Joined Sep 2005
4K Posts | 3+
Lancashire UK
Was bored so gone through the press releases I ahve:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>TONI ELIAS"I'm really happy to be back on the podium. This is an incredible result after the accident at Assen. It's been a tough coupleof months for me and this was a nice reward. I got a good start but I lost a few positions and found myself some way back. I didn't have anything to lose so I came in early to change bikes. It proved to be the perfect time and the perfect strategy. In general it has been a perfect day, following on from a difficult weekend and a particularly tough race."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>MARCO MELANDRI "I was having a good race in the wet, my feeling with the bike was really good and I was able to take over from Stoner and build a bit of a lead. When the track started to dry it was really difficult for me because I was leading the race and it was hard to judge the right moment to come and change the bike because there were still some wet patches. When they told me from pit wall to come in I did so but it was a few laps too late to come in. It took me a couple of laps to get used to the bike with the dry setting and I made a mistake that cost me a few places. I'm disappointed because I could have fought for the win today. Unfortunately the flag to flag rule puts the race leaders at a disadvantage. The positive thing is that I've closed the gap to fifth and fourth in the championship, with Vermeulen now four points ahead of me and Hopkins eight."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>VALENTINO ROSSI “It’s a great pity for us how everything has turned out this weekend, because in the dry we were faster than Stoner and we could have had a good chance. The first problem today was the weather this morning, but actually we were able to find a good setting for the bike and when the race started we were quite hopeful. I got a bad start but on the drying track I had the fastest pace and I was able to make up five seconds to the leaders. After I passed Melandri I came into the box to change and maybe this was one lap too late, but our strategy was more or less okay because I was able to come back into the race with only Loris in front of me. We had an intermediate front tyre, a slick cut which is normal in these situations, but the bike was almost impossible for me to ride and turn and it felt like there was something seriously wrong. I came back in but my mechanics could see there was nothing wrong so I went straight out again, and by then it was too late; the race was over for me and the championship was gone. After four or five laps the tyre began to work better and I was able to keep going to the end, but without this problem it would have been possible for me to be on the podium or even to fight for the win with Loris. The conditions were very unfortunate. However this is racing and now we have three more races and we will do our best to find a way to win and end the season on a high note. I’m really sorry for my fans and for everyone in the team. Congratulations to Loris but especially to Casey on becoming world champion. I am very flattered that he made a dedication to me on his victory t-shirt, if someone else has to win then I am glad it’s one of my fans! He is a great rival and I hope that we can continue this rivalry into the future.”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>COLIN EDWARDS “From the beginning it was really a little bit too dry – the bike felt a lot better this morning when it was wetter. To be on rain tyres on a track like that was quite limiting and as it got drier I was just conscious of needing to conserve my tyres as best I could. It was actually going okay and I made up a fair bit of ground from the start, but I think we probably came in a couple of laps too late to change bikes. In the end though it didn’t matter because the front tyre I went back out on, the cut slick, was a disaster and I had no choice but to slow right down while I tried to figure out what on earth was going on. Valentino came in because it was such a bad feeling and I nearly did the same thing, but in the end I stayed out and just tip-toed around until I could work out how to kind of ride it. I thought this morning that we had a half way decent chance today, so it’s a real pity. Thanks to all my guys and everyone in the team, they worked as hard as ever and everyone deserved a better result today. Congratulations to Casey as well, he’s ridden great all season and he deserves the title.”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>RANDY DE PUNIET "I'm very happy because that was a really hard race. I chose to use a hard rain tyre but after a few laps it felt too hard and twice I ended up in the gravel, losing me a lot of time. I changed to the bike with the slicks and, when I exited the pits, I thought my race was over but I continued to push. When I saw on my pit board I was in second I was really surprised but to be on the podium in Japan for Kawasaki and Bridgestone is perfect. And I'm really grateful to my crew because they've worked so hard to help me get here."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>ANTHONY WEST "I could have done so much better. It was great to lead the race but I'm angry I jump-started. The ride through lost me a lot of time and then I didn't know about changing the bikes because I've never done it before. When I did come in, I stalled and that lost me even more time. I didn't know what was going on and it was pretty nerve-wracking. But the bike felt great today and I felt strong, too, which is why I was able to get to the front. Considering I had to stop twice and stalled the bike, I guess seventh's not too bad!"