French GP. Race Drivers´s comments

Nieto: ‘The need to defend that lead changes my approach’.
Repsol driver´s comments about French GP resultsValentino Rossi, 1st MotoGP: ‘Races like this are difficult. In some parts of the track there is rain, in some parts sun. The conditions are very unpredictable. I was lucky to finish. I made a good start but had a little problem with the tyres so I attack and made some fast laps and go into first position. The rain then comes and we stop the race. Sure, it is not the best way to win a race but it is still 25 points and is good for the championship. I am happy to win at last at Le Mans’Tohru Ukawa, 2nd: ‘Valentino put his hand up. When the rain came we stop. I made a great start beating the two Yamahas’ off the line and followed Valentino for 9 laps. He made a mistake and I led for 10 laps. The bike felt great, much better than it has done in practice. We made adjustments to the suspension and I have much greater feel for the race. I should be happy with taking second position but I’m not really. I have won one race this season and I know I can win more. The gap is getting larger between Valentino and me. I now look forward to Mugello where I want to go one better!’Fonsi Nieto, 1st 250: ‘It was a very enjoyable race, and also very hard, although not as hard as Jerez. From the start I wanted to stay calm, and little by little I found my rhythm and pace. Once I got to the lead I tried to pull away from the group, but it wasn’t easy. The suspension wasn’t perfect, which meant I broke concentration from time to time, and made a few mistakes. I increased my pace to 1:39 to try to escape from Marco, but I saw that was impossible & so then I knew it would be a battle of tactics, and I started to plan my last lap. I had to keep the door closed, but also to remember that the most important thing was the championship. On the penultimate lap, we changed places four times because neither of us wanted to lead at that stage. I also wasn’t prepared to take the same risks as at Jerez. This weekend, things were easier for me, because the qualifying went better, and the bike has also worked well. Aprilia has been very helpful. It couldn’t have been better – we got pole position, won the race, and now we are leading the championship by quite a good margin. The need to defend that lead changes my approach, and in Mugello I will go out with the mentality of a winner. This is a fantastic time for me, and that makes it all seem easier.’Toni Elías 6th 250 : ‘I am very happy with my best result so far, mostly because we are finding a good line of development. I made a good start, but then I made an error, selecting the wrong gear. At that moment, six riders came past me at once. After that I was trying to catch up so quickly that when I tried to pass Aoki I went into one of the slow corners too hot, and we touched and left the track. It was my fault, and I apologise to him. Then I had to catch up from 13th. Little by little I saw that it was possible to catch Alzamora. With two laps to go, I managed to pass him, but there wasn’t enough time to try and catch Rolfo one place ahead, and anyway my back tyre was starting to slide badly. My pace was really good, and it was such a pity I ran off the track, because I think I could have finished fourth. But in general I am satisfied, because we have found the right direction to keep getting better. This reallygives me strong motivation for the next race, but I am still aware that we still have to work hard. Mugello is a complicated track, but now I have more confidence with my bike I am sure we can keep going forward.’Daniel Pedrosa 3rd 125: ‘I said yesterday it was going to be a complicated race, because at corners with hard braking, there is always the chance for people to make very aggressive overtaking moves. It makes the races quite a lottery. I made a good start, and found I was at the front – but then I almost crashed and I lost the lead. When de Angelis fell in front of me, that put me a little bit out of touch, and I had to ride to the maximum to catch up again to Cecchinello and Poggiali. I was just able to catch them in the last lap, but that was the most I could do. In the final bends, I concentrated on keeping the door closed& especially for Azuma, who tends in the end to make passes that upset everything! He tried to overtake me in the entry to the second-last corner, but it didn’t work.’Joan Olivé crash 125: ‘What can I say – except what a pity. I made a good start, and I knew I could keep the pace and stay with the leading group. Then` in the middle stages of the race, the front wheel tucked under, and I fell. I don’t know exactly what happened with Sanna, because he was behind me, then suddenly I saw he was also down. I lost a good opportunity to score some valuable points.’