Qatari GP: Gresini Racing qualifying report

DIFFICULT START TO 2010 QUALIFYING FOR TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI IN QATAR

The first qualifying session of 2010 was anything but easy for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri. A crash complicated matters for Super Sic just when he was building on the improved feeling he was achieving with his bike and he battled hard to recover pace and confidence towards the end of the session. There was little for Melandri to be happy about, however, with the Italian unable to get any feel for his RC212V despite trying a variety of solutions and ending the session feeling hugely disappointed. However, with the help of his engineers and the support of the whole team, sponsors and fans, Fausto Gresini is convinced he can be smiling again soon.

Marco Simoncelli ( 15th - 1' 59" 957) "Unfortunately the session didn't start well with the crash, which meant I needed a few laps to regain my confidence and set back the whole programme. It is a shame because we really needed to get through a full session. I just went into the corner too hard - trying to avoid Aoyama I braked too late and lost the front when I tipped it in. I'm disappointed because I had a good feeling in free practice. Now we have the warm up to try and sort a few things out, then it's a case of giving my best in the race. "

Marco Melandri (17th - 1' 57" 325) "I am really disappointed. I just can't get a feeling for the chassis or the engine and everything we try seems to be in vain. We put the soft tyre in and went slower and at this moment in time I am completely out of ideas as to what we can do. Maybe we need a magic wand that we can wave at the bike and everything slots into place. We'll see what the race is like but I don't expect it to be a good one for us!"

Fausto Gresini "Obviously today I'm disappointed with the result because we are here to do well. Unfortunately at the moment things are not progressing in the right way and that was added to today by a crash for Simoncelli, which came just as he was improving. It is a difficult time for him and even more so for Melandri who cannot get the potential out of his bike at the moment. We can't do anything but try our best to work out how we can help him. We have faith in the riders, the engineers and Honda and we are sure that the results will soon come that our effort and enthusiasm deserve."

-source: gresini racing