John Hopkins:
“It’s not exactly where I wanted to start the Turkish Grand Prix, but I think from the front of the third row I can get a pretty good start. Throughout the sessions today we worked really hard on race set-up. I had a bit of a tumble this morning, but was able to quickly bounce back from that. We have found a good set-up for tomorrow’s race and I think we’ll be able to run at the front! It will be a case of getting a good start as it will be a bit difficult to pass here as it’s so slippery off-line. There are a couple of good braking spots where you might be able to get past, but it will be tough. I need to put my head down, run at the front and go for the podium! ”
Chris Vermeulen:
“It was a much better qualifying than the previous two races - we’ve made a big step forward, not only in qualifying but in race set-up as well. The whole bike has improved over the weekend and I approached this GP a little differently, and from that we seem to have been well inside the top 10 on both days. The bike is working well and the team have done a great job with it. We’ve done a lot of laps on both front and rear Bridgestone tyres and they seem to stay very consistent so we hope they will continue to do that tomorrow. Starting from the third row will make my job a bit easier, but I still need to get through quickly and onto the front group if I want to get on that podium! ”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“Neither John nor Chris got quite the result they wanted, but that doesn’t disguise the fact that they have improved dramatically over the weekend and equally have a good race pace. Both the guys – fingers crossed – look to be increasingly competitive for tomorrow’s race. Bridgestone will be slightly disappointed with the qualifying tyre performance, but they need to be congratulated for improving the grip and durability of the race tyres so dramatically – which is far more important! If the guys get off the line well tomorrow I am sure they will both be in the hunt for success! ”
Grand Prix of Turkey Qualifying Practice Qualification:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’52.795
2. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.149
3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.176
4. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.580
5. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 0.764
7. John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki Motogp) +0.842
9. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki Motogp) +0.976
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