2011 WSBK Aragon Friday Press Releases

Press releases from the World Supersport and World Superbike teams after Friday practice at Motorland Aragon:

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Impressive Lowes on front row

PARKALGAR HONDA'S Sam Lowes is third on the provisional grid for Sunday's sixth round of the World Supersport Championship at Aragon in Spain and is relaxed and confident he can run at the front all weekend.

Miguel Praia showed a major improvement in his speed and consistency from the morning practice to claim a good 12th place on the grid on his Parkalgar Honda. There are further practice and qualifying sessions tomorrow before the race takes place at 1330CET on Sunday 19th June.

Sam: "I am happy as we are still changing a lot on the bike and making improvements every time I go out - we are working on the agility of my Parkalgar Honda and know we can improve more. We were the only ones to go faster in the afternoon because of the incredible heat and that is encouraging. This is Kawasaki and Yamaha's test track so to be this close on the first day is great. I am very happy."

Miguel: "My shoulder is coming better now and this afternoon we made a lot of changes to my Parkalgar Honda. In the morning I was not confident on what will be our race tyre so we needed to make changes. The testing here pre-season was not so good for me due to food poisoning and now I am finding my way. I feel much stronger than Misano and will push more to the front. I am going for the second row tomorrow, it will be difficult but I will do my best."

Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: "We tested here in the winter, but it is much warmer today. Sam is third and only half second off pole - that is good as Kawasaki tested here recently and there is more to come.

"Miguel is 12th and that is good as he is stronger than last weekend and riding well."

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Szkopek shows points scoring potential

BOGDANKA PTR HONDA'S Pawel Szkopek is looking for a points scoring finish at the sixth round of the World Supersport Championship at Aragon in Spain after taking 15th on the provisional grid for Sunday's race.

James Ellison on his Bogdanka PTR Honda is in 11th and will be looking to improve significantly tomorrow after spending much of the day well within the top 10. Bogdanka PTR Honda's Superstock 1000 racer Marcin Walkowiak is 23rd on the provisional grid.

James: "I am not finding a good feeling with my Bogdanka PTR Honda and need to work hard with my team. We have some good ideas on which direction to go and I am confident we will improve."

Pawel: "This is a good start to the weekend and I am happy with how my Bogdanka PTR Honda is performing. In the morning practice I was faster and know that we can improve the lap time more. If I can stay 15th then this will be my best qualifying of the year and I will do my all to score points in the race."

Marcin: "I am trying very hard to improve my lap times and we are working on the set-up of my Bogdanka PTR Honda Fireblade. I think we can improve further and my first target is to get into the top 20 in qualifying."

Simon: "Pawel had a really good day, he had a small electrical problem that lost him some time but still finished strongly in 15th. He has carried positive momentum from Misano and if he can maintain qualifying and stay on for the first laps then he can score points.

"James is struggling on feel, we will work with him on that and expect him to be up fighting for the front two rows. Marcin has improved a lot in time, which is good, we have made big steps forward and want that to continue."

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Motorland Marco out in front after first day

Motorland Aragon (Spain), Friday 17 June 2011 – Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) was the clear front-runner from the first day of action at the Motorland Aragon circuit, the Italian taking the provisional pole from home favourite Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati).

Having been the fastest man in free qualifying this morning once again Melandri was the only rider to set a sub-2 minute, stopping the clocks at a new circuit record of 1 minute 59.726 seconds. Melandri has tested here in the recent past but many other riders have also taken advantage of the chance to lap this exquisite new WSBK racing facility because it has already proven to be a popular designated test track for several teams.

Checa was three-tenths off Melandri's pace, just a fraction ahead of Noriyuki Haga (PATA Aprilia), who crashed halfway through the session but then came good at the end to take the third slot. The Misano podium finisher has clearly had a new lease of racing life in his satellite Aprilia team, improving in the hot conditions of the afternoon qualifying session.

Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) were each on terrific form, the two Brits just within a tenth of Haga.

The other top championship contender Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) registered sixth quickest on the timesheets, with all three Aprilia vee-four riders clearly liking the heat of early competition at Motorland. Max, the reigning champion, was followed by fellow Italian Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) and an increasingly incisive Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK).

Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) impressed in tenth place on his privateer Ducati, ending day one tenth and only 0.783 seconds from the provisional pole time. The two factory BMW Motorrad Motorsport machines of Troy Corser and Leon Haslam still appear to be in difficulty, setting 12th and 14th quickest times respectively.

The lone Castrol Honda of local star Ruben Xaus was 13th, just over a second from the best pace of the day while recent returnee rider Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) was 19th. Final qualifying and Tissot-Superpole take place on Saturday 18th June.