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>AKIRA YANAGAWA "It's not the best position but my aim was to finish and I have. Five years of waiting is over! I had a problem with the rear brake at the start so I had to come in and change my bike, which had slicks on it and, at this stage, the track was still quite wet so it was like riding on an ice rink for a few laps. But then I started to make progress and my lap times were good. I'm really glad I finished at last!"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>John Hopkins: “The race was all over the place with the drying track. I think I chose a bit too soft of a compound when we first went out and I was sliding around a lot and lost quite a bit of time. I came in and got the dry bike and set about working as hard as I could. I ran off the track once and we had a couple of little mechanical issues, but nothing too serious. We needed to salvage some points from today and we did that. I would like to say congratulations to Casey on winning the championship today – he certainly deserves it. Other than that I hope we have a lot better time in the next three races than we did at this one!”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>Chris Vermeulen: “We had a problem at the start which certainly wasn’t good. The guys had to run on the track and start my bike for me. When I got going I felt alright, but the track was drying quickly and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to come in and change bikes. It was difficult to gauge how quickly to go in those conditions and when I went out on slick tyres there was still a lot of water on the track so it was quite slippery! It was all about taking risks and trying to be quick in some places and smooth in others. We really struggled to get enough heat into the tyres and brakes in these conditions, but in the last few laps we got going. To come from nearly a minute behind on the first lap to 11th is ok, but it is not good enough. I have got to work on my qualifying and we need to fix the problem with the bike in time for the next race back home in Australia. Finally, well done to Casey, it’s good to see an Aussie as champion; I just need to make sure it’s me next time!”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>Kousuke Akiyoshi:“I was having a good race and really enjoying myself. The bike and the tyres were working well and I thought I was going to get a good finish. But something happened to my bike and I had to stop. I am really disappointed because I would like to have given Suzuki a good result as a thank you for this weekend!”
Feel free to add the rest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>TONI ELIAS"I'm really happy to be back on the podium. This is an incredible result after the accident at Assen. It's been a tough coupleof months for me and this was a nice reward. I got a good start but I lost a few positions and found myself some way back. I didn't have anything to lose so I came in early to change bikes. It proved to be the perfect time and the perfect strategy. In general it has been a perfect day, following on from a difficult weekend and a particularly tough race."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>MARCO MELANDRI "I was having a good race in the wet, my feeling with the bike was really good and I was able to take over from Stoner and build a bit of a lead. When the track started to dry it was really difficult for me because I was leading the race and it was hard to judge the right moment to come and change the bike because there were still some wet patches. When they told me from pit wall to come in I did so but it was a few laps too late to come in. It took me a couple of laps to get used to the bike with the dry setting and I made a mistake that cost me a few places. I'm disappointed because I could have fought for the win today. Unfortunately the flag to flag rule puts the race leaders at a disadvantage. The positive thing is that I've closed the gap to fifth and fourth in the championship, with Vermeulen now four points ahead of me and Hopkins eight."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>VALENTINO ROSSI “It’s a great pity for us how everything has turned out this weekend, because in the dry we were faster than Stoner and we could have had a good chance. The first problem today was the weather this morning, but actually we were able to find a good setting for the bike and when the race started we were quite hopeful. I got a bad start but on the drying track I had the fastest pace and I was able to make up five seconds to the leaders. After I passed Melandri I came into the box to change and maybe this was one lap too late, but our strategy was more or less okay because I was able to come back into the race with only Loris in front of me. We had an intermediate front tyre, a slick cut which is normal in these situations, but the bike was almost impossible for me to ride and turn and it felt like there was something seriously wrong. I came back in but my mechanics could see there was nothing wrong so I went straight out again, and by then it was too late; the race was over for me and the championship was gone. After four or five laps the tyre began to work better and I was able to keep going to the end, but without this problem it would have been possible for me to be on the podium or even to fight for the win with Loris. The conditions were very unfortunate. However this is racing and now we have three more races and we will do our best to find a way to win and end the season on a high note. I’m really sorry for my fans and for everyone in the team. Congratulations to Loris but especially to Casey on becoming world champion. I am very flattered that he made a dedication to me on his victory t-shirt, if someone else has to win then I am glad it’s one of my fans! He is a great rival and I hope that we can continue this rivalry into the future.”