SECOND ROW START FOR GAULOISES YAMAHA PAIR IN ISTANBUL

Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will start the
inaugural Grand Prix of Turkey from the second row of the MotoGP grid tomorrow,
after lapping fourth and fifth fastest in this afternoon's single qualifying
session. After making the most of another extended 90-minute free practice in
the morning, the difference between the leading riders was much closer today,
with the top six all pulling to within a second of the pole position time of
1'52.334 set by Sete Gibernau (Honda).

After a difficult morning, Rossi clocked the fourth fastest lap of the day after
making a series of improvements to his YZR-M1 machine designed to meet the
demands of this new and challenging circuit. The Italian knocked almost two
seconds off his best time from yesterday and is targeting even more set-up
refinements in tomorrow's warm-up session before challenging for a
record-equalling twelfth victory of the season in the race.

After suffering a series of setbacks yesterday Edwards was able to work without
interruption today and the American emerged as one of the strongest contenders
for a pole challenge in the final stages of the session. Edwards, who revealed
that he has made a change to his riding style here after struggling to compete
for the podium in recent weeks, launched his final attack in the very last
minute but was held up by a slower rider and ended up conceding 0.042 seconds to
Rossi, eventually lining up just behind his team-mate in fifth place.

VALENTINO ROSSI (4th - 1'53.177; 27 laps)

"This morning was not good at all, I had some big problems and we were quite
worried. Then this afternoon we made some major modifications and the bike began
to work much better. In the end the lap time was not so bad and we were able to
finish the session on the second row. After this morning's troubles I am quite
happy with this fourth place and maybe we can fight at the front tomorrow. We
need to use the warm-up well and make a few more small changes to the set-up. I
think it's going to be a very hard race tomorrow; Melandri and Gibernau were
very fast today and I think tomorrow will be a big, big battle."

COLIN EDWARDS (5th - 1'53.219; 25 laps)

"We've struggled to find a set-up in recent weeks so here in Istanbul we've
basically gone to Valentino's base setting and made gradual changes to suit my
style. I've had to adapt my riding more to a 250 style, carrying much more
corner speed, and as the weekend's gone on I've learnt more and more tricks that
are helping me to go faster. This afternoon I felt good, I had much more
confidence in the set-up and it helped me set some consistent times. To be
honest I'm a little disappointed not to be on the front row because I felt like
I had a 1'52 in me, but it wasn't to be. The main thing is that we've made
improvements and if we can keep doing that in the warm-up tomorrow then we
should be okay for the race."

DAVIDE BRIVIO - GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR

"The team has worked very well to improve the situation; it is still not the
best but it is certainly much better than yesterday. The steps forward with the
bike have allowed the riders to think more about where they can improve and both
Valentino and Colin have created a good base to work from in the race. We have
some very fast rivals and it will be a hard battle in the race but I can
definitely say that we will be trying our best to be a part of it."

Toni Elias (6th, 1.53,230)

"I am very happy. We have worked very well, always with a full tank of fuel to
simulate race conditions. I think we have a good rhythm, but I hope we don't
have any unforeseen problems as we did at Phillip Island. I have learnt a lot
this year from riding the M1, and I am very happy with how things have gone.
This morning I fell when trying to keep pace with Melandri, but his tyres were
fresh and mine were not."

Ruben Xaus (16th, 1.55.414)
"With race tyres on I have improved a lot, but I was not able to improve with
qualifying tyres on. I will try to make best use of the warm-up as I want to
have a good race."

Pos.Rider         Manufacturer  Nat.  1st Qualifying

 1  S. Gibernau   Honda         ESP   1'52.334
 2  M. Melandri   Honda         ITA   1'52.463
 3  N. Hayden     Honda         USA   1'52.976
 4  V. Rossi      Yamaha        ITA   1'53.177
 5  C. Edwards    Yamaha        USA   1'53.219
 6  T. Elias      Yamaha        ESP   1'53.230
 7  M. Tamada     Honda         JPN   1'53.667
 8  A. Barros     Honda         BRA   1'53.719
 9  C. Checa      Ducati        ESP   1'53.836
10  S. Nakano     Kawasaki      JPN   1'54.023
11  C. Vermeulen  Honda         AUS   1'54.217
12  M. Biaggi     Honda         ITA   1'54.358
13  O. Jacque     Kawasaki      FRA   1'54.407
14  J. Hopkins    Suzuki        USA   1'54.434
15  S. Ito        Ducati        JPN   1'54.669
16  R. Xaus       Yamaha        ESP   1'55.414