French GP: Gresini Racing qualifying report

Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders Shinya Nakano and Alex De Angelis will start from thirteenth and fifteenth place respectively on tomorrow's grid for the Grand Prix de France at the legendary circuit of Le Mans. Despite showing good form during free practice, Shinya and Alex were unable to translate that to a hot flying lap on soft tyres during this afternoon's qualifying practice -- an aspect the team have resolved to work hard on over the upcoming races. Both riders remain confident for the 28-lap race, however, with the unpredictable weather conditions looking likely to throw up the odd surprise.

Shinya Nakano (13th - 1.34.077): "Today was an extremely difficult qualifying session but having said that my lap times were improving right up until the end of free practice this morning. In the afternoon I wasn't able to go as fast as I would have liked on a qualifying tyre even though I was pushing as hard as I could. We obviously have to improve in certain areas, particularly in the set-up of the bike on qualifying tyres and getting the best out of the engine. Starting from the fifth row won't be easy but here the weather is always unpredictable and could have an effect on the outcome of the race. I'm still confident for tomorrow and I'll fight hard to the end."

Alex De Angelis (15th - 1.34.670): "Again, today we haven't managed to secure a place on the grid that is a true reflection of our potential. It is clear that we have to improve something before tomorrow's race -- we've tried a couple of different settings on the two bikes so we have to take a look at the data and work out a configuration that is competitive and most adapted to this track. On top of that, when I was on my best lap with a qualifying tyre the seat unit came loose and gave me some problems with balance. In any case we have to stay strong and work hard to get through this difficult period."

-credit: gresiniracing.com