German GP Qualifying Practice 2

GERMAN GP Official Practice ­ Sachsenring, 22nd of July, 2000

OKADA JUST MISSES OUT ON SECOND ROW

Tadayuki Okada will start the German Grand Prix from the third row. Repsol YPF Honda¹s Japanese rider came very close to the second row but a small mistake on the last lap robbed him of a faster lap time. Okada took the tenth fastest time, two places ahead of Sete Gibernau, while world champion Alex Crivillé will have to make do with starting from 13th place on the grid.

Alex Criville ­ 13th ­ 1¹24.060

"I was really worried yesterday when I saw how uncomfortable I was on the bike. I definitely felt a lot better today. I was more secure and more confident riding out there today. We¹ve managed to close the gap on the front guys. We¹re only eight tenths of a second off the pole but on such a tight circuit, a small difference like that quickly drops you far down on the grid. I¹m still much more optimistic for the race than I was yesterday. Last year, I didn¹t qualify well either and yet I still finished second. So I can also hope for a good result tomorrow. Everything will depend on how good a start I can get.".

Tadayuki Okada ­ 10th ­ 1¹24.018

"I made a mistake on the last lap. I¹m so annoyed! Before the last corner, going into the fast left hander, I braked too late and missed my line. I didn¹t run off the track or crash or anything like that, but I lost enough time to say goodbye to the second row. I¹m sure that without that mistake, I could have been on the second row for tomorrow¹s race. I left it quite late to go for my fastest lap because I was working to set the bike up for the race. That¹s very important for me and that¹s the positive point about this afternoon¹s practice session : I¹m pretty confident that we¹ve got a good set-up for the race. The bike is much better today. The track is also better and that meant we were able to refine our suspension a lot more."

Sete Gibernau ­ 12th ­ 1¹24.032

"Today wasn¹t too bad. It¹s like I said yesterday, really. What I need the most right now is time on the bike. I just want to be out there riding it. We didn¹t change too much stuff this afternoon. I was concentrating on getting used to the bike the way it is. I was consistent in the low 1¹24s. My last lap was my best and it was a 1¹24 flat, yet I almost crashed going up the hill. So that lap could have been a little better and that would have helped me a lot because I expect that my race will be decided in the first corner tomorrow, not even the first lap. If I had managed to get a little further up the grid, I could avoided some of the traffic in that corner. If I get through that corner okay, I think I have the rhythm to run a good race. Our situation is already better than yesterday, I just hope it keeps on improving tomorrow.".

<pre> Starting grid ­ Sachsenring - 500cc 1 Kenny Roberts Telefonica Movistar Suzuki Suzuki 1¹23.168 2 Alex Barros Emerson Honda Pons Honda 1¹23.260 3 Max Biaggi Marlboro Yamaha Team Yamaha 1¹23.307 4 Loris Capirossi Emerson Honda Pons Honda 1¹23.459 5 J. vd Goorbergh Rizla Honda Honda 1¹23.503 6 Valentino Rossi Nastro Azzurro Honda Honda 1¹23.981 7 Nobuatsu Aoki Telefonica Movistar Suzuki Suzuki 1¹23.664 8 Jeremy McWilliams Blu Aprilia Team Aprilia 1¹23.840 9 Tetsuya Harada Blu Aprilia Team Aprilia 1¹23.967 10 Tadayuki Okada Repsol YPF Honda Honda 1¹24.018 11 Garry McCoy Red Bull Yamaha WCM Yamaha 1¹24.023 12 Sete Gibernau Repsol YPF Honda Honda 1¹24.032 13 Alex Criville Repsol YPF Honda Honda 1¹24.060 14 Regis Laconi Red Bull Yamaha WCM Yamaha 1¹24.196 15 Norick Abe Antena 3 Yamaha d¹Antin Yamaha 1¹24.223 16 Luca Cadalora Proton Team KR Modenas KR 1¹24.478 17 Carlos Checa Marlboro Yamaha Team Yamaha 1¹24.578 18 J.L. Cardoso Maxon Dee Cee Jeans Honda 1¹24.674 19 T. Kayoh FCC TSR TSR-Honda 1¹25.918 20 P. Tessari Team Paton Paton 1¹27.719