Dutch GP. Races. Driver´s comments

Rossi: ‘In the end we make the podium and we dont loose too many points in the championship. Now we wait for Donington and we hope its dry’.
MotoGP, Valentino Rossi, 2.12´483 sec, 3rd: Going I the wet on this track is very strange because the grip is incredible. The lap times are only 10 seconds slower in the wet than they are in the dry. Today we slide with the knee sliders in every corner. At the beginning it was difficult to go hard 100%. I get behind Sete and Max and at the beginning I see nothing as I have the mist inside my helmet. I fight with Troy and then found a good rhythm. In the end we make the podium and we dont loose too many points in the championship. Now we wait for Donington and we hope its dry. MotoGP, Nicky Hayden, 2.15´791 sec, 11th: That was a real tough race made extra difficult by starting at the back of the grid. I knew I had to make a good start and I managed to and got past quite a few of the slower dudes on the first lap. It was unbelievable hard to see Ive never raced where it was that hard to see that wasnt cool. I had a few good battles in the race and managed to get past Ukawa who I was behind for quite a while. It was a pity in the end because I had a real good feeling about this weekend. I was feeling better on the bike and was real quick in the warm up this morning. Thought I could have made top five easy to say now though &Im off to Japan now for Suzuka 8- hour practice and then Donington. Gonna be busy 250. Toni Elias, 2.20´938 sec, 13th: The race has been very complicated, I made a good start but I already noticed in the first corner that something was going wrong, I didn’t have a good rhythm and I didn’t feel comfortable with the settings of the bike. But I’ve been fighting with the other riders at the back. The most important thing for me was to finish the race and to get some points that can be useful at any moment. Today, the most benefited rider has been Poggiali, he has opened a gap in the overall standings, but it’s a long Championship, there are still a lot of races left and we’ll try to make up in Donington. 250. Fonsi Nieto, 2.20´206 sec, retired: It’s been a shame, the bike gave a strong lash and lost the chain while I was controlling Poggiali, because today I’ve been racing thinking about the Championship. I think that if I would have been able to finish the race, I could have got a good number of points. It was a great occasion to finish second or even first; but I think that we have to be happy, we’re working very hard and the team is doing a great job. 250. Sebastián Porto, 2.18´902 sec, 5th: I’m very happy, it’s been a very nice race and the weekend has been very good in general. The bike has responded well on both days of the dry practice, although today it’s been difficult to ride due to the rain. We had no possibility to test the wet settings so the race became a lottery. The team choosing a slightly better setting than the rest and whose rider risks a bit more than the other, takes the lead. I actually feel comfortable riding under the rain, although the race has been a hard one, especially towards the end, when the track began to dry. I’m happy with the result, these points are good and I think that a fifth place is very good. Once again we’ve been the fastest Honda, something very important for us. Now we have to keep on working, thinking about the next race. 250. Héctor Faubel, 2.25´531 sec, 17th: It’s been a very complicated race, the rain hindered us from using the settings we had found after working the whole weekend. Riding on a wet track isn’t my best so I tried to keep a good rhythm and learn from this experience. At the end of the race I felt much better, but I’m not satisfied with the result, because I could have finished within the top ten instead of seventeenth. Let’s hope that everything works better in Donington.                        250. Joan Olivé, 2.30´298 sec, 23rd: It’s been a very hard race, my first wet race on a 250cc machine. Right after the start I was pushed off the track and on the first corner I went off again. Then I stayed behind everybody, even the Safety Car passed me. I focussed on getting rhythm but I didn’t feel comfortable. This race has served to gather experience and to be better prepared in case there are more wet races like this. 125. Pablo Nieto, 2.26´582 sec, 2nd: It’s been quite a heavy weekend, but I’m happy because I started from the eleventh position of the grid and finished second. But at the same time it’s been a very hard race because I put myself second quite early and the last ten laps seemed longer than ever. Jenkner was riding very fast and it was difficult to get him, I had Barberá right behind me and under these conditions it’s difficult to keep concentrated and a cool head. 125. Héctor Barberá, 2.26´247 sec, 3rd:I’m very satisfied with the result; this is the first time I’m on the podium. I want to dedicate it to the team and to all those supporting me, but especially to my family. Before getting on the track I didn’t believe I would be able to finish on the podium in a wet race. I had a tough moment when the rear tyre was a bit worn, there were three laps to go and Ui was lapping right behind me. I had some frights, but the bike worked great throughout the race and everything went fine in the end. 125. Dani Pedrosa, 2.30´948 sec, 8th: It’s been a tough race because we were not able to practice under wet conditions and it was hard for me to find the right rhythm, but I’m happy, because a result like this in a wet race is something important. Only one rider crashed in front of me so I could hardly make up positions. Anyway, it’s been very interesting. I have to thank the team, they have done a great job this weekend, as well as my sponsors and Honda; I’m also very happy with them.