Southafrican GP. Race Drivers´s comments

Ukawa: ‘On the final lap Rossi had less grip than me and made a little mistake’.
Repsol driver´s comments about Southafrican GP resultsTohru Ukawa, 1st MotoGP: ‘That was great. I am very very happy. Basically I like this circuit. I made a good tyre choice with my team today and the Michelin’s were fantastic. At the start of the race Valentino goes fast and I can stay with him. Towards the end of the race I overtake but he comes back. On the final lap he had less grip than me and made a little mistake. I am very, very happy for me and the team to take my first MotoGP win!’Valentino Rossi 2nd MotoGP: ‘I chose a slightly softer tyre combination for the race. I made a good start and I tried to go fast. Tohru comes with me. The tyre was a little bit too soft on the right and about half way through the race Tohru overtakes. I stay behind for a while and then pass him a few laps before the end. On the last lap I make a couple of mistakes and go into the corner too fast and loose some grip. I did not have enough grip on the edge. Anyway, I try! The result is important for the championship.’Fonsi Nieto, 3rd 250: ‘I am very happy, because this is a result I didn’t expect. I had many problems all weekend with the rear suspension. This morning in the warm up the machine was much better. In the race, with a full fuel load, I was slow through the fast corners. At that stage, I had no expectation of reaching the podium, and it was very hard for me to try to improve my rhythm in the first part of the race. Then as the fuel load became lighter, it became easier, and I could up the pace. When I passed Rolfo, I wasn’t happy with fourth, so I went for Locatelli. I risked a lot, but luckily I was successful. I am very happy, because this was a bonus result. The Nieto family have really made their mark today. My morale is very high for Jerez, and for me it’s a very special track. We are at home with all our fans and with our sponsors. In Jerez I am going to give everything I have to try to win.’Toni Elías 16th 250 : ‘I am not very satisfied with this result. On the first day of qualifying the bike was really good, but on Saturday we made some changes that had a contrary effect, and I wasn’t able to improve my lap times. I started from 15th, and I was really looking for a good start to make some positions. Without noticing, I must have started before the light was green. They penalised me with a stop-and-go, so after that I just concentrated on finishing the race, and gaining some more experience’.Daniel Pedrosa 3rd 125: ‘It was a very difficult race. The high temperatures were a deciding factor, as we had expected. I started off in the lead, and when I saw that the front group was staying close together, I decided to run a little further back to preserve my tyres, study my opponents, and wait to see if they would make any errors. The gear speed-shifter stopped working, which made it more difficult for me. In the last laps, the rhythm got faster, and it was very difficult for me to maintain the speed with my condition. Pablo Nieto made an error on the last lap, and I got the benefit of that, to get past and achieve third position. I want to dedicate this podium to all my team, because they worked so hard and so well for it. We’re aware that we still have a small technical disadvantage, but I hope that our hard work will help us to improve the situation’.Joan Olivé retired 125: ‘That was a big pity. I made a great start, but in the first turn I was bumped by another rider – I think it was Hules – and I crashed in the middle of the pack. Luckily I was not injured, although Cecchinello’s bike ran right over me – like a lorry. We worked very hard and made a lot of progress this weekend, and I was feeling confident that we could get some valuable points. But it didn’t work out. Now I must forget this race and concentrate on the next one, at Jerez’.