This afternoon’s qualifying session took place in difficult conditions, so Troy decided to take things steadily today. Rain began to fall as the session began, so nearly all the riders remained in their garages, waiting to see what would happen. After a short while the rain stopped and gradually the track began to dry out, but by the time Troy and most of the field ventured out there was less then thirty minutes of the session remaining. Even so, there were still damp patches around the 4.411 kilometre circuit when the qualifying was over, so no riders were able to match the morning untimed session’s fastest time. Troy rode fast and steadily in the closing minutes and ended with the fifth quickest overall time. Fastest though was Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) third.
TROY - 5th, 1:41.423 This afternoon was a bit like a Wet Superpole, with everybody waiting for the right conditions before going out. For me it was impossible to really attack the track as there were still a few places that were wet - and these were the places you’d hit if you were really on it. Whoever wanted to take the biggest risk would take pole and it was no surprise to me that Lanzi did it.
I’m pretty happy with the bike after the dry morning session, especially as this is my first time here on this bike, whereas I think that most of the other riders have all been here before on the same bikes. This track is pretty tight and you need a really good set-up to have good grip and go quickly here. At the moment we haven’t got as good grip as Vallelunga, but hopefully we’ll improve that tomorrow and get a good grid position. That, and a good start, is crucial here. See ya, Troy
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