MotoGP: The Yamaha M1 wins its fifth race from six starts

Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 7th: “We made a mistake by testing the race tyre yesterday morning when the temperatures were much cooler than they were this afternoon. We thought we were being sly by choosing a tyre only one other rider had but it didn’t work out. I had no rear grip at full lean in the second half of the race, so I had to stand the bike up through the corners and ran wide all the time. It’s a shame because we had a great front tyre but I couldn’t push it. Not the best finish but we’ve learnt a lot of things that we will now take to Assen.”

Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda, 8th: “Qualifying didn’t go as planned yesterday, but in the free practices I was quick, so I knew that in the race today I could go fast. I had a start though which will rank alongside the worst in my whole career. Incredible, I couldn’t believe it, I was something like seventeenth or eighteenth at the end of the first lap. I got my head down though and began to fight back, riding consistently at a good pace. We’re improving, but now we need to make another step forward and I’m hoping we can do it when testing here tomorrow.”

Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, Ninth: "I enjoyed the race, even though I would have preferred to hold off Bayliss at the end, but it was just not possible. Over the final ten laps it was very difficult for me to control the sliding of the rear tyre. But I was the first Bridgestone rider to finish, which showed that compared to other Bridgestone teams our set-up for the race was the best it had been all weekend. My start was fast and I pushed very hard in the opening laps and was able pass some riders, but then I had a lonely race just trying to score top ten points."

Harald Eckl, Kawasaki Team Manager: "This was a tough race for Kawasaki given the track and tyre conditions today. But Shinya saved some important points with another determined ride. Shinya's strong start and opening laps showed positive potential for the Ninja ZX-RR. It was not easy for Alex whose rear tyre was a softer compound compared to the tyre that Shinya used. The endurance was not quite what we expected, so he had no other choice but to make a pit stop for a fresh tyre."

Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 10th: “I’m really happy with today’s result because I scored some good points and I’m showing consistency. It’s also good for the team, because the start of the season was more difficult than we initially expected it would be, so this is great for motivation for them and for me. I believe that now we are starting to understand each other – the bike and I – and I’m looking forward to the next race, especially as I quite like Assen. I want to say thank you to Yamaha, Fortuna and the team for all the support, and I hope I can now continue to produce top ten performances.”

Carlos Checa, Ducati Marlboro Team, 11th: “There was no possibility to race like we did at Mugello. We had a problem with the rear tyre life here, and the performance was nothing special. I made a mistake during the race as well, when in front of Bayliss and Xaus. The handlebars had been shaking from side to side as I went down the straight and when I hit the brakes I think my pads had been pushed back. I had to make a couple of grabs on the lever, and that made me lock up the front when it gripped again. I got past the riders again but by that time my tyre performance was down, so for the last seven laps I decided just to ride to hold my position and finish the race. This was not the race for us, but considering everything, I am reasonably satisfied.”

Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP Project Manager: “We have been struggling a lot with rear grip. Together with the Bridgestone technicians we made a tyre choice for safety sake, with a hard compound rear. When we made the change this morning we knew it would be less competitive, but much safer. We have to work together with Bridgestone and we knew that this was a partnership we would have to grow. We know that they are working hard and we have to accept that there will be difficult days, but of course it’s hard after race like at Mugello. The difference in the surface from Mugello decided everything. When we took the decision to change our tyre supplier it was not an easy choice but we knew it was a choice with a lot of potential, and we still believe it.”

Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, 12th: “It was a tough weekend. We worked a lot and made quite a few changes in set-up. Yesterday afternoon we were OK. This morning I went out with the rear tyre we chose yesterday, and we were OK again. After warm-up I was advised to use a much harder compound rear. This was almost an obligatory choice, but after a few laps I had very little grip from the rear. It was as if it was raining. But anyway, it was important to finish the race. Now we can put this race into the past and we can focus on Assen.”

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