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>COLIN EDWARDS “From the beginning it was really a little bit too dry – the bike felt a lot better this morning when it was wetter. To be on rain tyres on a track like that was quite limiting and as it got drier I was just conscious of needing to conserve my tyres as best I could. It was actually going okay and I made up a fair bit of ground from the start, but I think we probably came in a couple of laps too late to change bikes. In the end though it didn’t matter because the front tyre I went back out on, the cut slick, was a disaster and I had no choice but to slow right down while I tried to figure out what on earth was going on. Valentino came in because it was such a bad feeling and I nearly did the same thing, but in the end I stayed out and just tip-toed around until I could work out how to kind of ride it. I thought this morning that we had a half way decent chance today, so it’s a real pity. Thanks to all my guys and everyone in the team, they worked as hard as ever and everyone deserved a better result today. Congratulations to Casey as well, he’s ridden great all season and he deserves the title.”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>RANDY DE PUNIET "I'm very happy because that was a really hard race. I chose to use a hard rain tyre but after a few laps it felt too hard and twice I ended up in the gravel, losing me a lot of time. I changed to the bike with the slicks and, when I exited the pits, I thought my race was over but I continued to push. When I saw on my pit board I was in second I was really surprised but to be on the podium in Japan for Kawasaki and Bridgestone is perfect. And I'm really grateful to my crew because they've worked so hard to help me get here."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>ANTHONY WEST "I could have done so much better. It was great to lead the race but I'm angry I jump-started. The ride through lost me a lot of time and then I didn't know about changing the bikes because I've never done it before. When I did come in, I stalled and that lost me even more time. I didn't know what was going on and it was pretty nerve-wracking. But the bike felt great today and I felt strong, too, which is why I was able to get to the front. Considering I had to stop twice and stalled the bike, I guess seventh's not too bad!"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>AKIRA YANAGAWA "It's not the best position but my aim was to finish and I have. Five years of waiting is over! I had a problem with the rear brake at the start so I had to come in and change my bike, which had slicks on it and, at this stage, the track was still quite wet so it was like riding on an ice rink for a few laps. But then I started to make progress and my lap times were good. I'm really glad I finished at last!"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>John Hopkins: “The race was all over the place with the drying track. I think I chose a bit too soft of a compound when we first went out and I was sliding around a lot and lost quite a bit of time. I came in and got the dry bike and set about working as hard as I could. I ran off the track once and we had a couple of little mechanical issues, but nothing too serious. We needed to salvage some points from today and we did that. I would like to say congratulations to Casey on winning the championship today – he certainly deserves it. Other than that I hope we have a lot better time in the next three races than we did at this one!”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>Chris Vermeulen: “We had a problem at the start which certainly wasn’t good. The guys had to run on the track and start my bike for me. When I got going I felt alright, but the track was drying quickly and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to come in and change bikes. It was difficult to gauge how quickly to go in those conditions and when I went out on slick tyres there was still a lot of water on the track so it was quite slippery! It was all about taking risks and trying to be quick in some places and smooth in others. We really struggled to get enough heat into the tyres and brakes in these conditions, but in the last few laps we got going. To come from nearly a minute behind on the first lap to 11th is ok, but it is not good enough. I have got to work on my qualifying and we need to fix the problem with the bike in time for the next race back home in Australia. Finally, well done to Casey, it’s good to see an Aussie as champion; I just need to make sure it’s me next time!”
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<div class='quotemain'>Kousuke Akiyoshi:“I was having a good race and really enjoying myself. The bike and the tyres were working well and I thought I was going to get a good finish. But something happened to my bike and I had to stop. I am really disappointed because I would like to have given Suzuki a good result as a thank you for this weekend!”
Feel free to add the rest
