BRNO- MotoGP

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TENTH SEASON GRAND PRIX ON BRNO'S CIRCUIT.

After a short summer break, the engine will return to warm up for next weekend. Sunday will take place on Brno's circuit, the tenth stage of the 2010 World Championship, the first of the second half of the season until now with high and low result for the green Pramac Racing Team riders. Aleix Espargar? and Mika Kallio, have in fact achieved six top ten positions in nine races of this season. Aleix scored an eighth, a ninth and a two tenths places, while Mika has the best Team season result, a seventh place with the addition of a ninth place conquered in the last Grand Prix raced in the United States of America. But both riders have in mind to improve their results in the second half of the season and thanks to the summer break that has allowed to recover energy, they will give the maximum to give to the Team an high level results. Sunday will be a very important day for Brno's circuit that will host the thirty-fifth top class Grand Prix. But a particular interest is given also for the sixtieth anniversary of motorcycle racing on this circuit that is halfway between Vienna and Prague. On this circuit, the Pramac Racing has had good results in past with a third and fourth place with Biaggi and Tamada in 2004 and the conquest of the second-last podium of his history with Elias in 2008, that after a fantastic comeback, has got the second place of the podium. Last year things did not go very well with Canepa who finished the race in twelfth position, while Fabrizio, the substitute of Kallio that was loan to the Ducati officer, has retired after just six laps from the start. The hope is that Mika will obtain an important result on this that is one of his favorite tracks, having won here in the past three podiums. Aleix his part, with 261.4 km / h, has established in 2007 the maximum speed record in the 250cc class on this track. It will be from this track that the young Spaniard will start to gain important positions that only bad luck and a little of inexperience had refusing him to gain in the last three races.


Paolo Campinoti - Team Principal Pramac Racing Team

"In the last Grand Prix lucky was not on our side, I am referring in particular to what happened to Aleix in the last three races. In Barcelona he had accumulated too much pressure before the start, the desire to conquer a great result in front of his fans did not allow him to remain focused on the race that he had ended few laps from the start. In Germany, the other unlucky race when he found De Puniet's bike in front of him lying on the asphalt. Fortunately he had no fractures. Laguna Seca, last race marked by little luck, was betrayed by the white line that demarcates the asphalt with less than three laps from the finish line. My biggest regret is especially for the last race because it was the first Grand Prix of the season with both Pramac Racing riders where in the top ten. But now it's time to look ahead to the next Czech Republic Grand Prix. On Brno track we have got the second-last podium of our history in the 2008 with the Spaniard Elias, who finished second after a fantastic comeback. In the past we have got another podium with Biaggi in 2004 that ended the race in third position followed by his teammate Tamada. The ambition of this weekend is to see again Aleix finish the race in the top ten as we had used to see him before Barcelona's Grand Prix. Another ambition to see Mika finish the race in a good position because he has found speed and feeling with his bike, he had good results in the past on this track and I hope he can be able to repeat them on Sunday. "

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing Team

"The United States Grand Prix was very important for me for two reasons, first of all because I have regained a place in the top ten, second because I realized that I have acquired a good feeling with my bike that will allow me to be fast in all the Grand Prix of the second part of the season. There are nine more races until the end of the Championship, I'll give my best to conquer a good placement in all the race to repay the trust that the team has always placed in me despite negative results. I consider Brno one of the most technical circuits of the Championship, I really like this track where I have got good results in the past. Here I have gain three consecutive podium, two second places in the 125cc category in 2005 and 2006 and a third place in 2007 in my rookie season in the 250cc category. Last year I had ran this race in the Ducati Team as Stoner's substitute, I had start the race form the tenth place on the starting grid, but with two laps to go, while I was eighth, I was involved in an accident and I went off the track. "

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team

"The summer break we had, helped me to take off a bit of disappointing feeling for the last three Grands Prix in which, also for the bad luck I had, I could not see the checkered flag. I hope that Sunday I'll already return to gain an important position, I need it for my Team but also for myself as I have always fought and believed in me. I never had a particular affection for Brno's track, I was able to run here only four times in the past, one in 125cc and three in 250cc, gaining a tenth place as best result in 2008 in the 250cc category. It 's time to regain what I have lost in recent races. My season will restart from here. "

 

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FIAT YAMAHA GET BACK TO BUSINESS AT BRNO

