Pics of the Day: Valencian GP, Saturday

Valencia GP - 250cc - Quotes after QP2

6th Álvaro Bautista: 1.36.419 (22 laps)
"The truth is that today was pretty much our first session in the dry but I had a problem with my first bike and had to take the second one. At the end of the session I ran into a bit of traffic and wasn't able to get a good lap together. I'm not too pleased with sixth place but I'm confident we can improve the engine and set-up of my number one bike. This is our home race and we can't let Simoncelli win here. I'll be going out tomorrow to beat him and win the race. It's an important one and the tactic is to win it whatever way we can. I'll be doing my part with that. The KTMs are also going really well at this track and I think it will be a group race. It is difficult to escape here so we'll try and run with the front group and I'm sure it will be a scrap."

9th Héctor Faubel: 1.36.635 (21 laps)
"My pace is good here and the general feeling is that we've had a positive session. It was a shame we had a second row start nicked off us right at the end but we have some small room for improvement and we'll work on that in the warm-up. I tried to lap alone towards the end because I've learned this year that getting a tow isn't much use in this class. I know this track really well and I'm really motivated for the race, although we have to be a little cautious about the race."

Valencia GP - 125cc - Quotes after QP2

1st Gábor Talmacsi: 1.41.451 (16 laps)
"I love the feeling I've got with my first bike and I'm so happy to be on pole position - not just for me but for the team because this is their home race. It is my final race in 125cc race so that's another reason to be happy that I'm signing off on top form. I wasn't sure this would be possible because I didn't feel too comfortable in the wet and my wrist still isn't 100% but little by little I built up my confidence and then pushed hard at the end. Second place in the championship is still not guaranteed and Corsi is close, but I think tomorrow will be exciting and anything could happen. The bike is working perfectly so I'm hoping for a dry race and a win, which I haven't managed at this circuit."

2nd Sergio Gadea: 1.41.641 (15 laps)
"It's a shame because I really wanted pole but I'm happy for Gábor. We've got a really good set-up here. Yesterday we didn't want to take any risks because we knew we could be fast in the dry and we are. I picked my pace up immediately after the red flag and on the last lap I was pushing hard, although the bike didn't feel 100%. Hopefully the race will be dry - I know Gábor is very strong but I'll push to try and escape. During the warm-up we'll do some more work on the set-up but we're almost ready."

24th Adrián Martín: 1.44.193 (17 laps)
"It was difficult to get into a rhythm today - firstly because the morning session was wet and then there was a red flag in the afternoon. We had some set-up problems and I didn't feel totally comfortable on the brakes. I also made a couple of mistakes mid-corner that cost me some time. I know this track well and I think we have a chance of putting together a good race and challenging for the points like we did last time."

Valencia GP - 250cc - Results QP2

With improved conditions compared to yesterday, all 250cc riders were able to go faster around the Valencian circuit in the second qualifying.
Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista and Hector Faubel were also able to improve their positions on the grid with race starts from the 6th and 9th position respectively.
Both riders are eager to show a good performance for their home crowd in the last race of the season tomorrow.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time
1 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera 1'35.408
2 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia + 0.010
3 J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc + 0.556
4 M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.786
5 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.859
6 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.011
7 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 1.160
8 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 1.165
9 H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.227
10 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 1.246
11 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.424
12 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 1.433
13 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 1.484
14 M. PASINI ITA Polaris World + 1.639
15 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 1.992
16 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 2.047
17 S. GROTZKYJ ITA Campetella Racing + 2.395
18 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 2.837
19 F. SANDI ITA Zongshen AOS Racing + 3.184
20 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 3.233
21 M. HERNANDEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 3.466
22 D. ARCAS SPA Blusens Aprilia + 3.774
23 D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia + 5.185
24 A. GYORFI HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 5.667
25 T. WIRSING GER Racing Team Germany + 6.566

