MELANDRI STRAIGHT ON THE PACE AT LAGUNA SECA
Free practice
 The
first day of free practice took place today at the Laguna
Seca circuit, host of the US Grand Prix this weekend - the
eleventh round of the MotoGP World Championship.
The spectacular American circuit, famous for its "Corkscrew"
corner - an exciting downhill chicane that puts the riders
skill and courage to the ultimate test - has been completely
resurfaced.
Marco Melandri has continued with his recent good form, having
arrived at Laguna Seca in good spirits after his excellent
race at Sachsenring.
Marco instantly found a good feeling with the bike and is
already looking forward to the race. The Gresini Honda rider
is a huge fan of the American event and, like last year, has
chosen a stars and stripes design for his helmet to celebrate
the occasion.
It was a positive first day, also, for Miguel Duhamel, who
replaces Toni Elias at this race. Duhamel, who probably knows
Laguna Seca better than anybody, was hugely impressed by the
performance of the RC212V.
For this round both Marco Melandri and Miguel Duhamel's bikes
are decorated in the colours of Hannspree, the Taiwanese market
leader in television and LCD Monitor production. The company
have sponsored Gresini Honda already this season all over
the world.
MARCO MELANDRI (2nd, 1'23"597): "We've
made a good start to the weekend, I'm happy. The bike is responding
well and thanks to the new exhaust pipe the engine performance
is much sweeter and I can ride it as I like around here. I'm
also satisfied with the tyres. I'm feeling highly motivated
for the challenge ahead and I'm determined to finish with
a top result. I like this track - I was third here last year
and after such a good ride in Germany I'm ready to fight for
the podium again."
MIGUEL DUHAMEL (16th, 1'25"550) : "My
first impressions of the RC212V are very positive. This is
a really nice experience for me. There's a lot to learn but
we're making progress, improving with every outing and I'm
enthusiastic. The team are doing a great job."
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