After a well-earned two-week summer break, the Fiat Yamaha Team will reform at Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend as the second half of the 18-race MotoGP season gets underway. Jorge Lorenzo lands in eastern Europe as the runaway championship leader and his team-mate Valentino Rossi is hoping to be back to his best after the time off has given him further opportunity to recover from the broken leg and injured shoulder he sustained earlier in the season.
Lorenzo has won an incredible six out of nine races so far this season and come second in the remainder and he signed off the for the summer break in the best possible frame of mind, having won commandingly at Laguna Seca last time out. The 23-year-old has spent time fitness training and relaxing in the Dominican Republic during the holidays and is looking forward to getting back to the business of racing this weekend. He has three wins at Brno to his name, one in 125cc and two in 250cc, but he has had little luck there in MotoGP and last year he crashed out when sparring for the lead with Rossi, something he will be hoping to forget this time around.

Brno is an historic track for World Champion Rossi as it was there that he took the first of his 104 Grand Prix wins, in the 125cc class in 1996. Since then he has gone on to take a further six wins at the track, five of them in MotoGP and including the last two years. The 31-year-old Italian made a sensational return to the podium at Laguna Seca only seven weeks after breaking his leg but he was not yet back to peak physical condition. A two -week holiday has given the nine-time champion another chance to work on his strength and fitness and he hopes to be in much better shape at this race and ready to mount a challenge for race wins over the remaining half of the season.

A Grand Prix was first held on the Brno road circuit in 1965 and since then over 40 World Championship races have been contested there. Today the modern track retains much of the character of the original road circuit, with its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes and it is a favourite track with the riders, often bringing as it does fast and close racing.

Jorge Lorenzo "TARGETING A FIRST BRNO MOTOGP PODIUM"

"The holidays were perfect. Ten days in the Caribbean for rest and fun, charging the batteries for the second half of the season. I needed it because the calendar has been busy in the last month and now I can focus on the rest of the season. We are going to Brno, a track I like and where I've won three times, but never in MotoGP. I haven't even got a podium here and this is my challenge, my first podium in the second part of the season and in Brno. Czech Republic is a nice country, with amazing people at the race and also the track is impressive, fast and with some good hills. After the race I will stay in Brno to try something new on the bike, something to improve our bike until the end of championship. Good place to restart!"

Valentino Rossi "AIMING FOR A GOOD SECOND HALF!"

"I've had a good break and it's helped me a lot to have this time to work on my physical condition. I'm feeling good about my leg and my shoulder and I hope that this weekend I'll be feeling much stronger. Brno is a great track for me and it's always special because it's the first place I ever won at. Last year I had a great race, this year will be harder because I'm not completely fit yet but I am looking forward to getting back on the bike. We have half the season still to go and our aim is to have a good second half!"

Wilco Zeleenberg "THINKING ABOUT THE PODIUM AND POINTS"

"We already had a bit of a look at what happened last year and we've watched the race together. Jorge likes the track very much and he was in good shape, fighting with Valentino, but the crash was his mistake because he pushed a bit too far. This year however things are very different and he has a big cushion in the championship so he can relax, think about the podium and taking the maximum points he can in order to keep a comfortable lead."

Davide Brivio "WE ARE AHEAD OF OURSELVES!"

"We are about to start the second part of season and we are quite excited about it. Valentino has been working hard on his recovery and, although he won't be at 100% yet at Brno, we are ahead of ourselves because after the initial injury we thought he wouldn't be back until this race. It has been very important to be back in the last two races to get back to race pace. Now we will work towards a great end of the season, waiting to see Valentino fighting again for the victories. Brno will be the first real step of his recovery"

 

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INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM: Grand Prix Cesk? republiky

The summer break is over and the MotoGP world championship will start its second half of the season next weekend in Brno/Czech Republic with the Grand Prix Cesk? republiky. All classes will reunite in the Czech Republic after the MotoGP class had a single appearance in the United States before the summer break.




Alex de Angelis will once again jump in for the injured Hiroshi Aoyama, who fractured a vertebra during a crash in the Warm up for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone and is now recovering from this injury at home in Barcelona. De Angelis likes the track in Brno and is especially looking forward to the official MotoGP test on Monday after the race, which he wants to use to get a better feeling with the Honda RC212V.




