Dutch GP. 1st qualifying practice. Driver´s comments

Nieto: ‘We have to find the correct compounds for the race, because I don’t want what happened to me in Barcelona to happen again’
Repsol driver´s comments about Dutch 1st qualifying practiceValentino Rossi – MotoGP: ”I’m very happy with the result. We haven’t had the easiest day here at Assen and it really only came good in the last lap of the session. The five-cylinder RCV is very stable on the new circuit but very difficult to change direction. We have made many changes through the session with the suspension, the geometry of the chassis and using different tyre compounds. It really only came good at the end – we have a whole day tomorrow to make the alterations better.’Tohru Ukawa – MotoGP: ”I’m pretty happy with provisional second row really – much better than last year when I qualified in 11th position. I’ve been getting back in the V-5 groove after testing the SP-2 for the Suzuka 8 hr in Japan last week. The four-stroke feels very different here at Assen compared to the V-4 last year. We have a lot of valuable data and will make further changes tomorrow to improve our position.’Fonsi Nieto – 250: ‘We are working with suspension and tyres, but we still have to refine today’s settings. We have to find the correct compounds for the race, because I don’t want what happened to me in Barcelona to happen again. This morning when I went out I found it difficult to pick up the pace, because last year I barely had any practice at this track& I crashed in the first morning session. We still have a day to improve, but if it rains tomorrow today’s result will be important. We are two tenths from pole, and this is an insignificant difference at a long track like this. Melandri is very hard, and we have to keep working. My aim at this GP, as at all of them, is to win, and I think we can fight for that if we are able to get our settings perfect. I don’t have good memories of this track because of crashing last year, so I’ll try to get this monkey off my back. We hope we have good luck, and that it doesn’t rain.’Toni Elías – 250 : ‘This provisional front row is very good. I am happy, because today I wasn’t too convinced& I really didn’t like the way the bike was working. In the last 15 minutes of qualifying, I switched to my second bike – which had a harder compound – because I really wasn’t happy with the first one. I felt much more comfortable, and I was able to improve my lap time. It is very important for me to be in front, but I still need race experience, and also more experience in finding the race set-up. I think that bit by bit I am getting there. If it rains tomorrow, I will stay on the first row. On Saturday I will try to make a good start and keep with the pace of the leaders. The track has changed, and personally, I preferred it last year. Now it seems to have less grip and feels quicker, but it is also more dangerous than before. When I arrived here on Tuesday, it was a happy return – because it was here that I won my first GP last year. Today, when I did my first lap, I was laughing with the memory.’Daniel Pedrosa – 125: ‘I’m satisfied, because I quickly settled down and felt comfortable with the bike at this circuit. I love the nature and character of Assen with the fast back-and-forth sweeps, and the new asphalt has more grip than before. The fact that the top speed is not so high and the temperature quite cool is a benefit for us, compared with other tracks. I am not sure what the weather forecast says, but if it does rain I hope it will be tomorrow rather than on Saturday – not just because I want to keep pole, but also because I would prefer a dry race.’Joan Olivé – 125: ‘In the morning we tried many things, but we went in the wrong direction. In the afternoon we rectified that, and I was able to improve my best lap time by more than two seconds. I’m happy, because the bike is now working perfectly. Luckily the rain that fell in the early stages of the session didn’t put us at a disadvantage. This is a fantastic circuit – I love all the fast corners, and the way they run into one another.’