British MotoGP: Rossi in a class of his own

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British MotoGP: Rossi in a class of his own

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Kenny Roberts Jr, Suzuki, 2nd: “This was a tough race today, but when you’re up front it’s a lot easier than where we’ve been recently. I had a fun day and it’s nice to be able to ride with these guys and to cross the chequered flag with them just behind or just in front of you. Today was one of those days when you really had to concentrate and not get ahead of yourself and start thinking about winning. I looked at my pit-board and it said 20 laps to go so I made an effort not to look at it again until later in the race. I didn’t want to see what was happening behind – if I’d made a bit of a gap – because it’s easy to lose concentration and run wide. Today was so easy to fall down and I just wanted to be there at the end – not to necessarily win the race but to have a good race and be up there with these guys. It’s been a long time since we have been on the podium and this is great for all crew and I hope that we can build on this and get something underneath me to be competitive next time out.”

Stuart Shenton, John Hopkins’ Chief Technician: “Today was a great day for the team. A fantastic result from Kenny’s side. It was very unfortunate for John, he felt the bike and the tyres were working well. Unhappily for him his visor misted up. He thought if he got in front it would clear – but it didn’t – so he dropped back and then ran off the track. The guys did a good job to get the bike fixed and get him back in the race and 11th was as good as we could have hoped for – but it could have been an awful lot better. Both riders could easily have finished in the top three or four today!”

Paul Denning Suzuki Team Manager: “This result is nothing less than the whole team – by that I mean Kenny’s crew, John’s crew and all the Factory staff – deserve. The work-rate that everybody has put in so far this year, the motivation and the pro-active attitude to improving our position has finally resulted in an extremely positive position and a fantastic podium for Kenny. The way Rossi has been going this year I almost think it’s fair to say we won the race and that Valentino doesn’t count! Bridgestone did a great job with the wet tyres that it put under the guys and on a weekend where we were struggling a bit with grip in the dry this made it even more an achievement.

“John is massively disappointed with 11th place but then again there are so many positives for him to take away from this race. It wasn’t his fault that his visor fogged and cost him his rhythm, causing him to run off the track. He showed such great pace in the wet, he was able to get back to the pits and repair the bike, and for the rest of the race he rode a rather bent and battered GSV-R at similar times to the lead group and collected points. This also shows the strength and reliability and improvements that the bike has made.

“As for Kenny I am somewhat lost for words. The Shanghai result stayed with us for all the wrong reasons and this will stay with us for all the right reasons. It’s his birthday tomorrow and this was a great present for him and all the team. He rode as well today as he did when he won the World Championship. I hope that Kenny and John can take all the positives forward from this weekend to Sachsenring next week and build on this result.”

Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 3rd : “The track was in terrible conditions today: in those situations you have to know how to deal with the race, you have to know where the limit is and how far you can push it. I had a few problems with the front tyre under braking, on several occasions I could hardly control the front end but it probably was happening to a lot of my rivals because they were racing in the same conditions. Somehow it was an enjoyable race, despite how difficult it was. When Valentino overtook me I was unable to maintain his pace. On the last lap Roberts won the duel for second place, taking advantage of having been behind and seeing where I had problems. I’m a little bit disappointed, but that’s racing and he played his card. Being on the podium is a great way to celebrate my 250th GP: it’s a nice record to have, there have been so many races now but I still have the desire to race and to battle it out, and I will do so once more at Sachsenring next week.”

Colin Edwards, Gauloises Yamaha Team, 4th: “After the warm-up I was a bit down because it wasn’t great. We made some changes to the spring settings but we weren’t really sure whether it was the right option. Anyway, I got out on the warm-up lap and the balance of the bike was awesome. The race was basically a case of survival. My start wasn’t as good as it might have looked and the pace felt really slow to start with, but then it picked up and it was a pretty eventful first few laps. Then the front locked when I was braking in a straight line and I almost ended up in the dirt! I caught up very quickly but about 12 laps from the end I had another scary moment and the bike spat me up out of my seat, so I thought about the situation and decided to wait and see what happened in front of me. Towards the end I was keeping an eye on Checa behind me because he was quite close. The points are really important; it’s great to have moved into third place and to be so close to Melandri. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m really pleased with what we’ve achieved this weekend.”

Carlos Checa, Ducati Marlboro fifth: "That wasn't an easy race but we got a good result, which gives the whole team a chance to breathe. I got a lot of wheelspin at the start, then I wanted to get the feeling with the tyres before I began to push. A lot of guys were crashing and I couldn't see much, so it took me a while to feel confident. I was trying not to be too aggressive because it was so easy to fall. Considering where we were yesterday, fifth and sixth is a good result for the whole team."

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