MotoReview

Chris Vermeulen

"I'm quite happy today because Qatar hasn't been a good track in the past for Suzuki or Bridgestone. Being in 11th position doesn't sound that great - and it's a position that I have consistently found myself in at the last few GPs - but to be only 0.6 off pole is a good result. The team has worked really hard this weekend and the bike has got better and better. The race will be hard work, 22 laps in the heat, and to make a tyre last for that time will also be a test, but hopefully we've got a good enough set-up for race day and we can improve on this position tomorrow."

John Hopkins

"It's difficult to give a quote when you feel as disappointed as I do at the moment. We have worked so hard this weekend and have been up against it from the start. With the qualifiers in I thought that at least we would get a good starting position, but when you can't start the qualifying lap due to a technical difficulty there's not much you can do. I am sure I'll wake up tomorrow with my race head on and be going for it as usual. Congratulations to Chris on a great qualifying time, I think we both deserved a better position than we got."

Carlos Checa

"We've made some good improvements with the bike and tyres and I have found a race setup that is pretty close to what I desire, but I am still not strong enough with my left arm and that is very important at a track like this. I know in myself that I would be a lot further up the field if I did not have this limitation. It is especially hard on my left side when I am cornering and trying to move around on the bike; I am not as strong as I should be. I don't like riding like this as I am a fighter and want to be at the front, as we showed we can be in winter testing. Anyway we will do our best tomorrow and hopefully we can run a good race despite my problems."

James Ellison

"We're improving all the time and that is the main thing; to move forward every time I get on the bike. I am a lot closer to Carlos and truthfully this is the best session I have had on the bike. I am very happy. We didn't use qualifiers today as we were concentrating on the race set-up and we have found a good tyre that we think will last. We did some consistent times so I am confident that we can finish well, as today I could stick with the other riders I was following. This is the first weekend that we have made big changes to the bike and we've made some good ones. We have moved the handlebars and adjusted my seating for the first time. Moving the 'bars has made a big improvement when exiting the corners, because now I can get over the front of the bike more and feel that I have more control of it."