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Italy GP. 2nd qualifying practice. Driver´s comments

Elías: ‘Is my first time on the front row in my first year in the 250 class’
  Repsol driver´s comments about Italy GP 2nd qualifying practice.Valentino Rossi – MotoGP: ”Today was very difficult but also very exciting. There was big pressure, because this is my home GP and also because the Yamahas are going very well at the moment. We have won the prize for a great last lap – I followed Aoki who was fast in the corner and I got a good tow down the straight. We have still a lot of work to do on the bike as it is still far from perfect. We’ve tried 3 or 4 different suspension settings and have tried several different tyre combinations. We have not so much traction and I would like more grip with the rear. We need to remain concentrated for the race tomorrow.’Tohru Ukawa – MotoGP: ‘It would have been nice to start on the front row but the second row is not a disaster. I made a good start at Le Mans a fortnight ago and will have to make another very fast get away tomorrow. The bike is working much better now than it was when we started yesterday but we still need to make some adjustments to the suspension. This we can test in warm up tomorrow. The other area we can improve is me! Mugello has never been my favourite track and my results here show.’Fonsi Nieto – 250: ‘I am satisfied, because starting from the front row is very important. All weekend I’ve worked hard with the tyres, because with the high temperatures it is difficult and very important to find a tyre that will have the endurance for full race distance. The bike is working very well, but for sure tomorrow will be a difficult race. The Italian riders will push very hard – but once again I am going to give everything to win. I am very happy with my team, and also for my team-mate Elias. I knew that he would not take long to get to the front, and tomorrow for sure he will be a rival for the race.’Toni Elías – 250 : ‘I am very happy, because this is my first time on the front row in my first year in the 250 class. At the start of the season, my situation was difficult. I had many problems adapting the Aprilia chassis, because of my own personal riding style. My team has worked hard since the start of the year, and since Le Mans two weeks ago it seems we have found the right direction for chassis settings. Yesterday we had many problems, which we solved in the end. Today was very hot, and it was difficult to improve the times, but, finally, we did it. I like this Mugello circuit, and for tomorrow I have a constant pace, a good setting, and race tyres already selected. I hope for a good start, and to run with the leading group for a good finishing result.’Daniel Pedrosa – 125: ‘We had many problems this weekend, but at last we found a way out of them, and I am feeling comfortable with the machine. We still have a few little details to clear up, but in general we found the correct direction. At the end of the session I was just behind Poggiali, and that made it easier for to me to do my best lap. It also proved that we have found a good direction. Tomorrow, the race will be very long. It’s a difficult circuit, and the straight is very long, and all the riders very closely matched. We’ll see what happens.’Joan Olivé – 125: ‘The weekend hasn’t gone very well. We are all very close, but I think I should be higher. I feel comfortable with my bike, and I cut a second off my lap time & but it was not enough. The rest of the riders also improved a lot, and I couldn’t do more. Tomorrow will be very hard work. I’ll try for a good start as always, and do my best.’

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