorrow, for the moment let's collect the statements of the protagonists of the MotoGP in Shanghai, starting with the poleman, Colin Edwards.

Colin Edwards

“I really have to thank the team, Yamaha and Michelin. Yesterday we were in difficulty, our set-up didn't give us the right feeling and so we took a gamble. A gamble that, apparently, paid off: I'm in pole position, it's a great result and I dedicate it to the team that hasn't achieved a similar placing in a long time. For tomorrow we still need to improve our race pace: Stoner and Rossi seemed to me to be at another level, we aren't able to lap consistently in 1'59", we're about a second behind. We'll try to do something tomorrow in the warm-up, hoping for good weather.".

Valentino Rossi

“I'm quite happy; at Estoril I was third, here second... I hope to improve by another position next time! I have been fast since Friday morning, then together with the team and Bridgestone we worked hard to improve our situation in qualifying, so we deserve to be where we are. Today I had fun and was able to fight with my rivals: having had the chance to drive at my best on this circuit was exciting. When I saw the time of 58”5 on the display I thought I had a chance of taking pole, but then Colin clocked 58”1, a bit too much for us! In any case, it is very important to be in the front row, especially since we don't yet know whether it will rain or not. I thank my mechanics for the great work they did: now we just have to hope that the rain stays away!”.

Casey Stoner

“First of all I want to thank my team: after the excellent result in Qatar we expected to suffer in Jerez and Estoril but we didn't really realize how tough it would be. Nonetheless, no one lost their head, the team remained calm and united and this demonstrates its great value. We arrived on this track with a clear idea of ​​what had to be done, we didn't panic and we didn't upset the bike. Yesterday we found a good basic setting by improving the feeling with the front end and today we were able to work to find better grip on the rear. In this aspect we are not yet at the top but our times are good and it is a good feeling to know that we are competitive. I would also like to thank Bridgestone because they brought us a very competitive qualifying tire which allowed us to get a front row seat for the first time this season. Now we'll wait to see what the weather will be like tomorrow but it's not something that particularly worries me given that here in 2005, in 250cc, I won in the wet and last year in the dry".

Jorge Lorenzo

“I could never have imagined, yesterday, taking into account how I felt, today's result. In reality all I could do was believe that I could drive. Obviously this result is wonderful, as much as the three previous poles and it gave me a lot of confidence, even though the pain never left me today. Now I have to recover a bit and tomorrow I'll try to do my best... anything can happen in the race. Both ankles and feet hurt a lot, it's difficult for me to select gears with my left hand and change direction by pushing on the footrest with my right hand, but I've proven that I can do it anyway. It was a bad fall, probably the worst of my career, but I think I was lucky, after all, to fare relatively well. The doctors at the Mobile Clinic have worked hard to help me and now I will continue the treatments. I hope to feel better tomorrow and, rain or shine, I will do my best.".

Daniel Pedrosa

“This afternoon we improved compared to the morning tests. We ran at a good pace with the race tyres, but unfortunately we didn't improve as usual with the qualifying tyres, it seemed as if we didn't have enough grip. I don't know why but a lot of riders crashed during the afternoon qualifying session. Taking all this into account, starting from the second row isn't that bad. If the race is dry we will need to improve our pace a little. I hope we can race in the dry because according to the forecast it could rain tomorrow. In that case we will only have twenty minutes to prepare our settings for the rain".

Loris Capirossi

“Today I'm quite happy because this is the first time we've done good qualifying. We worked hard to find the right setting and now the bike works well with the race tyres. We still have a couple of options on which tires to use tomorrow and we will make the decision in the morning. Both qualifying and race tires and we have a good pace with the race package, and it will be good to start near the front row. We'll see what happens tomorrow as the forecast is for rain, which would be terrible after all the hard work. Our goal remains the same, to win races and get podiums. I know it will be difficult here, but we will definitely try!”.

Andrea Dovizioso

“I have to focus on race pace, to compete with a large group of riders who are lapping at the same times as me. The crash at the beginning of the session didn't cause any physical problems, I was at very low speed, very bent over, and my front closed. Rather it made me waste precious time. The high asphalt temperature compromises grip, and tends to raise the times with race tyres, but my pace is regular. The start will be very important, I am certainly not favored by my position on the grid and the first corner does not include a demanding braking section, where I may be able to overtake several riders at once. I'll have to focus on race pace, making the most of the good work done on the general balance. We still need to improve in qualifying.".