On Wednesday prior the Grand Prix weekend De Angelis and his MotoGP Honda will have a performance in the streets of Vienna, where MotoGP will meet the city and the Austrian fans. As Vienna is the home city of Interwetten, the main sponsor of the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team, De Angelis will also visit the head quarter of the company and meet and greet their staff members.




Alex de Angelis:

"I am happy that once again I am on the MotoGP Honda in Brno. Honda will give me some new electronic parts which will help to make the set up of the bike easier. The test after Brno will be very important for me to get a better feeling with the bike. Now there are at least two races remaining for me in MotoGP and I hope that they will be better than the two before. Brno is a very fast track and I like to go fast, so I hope I can get the team a better result."




Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager:

?The first two races were full of set up work with the bike and Alex didn?t have much space for experiments. Brno is a fast and aggressive track, which suits Alex?s riding style. I hope that he can demonstrate better what he is capable of doing here.?




The race weekend of the Grand Prix Cesk? republiky will start on 13th of August with the First Free Practice of the 125ccm class and ends with the MotoGP race on 15th of August.

 

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DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM HEADS TO BRNO AS MOTOGP SEASON RESUMES

The Ducati Marlboro Team travels to the Czech Republic this week following a brief summer break that now gives way to the second half of the MotoGP World Championship, starting out at the spectacular Brno circuit.

After taking four podium finishes in as many races Casey Stoner picks up on a positive, if not entirely satisfactory, run of form whilst Nicky Hayden will also be looking to get full potential out of the Desmosedici at a circuit where it has always been well suited.

The Ducati Marlboro Team have celebrated victory at Brno on two occasions, as well as two further podiums and two pole positions. The team will stay at the circuit on the day following the Grand Prix for the second and final post-race test session of 2010.


CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team ?Brno is one of my favourite circuits ? I have liked it since I raced there for the first time back in 2002. It is long and flowing, with a lot of direction changes and plenty of opportunities to overtake. It is the kind of circuit that lends itself to spectacular races and I can?t wait to race there again ? I wasn?t fit to ride last year and I missed it. I want to make up for that this weekend so we?ll be looking to find a good set-up for the bike, improve by a couple of tenths compared to the rest and be fighting for the win.?

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team?It is nice to be back after a couple of weeks off and Brno is a nice circuit to come back with. I think all the riders like it because it?s fast, open and flowing ? very different to the last couple of tracks we?ve been to, Sachsenring and Laguna, which are tight and have a lot of second gear corners. We?re heading into the second half of a season that started out with some decent results but we need to take another step forward now. It is not easy because the level of competition is so high in this championship but I think you always have to look to improve. We have a day of testing after the race and I hope that can serve to set us up for an improved second half of the season.?

VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager?We go to Brno on the back of an excellent team result at Laguna Seca and with the objective of improving on it with both riders. Casey has always been very fast here and Nicky scored a decent sixth place last year. In the past the circuit has generally suited the characteristics of our bikes so it will be important to find a good set-up for this weekend ? for the race, obviously, but also for the test so that we can build a strong base to work from over the second half of the season.?

THE TRACK
The Brno circuit snakes its way around the hills that border the Czech Republic?s second city and is one of the jewels in the crown of motorcycle racing. Built in 1987 to replace the old and dangerous road circuit that had previously hosted Grand Prix racing, the ?new? track retains some of the original characteristics and for this reason it is much to the liking of the riders. With track width reaching 15m in some places, its fast and mixed layout features fast direction changes, chicanes and elevation changes. The extra width rewards a precise racing line and those continual elevation changes, with several downhill braking areas, require a perfect bike set-up, a talented rider and good tyre life. Engine performance is also an important factor, with the long straights giving the MotoGP machines chance to really stretch their legs.


BRNO CIRCUIT RECORDS
Circuit Record: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.670 ? 166.716 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.145 ? 167.469 Km/h
Circuit Length: 5.403km
MotoGP Race 2010: 22 laps (118.866 km)
MotoGP Schedule 2010: 14:00 Local Time
Number of laps: 22
Race distance: 118.866

PODIUM 2009: 1st Valentino Rossi, 2nd Dani Pedrosa, 3rd Toni Elias
POLE 2009: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.145 - 167.469 Km/h

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM?S BEST RESULTS AT BRNO
2009: 6th (Hayden)
2008: 7th (Melandri)
2007: 1st (Stoner)
2006: 1st (Capirossi)
2005: 2nd (Capirossi)
2004: 5th (Capirossi)
2003: 3rd (Bayliss)

