Suzuki disappointed with qualifying

Australian rider Chris Vermeulen almost took a second row start despite not pushing as hard as he could have at the start of the lap that earned him seventh on the grid. He was, however, happy with the qualifying tyre, and the tyres and set-up he'll have on the bike for tomorrow's race.

"It was difficult this afternoon as the track temperature rose a lot and what we thought we had sorted as a race tyre didn't work that well. So we tried another tyre and the lap times came quite easily and the rubber lasted well, so we now have a set-up for the race.

"On the qualifiers it was great because we tried something new and Bridgestone has made a really good job with that. I was a bit tentative at the start of my best lap and made a mistake on turn two; if I hadn't then I am sure I would have been higher up the grid.

"I've been comfortable here this weekend and for me that is good as it has been a bit of a bogey track for me. Suzuki and Bridgestone have always seemed to work well here and now I am happy that I can get into that groove as well."

His teammate John Hopkins went well in morning practice, third fastest, but couldn't repeat in qualifying, actually going slower than he did in the practice session to qualify in tenth position.

Although he wasn't happy with the tyre he tried during qualifying, he was more positive about his race prospects.

"It was a tough afternoon, but this morning went really well. We made a lot of improvements and the bike worked great. This afternoon I just struggled to get myself into a rhythm and the tyres felt a bit greasy.

"On the qualifiers we tried some rubber that we hadn't used before and we didn't have any data about. It just didn't seem to suit my riding style and I wore the tyre out a bit too quick.

"There is no reason though why we still can't run at the front tomorrow, we've just got to come out swinging, make a good start and get up to the front as quick as possible!"

Nobuatsu Aoki, riding the 2008 development bike, had a disastrous qualifying session on the way to 18th, encountering problems with his bikes and tyres. However, he was somehow still optimistic for the race despite all the dramas during qualifying.

"During the qualifying session I had a small problem with my first bike and had to use the other one. It didn't have the same feel as the one we have been using and didn't work quite as well.

"I tried as hard as I could but the chassis and engine just didn't feel as good. The tyres I chose for qualifying were not quite right either and they just didn't seem to suit the bike so I now have to start in 19th place.

"I am optimistic for the race as the setting we have for the race tyre is good and I am confident I can get a top-10 finish tomorrow."