UP–AND–DOWN DAY FOR MAHINDRA

13 August, 2011: The Indian–owned Mahindra riders had a day of mixed emotions and results. In the wet morning session Danny Webb and Marcel Schrotter were fourth and ninth fastest, and delighted. But the mood changed in qualifying on a dry track, where both struggled with a small but costly engine problem, ending up qualified 22nd and 23rd, side by side on the eighth row of the starting grid.

It will make for a difficult race for the pair, and is a blip in results that have otherwise been steadily improving over recent races. But both still believe that with some work overnight, it will still be possible to add to the team´s score of championship points.

The issue was not being able to make use of the full rev–range of the engines, robbing the machines – the only bikes on the grid where the team makes both engine and chassis – of crucial top–end performance.

"We will investigate now, look at all the data – and work all night if necessary to get the bikes going the way they should go," said a team engineer.

Pole was set by points leader Nico Terol, at 2´08.118.

DANNY WEBB – 22nd position: 2´11.253
This morning we were both well up there and I was happy with the performance of the bike, but this afternoon was a real struggle. It was really frustrating. If we can get the engine running like it was this morning again, we´ll have to get out our hammers and smash our way through the field but I think we can still have a good race. It´s not the race yet and we still have morning warm–up to sort things out and I know the team are working really hard to continue improving our performance and points–score race–by–race.

MARCEL SCHROTTER – 23rd position, 2´11.255
It´s been a frustrating day because this morning things were looking good and I was happy, but then things weren´t as easy in qualifying. Something changed and the engine would not get to its full rpm. I was behind some riders and in the corners they were holding me up so I am confident we have a good setup, but on the straights they got away again. I was losing time every straight as I wasn´t able to use all of the engine´s power. We know the bike is capable of much more so now we need to work hard to find it for tomorrow´s race.