Simoncelli gradually closed the gap to this afternoon's pacesetter and is hopeful of further progress tomorrow, particularly in terms of fuel consumption which promises to be a key area for race set-up and is currently proving to be the Italian's 'Sword of Damocles'. It was also a positive day of practice for Aoyama, who is going faster and looks to be recovering confidence on his bike. The Japanese rider was satisfied with his performance today and is also confident of improvements tomorrow.
Marco Simoncelli:
I am happy because we have improved quite a lot from this morning and I set a decent rhythm. We are already quicker than my qualifying lap time from last year, but we still need to improve because Lorenzo and Stoner are three or four tenths quicker than me. Anyway, for the moment I'm satisfied and I'm starting to like Misano more as a circuit – hopefully I will be in love with it by Sunday evening. The only thing I am worried about at the moment is fuel consumption and we have a few problems to solve in this area tomorrow.”
Hiroshi Aoyama:
“I didn't have a good feeling this morning, but in the afternoon things went much better. The grip was better and I was able to push more on the bike, which gives me confidence for tomorrow. With some small improvements we can be pushing for a good position on the grid. I really want to have a good race for myself and for the team, who are all working so well.”
San Carlo Honda Gresini press release.