Times: 1. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'59.726; 2. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2'00.073; 3. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2'00.214; 4. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2'00.253; 5. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2'00.267; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2'00.309; 7. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2'00.324; 8. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'00.377; 9. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 2'00.503; 10. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 2'00.509; 11. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2'00.727; 12. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 2'00.798; 13. Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 2'00.853; 14. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 2'01.047; 15. Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2'01.428; 16. Lanzi L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'01.475; etc.

World Supersport

Misano winner Broc Parkes was the man to watch in Supersport qualifying as the expert Australian set the quickest time of 2 minutes 02.773 seconds, three-tenths ahead of his Kawasaki Motocard.com team-mate David Salom. It was a good day all round for the Spanish team as they dominated the timesheets at their home track.

Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) made a late move up into third place, half a second adrift from the poleman's time, but the British rider did well to put some clean air between himself and the Yamaha ParkinGO duo of Chaz Davies and championship returnee Luca Scassa. Both Parkes and Scassa had crashes during the session. The top 10 also sees Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) well up in sixth place, with Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) completing the overnight second row.

Times: 1. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'02.773; 2. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'03.087; 3. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.320; 4. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2'03.936; 5. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2'03.943; 6. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.404; 7. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.466; 8. Roccoli M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'04.503; etc.

Superstock 1000

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) took the provisional pole in the first Superstock 1000 qualifying session at Aragon, the Italian coming out on top with a time of 2 minutes 02.268 seconds. Danilo, who was also quickest in the morning, put almost half-a-second between himself and the next man, fellow Ducati runner Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing). The current FIM Cup points leader is one of the few riders who has not previously tested at the Spanish track.

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) was third quickest, while South African Sheridan Morais finally had a good run to provisional fourth on his Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R. Fifth and sixth quickest were two more Italians on Ducatis, with Lorenzo Baroni (Althea Racing) ahead of Niccolò Canepa (SS Lazio Motorsports), with German Markus Reiterberger next up for the Garnier Alpha BMW team.

Times: 1. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'02.268; 2. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'02.748; 3. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2'03.110; 4. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2'03.133; 5. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'03.153; 6. Canepa N. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2'03.372; 7. Reiterberger M. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 2'03.380; 8. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'03.401; etc.

Superstock 600

Stephane Egea (ASPI Yamaha) headed the field in the opening qualifying session for round 4 of the Superstock 600 European Championship. The 20-year-old Frenchman set a time of 2 minutes 07.649 seconds, almost half-a-second faster than 18-year-old Italian Riccardo Russo (Trasimeno Yamaha).

The top two in the championship, Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France) and Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Team Yamaha) were next up, but with the Australian ahead of his French rival in third.

Times: 1. Egea S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2'07.649; 2. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2'08.119; 3. Metcher J. (AUS) Yamaha YZF R6 2'08.552; 4. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2'08.579; 5. Duwelz G. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 2'08.989; 6. Major N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2'09.067; 7. Vd Mark M. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 2'09.303; 8. Day J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'09.334; etc.

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Rea faces longer recovery battle

Castrol Honda World Superbike rider Jonathan Rea looks set to miss more than just this weekend's two seventh round World Superbike championship races at Aragon in Spain following surgery in the UK yesterday.

Rea crashed during warm-up for round six of the series last Sunday at Misano in Italy, with the most serious initial diagnosis - following x-rays at the Ospetale Bufalini in Cesena - being a fractured radius near his right wrist.

The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland flew back to Manchester on Monday to visit consultant orthopaedic hand surgeon, Mike Hayton, who operated on Rea yesterday afternoon. In addition to the radius fracture, however, the surgery also revealed damage to the scapholunate ligament in his right wrist.

A screw was inserted in the radius bone and the ligament damage has been pinned. It means that Rea is unlikely to be fit to compete at the Brno round in the Czech Republic on 8-10 July.

Jonathan Rea:

I was pretty upset when I got the news after the surgery yesterday because it means a longer rehab than we'd thought. It's difficult, of course, and I'm devastated, but I've got a great team around me so I know I'll get all the support I need to come back strong. As I said before, I want to be 100% when I get back on the bike so, at the moment, I'm not going to put a definitive timescale on that. I'll just concentrate on getting back to fitness as fast and as completely as I can.

Ronald ten Kate:

Well, without doubt, this was not the news we wanted to hear. We had all hoped that Jonathan's injury was quite straightforward and easy to heal. Now it seems it is a bit more complicated and will take longer to fix. The important thing is that he takes the time needed to fix it properly because there are still quite some circuits left on the calendar where we know that Jonathan and the bike work very well together. Of course, we have to begin thinking about another rider on the bike while Jonathan is away, but we also need to concentrate on Aragon this weekend and getting the best possible setting for Ruben to compete to his full potential.