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ? RIDER INFO

CASEY STONER
Age: 24 (Born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia)
Residency: Switzerland
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 135 (74xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP Victories: 27 (20xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Great Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 22 (18xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007)

Stoner?s MotoGP track record at Brno
2009: Did not race
2008: Qualified: 1st. Race: DNF
2007: Qualified: 1st. Race: 1st
2006: Qualified: 12th. Race: 6th

NICKY HAYDEN
Age: 29 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA)
Residency: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 125 (125xMotoGP)
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
Number of victories: 3 (3xMotoGP)
First GP victory: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP)
First Pole: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006)

Hayden?s MotoGP track record at Brno:
2009: Qualified: 8th. Race: 6th
2008: Did not race.
2007: Qualified: 2nd. Race: 3rd
2006: Qualified: 4th. Race: 9th
2005: Qualified: 2nd. Race: 5th
2004: Qualified: 7th. Race: DNF
2003: Qualified: 7th. Race: 6th

 

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Rizla Suzuki racers ready to get back to work at Brno

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP is eager to get back in to action this coming weekend as the MotoGP season re-commences at Brno in the Czech Republic after its mid-season break.

?lvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi are both looking forward to getting to grips with the 5,403m Czech circuit, as it is a track that the pair have both enjoyed success at in recent seasons. Bautista won at Brno in the 125cc class in 2006 and finished second and third in 2008 and 2009 respectively in the 250cc category. He will certainly be aiming to put the memories of the last two MotoGPs behind him, where he was eliminated in both races by other riders.

Capirossi has tasted success in the Czech Republic on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, as he raced the machine to third place in 2008. The experienced Italian also scored a second place at Brno in a MotoGP event in 2005 and topped the podium in 2006.

The Automotodrom Brno is situated in the area of Kyvalka, about 16kms from Brno city centre. The present Brno Grand Prix circuit was built in 1987 and is located in woodland near to the old street circuit which previously staged the event. It is one of the highest attended races of the year, with a crowd of over a quarter-of-a-million possible during the weekend.

Rizla Suzuki gets the weekend underway with the first free practice session on Friday afternoon. The final practice will be on Saturday morning, with qualifying held in the afternoon. The 22-lap race gets going at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 15th August.

?lvaro Bautista:

?I am very fired up for Brno; I need to get back on the bike and racing again. I feel as fit as I have done all season and want to use this race as the ?new start? of the year. I don?t really like the Brno circuit, but it is a lot like Barcelona so I feel confident that I can go well there. I still have a lot to learn, but I hope this will be the start of a good run-in to the end of the season and we can get some good results and keep improving with every race. The whole Rizla Suzuki team has been fantastic since I joined and has made me very welcome and been very professional and patient with me even while I was injured, so it is now time for me to start giving them something back and Brno will be a good place to start.?

Loris Capirossi:

?Brno will be a very important race for us, we know the GSV-R can go well there and it is a track I know well and like to race at so we will be looking to be competitive right from the start of the weekend. We also have an important test planned for the Monday after the race, so going into that in a positive frame of mind will be very good for the whole team so we will be hoping that the results are positive and we?ll be giving everything to make sure they are.?

 

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First and third for Lorenzo and Rossi as MotoGP restarts in Brno

Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi started the second half of the season in fine style today, finishing first and third in the first free practice session at Brno. However the team's work was cut a little short when light rain fell at the end of the practice, forcing the riders to sit out the last ten minutes.

Fresh from his summer holidays, Lorenzo was keen to get back on to the bike he has ridden to such success so far this season. The championship leader found a comfortable rhythm straight away and he was able to try both Bridgestone tyre compounds before the rain started to spot towards the end. His best lap was over half a second quicker than Dani Pedrosa in second and the 23-year-old is hoping for better weather tomorrow to allow him and his crew time to finish the tyre work they began today.

Rossi is in much better physical condition following the summer break and he felt considerably stronger as he climbed back on board his M1 today, although he did report some pain in his leg and shoulder later on in the session. His improved fitness was evident throughout as he was consistently at the top of the time sheets, finishing just 0.065 off Pedrosa. He tried two different settings and will decide tonight which is working best before fine-tuning it tomorrow in time for qualifying.


Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1st Time: 1'57.215 Laps: 19
"I am happy to be riding here in Brno again. It's always difficult to go back to work after the holidays and this track is so different to Laguna, so wide and much longer; it took me a few more laps than usual to get going! Once I found my rhythm this was a good session and I felt happy on my bike, with a good setting to start from. We tried both rear tyres and we need more time to choose, because unfortunately it rained a bit at the end and we had to stop early. We'll have to wait and see how the track is tomorrow but we hope for it to be dry so we can continue with what we started on today."


Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd Time: 1'57.821 Laps: 21
"I'm happy, this was a good practice and I feel good on the bike. After some laps I started to feel some pain in the shoulder and the leg but in general I am okay and my condition has improved a lot from the last race. We've done a good job on the setting and I was fastest throughout most of the session. It was a pity the rain came because we couldn't make the final step, but hopefully we can improve again tomorrow. Even though I still have some pain I am quite a lot stronger, especially with the shoulder, so I don't have such a big problem in braking."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "We had 45 minutes in the dry and we went very well, Jorge had a good feeling with the bike. We have some doubts about the rear tyre and whether to use the hard or the soft - we made some adjustments and we needed to check the setting again but then it rained so we didn't have the chance. But overall things are good and Jorge is feeling happy on the bike. We just need a bit more track time tomorrow to decide which rear tyre to use."
Valentino Rossi

Davide Brivio - Team Manager "It was a good session because we tested two different settings and Valentino was almost constantly the fastest. Unfortunately it rained in the last fifteen minutes and we couldn't make our final test but it's okay, it seems we're in good shape. Tomorrow we will continue to fine-tune the setting and hopefully make another step with the lap times."

Edwards and Spies make positive return to action
The second half of the 2010 MotoGP campaign got underway in impressive fashion today for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Colin Edwards and Ben Spies.

Refreshed after a short two-week summer break, Edwards was immediately able to set a fast pace on board his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine as he tried an experimental front-end geometry setting in today's opening practice session at the Brno circuit.

Edwards was a permanent fixture in the top six throughout as he took full advantage of the improved turning performance from the revised front setting.

Making solid progress with the extra confidence created by the changes as the session wore on, Edwards clocked a best time of 1.58.497 to finish top non-factory rider in sixth position as he edged out former world champion Casey Stoner. The 36-year-old had been as high as fourth at the halfway stage.

Spies declared himself satisfied with his afternoon's work as a best lap of 1.58.970 secured him the ninth fastest time.

Earlier bright sunshine had quickly given way to cloudier conditions when the session commenced and Spies' hopes of lowering his lap times were thwarted when light rain started to fall in the final 15 minutes. The short rain shower fell at the worst moment for the 26-year-old, who was poised to undertake a series of laps on a new front-end geometry setting he was convinced would help him move further up the leaderboard.

Spies, who won one World Superbike race at the technical and challenging Czech Republic circuit last season, had been as high as sixth place and is confident with more time on the revised front-end setting that he can be challenging for a top six result in Sunday's 22-lap race.
Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards - Position 6th Time: 1.58.497 - 17 laps
"I felt pretty good immediately and I feel like we should be in for a strong weekend if we can build on the momentum from today. A lot this season we have started on the back foot a bit and spent the whole weekend playing catch-up. But we've got a platform to build on and that's mainly down to a new front-end setting we tried. Thanks to my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because they came up with this experimental setting and it worked really well. We put more weight on the front and I like it better than what I started the session on. Now the bike holds the turn a lot better and I'm not running wide. We've put more force t hrough the front tyre to help it turn and I'm sure we can make another step tomorrow if we get dry conditions. I've never had a top six here before, so after this start I'm hoping to put that right on Sunday."

Ben Spies Position 9th Time: 1.58.970 - 20 laps
"We started with the setting from Laguna Seca and I just couldn't quite reach the pace of where I needed to be. But I know there is definite room for improvement. The first bike I just couldn't get working like I needed and we'd got quite a bit different front-end setting in the second bike. Right when I started my out lap on the second bike though I could see sprinkles of rain. I was trying to get round as quick as I could to at least get one fast lap in to try and compare the different front set-up and I'm pretty sure we've found something with that direction. The second bike should make it easier for me to roll through the middl e of the corner because I was having to hold the brake a bit too much on the other bike to help it turn. I'm pretty frustrated because that bit of rain stopped me from getting in a few laps to properly try it and get some data. I wasn't fussed about bettering my time, I just wanted to feel the difference. But I'm 90 per cent sure that the second bike set-up is the way we need to go."

