Troy Bayliss makes his first ever front row start in what is only his third appearance in Grand Prix racing. With just 0.01 sec separating Capirossi and Bayliss this is the closest pole position margin since the USA GP in 1994 when Mick Doohan qualified just 0.008 sec faster than John Kocinski.

The top thirteen riders on the grid have lapped faster than the existing lap record set last year by Valentino Rossi. For the first time ever the top 19 riders on the grid have qualified within one and half seconds of the pole position time. Max Biaggi is the only rider to have qualified for the front row in each of the first three races of this year.

Tohru Ukawa has had six top five finishes at Jerez in the 250cc and MotoGP classes, including a podium finish last year in the MotoGP race.

Valentino Rossi is the only rider to have won at Jerez in all three classes having taken victory in the 125cc race in 1997, the 250cc in 1999 and the MotoGP class for the last two years.

Sete Gibernau’s best result at Jerez came in 1999 when he finished in third place riding the V-twin Honda. John Hopkins’ seventh place on the grid is his best qualifying position since the Czech GP last year when he also qualified in seventh place.

Nobuatsu Aoki has lapped more than one second faster than the best lap by the Proton machine last year. Olivier Jacque is the highest placed Yamaha rider on the grid for the first time whilst riding the four-stroke machine.