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Xaus makes progress at hot Aragon

Ruben Xaus was thirteenth fastest in today's opening qualifying session in preparation for the two seventh round World Superbike championship races which take place on Sunday at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

Provisional pole position was secured by Marco Melandri, with series leader Carlos Checa second fastest in this afternoon's one-hour qualifying which was run with temperatures in the mid-thirties.

Xaus is riding this weekend without team-mate Jonathan Rea who is recuperating at home following surgery on his wrist on Wednesday. However, the 32-year-old Spaniard made progress during the day and will work with his crew on improving his speed through Aragon's final sector for tomorrow's practice and Superpole qualifying sessions.

Ruben Xaus – P13, 2m00.853s

It's a new track and it's been hot today and, although we came here to test, we learned nothing. But we have made some steps today, even though the tyres were struggling a little bit after five or six laps, so that's something critical we must look at. There is one corner in the last sector where I am losing maybe half a second, but I'm not sure why. At the other end of the track I'm really happy because in the first and second splits I'm in the top group of riders which is a big motivation for tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be much easier to improve on that last sector in one corner than in the other places. Finally, it's not so bad for us – it could be better, of course, but we know what we need to do for tomorrow.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

Our test here was run in completely different conditions – even some snow – so we had to start from scratch today, learning the right set-up for the track. The direction that Ruben has taken the bike today is quite out of the ballpark, but he's getting happier with it and he's getting faster. His biggest problem is the last sector where he is slowest at the moment. On paper, it's not the most difficult, and in the more demanding sector, he's third fastest. Tomorrow we'll spend some time next to the track to see if there are any areas where we can help him improve, but at the moment we're quite positive.

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CHECA (ALTHEA RACING) MAKES A SOLID START TO THE SPANISH CAMPAIGN, SECOND IN QUALIFYING AT HOME TRACK ARAGON.

Alcaniz (Spain), Friday 17th June 2011: the seventh round of the World Superbike Championship got underway today at the new Spanish track of Motorland Aragon. Championship leader, team Althea rider Carlos Checa, quickly settled in and demonstrated his will to win on his home track, closing first qualifying in second position.

In morning practice Carlos was straight up at the top of the timesheets in the early stages, needing little time to get to grips with the tricky Spanish track which caused several riders to crash. He continued to improve on his times throughout the session and in the final minutes was able to shave a further four tenths off his best, to close this first practice in second place overall. Only Checa and Melandri lapped in under 2m00 this morning. Though Aragon is a new track as far as the 2011 SBK race calendar is concerned, most riders (Carlos included) have completed test sessions here late last year or in recent months.

The track was a lot hotter for first qualifying (55C) which took place this afternoon. Carlos made progress during the session but did not improve on the time he had set during the morning's practice. He nevertheless found a good pace in these extremely hot conditions, recording a best lap of 2m00.0 flat. With this lap time he concluded first qualifying in second place, just behind Melandri on the Yamaha.

Carlos Checa:

"There are some riders who are surely going to be fast this weekend so I'm not expecting an easy time of it but, after today's sessions, I can say that I'm feeling confident. In terms of rhythm we have improved even if the times appear to be slower than those set during winter testing, which is due to the heat. We definitely have more work to do tomorrow; I want to do a long run for example to assess the tyres in these high temperatures. You can see that we are losing a couple of tenths to the four cylinders on the straight but we will work around this problem just as we had to at Miller. For now I am very happy."

TIMES (QUALIFYING): 1. Melandri (Yamaha) 1'59.7; 2. Checa (Ducati) 2'00.0; 3. Haga (Aprilia) 2'00.2; 4. Camier (Aprilia) 2'00.2; 5. Sykes (Kawasaki) 2'00.2; 6. Biaggi (Aprilia) 2'00.3; 7. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 2'00.3; 8. Badovini 2'00.3

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FABRIZIO 7TH ON ARAGON WSB 1ST DAY

Team Suzuki Press Office - June 17.

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio spent the first day of practice and qualifying at Aragon in Spain for this weekend's seventh round of the World Superbike Championship looking for a good set-up for his bike, whilst trying to ignore the pain in his right arm and wrist.

Although no fractures were revealed after his crash last weekend, Fabrizio is struggling to open the throttle and that is affecting his lap times. He will have massages and ice treatments today and tomorrow and hopefully he will be able to use his wrist better and control the throttle as normal on his GSX-R1000 Suzuki.

