Repsol driver´s comments

Dani Pedrosa: ‘This is going to be a hard Grand Prix for all of us. Kato’s accident and his passing away are something you cannot easily forget’.
MotoGP: Valentino Rossi.I said after the race at Suzuka that nothing was really important after hearing the news of Kato. I was shocked then and am greatly saddened now. Our thoughts are with Katos family and friends and we can only hope that the whole GP world learns something from this very bad situation and acts on it. As to the race in South Africa, I can only hope to do my best and will do my job as a professional.MotoGP: Nicky Hayden. ‘I guess Ill remember my fist GP for all the wrong reasons; when this type of thing happens we all have to appreciate what we have now. I wish his family strength. Turning to the next GP, I’m really looking forward to going to another new circuit. I guess I got to know Suzuka quite well in the end what with all the pre-season testing there. Welkom will be like a lot of circuits this year; we’ll start riding a new track on Friday morning and will be racing there Sunday. I’ve never been to South Africa before and it will be all another learning experience to go to a new country and hopefully I’ll get up to speed fast! Ill just have to keep learning and chipping away!’250:Fonsi Nieto: I can’t find the words to express my feelings after what happened to Kato. It’s a big loss for the world of motorcycling and it’s something that will be very difficult to forget. Thinking about it makes me feel very sad. I’ve spent these Easter holidays trying to relax and working out in the gym. We know which way to follow after the race in Suzuka and I hope that things will be much better in Welkom. It’s a very slippery track with different kind of asphalt than the one we usually have on other racetracks of the championship. Last year I managed to finish third despite the problems I had at the beginning of the race with the full fuel tank. This year I’ll be happy if I manage to improve the result to get to Jerez in very high spirits. 250:Toni Elias: We are very sad due to the loss of Kato. It’s been hard for all of us. We didn’t have a good Championship start and I’m looking forward to Welkom to improve the performance I had in Suzuka. We’ll start over again in this Grand Prix and I hope it will be much better. Last year I had some problems during practices and in the race, where I hoped to be able to make up some positions, but I took the start too early and got a ‘stop & go’ penalty. I finally had to settle for the sixteenth position, but at least it helped me to get experience on my new bike. I’d like to get a good result this year to be in high spirits for Jerez. 125:Dani Pedrosa. This is going to be a hard Grand Prix for all of us. Kato’s accident and his passing away are something you cannot easily forget. But we have to be professional and fulfil our duties, so we’ll have to keep concentrated in South Africa and try to give our best. In Japan we missed a place on the podium that could even have been a victory, but we have to stay calm and keep on working to achieve the results we expect. I made the pole last year and finished third; let’s see if we’re able to improve that result, even if only a little…