Repsol riders facing the challenge of improving results in the race.
Sebastián Porto looses the pole and finishes fifth in the 250cc; Nicky Hayden ninth in MotoGP and Alex Barros tenth.
The increase of temperatures and humidity in this second practice day have changed the conditions of the asphalt on the Japanese track, turning it much more slippery today and hindering most of the riders of the three categories from improving the times set yesterday.
In the MotoGP class, the results havent been as expected for the riders of the Repsol Honda Team. With Nicky Hayden fifth and Alex Barros ninth in the mornings free practice, both of them were planning to improve yesterdays positions to get one of the best places on the starting grid. Hayden, still convalescent of the injuries suffered while training before the Portuguese Grand Prix, was the fastest of the Repsol riders and after improving the time set yesterday by some tenths of a second, finished ninth and will be starting tomorrow from the third row of the grid. His team-mate Alex Barros was not able to improve his times and finished one place behind Hayden, forced to start tomorrow from the fourth row of the grid. Rubén Xaus, eighteenth fastest yesterday, managed to improve his time by a couple of tenths and kept the position he had got after the first qualifying practice.
In the 250cc, Sebastián Porto, yesterdays pole setter, wasnt able to keep his privileged position on the first row. The Argentinean rider had problems with his bikes settings not being able to improve the times set yesterday and will be starting tomorrow from the second row of the starting grid with the fifth fastest time. His team-mate Fonsi Nieto, with several problems with the settings as well and also with some physical discomforts, was however able to improve his times and finished eleventh. Clearly improvement of the Repsol riders in the minor class, both in the mornings free practice and in the afternoons timed session.
Both riders were able to test the improvements made by their team on their bikes performance in the morning with Pablo Nieto setting the eleventh fastest time and Sergio Gadea the twenty-second. In the afternoon Pablo Nieto improved several positions with regard to yesterday, moving-up to the third row of the grid thanks to his ninth fastest time. Despite improving the time set yesterday by a bit over half a second, Nieto was hindered in his last fast lap by light rainfall on the Japanese track. Sergio Gadea, once he had got over the problems he had suffered yesterday on the engine of his Aprilia, moved-up to the twenty-fifth position.
