Ducati Team is optimistic after hard time at French Grand Prix qualifiers - MotoGP News
The qualifier session of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France saw the Ducati team riders, stand at ninth and tenth places, as Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden did not have the pace to compete against the top rides on RCVs and M1s.
The Italian veteran, Valentino Rossi had a fairly decent qualifying session, he and his crew was working well for the improvement of the pace of Desmosedici GP11 and speed on the hard compound tyres.
The final minutes of the session were crucial and needed soft compound tyres to sustain the second row grid position, but despite improving his pace he lacked to keep up in top six places and rested on ninth place for the Sunday’s race at Le Mans. Rossi
will be starting the French GP behind four Hondas and Yamahas. Considering the qualifying rounds it was best in the season for the Ducati team.
Rossi said, “Naturally, we’re not happy with our position. It’s not good because I had hoped to start from the second row. I’m pleased with the way we worked though, as well as with how I rode, because I was finally able to ride well.”
Nicky Hayden was the man to clock the fifth best lap time in final free practice session and a fourth best time in the second free practice session. Unfortunately, Hayden entered a corner in high speed, pushing him wide and away from the optimum line.
The Ducati Team rider Hayden said, "This morning wasn’t bad, but I hoped for more in qualifying. The bike was working quite well at the pace I’ve been running, but when I tried to cut those last couple of tenths, it was moving around a lot.”
It was a fast lap by the American before the wide run in the bend and could not come back with better pace. Although he was not able to be as good as he was in the free practice sessions but this qualifying position was his best grid seat for the 2011 season.
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