Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders Marco Simoncelli and Hiroshi Aoyama will start from the second and third rows of the grid after qualifying sixth and ninth fastest respectively at Aragon. It was a positive session overall for “Super Sic” even though there is still work to do if he is to stand any chance of chasing Stoner and Pedrosa at the front. Whilst that may be a lot to ask, the Italian is well placed to fight for the final podium position at least. There is no shortage of confidence in the team, with Hiro Aoyama qualifying in an encouraging ninth place.
Marco Simoncelli (6th 1’ 49” 528): “I am sure I could have gone faster but on my best lap I was held up by Pedrosa, who had just come onto the track. It’s a shame, and then I wasn’t quite able to improve on the second soft tyre because of a couple of mistakes. The front two are a little way off at the moment but with a couple of small changes to the bike we can be fighting for third place. We have slightly improved the grip issues we encountered yesterday but I think this is a common problem from everybody. The thing that is setting us back the most at the moment is fuel consumption because of my size and we need to find something to reduce this problem for the race. I have faith in the guys and I am sure they will do a good job tomorrow.“
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Hiroshi Aoyama (9th 1’ 49” 813): ”I am happy with ninth place in qualifying because it represents our best grid position of the season. We improved the bike from this morning and had a good balance and feeling this afternoon. Obviously the race will be different to qualifying but I am confident it can be a good one for us. Now I just want to focus on the race and make the right choices together with the team, especially regarding the predicted lower track temperatures.”
Fausto Gresini: “Overall it has been a positive day and maybe could have ended with Marco further up the grid if he could have got a clean lap in. It wasn’t to be and it’s a real shame but aside from the two guys at the front Marco’s ace pace is good and with a couple of small changes in the warm-up I am sure he can get involved in the fight for the podium. Hiroshi also did a good job with his best grid of the season and he is definitely improving. If he believes in his ability he can have an excellent finish to the season.”
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