MotoReview

Valentino Rossi

"We haven't fixed everything just yet but the Yamaha engineers came up with a few ideas to solve the vibrations we suffered during the test and they all worked. So far we have come up with a setting that allows me to ride in a better way to control the bike and, even though we still have some small vibrations, it is giving us less problems. This is the perfect way to start the season and I am really happy with the way the team have worked. This afternoon the track conditions were still not perfect so the times weren't so fast, but I think tomorrow it will be better. Tomorrow we have to keep working hard to come up with some more solutions and I am sure we will be in good shape for the race. There is already a good atmosphere and I can't wait until Sunday!"

Colin Edwards

"We haven't fixed everything just yet but the Yamaha engineers came up with a few ideas to solve the vibrations we suffered during the test and they all worked. So far we have come up with a setting that allows me to ride in a better way to control the bike and, even though we still have some small vibrations, it is giving us less problems. This is the perfect way to start the season and I am really happy with the way the team have worked. This afternoon the track conditions were still not perfect so the times weren't so fast, but I think tomorrow it will be better. Tomorrow we have to keep working hard to come up with some more solutions and I am sure we will be in good shape for the race. There is already a good atmosphere and I can't wait until Sunday!"

Loris Capirossi

"This afternoon was the first real practice session, although the track was still damp in places, so I couldn't use my usual lines everywhere. The damp bothered me more than I expected. Furthermore, no rubber has been laid down, which means the track conditions are very different from the tests we did here two weeks ago. But overall I'm very, very happy with today. I'm only 12 hundredths behind the fastest guy which is nothing, and we were fast in the wet, so we are ready whatever the weather. The bike set-up is almost identical to what I used at the tests, the tyres are the same too, though we'll test some new Bridgestones tomorrow. We know we can be faster than today, which is good. I'm okay, I'll keep working and hope for some nice weather."

Sete Gibernau

"Today was okay, no one could do any real work this morning, so this afternoon was like our first practice session. Even then conditions weren't perfect, it seemed like there were still a few damp patches out there, so we're not going quite as fast as we were at the tests. For me, we need to make the bike easier, more natural. I'm still fighting with it more than I'd like, but the team has got some ideas to work on that. I'm not really thinking too much about lap times at the moment. I know we can be fast but we need to be constantly fast, so we're working more towards a good race pace. Bridgestone have some new tyres here, so we've still got more stuff to try tomorrow."

Shinya Nakano

"This morning was a bit of a wash out. I waited right to the end before going out to bed in a new engine, but the track was just too slippery for the cut slick I'd opted for in the rear of the bike. This afternoon the conditions were better, but parts of the track were still very slippery right to the end of the session. We tested a new rear tyre from Bridgestone right at the end, with positive results, but we'll need to confirm the results tomorrow when conditions are due to improve. It took me a little time this afternoon to get used to having so many bikes around me on track; a one-hour practice session is very different to the day long tests we've been doing over the winter when you mostly have the track to yourself! I'm happy to finish in the top five today, and tomorrow we just need to find those final tenths of a second from me and the bike to put us in the best position for qualifying."

Randy de Puniet

"There was nothing to learn this morning on track, as conditions weren't dry enough for slicks nor damp enough for full wets. It was a bit of an anti-climax after waiting so long to make my MotoGP debut! At the start of the afternoon session I felt a little bit nervous; I don't know why, because I felt okay this morning, but it quickly passed. Conditions were difficult this afternoon, and there were a couple of places on the fast sections of the track where the rear tried to come round on me when on a fast lap, but I don't think this will be a problem if the weather improves for tomorrow as forecast. Overall I'm happy to finish inside the top ten today. Tomorrow we need to continue working the same way, so that we're ready for my first MotoGP qualifying session in the afternoon."