Alex Barros, Sebastián Porto and Fonsi Nieto make sure of a front row start under the Brno rain.
Alex Barros moves up to second; Porto and Nieto keep yesterday’s first and second place.
The second practice day staged today at the Czech track of Brno was quite similar to that of yesterday, with a dry track in the morning and rain in the afternoon. In the premier class, both riders of the Repsol Honda Team improved their times and positions on the starting grid. Brazilian rider Alex Barros moved up from yesterday’s fifth place to second. Both the Repsol rider and his team showed themselves highly optimistic with regard to the race tomorrow. It will be the first front row start for the Brazilian rider this season. His team-mate Nicky Hayden, fifteenth fastest yesterday, considerably improved his times today (almost three seconds) and will start tomorrow from the seventh place of the starting grid. The third Repsol rider of the class, Spaniard Ruben Xaus, solved the problems he had this morning during the free practice – twenty-fourth fastest time- and clinched a place on the third row of the starting grid with the tenth fastest time. Xaus, who had been seventh until the last minutes of the session, improved the time he set yesterday by almost two seconds.
Not many changes in the 250cc class this afternoon due to the track conditions, which were very much similar to those of yesterday. Most of the riders decided not to take any risks and were happy with the times set in the first qualifying practice. Consequently, Sebastián Porto kept the pole he had set yesterday – sixth pole this season-, and his team-mate Fonsi Nieto will be joining him in the front row of the grid, with the second fastest time. In the morning practice, on a dry track, Porto was fastest and Nieto eighth. Today has been a day to forget with regard to the interests of the Repsol riders in the minor category, especially for Pablo Nieto. What seemed to be a good day for the Repsol rider – Pablo set the fastest time in the morning’s free practice – finished with a heavy crash halfway the practice and a backward twenty-sixth position on the starting grid. The rain played a dirty trick on Jorge Martínez Aspar’s pupil. Better luck for Sergio Gadea, who moved up from the twenty-eighth position he had taken yesterday to the twentieth, after improving his time by almost three seconds.
