1st qualifying practice

Good and bad luck for the Repsol riders in Great Britain
Heavy crashes of Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa in the MotoGP; Fonsi Nieto and Toni Elias leading the classification of the 250, and Dani Pedrosa second in the 125.
 Different luck today for the Repsol riders after the first practice sessions of the British Grand Prix. Only ten minutes before the end of the mornings free practices, both riders of the Team Repsol Honda MotoGP, Tohru Ukawa and Valentino Rossi, crashed within only a couple of seconds. The Japanese rider has been the one who came out worst after a crash in one of the fastest sections of the circuit. Ukawa was taken to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham with strong contusions on the chest, back and the right foot. The later medical report indicated a fissure in the foot, another at a rib and a strong blow in the back. His participation in tomorrows practices depends on his evolution during the night, which he will spend under observation at hospital. Valentino Rossi, who flew over his bike in one of the angles of the circuit, suffered a small fissure in his left hand thumb and a light head contusion.  A CAT-scan was carried out at the Queens Medical Centre with negative results, allowing Rossi to take part in tomorrows practice sessions. Neither Ukawa, due to his injuries, nor Rossi, as a precaution, have taken part in the first qualifying session. And while the weekend didnt have a good start for the Repsol riders in the MotoGP class, the contrary happened in the 250cc. In the morning as well as in the evening, Fonsi Nieto and Toni Elias have shown themselves highly competitive taking first and third place respectively after the first qualifying session. The current World Championship leader and Nietos highest rival, the Italian Marco Melandri, finished second. Fourth place for the Argentinean Sebastián Porto, over a second and a half away from Fonsi Nieto.  In the 125cc Dani Pedrosa showed again a great performance, setting the fastest time in the mornings free practice and the second fastest in the afternoons qualifying practice, right behind his highest rival and leader of the overall standings Manuel Poggiali. His team-mate Joan Olivé, who arrived in England euphoric after his podium in Holland, finished today in fifteenth position.