US GRAND PRIX
Free practice / FORTUNA HONDA GET OFF ON RIGHT FOOT
FORTUNA HONDA riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elías
concluded their first day of practice at Laguna Seca in fourth
and eighth place respectively today. Marco arrived in the
United States in confident mood and after a very positive
first contact he lapped just 0.364 off the best time of the
day, set by Kenny Roberts Jr. Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa
were the next two names on the provisional time sheets. Toni
Elias, who is still recovering from his injuries and has little
experience of this track, ended up in a creditable eighth
place, just 0.635 off the pace set by Roberts.
MARCO MELANDRI (4th, 1’24”223, 31 laps):
“We’ve done a good job with the whole team. The
bike is working really well and I’ve got a good feeling
with it. We’ve changed a few small things and I have
completed some tyre testing today. We still have to improve
my pace but in general I’m quite happy. I like the track
so much I’ve even redesigned my helmet for the occasion!”
TONI ELIAS (8th, 1’26”497, 26 laps):
“I’m quite satisfied. The bike has adapted perfectly
and I was able to drop my lap time from the morning by two
tenths. If you take into account my physical condition I think
this is a good result. The team has done a good job and we
are on the right lines. My feeling with the rear has improved
about 50% and we still have room to improve.”
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