trenace
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posted November 05, 2005 05:10 PM
 Edited By: trenace on 5 Nov 2005 17:11
Valencia Qualifying
From Motorycle-USA.com -- wow, I can't believe Kurtis Roberts actually managed 20th place and only four seconds per lap off the pace, actually beating Franco Battani (and no one else) on the Blata, anyhow nepotism at Team KR reigns supreme again:
MotoGP: Valencia Qualifying
11/5/2005
By Bart Madson
The top three positions for tomorrow's race at Valencia will all be riding Hondas. Sete Gibernau took the pole position followed by Movistar Honda teammate Marco Melandri and Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden. If those three qualifying positions seem familiar they should; they mirror the exact same starting positions as they did at Istanbul. But while the top three spots stayed the same there is a dramatic difference afterward, due to a crash in qualifying Valentino Rossi finds himself not in fourth place (as he was at Istanbul) but instead all the way back at 15th. Wait... did I just say that?
Rossi's fall came toward the end of qualifying just as the riders were bearing down to mark their fastest laps. Although he was able to return to action on his second bike, it was too late to move up from 15th which leaves the Doctor starting from row five. It is a starting position that puts a damper on Rossi's chances of tying Mick Doohan's record for single-season wins.
"When I crashed I was pushing hard with the qualifying tire and honestly I felt confident that I could do a good time," said Rossi. "I was maybe a little too aggressive and when I touched the brake I just lost the front and went down. I was going fast and I have some small bruises on my elbow and on my leg, but I will be fine tomorrow for the race. I was lucky. The grid position is not so good, my worst for a very long time! The situation on the track is actually not so bad; the rhythm is okay, although we do have some problems and for sure I am slower than some of the other riders. The main problem is that it's hard to overtake at this circuit. A lot will depend on how many riders I can pass at the start and in the first lap. Anyway, we will try to make some progress tomorrow morning and see what happens in the race. My target is to be in the top five, any higher is maybe too difficult, but it's going to be a good battle!"
Rossi's stumble gives greater hope to the rest of the field for a podium and the win. Gibernau seems ripe for victory seizing the pole position today and going for the win tomorrow in front of his fellow countrymen. A dramatic victory at Valencia would redeem his lackluster 2005 campaign.
"We've been fastest in qualifying, spent most laps leading the races and due to bad luck and the occasional mistakes, we have not been able to make the most of this hard work at every Grand Prix this season," said Gibernau. "I hope to do it here, at home, in the final race of the year. I want to fight for the podium and the victory if it is possible, and finish with my best result of the season."
Melandri and Hayden's battle for second place in the championship has been falling in Melandri's favor as of late. Hayden will have to finish strong and Melandri will have to falter in order for Hayden to make up the nine-point difference. It doesn't look likely given Melandri's qualifying time, but that won't stop the Kentucky Kid from taking a run at him come tomorrow.
"Really looking to have a good race tomorrow," said Hayden. "Marco will need to have to have a major problem not to keep second slot but we're going to give it our best."
Behind the Honda's big three was Ducati's Carlos Checa, who earned his fourth-place position after momentarily loosing control of his bike and suffering a temporary - albeit extremely uncomfortable injury - which is best described by Checa himself.
"It was Saint Carlos' day yesterday, so I think he was close to me today, because you normally crash when that kind of thing happens," said Checa referring to his near crash. "It was a big highside, I was flying like a bird, my hands the only part of me still holding onto the bike. I hit my "jewels" really hard and went white like a candle."
The recovering Checa was followed by Max Biaggi, Colin Edwards, and Ducati teammate Loris Capirossi - who had a close call of his own, running off the track but recovering without incident. Alex Barros, Shinya Nakano, and Makoto Tamada rounded out the top ten.
American riders John Hopkins and Kurtis Roberts improved their positions somewhat. Roberts shaved 1.433 seconds off of his best time from yesterday, although still nearly four seconds off of Gibernau's pace and buried back in 20th. Meanwhile Suzuki rider Hopkins moved up from 13th to 11th logging a time just 0.911 off of the pole position pace.
All told, a surprising day of qualifying with Rossi's fall. It should make for an interesting race tomorrow.
