The Mugello circuit was hit by torrential rain for final qualifying and in less than ideal conditions Honda LCR rider Carlos Checa qualified in 14th position for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. A combination of the unpredictable conditions and a problem with one of his RC212V bikes meant that Checa was unable to repeat his impressive top five position from yesterday’s free practice.

With 26 minutes remaining Checa’s bike stopped and he was forced to switch to his second machine, but he did not have a comfortable set-up for the tricky half-wet, half-dry conditions. In full rain conditions Checa was again a strong performer, as he demonstrated with his fast pace in yesterday’s second free practice.

CHECA: Fourteenth - 2’04.971

CHECA: “In full wet conditions I feel comfortable, but in the dry we need to improve the set-up. I need a more positive feeling on the corner entry and some more rear stability, the bike feels more difficult to turn. Of course a wet race is a gamble for everyone and depending on the tyre choice and conditions it is difficult to predict. When I was forced to switch bikes I did not have a good feeling in the half-dry conditions, even using a soft tyre right at the end of the session.”

On the eve of his 21st birthday Irish rookie Eugene Laverty qualified in 21st position for the 250cc Italian Grand Prix. Luck was against Laverty who was slowed by a punctured rear tyre and the changing weather conditions.

LAVERTY: “It was terrible day and I still haven’t done enough laps in the dry to properly learn the track. The track was dry at the beginning of the session but then it rained and I lost time changing tyres, and then the rear puncture. I’m hoping for a wet race, that’s my birthday wish.”