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Bancaja men make steady start to Australian Grand Prix

In MotoGP

03 ottobre 2008

Bancaja men make steady start to Australian Grand Prix

The MotoGP World Championship was back on track today, less than a week after the last round in Japan, with the Australian Grand Prix getting underway at Phillip Island. Just before the first qualifying session got underway for the 125cc class this afternoon the grey clouds that had crept over the circuit during lunchtime shed their load and made for soaking conditions on track, causing a host of crashes. Series leader Mike Di Meglio stayed on board to take provisional pole in a time of 1'48.319 although that is unlikely to hold firm if the dry weather forecasts prove accurate.

World Champion Gábor Talmacsi made a cautious start to the weekend, the Bancaja man lapping fifth fastest in the morning before riding with great care in the afternoon in order to protect his injured wrist. The Budapest star clocked his best effort of 1'52.320 on the last of ten laps, ending up some three seconds off pole, as he banks on better conditions tomorrow.

Sergio Gadea was battling inside the top five during qualifying and was pushing to improve on his time and challenge for pole when he lost the rear of his Aprilia and crashed. Thankfully he was able to return to the track and complete three more laps although a best time of 1'52.899 was only enough for 20th place on the provisional grid.

This is another new circuit for Bancaja Aspar rookie Adrián Martín, who joined the team at Misano, and for the second race in succession he was forced to learn the layout in wet conditions. Adrián managed 32nd place overall and reported that he enjoyed the circuit, even in the wet.

17th Gábor Talmacsi: 1.52.320 (10 laps): "My hand is better compared to the last Grand Prix although we still have a long way to go before it's fully recovered. I tried to go out without an injection in the first session and it wasn't too bad. The setting we found was really good but then in the afternoon I didn't have as good a feeling. I tried to push but we didn't have any grip in the wet and I couldn't get the bike leaned over. We decided to call it a day because I didn't want to risk another crash that could cause me further damage. I'm sure the track will be dry tomorrow and I'm confident we'll be at the front again. We've got a bit to work on with the rear set-up but other than that we're ready."

20th Sergio Gadea: 1.52.899 (10 laps): "I'm really happy with the feeling I had with the bike today although I crashed just when I was getting on the pace. I got back out on the second bike but only really got two decent laps in, improving my time, so I'm sure with the first bike we'd have gone much faster. The Aprilia guys made quite a big change to the bike between sessions today and that has given us a lot of confidence. I'm really happy because I know I'm fast here in the wet and we still have room to improve."

32º Adrián Martín: 1.55.418 (13 laps): "I felt a bit strange out there this morning but in the afternoon, with the wet conditions, I was more comfortable. I tried to have fun and improve my lap time with each lap but we put a softer tyre on at the end and I struggled to get back on the pace with it. On my last lap I improved by three seconds but this still isn't a position we're happy with. I felt comfortable and safe with the Aprilia in the wet but we could do with improving in the dry. The weather forecast is good so hopefully we can make some improvements."