MotoGP news

Strong start for Gresini

Honda Gresini were amongst the main protagonists on a positive first day at Laguna Seca, venue of the US Grand Prix this weekend. Alex De Angelis improved his lap times throughout the day and ended up fourth fastest on the combined time sheets as the fastest of the riders making their debut at this circuit today. Shinya Nakano, third fastest this morning, dropped to sixth in the afternoon as he continued to work on his race setting.

"It's been a day to remember!" exclaimed de Angelis. "I could never have expected to go fourth fastest on my debut at this circuit, especially considering the problems we had this morning. In the first session the bike was sliding around a lot, the chattering didn't allow me to stay on the right line, but in the afternoon we sorted out this setback and I was able to set a lot of laps at a good pace. The track is unusual, no doubt about that, but I was able to learn it by following other riders and in certain ways it is similar to Sachsenring, where I've always been really strong. Now it's a case of trying to carry this form into qualifying."

Shinya Nakano commented, "I've lost a few positions from this morning but I'm still near the front guys so I'm happy. After the first session the objective was to improve the performance of the bike in the first sector and we managed that, although as a result we lost a bit in T4 - through the downhill section after the Corkscrew. Tomorrow we'll keep working on the setting to try and take another step forward in this area. The ambient temperatures today weren't so high but the track was pretty warm so tomorrow will be important to pick the right tyre for the race."

Team boss Fausto Gresini added, "It has been a positive day; both our riders have stayed near the top of the time sheets and that is a testament to the great job we're doing. Fourth and sixth place is a good start, now we need to keep working because we can still take another step forward. I want to pay my compliments to the whole team and both riders, but especially Alex because he has got straight on the pace despite never having ridden at this demanding circuit before."

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