The Spanish rider set his best time three laps from the end and was back in his pit box when his time was bettered in the final seconds by Loris Capirossi, the only other rider able to lap in the 2’01 mark.

Marco Melandri continues to push himself through the pain barrier as his injuries begin to suffer from the intense heat. The Italian was very tired at the end of today, with 42 laps under his belt, and he is hoping to get as much rest in tonight as he can in order to tackle the demands of tomorrow’s race. Marco was happy with his result in today’s session considering that just five days ago it was almost unthinkable that he would be taking part in this Grand Prix. 

SETE GIBERNAU (2^nd, 2’01”731): “I think my fast lap doesn’t really reflect the reality. Our race pace doesn’t have winning potential and we’ll have to work hard to find it tomorrow. We’ve got some problems that we didn’t detect here in preseason and we can’t get the best out of the engine.”

MARCO MELANDRI (9^th, 2’02”660): “After two practice sessions the foot gets a little uncomfortable. Because of the effort and the heat, it has swollen up and it needs rest. The work the team have done to prepare for the race has been affected by my physical condition; I’m struggling to change direction and I can’t use the rear brake. Every time I push down on the rear brake the stitches are stretched and it really hurts. Also, the heat makes the wound burn. I was hoping for a little more from the qualifying session. I’ll try and give my best tomorrow but I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay on the pace for the whole race.” 

 LAP TIMES

1. Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) 2’01”731
2. Sete Gibernau (Esp/Honda) + 0”136
3. John Hopkins (USA/Suzuki) + 0”286
4. Shinya Nakano (Jap/Kawasaki) + 0”447
5. Kenny Roberts (USA/Suzuki) + 0”484
6. Nicky Hayden (USA/Honda) + 0”646
7. Valentino Rossi (Ita/yamha) + 0”681
8. Carlos Checa (Esp/Ducati) + 0”688
9. Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) + 0”929
10. Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha)+ 1”074