[mickey]

CHECA: “I believe I can be competitive in the race here because like Jerez top speed is not as critical and I have a very good feeling in the dry conditions. I did not get the best from my qualifying tyre, and my fastest time was only 0.2s quicker than on race tyres, which is very positive for tomorrow. Yesterday I had no feeling but today I’m back in the top ten after switching to our base setting that we know works on this bike.”
Shinya Nakano
“More changeable weather conditions! But saying that I have been pleased that it’s been dry. This morning we tried three new tyres for the first time and we struggled a little. This is because this is our first time here with the 800cc Honda and my first time here on Michelin tyres in the dry, so it took time to adjust. We made some gearbox adjustments also, we normally do this on the first day, but the conditions have been so different we needed to do it again. I am a little disappointed with the final grid position, we are still not up with the top group, but we have closed the gap a little and that is important. When you have a bike that works well around Donington, it’s one of the most exciting tracks to ride around, so it should be a very thrilling race!”

MARCO MELANDRI : "Today we worked on the dry setting but the forecast is for more rain tomorrow so I don't really know what to expect for the race. In the fast sections I can let the bikes run and I am fast but we're still struggling to set the bike up for the long braking. It's a problem we've had since the start of the season and it doesn't allow me to ride as I like. It will be a tough race tomorrow - even more so if it rains, because the track here is very slippery."

TONI ELIAS : "We tried to make the most of the two hours we had on a dry track to prepare as best as possible for a dry race. We struggled a bit this morning because we couldn't get the tyres up to optimum temperature. In the afternoon the situation improved and we're quite ready if it is dry tomorrow. Unfortunately we had a technical problem at the end and only got chance to use only one qualifying tyre, which means I was unable to set a good lap. I'm disappointed by that but I'm hoping for a dry race tomorrow."

KURTIS ROBERTS

We made a lot of improvements today. The wet yesterday hurt us, because I'm still trying to get used to this bike, as well as the track. I've been here twice in ten years ... once in '97 and once in '04. It's kind of tough having to relearn the track in just one day. But this afternoon we got closer to the guys the machine has been running with lately. A lot of that's just me learning where I'm going. I'm still missing the line sometimes, going in a little late, because I'm trying to do it all so fast.