Valencia GP - 125cc - Double Pole for Team Aspar

The second day at the team's home and sponsor track in Valencia was a raving success for Team Aspar with Bancaja Aspar riders Gabor Talmacsi and Sergio Gadea on first and second position on the grid.
With improving conditions compared to yesterday all 125cc riders were able to go considerably faster and improve their laptimes.
A nasty crash of Spanish home rider Pol Espargaro halfway through the qualifying caused the session to be red-flagged, but it could resume quickly afterwards. We'd like to send the best wishes to Pol and hope that he recovers quickly.
Aspar replacement rider Adrian Martin will start the race from 24th position tomorrow.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time
1 G. TALMACSI HUN Bancaja Aspar Team 1'41.451
2 S. GADEA SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 0.190
3 S. CORSI ITA Jack & Jones WRB + 0.500
4 N. TEROL SPA Jack & Jones WRB + 0.598
5 B. SMITH GBR Polaris World + 0.644
6 S. BONSEY USA Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.648
7 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Ajo Motorsport + 0.712
8 A. IANNONE ITA I.C. Team + 0.786
9 D. AEGERTER SWI Ajo Motorsport + 1.052
10 S. BRADL GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 1.138
11 S. CORTESE GER Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.185
12 E. RABAT SPA Repsol KTM 125cc + 1.203
13 D. WEBB GBR Degraaf Grand Prix + 1.457
14 J. OLIVE SPA Belson Derbi + 1.518
15 T. KOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 125 + 1.566
16 L. ZANETTI ITA ISPA KTM Aran + 1.586
17 S. REDDING GBR Blusens Aprilia Junior + 1.682
18 P. NIETO SPA Onde 2000 KTM + 1.907
19 R. DE ROSA ITA Onde 2000 KTM + 2.048
20 T. NAKAGAMI JPN I.C. Team + 2.255
21 R. KRUMMENACHER SWI Red Bull KTM 125 + 2.392
22 E. VAZQUEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia Junior + 2.567
23 A. MASBOU FRA Loncin Racing + 2.610
24 A. MARTIN SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 2.742
25 J. CLUZEL FRA Loncin Racing + 2.781
26 L. SAVADORI ITA I.C. Team + 2.882
27 E. JEREZ SPA ISPA KTM Aran + 2.954
28 R. CARDUS SPA Andalucia Derbi + 3.079
29 J. MIRALLES SPA Bancaja Mir CEV + 3.334
30 P. ESPARGARO SPA Belson Derbi + 3.503
31 M. RAVAIOLI ITA Matteoni Racing + 3.681
32 R. LASSER GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 3.780
33 D. SAEZ SPA Gaviota Prosolia Racing + 3.839
34 R. MURESAN ROU Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 3.929
35 L. ROSSI FRA FFM Honda GP 125 + 4.044
36 P. TUTUSAUS SPA Alpo Atletico de Madrid + 4.323
37 J. FOLGER GER Red Bull KTM 125 + 4.525
38 H. VAN DEN BERG NED Degraaf Grand Prix + 4.647
39 B. CHESAUX SWI WTR San Marino Team + 5.298
40 C. TRABALON SPA Alpo Atletico de Madrid + 6.855

Pics of the Day: Valencian GP, Friday

Valencia GP - 250cc - Quotes after QP1

9th Álvaro Bautista: 1’51.117 (21 laps)
“Today has been a very calm day, because the track wasn’t really suitable for riding and we opted against taking risks. The sessions were rather crash-heavy for other riders. On our part we were looking for slow and steady progress in order to pick up confidence. The feeling that we had was good, and we were in control of the bike all the time, which is important. With the title decided we don’t need to take chances, and instead we focused on trying some rear tyres –with the softer one decided for if it rains. There are lots of left handers on this circuit, and that’s where the rubber usually gets worn out, so the selection will be crucial.”

14th Héctor Faubel: 1.52.343 (19 laps)
“This morning we went very well. In the afternoon with a little less water on track we had some engine difficulties, although we solved them by the end of the session. At the start it was pretty bad, but when we found the way around it I felt progressively more comfortable. Water is something that has followed us throughout the championship, so I’m not worried about the chance of a wet race. We’ll be ready for that. If it doesn’t rain then I hope to equal my time from the winter test here, and if we do that then we will be up at the top. I think that I can do well here, because I know the track so well.”

