Click here for the grid for the 2008 MotoGP race in Donington Park.
Repsol Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa today qualified fourth and
ninth fastest for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix, round eight of this year’s MotoGP
World Championship.
Following yesterday’s two dry sessions, rain dominated today. This morning’s
practice outing was run in heavy rain while this afternoon’s qualifying session was
run on a wet but drying track. Pedrosa and Hayden were second and third fastest in
the morning but found the damp conditions more challenging. Hayden, using the
pneumatic-valve RC212V engine for the first time at a race, was once again
impressive, ending the day just a quarter of a second off the front row. The
American is very much looking forward to racing the pneumatic-valve engine for the
first time. Pedrosa could only manage a third-row start, though the Spaniard is
confident he can ride a good race in the dry. Latest weather forecasts predict some
overnight rain but a dry race day.
Nicky Hayden, 4th fastest, 1m 39.270s: “I had hoped to be on the front row. Fourth here isn’t so bad and we will be okay
so long as we can get some stuff sorted out for the race. If it’s wet tomorrow we’re
lucky it rained because we’re using a completely different engine and today was
the first time I rode it in the rain. It took some adjusting to, just a few laps to get
comfortable on it. The engine is a little bit aggressive but I was able to control it
okay. We certainly need more time to understand it some more but all in all it’s not
too bad. We knew this weekend we were going to be a little bit in the dark because
we don’t know what this bike is going to do on tyres over race distance and we
could’ve done with some more time on fuel consumption. This morning things felt
good in the wet, but when things dried out this afternoon we were struggling to go
fast, that’s where we’ve got to work with Michelin to improve. The track’s slippery,
but it’s cold too and that can make as much different as the surface. The race will
be fun nonetheless, see what happens when that light goes out…”
Dani Pedrosa, 9th fastest, 1m 40.350s: “The race won’t be easy tomorrow because I’ve got to start from the third row of
the grid. This is a tight, one-line racetrack where overtaking can be quite difficult.
But the main unknown is the weather. If it’s dry we already have some fairly clear
ideas about machine set-up and tyre choice from yesterday’s two dry sessions.
Today the bike felt fine in the wet but some of the riders were going very fast with
an impressive rhythm. So we will wait and see what the morning warm-up session
brings. If I could choose, I would much prefer a dry race. As far as my physical
condition goes, my back and hand are still hurting from yesterday’s crash, though I
do feel a bit better today.”
Kazuhiko Yamano - Team Manager: “This morning the rain was quite heavy and we had a good result – Dani second
fastest and Nicky third fastest. But this afternoon the track conditions were more
difficult, especially towards the end of the session when the rain had stopped. At
least we have had practice in all conditions, so we are ready whatever the weather
on race day. Today was very positive with Nicky and the pneumatic-valve engine, he
has been competitive in all four sessions and we have gained lots of data. It will be
tough for Dani starting from the third row but we are confident he can get a good
start and he seems happy with his machine in all conditions.”
For the sixth time in eight rounds the MotoGP paddock was hit by rain today as the clouds burst over Donington Park for the final free practice and qualifying sessions. Casey Stoner, the fastest man in the dry yesterday, splashed his way to pole position for the second time in as many races whilst his team-mate Marco Melandri will start from the fifth row after qualifying fifteenth fastest. The Italian is hoping for dry conditions after finding a more promising set-up yesterday, whilst the Australian is ready to charge into battle whatever the weather.  Stoner back on pole for the 2008 too Casey Stoner, Pole Position - 1'38.232: "We've always had a good setting with this bike for wet conditions but we managed to find a little bit extra today and I was able to get into a fast and consistent rhythm with a good feeling. Obviously I'm happy to have set this pace in the wet and to be on pole position by such a margin but the most pleasing aspect for us so far this weekend has been the bike's performance in the dry yesterday. The work we did at Barcelona has made it a lot easier to ride, it's a lot smoother and that gave me confidence to push it in wet conditions, which is important. You can never trust the weather forecast here so we'll just sleep on it and see what we get in the morning. Whatever it is I'm confident."
Marco Melandri, 15th - 1'41.379: "I couldn't ride the bike during practice this morning but thanks to a few changes to the setting the situation was improved for qualifying. At the end of the session I pushed to improve my position but I was lacking rear grip in the fast section, where it was spinning up a lot, whilst in the slow section I was struggling with the front and couldn't brake as hard as I wanted. Unfortunately the track conditions are always really tricky in the wet here, probably worse than any other track we go to because of the virtually non-existent levels of grip. So, tomorrow I'm hoping for a dry race because we definitely found a better set-up for those conditions yesterday."
