2009 Misano Grand Prix Rider comment

Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha - 1st

"This is a great feeling! It's taken me some time to get used to Misano and view it as a ‘home' race because Mugello is so special to me, but I can honestly say that winning here today, in front of everyone dressed in yellow and with 46s everywhere, is a great emotion and I want to thank everyone for making it so special. Today I had to go quite carefully with the full tank at the start and I took some time to get to the front but once I was there it was great and my bike felt fantastic. We didn't expect to be this competitive here but it's been a perfect weekend, so I have to say a huge thank you to the team for a brilliant job. Since Indianapolis, when I made that mistake, we have been so focused and concentrated and everyone deserves this result. I was the ‘flying donkey' today! I am happy that we are going into a month without racing with these memories and this points lead, but as we saw in Indy everything can change quickly so we will be fully focused once again in Estoril when we come back."

Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha - 2nd

"I did what I had to do today and took as many points as I could, which is the most important thing when you're not perfect. Unfortunately we struggled a bit all weekend to find the right setting and so I thought it was better to take care and ensure the second place today. I took some time to get past Dani and Toni and then it was too far to Valentino. After I was nearly brought down on the second corner I wanted to make sure I got the points in order to keep the championship alive. We have some work to do but we will make sure we're back to our best in Estoril, where I have great memories from last year and my first win."

Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda - 3rd

“A podium finish is a good result for us and I think it fulfilled our potential here this weekend. I made a good start and pushed to the maximum in the opening laps to stay ahead of the others. I was riding really hard and getting quicker every lap which allowed me to keep in front for quite a long time. First Valentino and then Jorge came past though, and they were able to brake harder and get through the corners a little better that me which meant I just couldn’t stay with them. I was actually quite lucky at the end because I ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap and had to hitch a ride back to the pits with Toni Elias. Third is OK here and there was no way I could follow the leaders’ rhythm so I’m reasonably satisfied. I’ve moved into third in the championship, but with Casey not riding here it’s not an even situation so I’m not too concerned about that. This weekend I also re-signed with Honda and I’m very happy about this. They know my potential very well and I know their potential too, and I’m sure we can work well together into the future.”

Andrea Dovizioso - Repsol Honda - 4th

“Both riders did a good job today and we can take positives from this weekend even though we didn’t win. Dani’s race was very strong. He stayed in the lead for a good part of the race and this was really down to his own high performance and skill - we still have some work to do to improve our machine to match the level of our rivals. Andrea’s weekend was promising because it was the first race outing with new suspension and the team has collected a great deal of useful data. Plus, his result was strong thanks to the excellent job he and his crew did to get a good machine setting for the new components. With today’s announcement of the rider contracts for next year we have established valuable stability in the team which we will use to our benefit for the rest of the season and 2010. The Repsol Honda Team will come back fighting in Estoril.”

Loris Capirossi - Suzuki - 5th

"I am very disappointed and quite upset to lose fourth place on the last lap, I think we deserved it and it would have been a great result for the whole team, Suzuki and all the sponsors. Dovizioso was a little bit faster than me on the last lap and although I tried to close the door he overtook me quite fast. I tried to get him back but just didn't do it. We got better all weekend and it was a great race for us today and although I am upset at losing out on fourth - because that would have been the best result this year - we are certainly getting closer all the time and I think very soon we will be right up there."

Toni Elias - Gresini Honda - 6th

“I have mixed feelings about that race because sixth place is a decent result but after making such a good start it could have been so much better. The team have done a great job with the bike over the weekend after a terrible first day but for some reason it wasn’t quite right today after only a few laps. We have to look at why that was because once again we have shown the pace to run with the very best in this class. We have a bit of a break now which is not ideal for me because I’d like to get back on track as soon as possible, but we will try to use it as best we can and look forward to going to Estoril, a circuit where I have great memories thanks to my MotoGP victory with the Gresini team in 2006 and where we will look to recover even more points.”

Mika Kallio - Ducati - 7th

"It wasn’t a perfect race and there is always something we can improve on but I think we can be more or less happy with that. I made a decent start but I lost some positions in the first corner, which I wasn’t happy about, and then the crash in turn two happened right in front of me. I had to back off and pick a line through the debris, which cost me time and a couple of positions. The guys who came past were slower than me but I struggled to find places to pass them over the opening few laps. By the time I worked myself up to seventh the group of Elias, Dovizioso and Capirossi was four seconds clear of me. I was gaining on them in some areas and losing in others, Melandri was also pushing me hard from behind so I couldn’t relax at any point. It was a tough race and I’d hoped for more – maybe a top five or top six position, but unfortunately we lost that possibility at the start. Finally I’d like to thank everybody at Ducati for the faith they showed in me by giving me the ride and the support they have given me over the last few races, and I wish Casey well on his return. Hopefully I can take some positives back to my team and continue to make progress between now and the end of the season.”

The Britain:

James Toseland - Tech 3 Yamaha - 10th

"The incident at turn one really spilt the pack and I saw it all unfolding and it was unfortunate for Colin and Nicky to go out like that. I am not pleased with tenth place but I am pleased about my lap times in the race. I was matching Dovizioso and Capirossi except for the last five laps because I chose the softer tyre at the rear. We changed to a softer fork springs at the front for the race which made the bike smoother over the bumps and without that turn one incident I think I had a chance of tagging along for a top six finish. I found it difficult to find a comfortable setting this weekend and we went in circles a little while trying understand the new front geometry with this set-up, but the guys in the team did a great job. At the end I could see Capirossi ahead at every corner so I knew I was doing a good pace so it is frustrating when you can't be up there fighting for a better result."

And the crashers:

Alex De Angelis - Gresini Honda - DNF

“I got a decent start and thought I could make some more ground up on the inside in the second turn but I went in too deep. Colin cut in front of me and I braked as hard as I could to avoid him but the front folded and I hit him. Unfortunately Nicky was hit as well and I apologise to both of them. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and I am desperately disappointed because this is my home race, there were a lot of people here supporting me and I wasn’t able to deliver a good result. It is especially frustrating because we had the potential to put a really good race together here after another excellent weekend but we’ll take the positives out of it and try to continue with our recent progress at Estoril.”

Nicky Hayden – Ducati - DNF

“It’s easy to say it now but I just know I was set for a good race today so I’m extremely disappointed. Maybe I wasn’t going to win the race but I at least could have run with the front guys for a while and given all the Ducatisti to cheer for, as well as picking up some vital experience and data for this machine and having some fun myself! To be honest I had a feeling De Angelis might create some drama here. He’s at home and fighting for his job and when I saw him in the corner of my eye I just tried to gas it and get out of his way. Unfortunately he slightly clipped my rear wheel and that was the last I knew about it. I know in racing people can make mistakes and I have done plenty in my life but I’m not happy with Alex because this wasn’t racing - it was just stupid to try and pull a move like that on cold tyres, in the second corner on the first lap. Anyway, we’re all okay and looking forward to Portugal.”

Colin Edwards - Tech 3 Yamaha - DNF

"I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with seventeen bikes is not the place to be going at race pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino's donkey helmet. I didn't know what happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I've been fighting with Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That's racing."