Post-Quali Quotes From Motegi, Japan – 250cc & 125cc

250cc

5th Álvaro Bautista: 1.51.821 (19 laps):
“It was a shame because I ran into a group of riders at the end of the session and only got one good lap in, which was before I’d got into my rhythm, but I’m happy because our pace was good and I’m only four tenths off pole. I would have preferred to be on the front row but it wasn’t to be and the important thing is that we’re not as far back on the grid as we have been recently. Let’s see if we can get a good start tomorrow and be in the front group from the off. The important thing will be to stay concentrated and try to stay in the fight for victory until the end. The times have been close throughout practice so it looks like being a fun, close race.”

6th Héctor Faubel: 1.51.973 (19 laps):
“I’m really happy because we’ve been around eighth position all weekend and in the end I’ve managed to qualify sixth. For the race I hope I can stick with the lead group over the opening laps, although we have to be aware of our limits. I think we’re doing a great job so we want to continue like this from now on. We’ve worked hard on the front end of the Aprilia and I’m pretty happy with the results. This afternoon the track got cold and the feeling wasn’t as good as this morning but I managed to get my lap time down so I’m satisfied.”

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125cc

5th Gábor Talmacsi: 1.59.179 (12 laps):
“I really didn’t expect this result. After free practice I was in a lot of pain and I told my team and my manager that I might not be able to race tomorrow. Doctor Costa found a good solution for my hand and I feel much better now. I can’t say I’m totally fit but I can ride and the set-up of my Aprilia is fantastic. I can’t brake too hard but the perfect chassis set-up we’ve found means I don’t have to. I didn’t push too hard at the start of qualifying and saved my energy for two fast laps at the end, which I think was the right decision. If my hand is the same as this tomorrow I think I can ride although I can’t predict a result because we’ll have to wait and see how it holds out.”

10th Sergio Gadea: 1.59.695 (12 laps):
“I crashed this morning when the bike folded on the front and I didn’t have time to react. We solved our front end issues and in qualifying the bike ran well, although we could have done with a bit more from the engine. It is costing us half a second at the moment and we’re losing another half through a combination of the front suspension and my riding. I think if Smith hadn’t have crashed I could have got a good time behind him but I need a reference for my braking and I’m always on the limit. Starting from tenth tomorrow should at least allow us to have a better race than Indianapolis.”

29th Adrián Martín: 2.02.069 (11 laps):
“This morning with the lower temperatures the engine didn’t suffer as much and ran better. At the start of the afternoon it wasn’t revving high and I really had to push hard to make gradual improvements. My objective was to lap around the 2’01 mark and if I could have latched on to somebody maybe I could have managed it, but the engine wasn’t running well and I didn’t feel comfortable. Like at Misano I’ll be going out tomorrow to enjoy myself and to fight for as high a finish as possible.”