MARCO MELANDRI READY TO ATTACK IN CHINA
 Marco
Melandri is ready to go on the offensive from the second row
of the grid in the Grand Prix of China after qualifying in
his best position of the season at Shanghai.
The Honda Gresini rider continued his recent improvements
by making the most of his qualifying tyre and finishing two
positive days of progress with the sixth fastest time. Marco
is now confident of making a good start in the race and sticking
with the front group throughout.
His team-mate Toni Elias faces a more difficult challenge
after qualifying in twelfth place. After his stunning performance
in Turkey the Spaniard is struggling to find a tyre that suits
his own demands and those of the Shanghai circuit.
MARCO MELANDRI (6th, 1'59"863): "I'm
satisfied with this result. We have met our primary objective,
which was to qualify on the front two rows. We are improving
a lot and with the first qualifying tyre I set a good time
without realising I was going that fast. On the second lap
I made a couple of mistakes which meant I wasn't able to improve
the time. We still have a little work to do on the suspension
but I'm happy with how the bike is working at this demanding
circuit. Tomorrow I hope to get a good start in order to stay
with the lead group from the beginning. It will be a really
tough group race because there are a lot of fast riders out
there. For this Grand Prix I'm using a special helmet inspired
by this country. The idea is to bring Europe and China together.
Also, red and yellow are the colours of Ravenna, my home town."
TONI ELIAS (12th,2'00"205): "We
have improved a little compared to yesterday but we're still
having some small problems that are not allowing me to ride
as I like. Unfortunately it seems our tyre choice for this
race is not the best but tomorrow I will all I can to get
the best result possible."
FAUSTO GRESINI: "For Marco this is
his best qualifying of the season and that shows that we are
on the right lines to make him a consistent challenger. To
start from the second row is really important in a race like
this, which looks like being extremely close. Toni is having
a little more trouble but I'm sure his grit and determination
will carry him to a good result."
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