Catalunya MotoGP: James Toseland delighted with second row

Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland scored his best qualifying result since the Estoril round in Portugal with sixth place in Catalunya.

The double World Superbike champion posted a best time of 1.41.820 to finish just one place behind team-mate Colin Edwards on the second row of the grid.

The 27-year-old said: “I’m chuffed to bits to be on the second row and I’ll be honest but I did put it on the line a bit. But you have to do that because to give yourself a chance you don’t want to be any further back than the second row and thankfully that’s where I am.

“When there is a tight first corner like here it can spread people out early on so a good start will be crucial. That first corner looks a bit tricky but hopefully I’ll get through it cleanly. I tried a lot of changes on the bike today and they all moved me in the right direction, so thanks to Tech 3 for that.

“Now we’ve got a decent base setting I’m don’t have to make big changes and it is just a case of tweaking things. With the extra grip we’ve found from the rear I sacrificed a bit on the front, but we made a change today that helped with stability for the faster corners.

“The difference between the second and third row is massive and I’m happy to be back in the top six. You really need experience on the qualifiers and I’m gradually building up my speed and confidence with them and Michelin is doing a great job.

Qualifying is amazingly competitive so I’m happy with sixth. These guys will not allow you to blink and I must have blinked on that lap otherwise I would have been higher up the grid.

“Everybody is so close it will be crucial to get that good start. I think I can definitely run the pace at the front and am looking forward to it.”