In scorching temperatures this afternoon, it was Marco Melandri (Yamaha) who topped the leaderboard with a time of 1:59.726. Melandri was the only rider to dip under the two-minute mark, but close behind was series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati), Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) and Leon Camier (Aprilia).

The top 11 riders were separated by just one second, so once again tomorrow's qualifying and Superpole will be of utmost importance in securing a good grid position.

Michel Fabrizio - 7th, 2:00.324:

"For the first day, I suppose seventh quickest is not too bad - especially when you consider that I cannot get on the gas as I want to. At the moment there is not enough strength in my right arm and wrist and I just cannot get the throttle wide open when I want to. I don't mind the pain, but it's a bit frustrating because I know I can be faster.

"The track conditions are very different to when we tested here in the winter. The grip level was much better then because the track temperature was not as high and I was lapping a second-or-so quicker than today. Because the grip level is not as good today, getting a good bike set-up is taking some time. We spent most of today trying to get a good set-up and one that will help manage the tyres. Until I find a good set-up, there is no point pushing too hard. The last thing I want is to have a crash on day one, so I have ridden a bit cautiously, but I will be pushing much harder tomorrow and then on race day, of course."

Friday WSB Qualifying: 1 Marco Melandri (ITA-Yamaha) 1:59.726, 2 Carlos Checa (ESP-Ducati) 2:00.073, 3 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Aprilia) 2:00.214, 4 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia) 2:00.253, 5 Tom Sykes (GBR-Kawasaki) 2:00.267, 6 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 2:00.309, 7 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki) 2:00.324.

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BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Aragon - Qualifying Practice 1

The first race weekend of the FIM Superbike World Championship at the new Motorland Aragón venue has started. The Spanish race track hosts the seventh round of the 2011 season. For Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport today was the first time it had been here in hot and sunny weather. When it tested here with works riders, Leon Haslam (GBR) and Troy Corser (AUS), in the winter it was pretty cool. Therefore the team used this Friday to test numerous things and to adapt the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR to the circuit and the hot conditions. Troy finished the first Qualifying practice in 12th, while Leon qualified provisionally 14th.

Troy Corser:

Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:01.419 min (P16)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice: 2:00.798 min (P12)

"My back is still a little bit sore for sitting on the bike, but once I start riding I am not having any problems moving on the bike. We struggled a little bit to get some grip on the rear and had lots of spin. We tried a lot of different solutions to cure the problem. The track itself feels like it has grip, but at first we were not able to use it. Then we tried something at the very end of the session and that was definitely better. All in all I am not too worried, we will now compare the good setup from the test and the one from today, and will work out a setting for tomorrow."

Leon Haslam:

Fastest lap Free Practice: 2:01.264 min (P14)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 2:01.047 min (P14)

"At the minute we are trying to work through a few issues, ones which have been affecting us over the last few races. Today we focused on trying to fine tune the setting we have, as the track temperature is extremely high in relation to the last time we tested here. Tomorrow is a new day, the team is working hard, as always, to incorporate my feedback and give me what I need from the bike. We will have to see what tomorrow brings. It is just a case of working hard to try and find the solution we are looking for."

Rainer Bäumel (Head of Race Operations):

"After both of our riders left the last race weekend in Misano injured, today our priority was to sort out and test some new strategies instead of pushing for quick lap times. The grip level was completely different to when we tested here, so we tried a lot of different ideas. We were able to collect a good amount of information that we will now analyse as we continue with our preparation for Sunday."

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Melandri Dominates Day One in Aragon

Marco Melandri prevailed in the Spanish heat today in Aragon, dominating the time sheets throughout the first day of round seven of the World Superbike Championship. The extreme heat and elevated track temperature of 56 degrees proved no obstacle as the Italian produced impressive lap times, being the only rider to register less than two minutes on the clock, in this afternoon's first qualifying session, where he finished in first place. Melandri also set the new circuit's best lap time this afternoon, clocking in at an impressive 1'59.726, over three tenths of a second faster than Checa, the current championship leader.

Eugene Laverty was also on form today in the Spanish sunshine. The World Superbike Rookie spent the morning getting re-acquainted with a decisively hotter track than that tested just a month ago, following his double victory in Monza. Laverty proceeded to make improvements throughout the afternoon's qualifying session, modifying the geometry and the electronics of his machine in search of the optimal chassis settings ahead of Sunday's races, before completing the session in ninth place.

Yamaha World Superbike riders also recorded the fastest speeds of the day. Marco Melandri rode his powerful YZF- R1 to a maximum of 316.5 km/ph while Eugene Laverty was the second fastest on the track, reaching a high of 314.6 km/ph.

