MotoGP
Spanish GP: Gresini Racing race report
JEREZ WEEKEND ENDS IN DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI It proved a frustrating end to a difficult Grand Prix of Spain for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team, with Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis picking up points in ninth and fourteenth ...
Published: Jun 19, 2009, 7:53 PM
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JEREZ WEEKEND ENDS IN DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI
It proved a frustrating end to a difficult Grand Prix of Spain for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team, with Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis picking up points in ninth and fourteenth place respectively but both riders left to rue a missed opportunity. Elias had been confident of a much higher position after qualifying ninth on the grid but with track temperatures higher than they had been all weekend in this afternoon's searing sunshine, rear traction problems returned to haunt him and he could do no more than damage limitation.
De Angelis' preparations were hit by a high-speed crash at the end of qualifying yesterday, when he was caught out by a strong gust of wind, and his chances took a further blow this morning when he came down with a bout of 'flu. After undergoing treatment from the Clinica Mobile the San Marino youngster battled bravely in the race but also struggled with set-up issues and after getting caught up behind the aggressive James Toseland he was unable to take the fight to the Briton and was forced to settle for a two-point haul.
Toni Elias (9th): "I honestly thought we were capable of a better race today but it was impossible. We were suffering too much throughout the race with a lack of rear traction and I can promise the fans that I couldn't do any more than what I did. In a situation like this you can only try to take some positives away from the Grand Prix as a whole and looking back at the weekend we have at least continued to make progress. We were two seconds off the pace in Qatar, one and a half seconds off in Motegi and one second off here. The target for Le Mans is to reduce it to less than a second. I hope we can do it."
Alex De Angelis (14th): "I woke up this morning with a bout of flu and I was really struggling. Doctor Costa sorted me out with some medication but I certainly wasn't at 100% for the race. I got a decent start but I got stuck behind Toseland and even though I felt much faster than him he was very, very strong on the brakes and I just couldn't get past. I got stuck there for the whole race and that was that, pretty much! There's not much else to say! It has been one of my hardest weekends for a long time and I'm looking forward to spending some time at home, recovering from this illness and having a good rest before France, which promises to be another tough one for us."
-credit: gresini
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