Circuit Length: 5403
Temp: 24
Weather: Dry

Lap Record: 1'58.787 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'56.145 (Valentino Rossi, 16/08/2009)
Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi

2010 MotoGP Czech Republic - Brno 13/08/2010
Free Practice
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'57.215
2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'57.756
3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'57.821
4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1'57.873
5 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1'58.286
6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'58.497
7 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'58.532
8 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 1'58.840
9 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 1'58.970
10 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 1'59.204
11 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 1'59.216
12 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 1'59.254
13 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 1'59.289
14 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'59.510
15 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1'59.910

 

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PRAMAC RACING TEAM RIDERS APPEAR ON THE TWELFTH AND THIRTEENTH POSITION AFTER THE FIRST FREE PRACTISE OF THE GRAND PRIX OF CZECH REPUBLIC.

The rain ten minutes before the end of the first free practice has ruined the first approach to the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic which will take place Sunday on Brno's track. With such little time available it was impossible and unnecessary for the technical to change all the settings and continue the practice, which saw both riders of the Pramac Racing Team in the rear with a gap of almost two seconds from the first rider, Jorge Lorenzo. Unfortunately the rain did not allow both riders to try for many laps the last setting made on their bike. Aleix and Mika has in fact achieved their best lap in the first good lap after the pit stop, just before the rain. Changes that have been tried just for two laps and that had seen the change of tyre type, from soft to hard, more performance for this circuit. The hope is that the changes now will allow both riders to mark an important lap time during the tomorrow second free practice, and that they will allow them to fight for a good grid position on the thirty-fifth top class Grand Prix on this track.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director

"During today's free practice we worked on both bikes to try some settings that we will use in the tomorrow qualifying. In particular, we started with hard tyres on both bikes and then we switch to soft tyres that are more suitable for this circuit. On Mika's bike we had a good response also with the hard tires during the early laps. Once he pitted, we've made some little changes that did not have the desired result. He was slower than before. We then changed the settings again and installed the soft tires, but unfortunately, with the rain arrival, it was not possible to fully test the changes for many laps. Mika has still recorded his best time with the last setting. We are therefore very confident for tomorrow qualifying where we will try to reduce the gap from the first rider. "

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team - the 12th best time in 1'59 .254
"During the first few laps it was difficult to have the necessary feeling with my bike after two weeks of break. The hard tyres where not suitable for this circuit and they have made us lose a bit of time. As soon as we changed tyres I considerably lowered my lap times. I still have some stability problems in the slow corners and I'm very slow in the last sector of the track, but we have identified with my engineers some improvements that will allow me to be faster tomorrow during the second free practice and the qualifying. I'm sorry to have lost the last ten minutes of the free practice today because of rain, but I'm sure that with the stable conditions that we had at the beginning of the practise, I could shave a lot my lap time. Tomorrow I will give my best to get a good position on the starting grid. "

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing Team - the 13th best time in 1'59 .289

"I haven't big problems with my bike, I just need to run as much as possible on this track to improve my feeling and to give some technical advice to my engineers. Too bad that the rain made us miss the last part of practice. During the last entrance to the pits, we had made some good changes that allowed me to do mark my best lap, but because of the rain, I managed to make only two laps with the new setting. Tomorrow we'll start from here to continue to improve our times and reduce the gap from the other riders. "

 

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INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM - No easy start

With a new set up and electronic parts the start of the Grand Prix Cesk? republiky was not easy for Alex de Angelis and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team. As it began to rain in the last couple of minutes of the first free practice, De Angelis was not able to use the whole session to get to grips with the new parts and settings. Just when he found a better feeling with the bike it started raining and the San Marines had to go back to the pit box and he lost the chance to improve his lap time. Nevertheless the 26 years old rider is confident that he will improve his performance tomorrow.

Alex de Angelis, 17 - 2'01.098:
"We changed a lot on the bike and that was difficult for me. Now I need to understand the new set up. It is defiantly better than in Laguna Seca, I could feel that, but it is not enough yet. Some parts of the track work really well for me and some parts don't. Then it started raining and I could not improve my lap time. Tonight we will have a lot of work waiting for us to prepare for tomorrow."