Valencia GP - 125cc - Quotes after QP1

11th Gábor Talmacsi: 2.01.327 (12 laps)
“Honestly, I didn’t have much feeling with the Aprilia in the wet today. I didn’t feel the limit of the bike at any time so didn’t want to risk it. Obviously, if it was the race or final qualifying then I’d have pushed more but our objective today was to get some laps in and get a feeling for the track. We even went out with the second bike, just to make sure the number one machine is okay for tomorrow and Sunday. I feel calm because the weather will improve tomorrow and we’ll run at the front. I love this track and I can adapt quickly to it.”

15th Adrián Martín: 2.02.212 (13 laps)
“It was a useful session and I felt comfortable. I’m happy with the result even though I had a few scary moments, but that’s normal in the wet. This circuit doesn’t have much grip when it rains and you have to build up your confidence. I tried to do that with every lap, improving my lap times as I went on. Hopefully I can continue to do that in every session, whatever the conditions.”

19th Sergio Gadea: 2.02.869 (12 laps)
“We put some new forks on today and they worked quite well – the problem is we don’t have the bike set up yet and on top of that it rained. We spent the whole day working on the front-end set-up and I couldn’t push at any point, because when I did the bike moved around so much. I would have been silly to risk a crash. In theory the weather should be much better tomorrow and even though it will be difficult I’ll be doing all I can to set pole. I know I can be fast here and I’m not at all worried about the result today.”

Valencia GP - 250cc - Results QP1

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time
1 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia 1'50.001
2 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.396
3 M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 + 0.401
4 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.504
5 M. PASINI ITA Polaris World + 0.546
6 J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc + 0.580
7 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 0.929
8 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 1.011
9 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 1.116
10 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 1.856
11 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.940
12 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 1.957
13 S. GROTZKYJ ITA Campetella Racing + 2.253
14 H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 2.342
15 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 2.622
16 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 2.657
17 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 2.943
18 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 2.947
19 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 2.950
20 T. WIRSING GER Racing Team Germany + 3.390
21 F. SANDI ITA Zongshen AOS Racing + 4.231
22 M. HERNANDEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 4.939
23 A. GYORFI HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 5.160

Out of limit time
D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia
D. ARCAS SPA Blusens Aprilia

Valencia GP - 125cc - Results QP1

After a full wet and rainy first practice this morning, the first qualifying for the 125cc saw no rain, but a still very wet track.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time
1 S. CORSI ITA Jack & Jones WRB 1'59.809
2 L. ZANETTI ITA ISPA KTM Aran + 0.150
3 S. BONSEY USA Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.191
4 D. AEGERTER SWI Ajo Motorsport + 0.196
5 D. WEBB GBR Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.618
6 N. TEROL SPA Jack & Jones WRB + 0.783
7 H. VAN DEN BERG NED Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.981
8 J. OLIVE SPA Belson Derbi + 1.228
9 R. DE ROSA ITA Onde 2000 KTM + 1.413
10 R. LASSER GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 1.435
11 G. TALMACSI HUN Bancaja Aspar Team + 1.518
12 S. CORTESE GER Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.723
13 T. KOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 125 + 2.094
14 R. KRUMMENACHER SWI Red Bull KTM 125 + 2.305
15 A. MARTIN SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 2.403
16 R. CARDUS SPA Andalucia Derbi + 2.469
17 P. NIETO SPA Onde 2000 KTM + 2.937
18 S. REDDING GBR Blusens Aprilia Junior + 2.987
19 S. GADEA SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 3.060
20 E. RABAT SPA Repsol KTM 125cc + 3.388
21 P. ESPARGARO SPA Belson Derbi + 3.406
22 S. BRADL GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 3.484
23 B. SMITH GBR Polaris World + 3.957
24 B. CHESAUX SWI WTR San Marino Team + 4.150
25 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Ajo Motorsport + 4.240
26 A. IANNONE ITA I.C. Team + 4.401
27 A. MASBOU FRA Loncin Racing + 4.561
28 J. FOLGER GER Red Bull KTM 125 + 4.649
29 L. SAVADORI ITA I.C. Team + 4.652
30 D. SAEZ SPA Gaviota Prosolia Racing + 5.166
31 J. MIRALLES SPA Bancaja Mir CEV + 5.868
32 L. ROSSI FRA FFM Honda GP 125 + 6.050
33 M. RAVAIOLI ITA Matteoni Racing + 6.634
34 J. CLUZEL FRA Loncin Racing + 6.805
35 E. JEREZ SPA ISPA KTM Aran + 7.042
36 T. NAKAGAMI JPN I.C. Team + 7.507
37 R. MURESAN ROU Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 8.241

