The podium press cꦛonferences from today's season-opening 125, 250 and MotoGP Africa's Grands Prix, from Welkom.

MotoGP class.

Valentino Rossi - 1st: "It's difficult to explain what I'm feeling at this moment. This race, this weekend, has been one of the best of my caree💃r. I rode very well over the three days and the race was very, very good - a great show - a great battle with Max. It was perfect; a great start, a good rhythm and then some good overtaking. It's good for everybody and tha🎐nks to my mechanics who came with me (from Honda), also to Yamaha who have done a fantastic job. Thanks to everybody."

Max Biaggi - 2nd: "I started from third and got close to Rossi after passing Sete. The pace was very fast and I was riding well but in the last se♓ction of the track I always had a problem. We tried to fix it before the race but we couldn't so I had to ride over the problem, but it's very easy for me to be passed by other riders there. I tried my best, but it wasn't enough because Rossi was very, very fast in this place (where I had a problem) - faster than me, but It was very close. Honda has made a good effort, giving us the new chassis, so I'm sure we'll be back (on top) very, very soon."

Sete Gibernau - 3rd: "Congratulations to both Valentino and Max, they rode a very good race. Yesterday I knew that we were not on the best pace, but today I tried at the beginning but the chatter came with me. I think the team did the best we could. For this year I think I have to be happy bec🎶ause when things are not good or perfect then we still fight for a podium and I hope when things go ok we can fight for a win. Anyway I don't want to make any excuses, Max and Valentino did better than me today and hopefully at Jerez I will be able to do better than them. Thank-you to all my team."

250cc class.

Dani Pedrosa - 1st: "For me it is unbelievable. Ye✨🎃sterday we also did a very good job and it was a surprise - but today it's a very big surprise for us, I still can't believe it. Thank-you to my team, to Honda and to all the people who worked with me this winter to help heal my ankles."

Randy De Puniet - 2nd: "I'm a little bit disappointed, but this time last year I had zero points and today I have twenty - not so bad. I had big problems with my rear tyre and i🎃t was impossible to do better. In the last corner I made a miಌstake and Pedrosa overtook me and won, but it's not so bad."

Sebastian Porto - 3rd: "It was very difficult race: My start was good but then my front tyre was sliding to muchღ and I ran off. I tried to make good laps after that and to make a podium is excellent."

125cc class.

Andrea Dovizioso - 1st: "Locatelli was fast all race, and on the final lap I really didn't know where to pass him. I thought I could make it on the straight, but it wasn't possible, then I saw a gap two corners from the end and went for the inside. I'm very🍃 happy and want to thank my team and the clinica mobile who helped me after my crash in practice."

Roberto Locatelli - 2nd: "I don't look where Dovizioso was - I knew he could pass me on the last lap but I dไidn't expect him to pass me in the last corner. But for me it's no problem to finish second today."

Casey Stoner - 3rd: "I felt that I could stick with front group, after I'd caught them, but then all of a sudden I couldn't turn the bike. I thought I'd try and go to the front and slow them up because I knew I couldn't run their pace for much longer. Then once they'd passed me back I thought that was it - Locatelli and Dovizioso took off - and then Nieto passed me so I thought the podium was over. But there was only two laps to go so I pushed as hard as I could and overtook him with three corners to go, so I thiꦉnk I was pretty lucky."