FIRST QUALIFYING SESSION OF THE YEAR IN QATAR UNDER THE
FLOODLIGHTS
Alice Team riders, Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli, have
stepped on the Losail international circuit, in Qatar, for
the first qualifying session of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship
under the floodlights. Guintoli wasn’t in the best physical
conditions due to some fever and a bad cold. Elias has tried
to improve his best lap time until the last second trying
to improve his position in the standing, concluding in fourteenth
position, in fifth row. In the qualifying hour the track temperature
was of fifteenth degrees, while the air temperature just one
degree more. Tomorrow twenty minutes of warm up before the
first historic nocturnal MotoGP race.
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“The fact is that the gap to cut down is too much right
now and even if we make little improvements is not enough.
We hope that we are following the right direction. We must
give the right feeling to Toni with the front part of the
bike. For what it concern the race, we believe in Toni’s
qualities, as he is a rider who gives his best when in the
middle of the group. If he will have a good start, we could
make it to enter the top ten. It could be a good sign for
the rest of the season.”
Toni Elias – Alice Team Rider (14th best lap
time in 1’56.251 – Total laps 19)
“I am not happy about this position. I am sure that
our potential can allow us to be further up in the standing,
but as I said in the past days, we are a bit behind with the
job and we must improve both in the race and in qualifying.
The bike is really strong, it’s only matter of time
and work, soon we will fight for better positions. We hope
to start well in the race and fight at our best for the all
race.”
Sylvain Guintoli – Alice Team Rider (17th best
lap time in 1’57.198 – Total laps 18)
“Unluckily I woke up this morning with a bit of fever
and a bad cold. When I am on track I sweat a lot even if the
air temperatures are low. I didn’t find the feeling
with the bike for the all weekend, I can’t push to the
limit. I hope that tomorrow morning during warm up we will
make it to find a good compromise which will allow me to fight
for better positions. In this moment I am not enjoying riding
at all. It has been a strange weekend so far.”
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