Not classified
E. VAZQUEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia Junior Lap

Out of limit time
P. TUTUSAUS SPA Alpo Atletico de Madrid
C. TRABALON SPA Alpo Atletico de Madrid

Team Aspar celebrates 10th anniversay of Valencia Circuit

Jorge Martinez and all the Team Aspar riders took part in the big anniversary celebration of the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste on Thursday.

At a celebratory dinner on Thursday evening, ahead of the Gran Premio Parts Europe de la Comunitat Valenciana, dignitaries including Valencian president Francisco Camps and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta gathered to mark the tenth anniversary of the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Numerous MotoGP riders were also in attendance, in addition to the likes of Circuit Director Julio Garcia and prominent local figure Jorge Martinez Aspar to sample some local paella and enjoy some Valencian fireworks.

The riders also came face to face with larger than life size `ninots´ - models of themselves – created by a local artist, in the traditional Valencian style.

Petition Minichamps For Alvaro Bautista Diecast Models

(*Above: Bati's 2005 Honda by Ixo - currently the only proper diecast available)


I wonder if I can ask any of you reading this to spare a few minutes to write an email to Minichamps (a German company called Pauls Model Art) to petition them to produce Alvaro's Aspar Aprilia 125cc Championship Winning bike from 2006. And possibly more too?

This is the email address: info@minichamps.de

I have written to them asking if they would consider making Alvaro's 2006 Championship-winning Aprilia 125. My reasoning to them is that he is not only already hugely popular in Spain, but also gaining popularity quickly around the world and that he is without doubt going to be one of the sport's superstars, and that it would make sense to pick up on that and to start producing models of his rides.
I also asked them to consider doing his 2007 Aprilia 250, and perhaps more importantly this years Aprilia 250 - as vice champion.

Anyway - please drop them a line, as much in your own words as possible as it doesn't want to appear to be some automated spamming!
But I'd certainly appreciate you helping me push them on this, and if you can encourage any friends to mail them too, that would be excellent.
There's more about all this here... if you want to find out all about it.

Cheers,
gb

Pics of the Day: Malaysian GP, Sunday

Congratulations Bati & Talma!

MotoGP - Malaysia - 250cc - Quotes after race

1st Álvaro Bautista
“The race has been very hard because of the heat. I started a little badly, but quickly I caught up with the front group. I think that we had a great weekend, as we were at the front for the entire time in practice. We tried to slow the race pace down to let some other riders come into play in the World Championship picture, but in the end we were just three at the head of the race. When we saw that there were no other riders near, the decision was made to at least try and win the race. The season didn’t start as we would have liked, and we were always on the back foot after some early problems, but second place is not so bad in the championship. However, it wasn’t our goal when we started the year, and we will have to give our all in Valencia to cheer up the home fans.”

Héctor Faubel (DNF)
“Once again I had a crash that I don’t understand. It was in the second section of the track, on the fifth corner. I was fast off the line and my front went out. We keep having this problem on the weekends, where the practices go well and in the race something happens to us. It’s a pity because we couldn’t take a good result home. Now we have to turn the page and look to Cheste. It is a circuit that I love, and I won last year in 125cc. I will be at home and trying to have fun enjoying the atmosphere.”

MotoGP - Malaysia - 125cc - Quotes after race

1st Gábor Talmacsi
"It has been a fantastic weekend and I am glad to repeat the result from last year. I made a good start and tried to maintain a fast pace to get away from the beginning. I felt Iannone around me and trying to put pressure on me in the braking points, but he wasn't able to get close enough to me. The bike was working to perfection, and for that reason I just had to make sure that I didn't lose concentration. I love this circuit and am proud to have won here again, and now we will go to Valencia which is another favourite of mine. I love the fans and atmosphere there. I always feel good when we race in Valencia."

