Zoom Toni Elias

The fourth 2008 MotoGP race started with uncertain track condition.

The asphalt has completely dried out a few minutes before the start of the Pramac Grand Prix of China, where the Alice Team riders have respectively started from fifteenth and fourteenth position. Guintoli has done better than his team-mate at the beginning maintaining the thirteenth position until the eighteenth lap when he lost two position and concluded in fifteenth.

The opposite has done Toni Elias, who in the sixth lap was in seventeenth position, but after a few laps the Spanish rider found the right rhythm which allowed him to come back and finish the race in eight position. A pity for the not so happy start, seen Toni has registered the fifth fastest lap in the race, not too far from the fastest. A sensible step forward for the Catalan rider who hopes to keep growing in two weeks time, on May 18th, when there will be the Alice Grand Prix of France.

Luis d'Antin – Team Principal
“We are happy we found the right way to work. With Elias we miss a bit of competitiveness in the first laps. Ducati is working very well to give us an even more competitive bike. Toni is accumulating confidence and he is improving race by race. Sylvain must improve. He has to work more on the bike set up. Next race in Le Mans will be important for him as he will have more motivations at his home race. I thanks the Team who has given its best all the time, even when results weren't coming.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“Surely a positive race for us. We start to see the results of our work. Unluckily we didn't start too well, Toni felt the bike too heavy in the front part. In addition the track conditions, still a bid humid, have complicated his work even more. We could have done better seen the rhythm Toni had during the weekend, but this result give us morale for the continuing part of the season. In the next race we believe to do well also with Sylvain, who will give his best at his home race.”

Toni Elias – Alice Team rider (8th position in the race – 13th in MotoGP Classification)
“Better I would say, but I expected more. Unluckily at the beginning of the race I lose too much time and after five or six laps I always have to come back. If we manage to solve the problems we encountered in the first part of the race I am sure we can obtain better results. The race rhythm was in fact good. I made it to pass other riders without many complications, in fact, I registered the fifth fastest lap in the race really close to Lorenzo who finished fourth. We have to work hard and I am sure we can do better starting from Le Mans. The Team is working well, like Bridgestone and Ducati.”