Valencia Qualifying Results:
1. Sete Gibernau (Honda) SPA 1' 31.874
2. Marco Melandri (Honda) ITA 1' 32.111
3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) USA 1' 32.217
4. Carlos Checa (Ducati) SPA 1' 32.374
5. Max Biaggi (Honda) ITA 1' 32.384
6. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) USA 1' 32.456
7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) ITA 1' 32.482
8. Alex Barros (Honda) BRA 1' 32.518
9. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) JPN 1' 32.663
10. Makoto Tamada (Honda) JPN 1' 32.682
11. John Hopkins (Suzuki) USA 1' 32.785
12. Alex Hofmann (Kawasaki) GER 1' 32.966
13. Toni Elias (Yamaha) SPA 1' 33.005
14. Nobuatsu Aoki (Suzuki) JPN 1' 33.393
15. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) ITA 1' 33.503
16. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) JPN 1' 33.846
17. Ruben Xaus (Yamaha) SPA 1' 34.874
18. Roberto Rolfo (Ducati) ITA 1' 34.978
19. James Ellison (Blata) GBR 1' 35.158
20. Kurtis Roberts (Proton) USA 1' 35.374
21. Franco Battani (Blata) ITA 1' 35.712
  
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trenace
Needs a job
Posts: 3056
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posted November 05, 2005 07:38 PM
Edited By: trenace on 5 Nov 2005 19:40
The Kawasaki MotoGP team report, with some delusional commentary by Alex Hofmann:
05 Nov 2005
NAKANO AND HOFMANN IMPRESS IN VALENCIA QUALIFYING
Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, bravely rode through the pain barrier to record impressive qualifying times for tomorrow's end-of-season Valencia Grand Prix.
Both Nakano and Hofmann were within one second of pole position, set by Sete Gibernau, and ahead of seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, who qualified fifteenth.
Nakano will start from ninth on the third row while Hofmann, in his final race appearance aboard the Ninja ZX-RR, will start from 12th position.
Nakano required a painkilling injection 30 minutes before the start of qualifying to ease the discomfort in his bruised left hand, injured when he crashed in yesterday's first free practice session.
With 18 minutes remaining in the one hour session Nakano posted the third fastest time, moving up from 14th. He posted another fast lap later in the session to hold a top five spot before finishing ninth on the grid, just 0.4s off a front row start.
Nakano's hand injury is at its worst while operating the clutch for downshifts in the frequent heavy braking zones of the 14-turn Valencia circuit.
Meanwhile, Hofmann continued to defy medical opinion with a gritty and fast performance, despite riding with a plate and 16 screws in his left ankle and foot.
The 25-year-old German rider has not ridden a MotoGP bike for seven weeks, but still rose to the occasion and out-qualified factory rivals from Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda.
Hofmann was firmly established in the top ten until the final minutes of the session when he made a mistake at the final corner on his final fast run.
While neither is 100% fit, both Nakano and Hofmann believe they have strong race set-ups for the 30-lap race, which promises to be a gruelling test of endurance on this compact and physical circuit.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - Ninth - 1'32.663
"That was very difficult, I could not have ridden without an injection in my hand. Even so, the hard part is under brakes and in the right-hand corners, I could not push any faster because of my hand. The race will be tough over 30 laps, I'm not sure about the condition of my hand but I will try my best. We have a strong race set-up, the bike feels good and this morning I did not think this qualifying position would be possible - I didn't think I could ride this afternoon."
Alex Hofmann: #66 - Twelfth - 1'32.966
"I'm a little disappointed because I had been faster than Shinya in the three free practice sessions and I thought I could have stayed ahead this afternoon. I tried to catch a tow on my final lap, but Barros and Tamada were just playing so I went alone. I had a fast lap going until the final corner - I lost the rear on entry and this cost me a lot of acceleration onto the straight. But overall I'm surprised to be within one second of pole after being away for seven weeks, and not taking big risks, I cannot afford to crash while I'm not 100% fit. Now I'm just going out to enjoy my final race with Kawasaki, and do the maximum that my body will allow - the longest run I've done this weekend is ten laps."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I am full of admiration for the strong comeback by Alex, he is pushing very hard despite not being 100% fit. This is a very brave performance and Alex deserves to have a good result in his final race with Kawasaki, I just hope his physical endurance allows him to do this. It was not so easy for Shinya either, as he is also suffering, to a lesser extent, with an injury. I hope he can also have a good race tomorrow."
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