The first day of practice at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit was a success for both Marco Simoncelli and Hiroshi Aoyama.

Marco Simoncelli scored the fourth fastest time on riday in the first day of practice at the Grand Prix of Japan. The Italian is very close to the duo who led the sessions today, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Simoncelli lapped at a good pace and significantly improved in the afternoon workout. Still awaiting some adjustments, "Super Sic" is convinced he is well prepared for the rest of the weekend.

Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama also shined with his solid start at his home circuit. The Japanese rider ranked seventh of the day and demonstrated potential to improve even more. Athe forecast for tomorrow is for possible rain, but the San Carlo Honda Gresini team remain confident despite the uncertainty over the weather.

Marco Simoncelli:

"It went really well considering we improved much in the morning round. In the afternoon we tried some things to improve braking because I had some difficulties. We're looking for the correct fork setting and today we tried an option that didn't go well, so tomorrow we will try thr opposite of tofay's setting. We also had some problems with tire wear, so we are looking for a solution to have a consistent performance throughout the race. At the moment I'm still missing three tenths for a pace closer to that of Pedrosa and Stoner, so we'll work with the aim of reducing that difference."

Hiroshi Aoyama:

"The start has gone really well, but for the moment there is still not a lot of grip in the rear. Tomorrow we will try to find solutions to improve this problem with a set-up better suited to give us more confidence. This is our goal and if we can get it, I'm convinced I can qualify in a good position for Sunday's race. In any case, I'm happy because I think we started on the right foot. It is very important for me to get a good result on home track."

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