Alex would eventually be confirmed as the quickest rider on day one of practice at
the German GP however he missed out on a large chunk of practice due to a couple of crashes, both without any serious implications. Troy Bayliss continues to prove he has found his form on the Honda and despite the eighth fastest time he is just tenths outside his teammate’s lap.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda

“Alex went really well today despite the double crash which fortunately didn’t injure him, but meant he had to finish practice early. This means he was unable to advance with the set-up of his bike, but his rhythm and his confidence here at Sachsenring are exceptional. He’s already a step ahead of the others, and I can see he will be quick and it is important he continues in this fashion tomorrow, and puts today’s interruptions to one side. Troy is continuing at the high level he reached at Donington, generally amongst the top five or six. Only in the final minutes today did he slip to eighth, but the gap is just a few thousandths off the top five. He has the kind of rhythm and
confidence we haven’t seen up to now; after the United States he has made continuous progress, and he is ever more comfortable and I’m happy that he is beginning to express his and the bike’s potential.”

Alex Barros – Camel Honda – 1’23.808 – 1st position

“I’m a little disappointed about the two crashes but not too much because I am still very happy with the job we have done. This morning the team gave me a bike that was very competitive and the first crash was probably caused by a little too much enthusiasm from myself over the first few laps, because I felt so comfortable in the saddle. I pushed a bit too hard. The second one is more difficult to explain because I wasn’t pushing at all. They told me there wasn’t enough time to set the second bike up like the first so I knew I wouldn’t be able to repeat that lap time. I had put in a tyre that had quite a few laps on it, and perhaps it was that, together with the track conditions which weren’t ideal due to the heat. Anyway I’m fine, I didn’t hurt myself at all and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda – 1’24.258 – 8th position

“This weekend at Sachsenring has begun well too. This afternoon I was eighth but my time is very good, quicker than I went last year in the race, and on hard tyres too. I’m feeling confident and I think that with just a few little adjustments we should be able to put ourselves in a top starting position. Things are going better overall too in general, and for a few races now we have been able to make lots of progress which make me feel much more comfortable on the bike. We would like to make another step forward so we can say that we are at 100%, but to be honest things aren’t going badly at all, and I can’t wait for the race to begin.”