Malaysia GP: Gresini Racing Friday report

POSITIVE FIRST DAY FOR TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI

As is tradition at Sepang the intense temperatures were the main talking point on the opening day of the Malaysian Grand Prix, with 32o.C ambient and 52o.C on track. Both Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders coped well, however, with Marco Melandri particularly happy that he had finally taken a step forward with the feeling of his Honda RC212V. The Italian has found the stability he was looking for under braking and is confident of further improvements. It was also a positive start for Marco Simoncelli, who has a good track record at this circuit. Today he consigned the bitter memory of a heavy preseason crash to the past with a productive first session.

Marco Melandri (7th 2' 03" 438): "At last! Finally we have taken a step forward with our braking issues. We have been working hard all season without finding anything but we made improvements in a few areas today and I am very happy. We decided to go for a radical set-up compared to usual and luckily enough it worked. Honda have also provided us with a new part for the front end that I feel has helped us take this step forward. Now we have to work hard without making too many changes and improve on what we already have to make sure we have a good qualifying practice tomorrow."

Marco Simoncelli (11th 2' 03" 680): "Not bad... we're not far off the front and just nine tenths off the fastest time. We're definitely going better than in the winter tests. Obviously we still have a lot of work to do but we have a good base to work from because even though I am in eleventh the gaps are really small and you only need to find a few tenths to make up a lot of positions. I am sure everybody will improve tomorrow so hopefully we can too and move up the order."

Fausto Gresini: "Overall it has been a positive day. We have done a good job and made effective and timely changes to the bikes. I have to say this is a good start for us, especially because we are not far from the top at a fast and long circuit, where it is easy to lose time. I am happy and confident that we can take another step forward with both Melandri and Simoncelli tomorrow and be even more competitive. This is our objective."

-source: gresini racing