“Things definitely haven't gone well, but we're not putting the blame on anybody and I've been riding the best I can. The practice sessions have gone perfectly, and I've been learning a lot more.
"I felt that I was doing everything right like I have in the past and, you know, they really caught me out, these two crashes. So I'm a little bit disappointed with my results in the last few races. I'm here learning, I'm young, and we'll see how it goes at this racetrack.
"The title was gone a while ago, and we started to bring it back and it was gone again. We always kept things reasonably open, but we were also just trying each race, just trying to do what we could. You know, not so much for the championship, but just the races themselves.
"I think the championship, like I said, was gone quite a few times. We gave too many points away at the beginning of the season, and that's really stung us now. So with these two crashes, I think if we hadn't had such a bad beginning of the season, we would have still been within reach, but that's the way things have gone this year. That's the way things seem to be panning out for me. We've just got to make sure we try and bring these last five races home very strong and get ready for next year.”
Casey Stoner...
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“We speak very much during the last months about the track because we have two or three points that are strange and quite dangerous, especially on the front straight. Some parts are quite dangerous.
"For sure this is the first year so maybe it is not the perfect situation. When we go to Laguna Seca for the first time in was quite a bad situation in 2005 but in 2006 it was much better. For me looking only on the paper for sure this is not the best track in the world for the bikes. There are two or three points, the hairpin and the last corner are very, very tight.
"We have to try with the bike but like this on the paper for sure it is not a very funny track. We have to try with the bike and also they say there is some problem with the grip in the parts where there is a new surface.”
“For sure if it rains it is a big problem. Is better to have good weather, but we have to wait and see. This track is 100 per cent new and they have changed the direction and already the F1 drivers said in the past that it was not a very funny track, also with cars. We have to see with the bikes.”
“I arrive here from a very good race for me and a good result. I am in a good shape. I ride quite well, and I am quite fast in the last period.
"My advantage in the championship, for sure, is important after the last races. Everybody is curious to try this new track with the MotoGP. The complex is fantastic. This place is full of history and a lot of fascination. For sure a place with 300,000 seats to see a race of Indy is fantastic. But we're racing in the garden. We have to understand if the garden is OK.”
Valentino Rossi...
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