FORTUNA’S MOTOGP TEAM HOPING TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCES
IN TOMORROW’S RACE
Fortuna Yamaha riders Toni Elias and Rubén Xaus will
start tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Japan from the sixth
and seventh row of the grid respectively. Toni Elías
started the weekend well but has been unable to build on his
progress from the first day today as he tested a variety of
configurations for the YZR M1. Rubén, meanwhile, has
worked together with his team to try and find a set-up that
will allow him to look forward more confidently to the race.
Both riders are confident that their lap times will improve
in the race.
Toni Elias, 17th, 1’48.861, + 2’498 from
the pole time set by Capirossi
“We’ve worked a lot, everybody was very keen.
This is a circuit with a lot of hard braking and we have had
some stability problems that we haven’t been able to
overcome. It’s difficult to ride like this because I
can’t get 145 kilos to stop! I have to brake a long
way before the corner otherwise I’m going in with the
bike crossed over, out of position and miss the braking marker
completely, which makes the exit slower too. Now I need to
work out which is the best set-up we have found this weekend,
most likely the one from Friday morning. The only thing I
can try to do is improve and leave Motegi with as many points
as possible. My left wrist is no excuse but I am not yet at
100% and we just have to keep working like this.”
Rubén Xaus, 19th, 1’49.969, + 3’606
from pole
“I improved this morning. I am obviously a long way
off and it is a problem of my adaptation to the bike, not
the track. We have been fighting to get used to the M1 all
year. We’re working hard, with the objective of overcoming
the problems we’ve had getting the bike to stop in the
corners. This Yamaha has less top speed than the bike I rode
last year and the difference is notable, especially with my
extra weight. The soft tyre is solving some of the problems
but that should not be the case. It is at least good to know
where you are going wrong. I would like to get out of this
whole tomorrow but if I can’t improve here I will keep
working hard at Malaysia and Qatar, where I finished on the
podium last year.”
Hervé Poncharal, Team Director
“I am not happy. The results in qualifying are not
as good as we could expect. We’ve got difficulties and
the only thing we can hope for is to improve in the race,
which I am sure will happen. It is difficult to understand
why Toni seemed to be making progress yesterday morning but
went backwards this afternoon, only covering up for it a little
bit with the qualifying tyre. Rubén is not well placed
either but I hope that tomorrow in the race he can improve,
looking ahead to the next rounds. The package of rider, machine,
tyres and track has not come together here so far. Even though
the Yamaha is not the best bike at this track we have a lot
of support and we should do better. Tomorrow we must improve
because up to now we have not done what is expected of us.”
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