Mixed fortunes for Tech 3 Yamaha at damp Donington
A rain-hit second day at Donington Park, venue for tomorrow's
30-lap British GP, produced contrasting fortunes for Tech
3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland. In treacherous
conditions, Edwards was one of the fastest men on track as
the American qualified fifth on the grid. But it was a frustrating
day for home star Toseland, who will start 16th after preparations
for his British GP debut didn't go as smoothly as planned.
Edwards maintained his impressive 100 per cent top six qualifying
record in 2008 with a best lap of 1.39.601. At one stage that
time moved him as high as second in the decisive final minutes
as he opted to run a set-up on his YZR-M1 similar to the one
he used to finish second in a weather disrupted Donington
clash last year. Despite being dropped off the front row,
Edwards is confident he can be a serious contender tomorrow
as he goes in search of a third podium in the British GP.
Having previously qualified in the top eight in his first
seven races, Toseland will need one of his famous aggressive
starts after a lap of 1.41.751 left him in unfamiliar territory
on the sixth row. Sporting a new St George's Cross helmet
design for his home race, Toseland seemed certain to claim
another top six start when he crashed unhurt exiting the final
corner in the closing stages. He remounted but crashed again
at Schwantz Curve, having earlier tumbled out at Coppice in
tricky conditions this morning. Despite a disappointing day,
Toseland remains upbeat that he can mount a challenge in front
of a large home crowd tomorrow. Ignoring the poor weather
conditions today, the vast spectator areas at Donington were
awash with Toseland fans roaring on the 27-yearold.
Colin Edwards 5th 1.39.601 - 23 laps
"My team did an awesome job today and I just keep getting
more and more impressed with them. We all did about 10 days
of work in two hours to get to where we were this afternoon
because this morning it just wasn't right. It was a disaster
to be honest and it felt like I was sitting on the rear tyre
with no front contact. It felt like if something was going
to move I was going over the high-side. We played around with
the bike and basically went to the set-up I had last year
when I finished second and it worked, even though the chassis
and engine is different on this bike. Once I got the right
feeling I was dropping a second a lap this morning and we
didn't really touch the bike much this afternoon. The front
tyre I used this morning is the same front tyre I used all
afternoon, so I did about 50 laps on a front tyre. We have
obviously got no problem with front tyre endurance in the
rain and the rear I'm pretty happy with. To me the track is
not that bad for grip. The track is very flat but it has probably
more grip than most other places. As long as you have load
and you can squash the tyre onto the track it probably has
more grip than any track. But we worked a lot on the electronics
and thanks to my guys again because we got a much better feeling
and more grip. I'm confident I can run at the front if it
is full wet. Michelin has been doing a lot of work with the
performance of the rain tyres on a drying track, so if it
does get half and half I should be at the front. Rain or shine
we are looking good and I want to get on the podium. This
is my most successful track in MotoGP and I'm definitely looking
to continue that good record."
James Toseland 16th 1.41.751 - 22 laps
"Basically I made a mess of it. It was difficult conditions
and the potential was there for a top six. Everything was
going in the right direction but unfortunately I tried a few
things that didn't work. Although sixth place was okay I felt
like I was on the edge of the setting. I tried to change some
things but we never really went in a positive direction. We
were running out of time and put ourselves under pressure
to get a lap in right at the end and I got on the throttle
too early out of the last corner and high-sided myself. I
got back on but it damaged the rear brake. I was going through
Schwantz Curve and I think it engaged the rear brake and decided
to chuck me off again. I think somebody was telling me they
didn't want me to do the lap. I'd like to say thanks to the
marshals because where I crashed at the last corner was in
a bit of dodgy place and they risked a lot to try and get
me going. They were true heroes. I've got to look at the positives
and if it all went well we'd have been in the top six. The
problem is in this class if you don't get it right you are
16th and I'm devastated that these conditions came in June
in England. I was eighth yesterday but comfortable in the
dry and another dry day I know I could have done a lot better.
I had a lack of contact with the rear on the entry again and
we really need to find this balance, especially at this track
where there is so little grip. Unfortunately with only one
hour you don't have the time to take a risk. Both my knees
are a bit sore. In the crash this morning a handlebar hit
me in the right knee and the second one this afternoon was
in a fast place and it bashed me up a bit. It is going to
be tough but my fans can be rest assured that I will still
be giving it everything tomorrow."
Circuit Length: 4023
Weather: Changeable
2008 MotoGP Great Britain - Donington Park 21/06/2008
Qualifying 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'38.232
2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'38.881
3 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'39.018
4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'39.270
5 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'39.601
6 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1'39.783
7 Anthony West Kawasaki AUS 1'39.995
8 Ben Spies Suzuki USA 1'40.244
9 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'40.350
10 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 1'40.417
11 John Hopkins Kawasaki USA 1'40.539
12 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 1'40.595
13 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 1'40.667
14 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 1'41.110
15 Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 1'41.379
16 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'41.751
17 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'41.873
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