MotoGP
Portuguese GP: Alice Team Friday notes
WEATHER CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZE THE FIRST DAY OF WORK IN PORTUGAL As promised by the meteorologists in the past few days, the first hour of practice in the Portuguese Grand Prix has been under the rain. At the end of this hour of work for the ...
Published: Apr 12, 2008, 4:14 PM
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WEATHER CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZE THE FIRST DAY OF WORK IN PORTUGAL
As promised by the meteorologists in the past few days, the first hour of practice in the Portuguese Grand Prix has been under the rain. At the end of this hour of work for the MotoGP riders, the sky cleared up a bit and the sun dry out the track for the second session. In the first sixty minutes Alice Team French rider, Sylvain Guintoli, has registered interesting lap times positioning in second place until a few minutes left. Once he came back in the box other riders improved their best lap times and the Frenchman concluded in ninth position. In the afternoon Sylvain has concluded in seventeenth position. His teammate, Toni Elias, hasn't be so lucky today. In the first session he encountered some difficulties to find the right technical compromise for the wet track, while in the afternoon a clutch problem anticipated the end of his session. In fact, a component of the clutch broke and hit his right foot. Luckily after the first medical check at the mobile clinic nothing seem broken, but only a hard hit on the top of his foot.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director
"This morning rain didn't help our work. In the afternoon we have begun to work with a new setting of the bike we have studied during the week with Toni. We were improving and then a component of the clutch broke and hit Toni's right foot. He didn't feel to continue and now his under treatment to be in the best conditions possible tomorrow. For what it concern of the component broken, we have to investigate on what happened. They all were new pieces and we have to understand why it broke. This piece of the clutch also hit the engine, which luckily is still ok, but has anyway made the bike lose some oil. The strange thing is that all the data received until the last lap were giving us the situation under control."
Sylvain Guintoli - Alice Team Rider (17th best lap time in 1'41.875 - Total laps 43)
"This morning the feeling with the bike was good. Bridgestone tyres were really good. This afternoon we have continued to work with a new dry setting. I really need to change my riding style. It's not easy because I have to think in a different way, I don't do things in a natural way. I have to get used to it and once I will understand the bike results will come."
Toni Elias - Alice Team Rider (18th best lap time in 1'43.262 - tal laps To31)
"Today it hasn't been a lucky day for me. In the first free practice session we couldn't try the changes we have studied during the week because of the rain, while in the afternoon when the track was almost dry, a component of the clutch broke and hit my right foot. I didn't get injured, but it really hurts. The top part of the foot is now swollen and I will have to get some physiotherapy to reduce the pain in less time possible."
-credit: at/pd's
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