Estoril, Portugal, Third MotoGP round
WEATHER CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZE THE FIRST DAY OF
WORK IN PORTUGAL
 As
promised by the meteorologists in the past few days, the first
hour of practice in the Portuguese Grand Prix has been under
the rain. At the end of this hour of work for the MotoGP riders,
the sky cleared up a bit and the sun dry out the track for
the second session. In the first sixty minutes Alice Team
French rider, Sylvain Guintoli, has registered interesting
lap times positioning in second place until a few minutes
left. Once he came back in the box other riders improved their
best lap times and the Frenchman concluded in ninth position.
In the afternoon Sylvain has concluded in seventeenth position.
His teammate, Toni Elias, hasn’t be so lucky today.
In the first session he encountered some difficulties to find
the right technical compromise for the wet track, while in
the afternoon a clutch problem anticipated the end of his
session. In fact, a component of the clutch broke and hit
his right foot. Luckily after the first medical check at the
mobile clinic nothing seem broken, but only a hard hit on
the top of his foot.
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“This morning rain didn’t help our work. In the
afternoon we have begun to work with a new setting of the
bike we have studied during the week with Toni. We were improving
and then a component of the clutch broke and hit Toni’s
right foot. He didn’t feel to continue and now his under
treatment to be in the best conditions possible tomorrow.
For what it concern of the component broken, we have to investigate
on what happened. They all were new pieces and we have to
understand why it broke. This piece of the clutch also hit
the engine, which luckily is still ok, but has anyway made
the bike lose some oil. The strange thing is that all the
data received until the last lap were giving us the situation
under control.”
Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (17th best
lap time in 1’41.875 – Total laps 43)
“This morning the feeling with the bike was good. Bridgestone
tyres were really good. This afternoon we have continued to
work with a new dry setting. I really need to change my riding
style. It’s not easy because I have to think in a different
way, I don’t do things in a natural way. I have to get
used to it and once I will understand the bike results will
come.”
Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (18th best lap
time in 1’43.262 – Total laps 31)
“Today it hasn’t been a lucky day for me. In
the first free practice session we couldn’t try the
changes we have studied during the week because of the rain,
while in the afternoon when the track was almost dry, a component
of the clutch broke and hit my right foot. I didn’t
get injured, but it really hurts. The top part of the foot
is now swollen and I will have to get some physiotherapy to
reduce the pain in less time possible.”
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