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Cold and wet, conditions couldn't have been much worse. Lorenzo grimaces at the end of a Friday during which he chose to avoid any risk-taking, considering the adverse conditions. He completed some laps during the morning, before staying in the garage in the afternoon.
A day to write off.
“It's difficult to evaluate the day after having just one session and making just five laps. Also, as I was about to get on the second bike, it started to rain harder, so I had to stop. I decided not to take any risks, particularly after the crash in Japan, tomorrow the weather will surely be better”.
What do you think about Rossi having his times eliminated?
“Personally I didn't think it was very clear. I don't think it was fair to cut all of Valentino's times, so we have to pay more attention to our use of the super soft tyre”.
You've emphasised that you don't want to take any risks.
“I only completed five laps in order to assess my condition. Tomorrow's weather shouldn't be like today and so that's a positive. It will be important to be in the top ten and show our competitiveness in this tricky situation”.
Do you also think there should be a date change for Phillip Island?
“I think so. Unfortunately, this isn't the warmest part of Australia, and it would clearly be better to hold the event closer to the Superbike date. The weather changes everything”.
How do you feel after the Motegi crash?
“I'm in some pain but in normal conditions it's minimal”.
What do you think about Michelin's decision to limit the extra soft?
“I think it's a very conservative decision, but it's impossible to compare the level of rain on the track and the temperature here with those of Brno. The decision has to be respected, because that will be the only tyre available”.
Is it right that Michelin brings the tyre if it thinks that it cannot last race distance?
“The problem is that the tyres are too hard for these conditions, as a result the medium and the hard risk not being suitable. If there's only a little rain, starting the race with the medium, like in Brno, would be dangerous while in these conditions the soft is ideal”.
