RAIN DOMINATES THE SECOND DAY OF QUALIFYING IN TURKEY
Rain dominated the second day of qualifying at the 2006 Turkish
GP. The forecasts that had predicted rain throughout Saturday
were proved right as the MotoGP riders struggled to come to
terms with the treacherous conditions. As a result, Toni Elias
and Marco Melandri, who both qualified on the front two rows
yesterday, had to settle for 12th and 14th respectively on
Saturday.
Elias, who posted a best time of 2'07.763 in his 19 laps,
could not bring the best from his bike despite trying various
settings throughout the day. The Spaniard, who will celebrate
his 100th GP start tomorrow, will hope to make a good start
and battle his way up the field which, while difficult, is
sure to prove to spectacular.
Team-mate Melandri, who impressed in taking third place on
Friday, could not find the same rhythm in the wet which prevented
him from breaking into the top places on the grid.
TONI ELIAS (2'07"763, 12th best time, 19 laps
): "They were two very difficult sessions. In
the morning I did not feel comfortable on the bike, although
things did get better in the afternoon, but not enough to
get me up into the top five. Despite my position, I think
we improved a lot in the afternoon which means I will go into
the race in confident mood."
MARCO MELANDRI (2'08"393, 14th best time, 21
laps): "I am a little disappointed after my
performance yesterday as I expected more.
The bike was working quite well but I could not find the rhythm
I wanted and tomorrow I will start from the fifth row.
In preparation of the race I spent a lot of the session trying
different rear tyre compounds and tomorrow we will decide
according to the weather conditions. The start tomorrow will
be very important, but the truth is the straight here is very
short which makes overtaking difficult. It will be an interesting
race."
Today's fastest Lap: Chris Vermeulen 2'04.617
Circuit Record: MARCO MELANDRI 1'53.111 (2005)
Pole position Record: Sete Gibernau 1'52.334 (2005)
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