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MotoGP : Yamaha sets solid race pace at Catalunya
Round: 6 - Catalunya MotoGP
Circuit: Catalunya
Date: 11 June 2005
Temp: 27ºC
Weather: Hot and Sunny
Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards are confident of mounting a strong challenge in tomorrow's Catalunya Grand Prix despite suffering unexpected setbacks in this afternoon's single qualifying session, which limited them to third and seventh place respectively on the starting grid. Both riders set a fast and consistent race pace throughout the day but, in the chase for a quick one-off lap time, Rossi lost time trying a tyre that did not work for him whilst Edwards was held up by slower riders on a lap that would have almost certainly put him on the front row of the grid.
Despite the minor setbacks the pair have confirmed their progress from a positive opening day yesterday, making key adjustments to the bike settings in order to find improved machine stability in the fast corners of the sweeping Catalunya circuit. Tomorrow they will enjoy the support of a predicted crowd of over 100,000 people, with local favourite Sete Gibernau (Honda) starting from pole after clocking a new outright record time of 1'42.337 this afternoon. Gibernau's team-mate Marco Melandri (1'42.390) was second fastest and will line-up alongside Rossi (1'42.723) on the front row of the grid for the 25-lap race.
Ruben Xaus lead the Fortuna Yamaha Team charge at his home MotoGP with a 16th fastest time, followed closely by Roberto Rolfo (Ducati) and Xaus' temporary team-mate David Checa (18th). Checa, in his second ride for the Fortuna Yamaha outfit, replaces the injured Toni Elias who attempted to return to the fray following his post Le Mans crash. However Elias found his injuries were still too much of a hindrance during Friday practice and opted to sit out the Catalan MotoGP in an effort to be fit for Assen in two weeks time.
Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 3rd, 1'42.723 "Tomorrow will be tough for the riders in these conditions and for sure 25 laps will make it a long, long race. For the tyres it will be very hard work because this track is so demanding on both the front and the rear, although the conditions were better today than yesterday. We did a lot of work this afternoon to fix all the problems and in the end I am happy because we did a good job. I lost ten minutes in the middle of the session testing a tyre that didn't work, so we have to work very hard with Michelin because the tyres are so important for this race. At the end I didn't have time to use my last qualifying tyre and I didn't ride 100% on my fast lap so I'm happy to be on the front row and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The guys on the front row will be favourites, but there will be lots of other fast riders out there."
Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 7th, 1'43.109 "I'm not happy with that at all - I know I could have gone much faster. Santa Claus came early for us last night and Michelin brought us a really good front tyre, so my pace on a race setting was pretty good, in the low 1'43s. At the end I put on a qualifying tyre and went out for a warm-up lap, but then when I went for my lap time I ran into three guys in the first corner who just sat there, looking around and wondering what to do. I tried to take that lap slowly and save some rubber for another try but the front cooled down too much and, even though I pushed as hard as I could, I had no front grip. It's a shame because I know I could have easily done a 1'42.5, which would have put me on the front row. I guess I'll just have to ride extra hard for the first few laps in the race. again!"
Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director "I think both riders are looking very good to meet their targets in the race. Vale and Colin were both able to make a very good lap time on their race setting so that is very positive. For different reasons both riders were not able to get the best possible result out of the qualifying session. For Valentino it's not so bad because he stayed on the front row, but Colin starts a little bit behind. There are a handful of riders who have got the lap times to be at the front and our guys are amongst them. It is a credit to our team, who has done an excellent job in very hot conditions this weekend. Hopefully it will be an exciting race!"
Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 16th, 1'44.193 "We kept improving throughout the day and we even gained more when we put in the qualifying tyre. However during my second attempt at a fast time I came up on some slower guys which hindered me a bit. I'm looking forward to the race; last year I finished sixth here so I'm hoping to go better for the fans and the team tomorrow."
David Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 18th, 1'45.310 "I'm so happy to get another chance on the M1. I've only done a few hours riding on this bike in total, and I missed Friday practice yesterday, so I'm very happy with my time today. Today I enjoyed qualifying more because at least I knew what to expect. Tomorrow we'll keep making a few improvements in the warm-up and I will give it my best in the race."
Round: 6 - Catalunya MotoGP
Circuit: Catalunya
Circuit Length: 4727
Lap Record: 1' 44.641 (Sete Gibernau, 2004)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 42.337 (Sete Gibernau, 2005)
Date: 11 June 2005
Temp: 27ºC
