At the end of the first day of free practice at the Jerez circuit, Casey Stoner once again found himself on top. Stoner won the opening race of the 2011 MotoGP season in Qatar, and continued to set a fast pace today in Jerez.
Stoner's teammate, Dani Pedrosa, was his closest competitor today at the Spanish circuit, but the rest of the MotoGP grid wasn't far behind.
Here is what the riders were saying after the first day of free practice.
Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda
"The first session went well and I had a good feeling with the bike. We tried to repeat this in the afternoon session but the conditions weren't perfect - it was quite windy. It seems to be a little smoother to ride here than in the past, but it's a shame the weather wasn't better, so we could spend some time working on the settings.
"In general both bikes we tried seemed to work pretty well. The grip level doesn't seem to be so good here, I think everyone is struggling with this, so that's another element we need to work on tomorrow in time for qualifying."
Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda
"I think we are doing a good job. The bike was working ok, it was moving a little but maybe because the grip was not so good today. Other riders were also struggling with it and we saw some crashes in all categories. Also the strong wind played a part in the afternoon, it was more difficult to control the bike especially on fast corners and we couldn't improve the lap times.
"Regarding my physical condition, I'm struggling in the same way I did in the Qatar race because the situation has not changed, but I cannot do anything to feel better, so I'm just focused on riding as best as I can. I'm doing short runs because it's better for me and working on the bike to prepare for the race. We hope to improve tomorrow and do a good qualifying practice."
Valentino Rossi - Ducati Team
"I'm happy because this morning I did the third fastest time, and in the afternoon, when the higher temperature hurt us a little, I was fifth. Anyway, most of the riders went a bit slower in the second session. Apart from the two Hondas at the front, we're closer to everyone else, which was our goal. It was a good day.
"There's still work to do; we're trying to find the right balance, and that's why we're trying two settings that are a little different from each other as we work on weight distribution. We have to improve the front feeling a little; the bike that I prefer still doesn't turn like we want it to, which means we'll have to find a compromise between the two set-ups. As for my shoulder, I don't have much strength, but in terms of endurance, it's a little better."
Nicky Hayden - Ducati Team
"We're basically riding the same bike as in Qatar, obviously with a couple of small tweaks for this track; you need a stiffer front spring and a few other little differences. We feel closer than we were in Qatar. We made a little step forward this afternoon and it's good because only a few riders improved in the afternoon session, though the wind was a lot worse.
Jorge Lorenzo - Yamaha Team
"This morning the track was perfect with no wind but in the afternoon it came so the riding was more difficult. Finally we finished third, the gap to the front is less than before and we hope to improve the bike more for tomorrow. After the good race at Qatar we are more motivated and this is one of the special rounds of the year so we hope to have a great race on Sunday."
Ben Spies - Yamaha Team
"It's not been the best day today, I'm not very happy. We need to make some changes and I'm confident we can improve. Having said that, the feeling I'm having with the bike right now with the speed we're doing is not too bad. I'm not feeling very comfortable with how the bike is handling but it's only Friday.
"We have tomorrow and we have Sunday morning and I'm confident we can get the bike working better. I think this track can be good for the M1, we just need to change the setting and see how tomorrow goes. Well work on it and come back in the morning and go faster."
Marco Simoncelli - San Carlo Gresini Honda Team
"Today went well despite the windy conditions this afternoon, which made things quite difficult. We also used the same hard tyre this afternoon that we used this morning and by the end it had thirty laps on it so that also made it difficult. However, apart from Pedrosa and Stoner who are three or four tenths clear at the moment it looks like I can run with Rossi and Lorenzo. We have to try and improve in certain areas but overall I am happy.
"Mainly it is under braking in certain areas of the track where we are lacking and we need to find more grip on a worn tyre. Jerez is a circuit I like, I have won here twice in 125 and 250 so on paper I should do well. I've also won in wet and dry conditions here so I feel I can be competitive in any conditions. Tomorrow we will turn our attention to securing a good place on the starting grid."