The second day on the circuit of Donington Park and heavy rain in the morning led to a wet practice session, which showed how Andrea could ride in the rain. Always staying in the upper part of the classification, Andrea ended in first position making a virtual front row packed with Honda machinery. In the afternoon the JiR Team Scot rider in the qualifying session for the British Grand Prix ended with the sixth fastest time – his best qualifying this season – thanks to this he will start on the second row of the grid.
Gianluca Montiron – Team Director: “The changing conditions of the weather completely changed the characteristics of the track. Obviously this made the choice of the tyres extremely important and we can say that these were difficult conditions and that the team had to react very fast to make this very positive result. It’s the best qualifying of the year so far for us, which is good. Everybody in the top positions was trying hard, but no-one in those conditions had a perfect lap. The strategy for the races tomorrow will really depend on exactly what weather conditions we experience for the race itself.” 
Andrea Dovizioso, 6th, 1’39”783: “The heavy rain in the morning made for a spectacular session that myself and the team used at the maximum in case of a wet race tomorrow. If it’s going to be wet we are in good shape for a very good race. In the afternoon the rain finally stopped and the grip conditions totally changed and we came to damp asphalt conditions. We had some difficulty finding the proper tyre for most part of the whole afternoon session, which is why at the start we weren’t up at the top, but then close to the end of the qualifying session I was in the condition to jump up to sixth place, grabbing the final position on the second row. In dry conditions I don’t think we have the pace of the leaders but it will be crucial to get a good start and handle the race from there.”
Gianni Berti – Technical Co-ordinator: “The qualifying session was held under difficult grip conditions. It was very difficult to understand, as when the rain stopped the surface was very slippery and it was drying very slowly and only in some areas of the track was it drying out. To achieve sixth place is very important, as it’s a good grid position here for us, and our best so far this year. We tried a lot of tyres today, and we did this to put Andrea in the best condition for the race – wet or dry. The weather forecast is mixed for tomorrow so we will see in warm-up what we can do and then look to the race.”
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen piloted his Suzuki GSV-R to his first front row grid position of the season, as he again showed his true class as one of the world’s best wet weather riders.
Vermeulen (1’39.018, 29 laps) will start from third on the grid for tomorrow’s race at Donington Park after a near faultless performance on the wet 4,023m circuit that saw him in pole position several times in the hour-long session. Vermeulen had a crash in this morning’s practice that saw him lose valuable track time, but Suzuki’s Australian star was able to return to the track uninjured this afternoon and challenge for the front row, which leaves him well placed for tomorrow’s race – whether it is wet or dry.
Ben Spies (1’40.244, 25 laps) produced a fantastic performance on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R as he rode the MotoGP machine in the wet for the very first time. The American Superbike Champion raced to eighth position on the grid to give him a third row start – in-front of many experienced Grand Prix racers.
Today’s heavy rain meant track temperatures never rose above 15ºC making conditions extremely difficult for all riders. World Champion Casey Stoner took pole position on his Ducati with current Championship leader Valentino Rossi second. Vermeulen’s third position gave Bridgestone total tyre dominance on the front row of the grid for the first time this season.
Tomorrow’s event is round eight of the MotoGP World Championship and the action gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (14.00hrs GMT), when both riders will be looking to score impressive results at the team’s home Grand Prix.  Doesn't he just love the rain! Chris Vermeulen: “I’m happy to be back on the front row, it’s the first time this year - so it was about time it happened! The team gave me a great bike to do the job on in the wet conditions. This morning I made a bit of a mistake in the wet and crashed, so that cost me a bit of track time. It made this afternoon a bit of a gamble as far as set-up goes, but as I say my guys gave me the tool to do the job. I just went out and reeled off some laps and felt very comfortable doing those times. If it’s wet tomorrow we’ve got a good tyre, and if it’s dry we’ve got our tyres sorted as well so hopefully in all conditions we’ll be strong – we now have to wait and see what the weather does!”  Spies doing pretty well on his MotoGP debut. Ben Spies: I am pretty pleased with the result today, but I still want to be up front! I know I’ve got to take it step-by-step, but every session we are getting better and better again so things seem to be going good. If it’s wet again tomorrow morning and the race is in the dry it’s going to be pretty tough, but I think we will be able to cope with it, the crew are doing a real good job and I think everyone was pleased with how things went today. I’m pretty happy to get in the top 10 at my first GP qualifying and I‘ve got to keep moving on from here.”
