Japan GP. Race. Driver´s comments

Rossi: ‘This season will be close’.
Valentino Rossi, 1st MotoGP: ‘That was a great result. I am so happy. I have had a difficult weekend with a crash on Friday and yesterday morning. We have hardly done any testing in the wet; I only did a few laps this morning. I got a good start in the race. I stayed with the leading group and tried to stay calm. I was happy to follow the riders, watch the line and make a pass. Ryo was going well and I passed him near the end of the race. I am glad we did good racing, it is a good spectacle. This season will be close.’Tohru Ukawa, DNF MotoGP: ‘I am really disappointed. I have had a good times in testing and usually do well in the wet. The bike felt good this morning in wet practice and I wanted to do well in front of my home supporters. I had a big high-side and that was it. I have a little strain but nothing more. I must be positive and look forward to 15 more races in the Championship. The bike is now a winner and I want to see the podium soon!’Fonsi Nieto, 13th 250: Fonsi Nieto, 13th. ‘Crashing was really a pity, because today I could have gained some important and valuable championship points. I ran into a corner too quickly, and the rear wheel slid out and I was thrown off. I managed to get going again, but the conditions were very bad and I could hardly see where I was going, because I had some mud on my visor. It was certainly my own fault, and I am sad, because after qualifying on pole I really hoped I could fight for victory. In the first laps, I stayed calm, because in these conditions I knew the result would be a lottery. After some time I started to pick up the pace, and when I saw Melandri had gone missing with three laps to go, I decided not to force the pace too much and not to make any errors. My aim was to get to the finish and get the maximum possible points. Unfortunately, I slipped up.”Toni Elías 11th 250 : ‘I am very happy with my result. My target was to finish the race, and I didn’t expect to be in the points. At first I was a little nervous of crashing, and I didn’t feel very comfortable, because the track was very wet and slippery, and my vision was very limited. Step by step I found my rhythm, but the group ahead of me had run away by then. For most of the race I was alone. I tried not to make any mistakes, because it was very easy to crash. There were many people who did fall, and that gave me the chance to take five points in my first 250 GP. Never before have I won points in the first race of the season, so I am really satisfied with that.’Daniel Pedrosa 8th 125: ‘I am very satisfied with this result. I have never been good in the wet, and to finish in the points with my lap time close to the rain specialists gives me that satisfaction. I made a good start, but I wanted to play it safe until I found my rhythm. From that point on I was gaining positions until I found myself fighting for sixth. Unluckily, four laps before finishing I ran off the track, and ended up eighth. The championship is very long, and as I said yesterday, although I had pole position, the race was the important thing. Being a wet race, the main target was to finish.’Joan Olivé 13th 125: ‘This is my first finish in a wet race. Last year, I fell in the three rainy GPs. My target was very clear – to finish, and to learn as much as I could. If I could also finish in the points & all the better. I made a good start, and was in seventh, but on the first lap Sabbatani fell and I had to brake very hard to avoid him. After that I was 23rd. This incident put me far away from anybody else, with no chance of catching up.’