GP Itary The first dry part of the race was pretty tough. I used a new rear Dunlop from Japan, and for the first three or four laps it was good and I was able to follow Jeremy McWilliams's Aprilia quite easily. I was thinking it was all alright, but then it became very inconsistent and hard to manage, and I was struggling to keep my pace the best I could. For the second race I chose a softer-compound slick tyre, and it worked pretty well, though I wish it had kept raining. After it dried up more I lost some places. One part of the track was still wet, and first time through everyone was very careful - but in fact the slick tyres were gaining heat on the rest of the track, and it wasn't that bad. It was good to get that position, and I really appreciate the work of the weekend. I had no major engine problems, and we could work on setting up the bike. I hope it keeps going like this next weekend.