MELANDRI CHALLENGES FOR POLE IN GERMANY
 Just
thirteen thousandths of a second separated Marco Melandri
from pole position today after a resurgent performance from
the Italian at the German Grand Prix. Nevertheless he will
start from the front row of the grid in the tenth round of
the season.
After lapping third fastest in the morning the Team Gresini
Honda rider was able to continue his pace in the afternoon
and then make the most of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres
to challenge for top spot on the grid.
Now Marco's hopes lie in a good start in the race as he aims
to stick with the front group and challenge for at least a
podium finish.
Michel Fabrizio continued to make progress today, knocking
a second off his best lap time from yesterday. Michel was
able to improve his feeling with the bike with every lap and
finished the session in 17th place, just 1.1 seconds off pole.
MARCO MELANDRI (3rd, 1' 22"397): "It's
a nice feeling to be back on the front row. Thanks to the
new material we've been given here at Sachsenring we've been
able to make a big step forward. The bike is good fun to ride
and I've got a good feeling. I made a small mistake in turn
one on the qualifying tyre and only missed out on pole by
a small fraction but I'm still satsfied with this result.
On such a tight circuit, especially in the first sections,
it is important to be starting from the front of the grid.
I like the track and tomorrow I'm aiming for a top result.
It will be a long race, with 30 demanding laps on a track
which puts the riders and the tyres to the test and they are
even predicting higher temperatures for tomorrow. I just want
to say thanks to Honda and the team for their efforts and
tomorrow I'd like to pay back Fausto Gresini with a good result."
MICHEL FABRIZIO (17th, 1'23"491): "Every
time I've been out my feeling with the bike has improved and
so has my rhythm. Compared to yesterday we've taken a big
step forward, although I could have done with two more sessions
to get to know the bike even more. The track was quite new
for me too - I haven't raced at Sachsenring since 2003 - so
I am happy with how things are going."
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