12th Sergio Gadea
"This morning in the warmup we did well, and we finished third. It seemed as if the setting on the Aprilia was ready for the race, but later I tried to push for the front when the lights went out and didn't feel at all confident. Then I lost positions, which was a shame because we started from fifth, had done a good job and at the crucial moment we weren't able to get the result that we wanted. Fortunately the next race is at home, and I hope for better there."

15th Adrián Martín
"It has been a very hard race. I started with a good pace, and when I saw that I could get faster and faster I upped the pace. I stuck to a rhythm in the 17's, although I had a little scare when the front end went out on me. I kept my concentration and tried to finish as high up as possible. With four laps to go I really felt the tiredness and heat, but the desire to pick up points spurred me on. I am very happy with this result in only my fourth race, and more than anything it delights me to have gone well all weekend. The team did a great job."

MotoGP - Malaysia - 250cc - Bati wins!

In even hotter conditions that the 125cc race, Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista rode to a dominant victory at the Malaysian Gran Prix in Sepang.
Starting badly from second position on the grid he quickly worked his way up the order and arrived at the lead group with Aoyama, Simon, Kallio and Simoncelli. However, soon after that the KTM machines of Kallio and Simon had to retire due to mechanical problems which left a trio at the front fighting for victory. Alvaro's only option to keep Simoncelli from winning the championship was to win the race at Sepang and hope for other riders to go faster than Simoncelli. But with Julian Simon ultimately retiring with mechanical problems and the second group being over 7 seconds behind Simoncelli, it was enough for him to bring home third place, partly riding more than 2 seconds slower than Alvaro Bautista.
Realizing that there were no other riders fast enough to catch up with the lead group and therefore steal points from Simoncelli, Alvaro went on to at least ensure another victory at the Malaysian track, even breaking the four-year-old lap record from Dani Pedrosa in the penultimate round with degrading rubber. However, this victory was not enough to keep Simoncelli from mathematically winning the championship.
Alvaro will now look forward to close the season with another win at his home track in Valencia and to make up for this season's bad luck next year.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Total time
1 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team 42'56.428
2 H. AOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 250 + 2.586
3 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 8.343
4 Y. TAKAHASHI JPN JiR Team Scot 250 + 11.032
5 A. ESPARGARO SPA Lotus Aprilia + 13.846
6 A. DEBON SPA Lotus Aprilia + 14.274
7 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 15.101
8 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 16.987
9 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 25.356
10 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 26.846
11 F. LAI ITA Campetella Racing + 49.907
12 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 50.088
13 A. BALDOLINI ITA Matteoni Racing + 1'05.816
14 S. GROTZKYJ ITA Campetella Racing + 1'15.544
15 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 1'19.905
16 M. HERNANDEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia + 1'35.890
17 D. ARCAS SPA Blusens Aprilia + 2'00.717
18 D. PRADITA INA Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia + 2'28.842

Not classified
M. PASINI ITA Polaris World 5 Lap
J. SIMON SPA Repsol KTM 250cc 9 Lap
M. KALLIO FIN Red Bull KTM 250 15 Lap
H. FAUBEL SPA Mapfre Aspar Team 16 Lap

MotoGP - Malaysia - 125cc - Talma wins!

Bancaja Aspar rider Gabor Talmacsi rode a brilliant race in Sepang today and claimed a dominant win in extremely hot conditions.
Fellow teammates Sergio Gadea and Adrian Martin finished in 12th and 15th place respectively with replacement rider Martin claiming his first world championship point.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Total time

1 G. TALMACSI HUN Bancaja Aspar Team 43'00.716
2 B. SMITH GBR Polaris World + 3.416
3 S. CORSI ITA Jack & Jones WRB + 6.896
4 S. CORTESE GER Emmi - Caffe Latte + 6.925
5 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Ajo Motorsport + 7.115
6 P. ESPARGARO SPA Belson Derbi + 15.122
7 J. OLIVE SPA Belson Derbi + 21.805
8 D. AEGERTER SWI Ajo Motorsport + 21.869
9 N. TEROL SPA Jack & Jones WRB + 21.958
10 A. IANNONE ITA I.C. Team + 23.615
11 T. KOYAMA JPN Red Bull KTM 125 + 23.651
12 S. GADEA SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 35.224
13 L. ZANETTI ITA ISPA KTM Aran + 40.502
14 P. NIETO SPA Onde 2000 KTM + 51.404
15 A. MARTIN SPA Bancaja Aspar Team + 55.726
16 J. CLUZEL FRA Loncin Racing + 56.537
17 J. FOLGER GER Red Bull MotoGP Academy + 1'07.140
18 M. RAVAIOLI ITA Matteoni Racing + 1'07.573
19 R. KRUMMENACHER SWI Red Bull KTM 125 + 1'07.741
20 R. LASSER GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing + 1'08.849
21 B. CHESAUX SWI WTR San Marino Team + 1'46.609
22 R. MURESAN ROU Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing 1 Lap

