Australian GP - Round 15 - MotoGP
Phillip Island - Friday 14th October 2005 - Free Practice

Barros and Vermeulen start well at Phillip Island

The first day of practice at Phillip Island went well for both the Camel Honda
riders today. Alex Barros seems to be back on good terms with the front end of
his bike and was second quickest in the morning and fifth overall on the day
after focusing hard on set-up. Debutant Chris Vermeulen, in his first outing on
the MotoGP Honda machine, made light work of the tricky mixed track conditions
after light morning rain hit the first half hour of practice, slotting into the
top ten after a few laps on board the bike. The young Australian has hit if off
straight away with his team, and without a single mistake managed to
consistently improve his pace throughout the two sessions, setting respectable
times as he made his first adjustments to the RC211V.

Sito Pons - Camel Honda

"I'm happy with this first day because both Alex and Chris have worked hard.
Alex is close to the top three, apart from Rossi, who is a cut above at the
moment. There's obviously still work to do tomorrow, but it seems the problems
from the last couple of races have been resolved. As for Chris, I have to say
that he's making a great debut so far. He has only ridden the bike for a couple
of hours, and still has a long way to go before understanding the bike fully,
and in terms of performance, but we're really happy with his approach, with his
work ethic, with the way he has slotted so easily into the team, and with the
way he has absorbed all the little technical details that he has come up against
all at once."

Alex Barros - Camel Honda -   1'31.459 - 5th fastest

"Although we're missing an important member of the team here, our telemetrist
Lluis, work continues and things have improved considerably in the front end in
comparison to Qatar. It's working well here, there's no problem for me here. We
are using the same set-up as a year ago, given that the bike is the same apart
from the rear shock, and in general I'm happy with how it is going. We still
haven't found a rear tyre that gives enough grip, but I think that Michelin will
analyse all the data now, and I hope that tomorrow they will propose something
else we can try."

Chris Vermeulen - Camel Honda -   1'33.178 - 15th fastest

"This morning it was tough at the start with the wet track, but in general I'm
really happy and I'm really making the most of this. The team is working
superbly and are being really patient with me and with all the things I still
don't know. The bike is completely different from the one I'm used to,
especially in the front end, with the feeling of the front tyre under braking.
It's something that I have to get used to now. Obviously, it's not only this,
the power of the engine and the way it's delivered is so different, it's
incredible really. Another thing that strikes me about the RC211V is how smooth
and light it is. Also, even though it wasn't necessarily the windiest ever day
here at Phillip Island, it really made a difference to how you rode the bike,
and it's something else to bear in mind."