Paul Denning - Team Manager: “I am really pleased that Chris has made the front row. The crash this morning was not an ideal way to prepare for qualifying and he was able to put that behind him and do a really solid job this afternoon. Casey did a great time at the end and I think we could have been second with another lap, but Chris made the right decision - when he thought he’d received the chequered flag - to abort the chance of a final lap right at the end of the session. Well done to him and the crew on the front row result, it was well deserved and puts Chris in good shape for tomorrow.
“As for Ben, I think it is an amazing result today and a performance that he should be proud of! It doesn’t matter what the conditions are and what the circumstances are, it’s the same for everyone out there - he’s gone quicker today than some of the world’s very best riders on his first visit ever to Donington and his first time on a GP bike in the wet. If the weather is dry tomorrow I think we are all very realistic that it will be tough for Ben to run the pace of the riders around him, simply because of his lack of experience of both the bike and the circuit, but his confidence will certainly have been lifted by today’s result. We just hope he now brings the bike home, enjoys his first Grand Prix and continues with his learning process.
“We’re all looking forward to seeing Loris here tomorrow. He phoned straight after the session to congratulate the guys on the qualifying positions, and I think his presence will give us another boost towards challenging for a good result tomorrow.”
Cold and rainy day at Donington Park circuit, in England. The morning free practice has shown a great performance by Sylvain Guintoli who under the rain has always demonstrated great qualities. The afternoon session, that has determined the starting grid of the 22nd English Grand Prix hosted on this circuit, rain wasn’t so heavy making the track faster. The French rider has made it to improve his best lap times constantly finishing the session in twelfth position, his best qualifying session of the season. His teammate, Toni Elias, didn’t make it to find the right feeling to push at the maximum in this weather condition and will have to start in eighteenth position.
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director: “Congratulation to Sylvain who today has done really good. I am sure that his race rhythm is much better than the twelfth position conquered today and tomorrow, if the weather will remain the same, he could have a really good race. Toni, instead, didn’t have such a nice day. In the morning things didn’t go so bad, but in the afternoon things have gotten worst. We didn’t make it to find any solution to allow him to result faster. We hope to be able to work well during warm up to reduce the gap from the other riders.”
Sylvain Guintoli – 12th, 1'40.595: “I felt like the bike was faster with the track full of water. In the afternoon session the track has dried up a little and I couldn’t be as fast as in the morning. This has probably been the best day of the season so far, with fifth and twelfth position in the two sessions. I thought I would be able to enter the top ten in qualifying. I will try to do it tomorrow in the race which is surely much more important.”
Toni Elias – 18th, 1’42.933: “Today nothing went well. Around the end of the morning session it seems like things were getting better, but in the afternoon with the different condition of the track our job got even more complicated. I really don’t like the last position. I hope I will be able to improve my self tomorrow in the warm up to be more competitive for the race. It should be a race with dry track and maybe this could help us a little. Anyway, as usual, I will try to conquer as many points possible for me and the Team.”
Kawasaki's Anthony West will start tomorrow's British Grand Prix from the third row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in seventh position during this afternoon's rain soaked timed session at Donington Park.
The slippery conditions at the 4.023km track caught out many leading riders during the two, hour-long sessions today, although following the developments made in yesterday's dry practice, West managed to find a good set-up aboard his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR.
The 26-year-old looked set for a front row start after lapping quickly and consistently around the notoriously unforgiving circuit in qualifying, but the Australian rider lost out as his main rivals took advantage of Bridgestone's softer compound wet tyre, an option that wasn't possible for West to use due to limited availability.
West eventually finished in seventh position as the highest placed qualifier on Bridgestone's harder compound rear rubber. The Kawasaki pilot feels confident that he has a good race pace in both the wet or dry, and he is looking forward to fighting for positions at the front of the field during tomorrow's 30-lap race.
John Hopkins, who is still suffering from the back injury sustained in Catalunya, cautiously lapped the Leicestershire circuit in qualifying after a minor crash at turn seven during this morning's practice.
The Anglo-American concentrated on refining his machine set-up and was careful to avoid aggravating his already painful injury in the particularly greasy conditions. Hopkins will make some adjustments overnight to his Ninja ZX-RR, but the 25-year-old is reasonably happy with his machine set-up and will be looking for a strong result during the race.
The weather forecast is for showers during tomorrow's warm-up session at Donington Park, but with the rain scheduled to clear in time for the race, which gets underway at 15.00 local time.
Anthony West, #13 - 7th - 1'39.995: "It's great to be back in the top ten and fighting for decent positions. The bike is working well and we have a good pace in both the wet and dry. The track was very slippery and we were top three for a lot of the session, but we weren't allocated a soft tyre for my final run, which meant some of the other riders had an advantage. I'm feeling confident for tomorrow; we're not going to make many major changes to the machine, although there are some areas in the turns where we need to improve the rear traction of the bike. I am pleased with how things are going, as we're moving forwards, and I hope we can finally gain a strong result in the race."
