Sete Gibernau will start the German Grand Prix from the second row of the grid tomorrow after being outdone in the final qualifying session by Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider pushed until the final minute of the two hours of practice today, completing an endurance test in the morning and improving his race rhythm at a circuit where every tenth is vital. In the afternoon the Spaniard completed work to refine the setting of the bike, aimed at finding a compromise between the slow and fast sections. Now Sete is hopeful of fighting for victory once more as he starts from fourth on the grid. Colin Edwards lowered his time from yesterday by nine tenths and improved his feeling with the bike. The American is hoping to get a good start and make up the rest in the race.
SETE GIBERNAU
(4th, 1’22”969): “I am optimistic about the race because once again the team have prepared well. I would have liked to be on the front row because it is difficult to overtake at this circuit, but we are all very close. In the morning we did an endurance and it didn’t go badly at all. We wanted to do another in the afternoon but a couple of things cropped up which set our plans back and we had to sort them out, which we were able to do. In the warm-up we have to pick up from the end of today’s session and then get a good start in the race. From there it will be a long and hard race for everybody”.
COLIN EDWARDS
(11th, 1’23”583): “We found a good compromise with the setting of the bike in the morning and in the afternoon we made a few changes which improved things even more. The feeling is good and the bike is running well but I need to make the most of the qualifying tyres to get a better position on the grid. It’s really important to get a good start at this circuit because it’s so tight and twisty and, personally, I’ll have to be aggressive on the first few laps to try and get in touch with the front group, although I know it is tough to overtake here.”
FAUSTO GRESINI
(Team manager): “We have worked a lot on the set-up of the bikes and we’ve found a good compromise. Sete improved his time from yesterday and, although he missed out on the front row, I am not worried because he has a good rhythm. Colin has also improved but he needs to find some more solutions in the warm-up”.
QUALIFYING TIMES
- Max Biaggi (Ita/Honda) 1’22”756
- Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) + 0”084
- Kenny Roberts (USA/Suzuki) + 0”205
- Sete Gibernau (Spa/Honda) + 0”213
- Shinya Nakano (Jap/Kawasaki) + 0”253
- Alex Barros (Bra/Honda) + 0”398
……
- Colin Edwards (USA/Honda) + 0”827