Marco Melandri

“Finally I can say I'm happy. After three rounds of testing where for one reason or another we weren't able to work well, today everything went smoothly. We worked, we made some important changes in the weight distribution and some adjustments to the anti-spin, details that probably allowed me to ride better. We struggled more with the qualifying tires but in any case it was more important to do well in the race configuration. I don't want to make predictions for tomorrow, both because it looks like it might rain and because I prefer to proceed gradually and wait to see if we can confirm this progress in the race too. It should be like this, the team has always believed in us, has always been optimistic, we really hope to do well.".

James Toseland

“Colin (Edwards) really put in a great performance: this shows that our package is competitive and we can aspire to results of this kind. As far as I'm concerned, I did well today, seventh in my first qualifying in Shanghai is not bad, especially considering that this circuit is unknown to me and is more difficult to learn than Estoril. In any case, we went well in qualifying even if we had a problem in the first attempt. Tomorrow is an unknown, especially if it rains as it seems...".

Nicky Hayden

“Qualifying didn't go according to our expectations, it's clear. Unfortunately on my second attempt I made a mistake and flew to the ground. At that point I started running to get back to the pits as soon as possible, losing precious time and having to try to get back on the bike to improve on a first attempt that was good, yes, but not good enough. Today went badly for us, we will work tomorrow to improve something in the set-up".

Randy De Puniet

“After yesterday's technical problems which didn't allow me to lap as I know how, we finally found the right pace again especially with the race tyres. The situation has improved a lot and now I feel at ease. We worked hard on some details such as the engine mapping to improve braking stability, the power delivery to make the bike less "aggressive", the geometry of the frame and the suspension set-up. On the last lap of qualifying, with the time tires, I slipped but what matters is my pace with the race tyres. In tomorrow's warm up we have to review the behavior of the front in two corners in particular but I am very satisfied with the work we have done and I thank the whole Team".

Shinya Nakano

“I'm disappointed with today's qualifying because during free practice I always had a good pace and was fast. Unfortunately I crashed during my attempt at a fastest lap to improve my position in the standings and I didn't think I still had time to restart. I returned to the track with the second bike, but I didn't have the same feeling and I wasn't able to improve my time. It's tough to start from the fifth row, but my race pace isn't bad and this makes me confident. Now I'm only thinking about tomorrow's race: I'll have to focus on a good start to keep up with the fastest riders.".

John Hopkins

“We expected much more after three good practice sessions. The bike is strong on this circuit, we know we have good race tires for tomorrow if it doesn't rain and I feel confident. The position we qualified for makes things more difficult for us. Today we had two different types of qualifying tyres, and one worked very well, but I made a couple of mistakes on the fast laps. The other was practically unusable because it gave me chattering problems. It was so bad that at the start of the last qualifying lap I went off the track. I'm disappointed because I expected to qualify better, but we have a good race setup. Now I just have to get to work and push hard from the start".

Alex De Angelis

“Unfortunately we know that with the long tires we have not yet found the optimal solution. At the moment I don't have a good feeling with the new qualifying tires that Bridgestone brought here to Shanghai: the chattering can still be heard a lot, and therefore I will be forced to start from the back. It won't be an easy race because, with such a late start, it will be difficult to recover positions. In any case we will give our best, also because the rain forecast for tomorrow can help us".

Toni Elias

“I'm not happy with fifteenth position, but I know that I have a good race pace, certainly with a smaller gap to the fastest, not like in the first three races. It will be very important to start well, if it goes like this I'm sure we can get a good result. We're definitely having more fun this weekend, but we need to improve further to move up the rankings.".

Anthony West

“We arrived here with high expectations after the good tests in Estoril but we are disappointed once again. It seems like we're carrying the same problem we've had since the start of the championship, the bike doesn't hold when I touch the accelerator when exiting corners. John doesn't seem to have the same problem, so we know it's not a fundamental problem, but so far we haven't been able to find a solution. It's frustrating but we're not giving up and I'll push as hard as I can. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, and while almost everyone hopes it won't rain, I wouldn't mind a wet race!”.

Sylvain Guintoli

“What can I say, I honestly expected more. We started well in the afternoon, but then when we tried to modify the bike to improve things didn't go as we expected. It's not an easy situation, but the only solution is to work harder and harder. Tomorrow, according to the weather forecast, it should rain. I don't deny that it could be a small advantage for me since I really enjoy racing on a wet track, but I hope to be competitive soon even on a dry track.".