Today the first practice sessions were held at the Circuit of Donington Park in preparation for the British GP, the eighth race this 2008 season but with all eyes on the sky, rain is expected tomorrow according to the forecast. In the top category, two sides of the coin for the Repsol Honda Team at the end of the first day, with Nicky Hayden setting the the second fastest time and Dani Pedrosa the sixth best, but this was after a bad fall on curve number one, at the end of the British track`s main straight.
Pedrosa was thrown off his bike after suddenly losing tyre adherence on the rear wheel. After the fall the Spanish rider was hit several times by his motorbike but even though it was a very spectacular accident he only suffered minor bruising on his back, his right-hand and left foot. This incident did not stop him riding back to the pits, getting on his second motorbike and returning to the track to carry on testing. The possible cause of the fall could have been the hard tyre compound, a tyre that he had gone out to test and he fell when he was about to start his second lap.
The good news this time was for Nicky Hayden, the American rider in the Repsol Honda Team, who made his debut on the bike that has the engine with pneumatic valves fitted after testing it to his satisfaction in Barcelona on the Monday and Tuesday after the recent Catalunya GP. Hayden did a total of 60 laps on the British track today, setting the second fastest time at the end of the second session, behind Casey Stoner, who was the fastest today in the the MotoGP free-training sessions. The American rider was more than satisfied with his engine`s performance and the handling on the new chassis which he also tested today at Donington Park.
In 250cc Julián Simón was able to improve on his performances in the last two races in spite of using the standard chassis again. The Repsol rider finished 7th in the definitive timed session, at 1.229 secs. behind Álvaro Bautista. However, the Repsol rider is aware of what is needed to put the finishing touches to the set up and most of all improve on the second section, which is where he lost most time. One place above him was Hiroshi Aoyama, a rider with technical support from Repsol, whilst his teammate, the Finn Mika Kallio, was 14th today.
In 125cc the surprise was called Marc Márquez, as he got the provisional pole with five minutes remaining. What is becoming a habit is for the Repsol rider to improve each time he goes out on the track. With his final set of new tyres and a good wheel to follow, Márquez moved into 6th position with seven minutes left, before setting a 1’38.044 that provisionally put him at the top of the leaderboard. He then came across a lot of other riders on the track and could not improve on his time, but was overtaken by others who were able to put in a final lap. Márquez in the end was in a positive 8th position on his first visit ever to the British circuit.His teammate, Esteve Rabat, was also satisfied at the end of the day, setting the 13th best time. The Repsol rider, who returned to racing after his bad accident in the recent Catalunya GP, progressively improved his times, blaming a slight lack of adherence on his tyres in the free session because the track was still a little dirty. Rabat was complaining of aches and pains in his legs owing to fatigue perhaps because he has not trained in the last two weeks having had to rest completely, but fortunately, when he was on his bike he was in good physical shape.
Dani Pedrosa, 1’29.207 secs, 57 laps, 229 Km. >> Audio
“We were trying to concentrate our usual two days of work on set-up and tyre choice into today because the weather forecast says it may rain tomorrow. I felt quite sore when I got on the bike this morning and I feel a bit sorer now! I think maybe we were using a too-hard rear tyre when I crashed. But I didn’t do anything serious in the fall, so I got back out on the track as quickly as I could because I wanted to do as much work as possible before the rain comes. We are still struggling a bit here. We have some ideas for tomorrow, so we hope we can get as much dry time as possible”.
Nicky Hayden, 1’28.829 secs, 61 laps, 245 Km. >> Audio
“Everything went relatively smooth today, though conditions were a little bit chilly, a little bit dirty. Honestly I’ve got to thank HRC. I told them that I really wanted to use the pneumatic-valve engine here, so they worked some on the electronics and the guys said I could use it, so long as I was going to be in the top three or four! I was second this afternoon and fifth this morning, so that kinda evens out, do the math. Sure, Stoner’s going quick and we’ve got some work to do to get with him but overall the bike is working good, so thanks to HRC and the team for delivering. The engine is pretty aggressive, but I like to go somewhere when I open the throttle, I like something to happen. It’s a little bit quicker, so it’s nice to be up near the front of the trap speeds. I was fourth from the top today, even though this is only a small, fifth-gear straight. I also had a new chassis today which felt better, it’s a little bit of an improvement stability-wise”.
Julián Simón, 1’33.063 secs, 51 laps, 205 Km. >> Audio
“This was a day of training with good weather, and that is something positive in the UK. We used the standard chassis, the one we have been using all year. We have been evolving it and setting it up for this circuit. We are in a better position than in the last two races and we will carry on working hard so as to be better tomorrow. For the time being we are on the second row, and we will see what happens with the weather, but if it is dry tomorrow the objective will be to get on the first row. We will be very motivated since the bike is responding better than in other races and we will have to take advantage of this circuit to get higher in the classification. We have to improve a bit on the second section, and finally get the set up that we need on the bike and I myself can improve as I can go faster on some curves”.
Esteve Rabat, 1’38.355 secs, 38 laps, 153 Km. >> Audio
“The objective today was to get out on the track and see whether we were ready to race or not. Things went well and I made some good progress because in the morning I was left behind a bit. The idea was to take things step by step, improve my times progressively and climb in the classification so as to get the best start on the grid in the race on Sunday. Points are won in the race, so we are concentrating on trying to start on the front row, and then give it our all so as to be up with the leaders and so improve even more”.
Marc Márquez, 1’38.044 secs, 37 laps, 149 Km. >> Audio
“This morning the track was dirty and I could not get the confidence necessary to ride comfortably. In the afternoon I noticed that I felt better and had a lot more confidence. What is more I found a good wheel to follow and set a good time. As a rider I am making progress bit by bit, but we have to take things calmly, because tomorrow the times will be faster and I will have to progress some more. I still have to improve some details, so I prefer no rain and to carry on with my work at this circuit”.