Not classified
E. RABAT SPA Repsol KTM 125cc 2 Lap
S. BONSEY USA Degraaf Grand Prix 7 Lap
S. BRADL GER Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing 8 Lap
S. REDDING GBR Blusens Aprilia Junior 8 Lap
H. VAN DEN BERG NED Degraaf Grand Prix 8 Lap
R. DE ROSA ITA Onde 2000 KTM 11 Lap
D. WEBB GBR Degraaf Grand Prix 11 Lap
E. JEREZ SPA ISPA KTM Aran 11 Lap
A. MASBOU FRA Loncin Racing 13 Lap
T. NAKAGAMI JPN I.C. Team 16 Lap

Not starting
E. VAZQUEZ SPA Blusens Aprilia Junior

Pics of the day: Malaysian GP, Saturday

MotoGP - Malaysia - 250cc - Quotes after QP2

2nd Álvaro Bautista: 2.07.073 (17 laps)
“The track conditions were different to yesterday. There was more humidity in the air and you could tell. We put a new engine in but didn’t get much chance to set it up and this afternoon it was quite running at 100%. We lost a bit in the gear ratio setting and that’s why I struggled to put my pace together but in the corners the suspension and chassis feels good, which is important for the race tomorrow. We’ll work a bit more on the engine in the warm-up tomorrow and try to have a good race. It is going to be a test of endurance tomorrow because of the heat but I’m going out to win as usual. Lets see if the KTMs can stay with us and make it a group battle.”

10th Héctor Faubel: 2.08.009 (13 laps)
“The rain was a real hindrance to us this morning because we were hoping to try a new engine we’d fitted yesterday. We had to make a few stops this afternoon to refine the setting and we lost a lot of time. We also made a couple of changes to the chassis that didn’t really work so we’ll go back to the setting we had yesterday. It is a shame that our run of second row starts has ended but I think we can still do well from the third row. We’ll try to run up front tomorrow but the lead guys have a good pace and it will be tough to keep up.”

MotoGP - Malaysia - 125cc - Quotes after QP2

2nd Gábor Talmacsi: 2.15.206 (8 laps)
“This morning went really well. I felt comfortable on the bike and I think we made a big step up with the race pace and lap time. We were ready to make a change to the gear ratio for qualifying but the rain prevented that. We’ve got some similar problems to the ones we had in Australia in the wet. I don’t have a good feeling with the wet front tyre but we’ll try to improve that tomorrow in case it’s wet. We’re ready for a dry race and my objective is to win it. I think we’ve been fast today and yesterday and we’ve got the pace to run at the front from the start.”

5th Sergio Gadea: 2.15.684 (10 laps)
“We tried to improve the set-up this morning, made a change and it seemed to work. On the final lap I hit neutral going into the chicane and I was fully leaned over, so I went down. It was nothing really but we missed the chance to set a good lap time. I’m happy with the afternoon session because we ended up third fastest and if it wasn’t for the rain we’d have improved a lot. If it’s a dry race I’m sure it will be as close http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gifas usual and we’ll have to take a few chances. It’s good that we’re starting from fifth so I don’t have as much ground to make up as I have done recently but it will also be important not to make any mistakes if I want to run with the lead group.”

27th Adrián Martín: 2.18.655 (10 laps)
“I really like this track in the wet. I got faster and faster the more confident I got. It’s a shame qualifying wasn’t dry because we also did a great job this morning and I think I could have moved up into the top twenty. Anyway, I’m going to go out and try to pass as many riders as possible.”