Marco Melandri

Yamaha World Superbike Team - 1st, 1'59.726

"It was most definitely a very good day for me. We actually didn't change the settings at all from Misano and in a certain sense that worries me but today was really good so that's a step in the right direction. Aragon won't be easy, going by the high track temperatures and on Sunday from mid race we'll have to be careful and play our cards right to ensure the tyres last to the end. Let's hope it's not quite as hot in the next few days. I'm delighted with today's results but I'm also sure the top riders will soon catch up."

Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike Team- 9th, 2'00.377

"Overall, I'm quite happy with today. In qualifying I felt we had made an improvement from this morning's free practice. We definitely made a step in the right direction but it wasn't quite enough. I think we can be stronger tomorrow in the second qualifying session and hopefully it will also be a little bit cooler. With a little work tomorrow, I'm confident that I'll be where I want to be by Sunday."

Andrea Dosoli - Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager

"Today was a very good start to the weekend. The tests we had last month after Monza were useful and provided us with a good base setting to start off with. This morning Marco worked on weight distribution and in the afternoon he progressed to work on the tyres which will be critical in such hot conditions. Eugene hasn't found the optimal chassis set-up yet. He needs to still work on turning in and taking the curves where he is having difficulty. He didn't use the soft tyres and therefore must be satisfied with his lap times."

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Top 5 finishes for Scassa and Davies in first Qualifying at Aragon

Yamaha ParkinGO riders Luca Scassa and Chaz Davies faced extremely hot track temperatures on the exclusive new Spanish track in Aragon for today's first qualifying session. Both Yamaha ParkinGO riders got straight down to business in the morning's free practice, testing the base set up used just over a month ago, while testing a cooler track with their Superbike counterparts.

Chaz Davies struggled with an electronic issue in the afternoon's first Qualifying heat but despite this completed the session in fourth place. Just behind him in fifth place was his team-mate, Luca Scassa. The Italian, back on his YZF-R6 machine after almost five weeks of absence, suffered a minor crash in the early stages of the first qualifying heat. Unhurt, the Italian proceeded to re-familiarize himself with his R6 and search for the ideal chassis setting for Sunday's race.

Chaz Davies

Yamaha ParkinGO Team - 4th, 2'03.936

"I actually had a few problems today so it wasn't a very good first qualifying session. I struggled with the electronics and didn't get to run through the tyres like we had planned. Today was useful to get familiar with the track again and to get back into the swing of things. We changed the chassis set up used during the tests and that just didn't work so well so tomorrow we'll go back to the test set up again and work from there."

Luca Scassa

Yamaha ParkinGO Team - 5th, 2'03.943

"Today was the hottest day so far this season. We tried a different chassis set up than usual but that didn't work out as I was struggling from a lack for grip. But I think we know which direction to work in tomorrow. It's great to be back on the bike as it's been five weeks since I last raced and I also need to get my eyes used to such speed again. I'm confident that with a little more work tomorrow we'll be as strong as ever."

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Honda work in the sun for Hannspree duo

Fabien Foret and Florian Marino both secured provisional top ten qualifying positions in this afternoon's opening qualifying session for round six of the World Supersport championship at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda pairing qualified in seventh and tenth places respectively, with the pace being set by Misano winner, Broc Parkes, who tested at Aragon recently with his team-mate David Salom who was second quickest.

While Foret admits there is still some work to do to find a good front-end feeling on his CBR600RR, his compatriot Marino is satisfied with progress today and believes he is now connected much better to his machine.

Fabien Foret – P7, 2m04.446s

It has not been the best start to the weekend, and I was surprised to be in P7, to be honest. This morning I had some issues with the clutch but I was confident that my guys could sort that so I went into qualifying quite confident. It was a lot hotter this afternoon though and the front was not working properly. There's more work to do but I think we can improve tomorrow for sure.

Florian Marino – P10, 2m04.889s

The position is not so good, but I am so much happier on the bike than I was last weekend in Misano. There is a really good connection now and I am feeling comfortable. Before, it felt like the bike was at its limit, but now it's me that can improve and Aragon is a very long lap so there are plenty of places to make up the time. Today I rode by myself and was very comfortable. Tomorrow I would like to go with one of the faster guys to see where are the best places that I can improve.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager:

We came here for a test in the winter, but the circumstances were a little different then – about 35 degrees different! The riders learned which way the corners went and that was about it. The others have been testing here recently in better conditions, so we've been playing a little bit of catch-up today. We're not too worried yet and there are some issues that we need to resolve with the machine which, luckily, are solvable. So for tomorrow we think we'll be closer to the front and chipping away time in order to be ready for Sunday.

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