John Hopkins, #21 - 11th - 1'40.539: "The conditions were really tough out there because the track was incredibly slippery. The bike and Bridgestone tyres were both working really well, but I had a crash this morning and to be honest, with the back injury I have, I've been riding quite tentatively this afternoon. I know we are capable of more, but I'm feeling pretty confident with our race setting whatever the weather tomorrow. We have some improvements to make overnight, but we just need to get a good start and then aim for the leading group."
Naoya Kaneko, Kawasaki Technical Manager: "Anthony did a good job today and he made the best of what he had. He was lapping consistently with no mistakes and he will start the race from a reasonably strong grid position. The conditions out on track weren't ideal, but I believe we have a good machine set-up in both the wet and dry. John is suffering somewhat with his injury and the crash this morning certainly didn't help things, but his race pace isn't so bad and we will analyse the areas that we need to improve overnight. For tomorrow we can only hope that it is either wet or dry for the race rather than mixed conditions, which can make setting up the machine more complicated."
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start his 200th Grand Prix from the front row of the grid tomorrow, after a consistent performance in the wet this afternoon put him second for tomorrow's British round at Donington Park. The Italian will be bidding for his eighth career win at this track but tomorrow promises to be no easy challenge, with today's wet weather expected to give way to high winds.
After a dry day yesterday today was wet throughout, a steady British drizzle soaking the track and making the already-slippery surface even more difficult to deal with, a situation that gave rise to several crashes in this morning's free practice. Rossi stayed upright but struggled with set-up issues and remained two seconds off the pace in ninth position. Some hard work from his engineers and mechanics proved fruitful this afternoon however and he was immediately more comfortable in this afternoon's qualifying session, lapping consistently in the top five. Half way through the session the rain ceased and the track began to dry further and, although a dry racing line never appeared, Rossi was able to put a string of fast laps together in the last twenty minutes and his best time was good enough for second, behind Casey Stoner and just ahead of Chris Vermeulen.
Valentino Rossi - 2nd, 1'38.881: "I'm so happy with this qualifying result and it's very important for us that we're on the front row tomorrow. We know that our Bridgestone tyres are very fast in the wet but this morning we had some problems with the setting and honestly I was quite concerned! Anyway, we made some important changes to the set-up for the afternoon and straight away the balance was better and I was able to open the throttle when I wanted to, in fact I had a lot of fun! With more small modifications throughout qualifying things got even better and lap-by-lap we were able to get faster, especially at the end. Now we are waiting for the weather in order to decide the tyres. If it's dry we have quite a big question mark about some things but we have some good ideas and I am not too worried. It's my 200th race and it's very exciting for me to reach another landmark in my career but for now I think about it as just another race."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager: "This was a very good session for us and the team and engineers have done an excellent job after this morning, when we had some problems. They had some good ideas and we have made a strong recovery to come back and qualify on the front row. Valentino was riding very well in the wet and it's very important for him to be on the front row here. Tomorrow could be difficult because it looks like the warm-up will be dry but we're not so sure for the race, it may be very windy but we will just have to deal with whatever comes!"
Jorge Lorenzo's return from injury continued in unforgiving conditions today, with the 21-year-old having to cope with a rain-hit Donington Park as he tried to find his confidence and feeling after his recent run of bad luck. The Michelin-shod Fiat Yamaha rookie was unable to make much headway today and could only manage 17th on the grid, the first time he has qualified off the first two rows since he joined Yamaha.
In the first, very wet session this morning things seemed to be looking up with Lorenzo seeming to find a rhythm and finishing a creditable ninth. The rain eased up throughout the middle part of the day however and, although he improved his time by over three seconds, others improved more and his grid position suffered as a result. With tomorrow's forecast promising drier weather but high winds, Lorenzo's aim will be just to finish safely and try to gain some confidence back on the bike in the process, looking ahead to the next race in Assen just seven days away.
Jorge Lorenzo - 17th, 1'41.873: "This morning I was riding quite well but in the afternoon the track changed; it dried out a bit and it became more difficult for me. I improved by three seconds but it wasn't enough because the others improved by six or seven seconds! I've never started so far back in MotoGP and it's a very different experience for me. I would have liked to have done one more session in the dry conditions but it hasn't been possible, and now I must be very focused tomorrow. For me it will be a success to finish the race, because for sure it's better to finish than to crash! We have to keep going step-by-step and then I know that we can improve in Assen. Yesterday we made a mistake because we wanted to change a lot of things on the bike but in fact the problem was me; this is a bad time for me but I can't let it get me down because I know this will pass and that sooner or later things will be better."
