Good start for Suzuki Alstare in Qatar
Despite the incredibly strong winds at the Doha circuit in
Qatar today, Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio
Kagayama acquitted themselves very well indeed, finishing
with the third and fifth fastest times overall. Team Alstare
Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner experienced some handling problems,
but also didn’t want to risk anything in the difficult
conditions, so he kept things steady and finished tenth today.
Aussie Troy Corser (Yamaha) ended first qualifying with the
day’s fastest lap, 1:59.627, two tenths of a second
quicker than his fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati).
Fonsi had been fastest in the morning untimed practice session
and ended third quickest in the afternoon, with Noriyuki Haga
(Yamaha) fourth. Just behind Haga, was Yukio, with Ruben Xaus
(Ducati) rounding out the top six.
Fonsi 3rd, 2:00.307
I’m happy with the first day of practice here in Qatar
and think that what we did today was a good result. It was
hard today because of the very strong wind and, because the
wind was not consistent, it made things quite difficult today.
I’m particularly happy because Corser, Bayliss and Haga
all tested here recently, so to be up with them today is very
satisfying. Both the wind and the sand make it easy to miss
your line and once that happens you lose time. We did a lot
of good work on the bike today and hope to carry that on tomorrow.
I hope that the wind is not so strong and we can make good
progress throughout the day.
Yukio 5th, 2:00.599
The wind today was unbelievable! I don’t think I’ve
ever raced in such strong winds before and certainly not winds
that stayed at the same strength all day. It made many parts
of the track a problem, especially the second last corner
for me. I think the wind pushed me off line five times in
five laps at that turn and that meant that I lost time. Also,
I was hit in the visor many times by small stones and that
made life a bit interesting! For tomorrow, I think we’ll
keep the same chassis set-up, but make some adjustments to
the engine and the electronics to make the bike smoother and
easier to ride. I just hope the wind is not so bad!
Max 10th, 2:00.904
It was very windy out there today and I had many problems
in many parts of the track because of that. It was not easy
braking for the turns because sometimes the wind was behind
you, sometimes across you and sometimes in your front! The
last four turns were a particular problem for me and I know
that I lost quite a bit of time there. But despite all that
we did some good work today and found a good direction for
the bike. Unlike most of the other riders here, this is my
first time at the track since the race last year, so I have
some catching-up to do. I hope the wind is not so strong tomorrow
so that I can push harder and and improve my time.
Results 1 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:59.627,
2 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:59.853, 3 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare)
2:00.307, 4 Haga (J-Yamaha) 2:00.476, 5 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki
Alstare) 2:00.599, 6 Xaus (E-Ducati) 2:00.695, 10 Max Neukirchner
(D-Alstare Suzuki) 2:00.904
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