Jerez, Spain, Second MotoGP Round
 Day
1, Friday March 28th 2008
FIRST EUROPEAN WORKING DAY FOR THE 2008 MOTOGP SEASON
Sunny day in Andalusia, Spain, on the Jerez de la Frontera
circuit, where MotoGP World Championship riders have ridden
for the firsts kilometres of the season in the old continent.
Alice Team Riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Toni Elias, have tried
hard to conquer a good position in the standing, concluding
respectively in sixteenth and eighteenth place. The French
rider has started well the afternoon session, improving his
best morning lap time than almost a second straight away,
but a fall in the fifth lap has compromised his work with
more than half of the session left. Toni Elias has tried to
work on both bikes at his disposal, not finding the right
setting to reach higher positions. Tomorrow another hour of
free practice for the French-Hispanic duo, before qualifying
session that will determine the starting grid of the Spanish
Grand Prix 2008, the twenty-second ridden in Jerez.
Sergio Verbena – Sylvain Guintoli track engineer
“This afternoon we started well after the modifications
done at the end of the first session of the day, in fact,
since the firsts laps Sylvain (Guintoli) looked really fast,
but the fall at the fifth lap has slowed our work down. We
made him go out with the second bike, but he couldn’t
find the same feeling. In this way we have used a lot of minutes
to try to prepare the bike like the damaged one, but he could
has ridden only for two laps in the last few minutes. Anyway,
seen the good lap time he has registered only at the fourth
lap, we are trustful to be able to improve our actual position.”
Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (16th best
lap time in 1’42.115 – Total laps 30)
“This morning has been really hard for us. We have
tried different solutions, modifying a lot the bike, but without
finding the right setting. In the afternoon the bike was fantastic.
Unluckily, maybe because I was too eager to do well, I pushed
too hard and slipped at turn five. Luckily I didn’t
hurt my self. I have ridden some laps with Nicky (Hayden)
and my bike seemed very competitive. I hope that thanks to
the work done by my technicians, we will be able to find the
same setting I had on bike one, being able to get back the
right feeling with the bike and improve my self in tomorrow
qualifying.”
Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (18th best lap
time in 1’42.183 – Total laps 43)
“It’s not easy, but we have to continue to work
hard. We have meet the same problem we had during last February
IRTA test done here. The only way out is to give 100%, together
with Ducati and Bridgestone. By doing so I am sure results
will begin to come. Now we have to analyze the data to understand
where we can make a big step forward.”
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