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager: "This was a difficult qualifying session for us despite an encouraging morning, when things went quite well and we were able to find a good balance and lap time. This afternoon the track was drier and we lacked rear grip; it was very difficult for Jorge going into the fast corners and also under acceleration. These conditions are making a difficult weekend even harder for him, when he is already lacking confidence after coming back from injury, and he has to take even more care to avoid mistakes. Now we will have a long meeting and we must find some solutions to improve things for tomorrow, because for sure the sixth row is not the right place for us."
A rain-hit second day at Donington Park, venue for tomorrow's 30-lap British GP, produced contrasting fortunes for Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland. In treacherous conditions, Edwards was one of the fastest men on track as the American qualified fifth on the grid. But it was a frustrating day for home star Toseland, who will start 16th after preparations for his British GP debut didn't go as smoothly as planned.
Edwards maintained his impressive 100 per cent top six qualifying record in 2008 with a best lap of 1.39.601. At one stage that time moved him as high as second in the decisive final minutes as he opted to run a set-up on his YZR-M1 similar to the one he used to finish second in a weather disrupted Donington clash last year. Despite being dropped off the front row, Edwards is confident he can be a serious contender tomorrow as he goes in search of a third podium in the British GP.
Having previously qualified in the top eight in his first seven races, Toseland will need one of his famous aggressive starts after a lap of 1.41.751 left him in unfamiliar territory on the sixth row. Sporting a new St George's Cross helmet design for his home race, Toseland seemed certain to claim another top six start when he crashed unhurt exiting the final corner in the closing stages. He remounted but crashed again at Schwantz Curve, having earlier tumbled out at Coppice in tricky conditions this morning. Despite a disappointing day, Toseland remains upbeat that he can mount a challenge in front of a large home crowd tomorrow. Ignoring the poor weather conditions today, the vast spectator areas at Donington were awash with Toseland fans roaring on the 27-yearold.
Colin Edwards, 5th, 1.39.601: "My team did an awesome job today and I just keep getting more and more impressed with them. We all did about 10 days of work in two hours to get to where we were this afternoon because this morning it just wasn't right. It was a disaster to be honest and it felt like I was sitting on the rear tyre with no front contact. It felt like if something was going to move I was going over the high-side. We played around with the bike and basically went to the set-up I had last year when I finished second and it worked, even though the chassis and engine is different on this bike. Once I got the right feeling I was dropping a second a lap this morning and we didn't really touch the bike much this afternoon. The front tyre I used this morning is the same front tyre I used all afternoon, so I did about 50 laps on a front tyre. We have obviously got no problem with front tyre endurance in the rain and the rear I'm pretty happy with. To me the track is not that bad for grip. The track is very flat but it has probably more grip than most other places. As long as you have load and you can squash the tyre onto the track it probably has more grip than any track. But we worked a lot on the electronics and thanks to my guys again because we got a much better feeling and more grip. I'm confident I can run at the front if it is full wet. Michelin has been doing a lot of work with the performance of the rain tyres on a drying track, so if it does get half and half I should be at the front. Rain or shine we are looking good and I want to get on the podium. This is my most successful track in MotoGP and I'm definitely looking to continue that good record."
James Toseland, 16th, 1.41.751: "Basically I made a mess of it. It was difficult conditions and the potential was there for a top six. Everything was going in the right direction but unfortunately I tried a few things that didn't work. Although sixth place was okay I felt like I was on the edge of the setting. I tried to change some things but we never really went in a positive direction. We were running out of time and put ourselves under pressure to get a lap in right at the end and I got on the throttle too early out of the last corner and high-sided myself. I got back on but it damaged the rear brake. I was going through Schwantz Curve and I think it engaged the rear brake and decided to chuck me off again. I think somebody was telling me they didn't want me to do the lap. I'd like to say thanks to the marshals because where I crashed at the last corner was in a bit of dodgy place and they risked a lot to try and get me going. They were true heroes. I've got to look at the positives and if it all went well we'd have been in the top six. The problem is in this class if you don't get it right you are 16th and I'm devastated that these conditions came in June in England. I was eighth yesterday but comfortable in the dry and another dry day I know I could have done a lot better. I had a lack of contact with the rear on the entry again and we really need to find this balance, especially at this track where there is so little grip. Unfortunately with only one hour you don't have the time to take a risk. Both my knees are a bit sore. In the crash this morning a handlebar hit me in the right knee and the second one this afternoon was in a fast place and it bashed me up a bit. It is going to be tough but my fans can be rest assured that I will still be giving it everything tomorrow."
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