Press Release
(2005 FIM Road Racing World Championship)
YRC News
MotoGP : Gauloises Yamaha riders set pace at gloomy Donington

Round: 9 - British MotoGP
Circuit: Donington
Date: 22 July 2005
Temp: 18ēC
Weather: Showers

Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi set the pace on
the opening day of the British Grand Prix under damp grey skies at Donington
Park today. Edwards and Rossi were first and second fastest respectively in the
morning session and their best times remained unbeaten in the afternoon as light
rainfall interrupted the second free practice. Arriving in Great Britain on the
back of consecutive podium finishes at Assen and Laguna Seca, Edwards was
quickly on the pace this morning and was the only rider able to beat his own lap
record of 1'29.973 - set on his way to second place behind Rossi during last
year's race.

Using the same base set-up that has propelled him to the lead positions over the
past two races, Edwards made minor adjustments to his YZR-M1 machine before
clocking a best time of 1'29.960 after 27 laps of the morning session. The
American had planned to test a variety of tyre compounds in the afternoon but
was thwarted by a brief shower that made track conditions extremely slippery and
led to a crash for Nicky Hayden (Honda). The rain also affected Rossi's
programme as the Italian missed out on the opportunity to make further
adjustments to his own base setting. The Italian lapped just 0.025 seconds
slower than his team-mate but was not entirely comfortable and was hoping for
more track time in dry conditions during the afternoon.

Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st, 1'29.960

"The bike has become better and better over the past few weeks so the aim today
was to continue along that line. I felt comfortable from the first lap and when
I came in and saw the lap times I was doing I decided to put my head down for a
couple of laps and see what I was capable of. To break the lap record in first
practice obviously gives you a lot of confidence, but the main thing that is
giving me confidence right now is the performance of my bike and the way I am
working with all of the guys in the team. To be considered as a serious
challenger to Valentino you have to make the top three on a very consistent
basis so that is what we are trying to do. Obviously I know this track well and
I've spent a lot of time working in England in the past so I'm getting an extra
push from the fans. The only thing I don't like here is the weather. and the
food!"

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 2nd, 1'29.985

"We lost the practice this afternoon because it was half wet and half dry. It is
a shame because that was an important time to work on the set-up of the bike and
get the machine to work at this circuit. I was in London last Sunday and the
weather was very hot but the temperature has dropped by about 10ēC in the last
two days and they are saying it could get worse. It's disappointing because this
track is great and it would be good to race here in the dry. The M1 does go well
in the wet as well though anyway. To be honest the bike felt a little nervous in
these conditions and especially this morning it was difficult to get the tyres
up to the right temperature. However, I am satisfied to be second even though we
haven't learned much today."

Toni Elias (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 15th, 1'31.904

"We couldn't work on all the different aspects that we would have liked to
today. The weather conditions in the afternoon meant that we could not make any
further progress. My scaphoid is quite sore - more than I had expected - but we
knew it was not going to be a quick recovery. I'm hoping to improve in every
aspect ahead of Sunday's race."

Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 18th, 1'32.561

"I'm finding it a little difficult because my riding style is not ideal for the
characteristics of this bike. Lately I've been having problems on new tyres and
this morning I crashed out even though I wasn't pushing hard. We have to
continue working and I won't stop until we find the right way."

Round: 9 - British MotoGP

Circuit: Donington
Circuit Length: 4023m
Lap Record: 1' 29.973 (Colin Edwards, 2004)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 28.720 (Valentino Rossi, 2005)
Date: 22 July 2005
Temp: 18ēC

Free Practice :

Pos.Rider         Manufacturer  Nat.  Free Practice
 1  C. Edwards    Yamaha        USA   1'29.960
 2  V. Rossi      Yamaha        ITA   1'29.985
 3  J. Hopkins    Suzuki        USA   1'30.098
 4  A. Barros     Honda         BRA   1'30.118
 5  M. Melandri   Honda         ITA   1'30.308
 6  S. Gibernau   Honda         ESP   1'30.398
 7  K. Roberts    Suzuki        USA   1'30.494
 8  T. Bayliss    Honda         AUS   1'30.561
 9  N. Hayden     Honda         USA   1'31.580
10  L. Capirossi  Ducati        ITA   1'30.597
11  C. Checa      Ducati        ESP   1'30.854
12  M. Biaggi     Honda         ITA   1'31.327
13  A. Hofman     Kawasaki      GER   1'31.680
14  M. Tamada     Honda         JPN   1'31.860
15  T. Elias      Yamaha        ESP   1'31.904
16  S. Nakano     Kawasaki      JPN   1'31.989
18  R. Xaus       Yamaha        ESP   1'32.561
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