German GP - Round 10 - MotoGP
Sachsenring - Friday 29th July 2005 - Free practice

Boiling asphalt betrays Alex, but the rest unable to improve on his time

With the sun beating down and track temperatures nearing 50oC at Sachsenring in
the second free practice session, conditions were particularly challenging, with
noboday able to better Alex Barros' lap time, which came in the first ten
minutes of the hour. Alex would eventually be confirmed as the quickest rider on
day one of practice at the German GP however he missed out on a large chunk of
practice due to a couple of crashes, both without any serious implications. Troy
Bayliss continues to prove he has found his form on the Honda and despite the
eighth fastest time he is just tenths outside his teammate's lap.

Sito Pons - Camel Honda

"Alex went really well today despite the double crash which fortunately didn't
injure him, but meant he had to finish practice early. This means he was unable
to advance with the set-up of his bike, but his rhythm and his confidence here
at Sachsenring are exceptional. He's already a step ahead of the others, and I
can see he will be quick and it is important he continues in this fashion
tomorrow, and puts today's interruptions to one side. Troy is continuing at the
high level he reached at Donington, generally amongst the top five or six. Only
in the final minutes today did he slip to eighth, but the gap is just a few
thousandths off the top five. He has the kind of rhythm and confidence we
haven't seen up to now; after the United States he has made continuous progress,
and he is ever more comfortable and I'm happy that he is beginning to express
his and the bike's potential."

Alex Barros - Camel Honda -   1'23.808 - 1st position

"I'm a little disappointed about the two crashes but not too much because I am
still very happy with the job we have done. This morning the team gave me a bike
that was very competitive and the first crash was probably caused by a little
too much enthusiasm from myself over the first few laps, because I felt so
comfortable in the saddle. I pushed a bit too hard. The second one is more
difficult to explain because I wasn't pushing at all. They told me there wasn't
enough time to set the second bike up like the first so I knew I wouldn't be
able to repeat that lap time. I had put in a tyre that had quite a few laps on
it, and perhaps it was that, together with the track conditions which weren't
ideal due to the heat. Anyway I'm fine, I didn't hurt myself at all and I'm
really looking forward to tomorrow."

Troy Bayliss - Camel Honda -    1'24.258 - 8th position

"This weekend at Sachsenring has begun well too. This afternoon I was eighth but
my time is very good, quicker than I went last year in the race, and on hard
tyres too. I'm feeling confident and I think that with just a few little
adjustments we should be able to put ourselves in a top starting position.
Things are going better overall too in general, and for a few races now we have
been able to make lots of progress which make me feel much more comfortable on
the bike. We would like to make another step forward so we can say that we are
at 100%, but to be honest things aren't going badly at all, and I can't wait for
the race to begin."