Daniel Pedrosa is focused on ending his Asian adventure with the best possible result in Qatar tomorrow.
The World Champion has given everything to prepare for the race at Losail despite suffering from engine problems that have prevented him from hitting top form.
In the final session, the World Champion lapped half a second inside the circuit record set by Alex De Angelis in 2004 and lines up in fourth place on a front row that also includes Lorenzo, De Angelis and Stoner. Dani is confident of having a faster bike available for the race tomorrow, which starts one hour later than usual to tie in with European time.
Hiroshi Aoyama had reason to be happy after knocking two seconds off his lap time from yesterday and sealing a spot on the second row of the grid. The Japanese rider is feeling much more comfortable with the front end, which had given him a headache from the first free practice session, and hopes to stick with the front group as he targets another podium finish.
DANI PEDROSA (4th, 2’02”544): “We’ve got a few engine problems. We’ve got no top end and it’s not too great on the bottom end either. It is not carburetting too well and it’s not as fast as it should be. We’ve improved over the two sessions but we still haven’t completely solved the problem. I suppose it’s because of the heat, but it’s difficult. The other riders are going quick but, more than that, the problem for us at the moment is the bike. It’s just not working well and I can’t ride at 100%. I’m losing quite a lot of time down the straights and also in some corners. There is a particular section where I’m really struggling and others where it’s a little better. It’s a very demanding circuit, especially on the front end, but if we can improve the engine situation I’m confident of our chances in the race.”
HIROSHI AOYAMA (7º, 2’02”828): “We’ve got a few engine problems here, I suppose because of the heat, but my confidence has improved from yesterday. We’ve made a few changes and I feel more confident with the front end, which is really important at this circuit. It will be extremely hot during the race and it will be hard to stick it out in the front group. But I’m confident of getting a good start and pushing hard over the first few laps to stay in touch with the leaders.”
LAP TIMES
1. Jorge Lorenzo (Esp/Honda)2’02”154
2. Alex De Angelis (RSM/Aprilia) + 0”149
3. Casey Stoner (Aus/Aprilia)+ 0”319
4. Dani Pedrosa (Esp/Honda) + 0”390
5. Sebastián Porto (Arg/Aprilia) + 0”550
6. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita/Honda) + 0”561
7. Hiroshi Aoyama (Jap/Honda) + 0”674