<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Alex @ Feb 25 2007, 08:26 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The Jerez test was awesome, like an actual Moto GP qualifying session although it wasn't!
Great to see that Valentino Rossi was top and totally blitzed last year's qualifying time by over a second! Colin Edwards also did very well, it looks like Yamaha are very strong and are spot on the pace. That's one sweet BMW that Rossi won, wouldn't mind one myself to sell on eBay. Loved Rossi's celebration...carefully climbing onto the roof of the car.
Nicky Hayden seemed to be taking things easily and rather sitting back a little watching everything else go on around him and trying not to get involved as much. Is he just super confident or is it part of his tactics? Dani Pedrosa was also mighty fast finishing 2nd and also beating last year's qualifying time, but still something like 0.7 second off Rossi's time. The Repsol Honda looks shorter too because of it's 'docked' tail, suppose it suites Pedrosa though!
Ilmor GP are looking to possibly have a great season with Bridgestone tyres and pretty good riders. McWilliams is still recovering from his injury late November from Jerez when he fell off, let's hope he'll be fit and up for it come the start of the season.
Was dissapointed that Hopkins couldn't test but we got half an idea how the Suzuki is doing from Vermeulen's times but that test driver was basically nothing.
Can't wait for the Qatar Grand Prix, March 10th!
I agree on Yamaha being very strong, but not on the rest, Hayden was trying very hard and he's simply not as fast as Rossi and Pedrosa yet. Only those 2 were really on the top they were just 1 tenth apart but over half a sec faster than the rest.
Ilmor are on Michelins and they are going to have a mighty embarrasing season if they have the same pace they've showned so far, which is absolutely apalling, 4 or 5 seconds off the pace.
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha Factory Racing Team YAMAHA 1'38.394 17 17 270.2
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'38.527 16 16 0.133 0.133 271.3
3 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Yamaha Factory Racing Team YAMAHA 1'39.300 16 16 0.906 0.773 268.3
4 1 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'39.556 14 18 1.162 0.256 268.3
5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'39.832 13 16 1.438 0.276 266.5
6 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'39.873 6 11 1.479 0.041 277.3
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'39.887 13 13 1.493 0.014 272.5
8 71 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'40.043 17 17 1.649 0.156 268.0
9 10 Kenny ROBERTS JR USA Team Roberts KR212V 1'40.083 14 14 1.689 0.040 264.7
10 7 Carlos CHECA SPA Honda LCR HONDA 1'40.100 15 15 1.706 0.017 264.8
11 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Honda Gresini HONDA 1'40.202 14 14 1.808 0.102 270.9
12 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 1'40.242 6 13 1.848 0.040 268.0
13 6 Makoto TAMADA JPN Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'40.307 15 15 1.913 0.065 267.9
14 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Honda Gresini HONDA 1'40.396 15 15 2.002 0.089 266.5
15 19 Olivier JACQUE FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'40.551 11 12 2.157 0.155 266.1
16 66 Alex HOFMANN GER Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'40.681 12 15 2.287 0.130 272.2
17 4 Alex BARROS BRA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'41.038 14 15 2.644 0.357 273.9
18 64 Kousuke AKIYOSHI JPN Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'41.805 6 9 3.411 0.767 266.7
19 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'42.215 13 17 3.821 0.410 267.3
20 22 Vittoriano GUARESCHI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'43.008 8 8 4.614 0.793 269.3
21 88 Andrew PITT AUS Ilmor GP ILMOR X3 1'43.026 8 14 4.632 0.018 260.4
22 72 Shinichi ITO JPN Ducati Bridgestone Team DUCATI 1'43.073 13 13 4.679 0.047 272.7
23 99 Jeremy McWILLIAMS GBR Ilmor GP ILMOR X3 1'43.202 9 9 4.808 0.129 266.4
