Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rdTime: +3.183
“This was a great result for us, more than just for the podium but for the way that the result arrived. I was very fast at the end of the race and this shows how much we’re improving because I was able to keep pushing right to the end. I think we did a good job this weekend. But when something so sad like this happens everything else goes to zero and the result doesn’t matter. I’m so sorry for Shoya because he was a strong rider but above all he was very ‘sympatico.’ He was very funny, always smiling and he always had nice things to say to everyone. He was also very young with a great career ahead of him so we are all very sad.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“Today was frustrating for Jorge because he is a winner but he knows he can’t afford to take risks, thinking about the championship. Pedrosa was very strong and we couldn’t catch him, so we will be working hard to try to find a way to get back to fighting with him at the next race. As usual Jorge kept his head and rode a sensible race to get as many points as he could and we are still on target for our goal. We would like to say how sorry we are about Tomizawa, he was clearly a huge talent who was destined to be here in MotoGP one day. This is the nature of our sport but today has reminded us all what can happen.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It’s a very sad day for our sport, our thoughts go out to Tomi and to his friends, his family and his team. He was a very good guy. The race was very positive because Valentino was able to increase the pace and he was very fast and very consistent at the end of the race. The bike was working well, we did a good job and Valentino was happy which gives us good confidence for the next races. His pace was very close to the top and his physical condition seems to have improved. We’re looking forward to him being back to his very best. This was an important step for the bike and for the rider on our way to being back in contention for victories.

Spies and Edwards finish strong at sombre Misano

Ben Spies continued his excellent form in the MotoGP world championship in Misano this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider ending with a richly deserved sixth position.

The 26-year-old recovered superbly having lost four places in a frantic jostle for track position at the tight second corner on the opening lap.

Dropped down to 10th place, the Texan showcased his overtaking prowess once again, passing both Marco Melandri and Randy de Puniet on lap six to take seventh place

. That put Spies firmly on the trail of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards, who had made a blistering start to end the first lap fifth.

Spies quickly closed down on Edwards and made his attack on lap 12 and then expertly moved clear of his fellow Texan to finish top non-factory rider again.

Today’s result was the eighth time in 12 races that Spies has finished inside the top six and he remains firmly in contention for third place in the overall rankings with six races on the calendar left.

Edwards rode another strong race to finish in seventh position for the third time in the last four outings. The 36-year-old is confident he could have given Spies more of a challenge for sixth had he not encountered some small front-end issues.

Edwards though moved into the top ten in the standings with his latest positive result and is just one-point behind Marco Melandri heading to round 13 at the new Motorland Aragon track in Spain.

Today’s race was overshadowed by the passing of Japanese Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa following a tragic accident earlier in the afternoon. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 would like to express its deepest condolences to family, friends and team.

Ben Spies – Position: 6thTime: +28.385
“It was a tough race after I got shuffled back at the second corner. I struggled a little bit with front-end feeling but I had a good pace and by the time I got through everybody into sixth everybody else was ten seconds ahead. There was no sense in doing anything stupid but looking at the lap times I’m sure I had the pace to fight closer with Casey. My goal was top six and that’s what I achieved so I can’t be too disappointed. I had top five pace and that’s better than being in the top six but not fast enough to be any higher. I want to express my sadness at the passing of Shoya Tomizawa. My thoughts a re with his family and friends. It’s another sad loss for our sport.”

Colin Edwards – Position: 7th Time: +34.934
“It was a good race and another seventh has put me back in the top ten in the championship. I made a good start and managed to avoid any trouble at the first corner and I had a good early battle with Simoncelli. But I had the same problem I had all weekend and I was losing the front a bit on the brakes. I was trying to ride aggressively and I was happy with my lap times but honestly, I thought the outcome was going to be a little better than seventh. When Ben came by he was able to just pull away from a little bit every lap. I tried my hardest to stay with him but once he’d gone I just settled for seventh. The race doesn’t count for much though when you hear the news about Tomizawa. My thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“Firstly, on behalf of everyone at Tech 3 Yamaha, I’d like to send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Shoya Tomizawa. He was a great talent and a really good guy who will be missed by all of us in the racing community. Looking at the race, what happened to Ben early on the first lap was crucial. Unfortunately he lost some places but once again he showed fantastic determination to recover even though this track is difficult to pass on. He got back to sixth but unfortunately he had no chance to catch Casey and that it is shame because without what happened on the first lap, I think Ben could have had a good race with him. But he scored another top six and again he was the best non-factory by a long way. I’m also really happy with Colin because he has been making a lot of progress recently and riding back to his best.”