Valentino Rossi took sixth place in qualifying today at Brno, and his second-row starting spot for tomorrow’s race is his best of the season. The Italian, who was also quite fast in the morning’s wet free practice session, finishing third, worked with his team over the course of the four practice sessions to steadily improve the setting of the GP11.1, and he hopes to further perfect a few details during the twenty-minute morning warm-up session.
Nicky Hayden also took a nice step forward and, by lowering his best time from Friday by over eight tenths, earned a spot on the third row.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 6th (1:57.367)
“We took a step forward today by changing the front setting again and also modifying the riding position on the bike. We were also good in the wet this morning; actually, it was a really fun session, being there near the front the whole time. It’s been a good weekend so far, although of course nothing earth-shattering, as I’m only sixth. Anyway, it’s my best qualifying position of the season with the Ducati, which I’m also able to ride better this way, especially under braking and on corner entry. During tomorrow’s warm-up, we’ll try to further improve the rear grip in the first two sectors, where I’m losing the most time. In the second half of the track, I’m only losing about a tenth. We’re pleased because we’ve learned a few things and, after an initial period of adaptation, we’re able to work on the GP11.1 in a more productive way.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 9th (1:57.721)
“In the end, we salvaged ninth, but it wasn’t easy getting there. All weekend, it’s just been really hard in the dry, because the bike was spinning and wouldn’t hold the line. This morning in the wet was great right from the exit. With our standard rain setup, I was never outside the top five, from the start to the finish, but this afternoon in the dry was hard work. We came back in a lot and changed things, but without finding a right direction. Finally, with about 20 minutes to go, we hit on something with the ride height where I was able to keep the line and could begin to push, and in the end, I was able to get into the 57s. To get on the third row is obviously nothing spectacular, but it’s much better than how things were looking. Hopefully, following that direction tomorrow will keep helping us.”