 

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Bautista 10th on first day at Brno

Rizla Suzuki?s ?lvaro Bautista recorded the 10th fastest time around the 5,403m Brno circuit in the Czech Republic during today?s first practice session.

Bautista (1?59.204, 18 laps) only used the harder compound rear tyre during the first three-quarters of the hour-long session and produced competitive lap-times. He was just about to test the softer option, but his plans were thwarted as rain began to fall and forced Bautista and most other riders to end the session early.

Loris Capirossi (P11, 1?59.216, 18 laps) was only 0.012 seconds behind his team-mate as he made a solid start to this weekend?s event. He too only used the harder compound tyres and is convinced with the softer version - and some adjustments to the electronic settings of the Suzuki GSV-R - he will be able to go significantly quicker over the weekend and move up the time-sheets.

Today?s practice was held in overcast conditions that produced light rain towards the end of the session. The quickest time of the day was set by Jorge Lorenzo on his Factory Yamaha.

Rizla Suzuki has one more practice session tomorrow morning followed by qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday?s 22-lap race is round 10 of the Championship and gets going at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

?lvaro Bautista:

?It is good to get back to work after a short holiday and the first practice was not too bad for us. I started with the hard rear tyre and I didn?t feel like I had much grip and it felt like I lost traction a few times. We are working to improve this problem and in the last 15 minutes of the session we were going to test the softer tyre, but it started to rain so I couldn?t compare the different tyres. Tomorrow I hope we have good weather so I can test the soft rear and improve the grip to the back of the bike.?

Loris Capirossi:

?I think we?ve worked well today to check the two bikes to see which one works the best around here. One certainly has a better feeling, but we still need to work on the electronics side of things, because I don?t feel very comfortable with the throttle connection. Overall it hasn?t been too bad and I think the track is good for us and we can improve quite easily tomorrow to get much better times than we did today.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?Both guys started on the harder rear tyre option, which seemed to work reasonably well at the start of the session, but became more difficult as conditions cooled off. Unfortunately neither ?lvaro nor Loris got to use the softer rear, which the majority of the field were using to make better lap-times. We are not quite where we want to be, but we are also not too far away. We?re hoping for consistent conditions tomorrow so that the guys can get the absolute best out of the bikes and settings in preparation for Sunday?s race.?

 

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HAYDEN AND STONER GO BACK TO WORK AT BRNO

The MotoGP World Championship resumed following a brief summer break today, with the first free practice for the Czech Republic Grand Prix signalling the start of the second half of the 2010 campaign. Ducati Marlboro Team riders Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner spent the opening session adapting their machines to the demands of Brno, a very different kind of circuit to those visited in recent weeks.
Their cause wasn?t helped by a light rain shower around ten minutes from the end of the hour, which in Hayden?s case denied him the opportunity to experiment with the softer tyre compound. Action resumes with the final free practice and qualifying sessions tomorrow ahead of Sunday?s race.
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th (1?58.532)
?The session didn?t really go the way I would have liked. We struggled from the start getting comfortable with the bike, trying to get it working better through the middle of the turns. We made it slightly better and the lap times came down by a couple of tenths but no more. We?ve also struggled a little bit for rear grip. We spent the session out on the softer tyre because we thought the track would be dirty but never really found the pace that we needed. We tried a few different things to get it smooth over the bumps but still didn?t find the grip we were looking for out of the corners. In the last two sectors we look okay so we?ll be working hard on the first half of the lap tomorrow. We have a long way to go but if we can improve through there I?ll be happy.?
NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) 5th (1?58.286)?It was certainly nice to be back in the saddle today and the bike felt quite good out of the gate. The two weeks away gave me time to think about some things and the team too, and together we were able to come up with some ideas that seemed to have worked. I have to say thanks to the team for that and for the job they did today ? every change we made throughout the session made the bike more comfortable and improved the lap time so they all did a great job. The only bad thing is that they say there?s a chance of rain tomorrow and we didn?t get chance to try the soft tyre in the final ten minutes because we were ready to go with it but the track was damp. Having said that I did my best time on the hard tyre just when the spots of rain started to come down a little bit - I?m not sure what everybody else had in the bag but I?m sure we?re not miles away for the first session. Hopefully it?s the start of good things to come!?
Circuit Record: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.670 ? 166.716 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.145 ? 167.469 Km/h

 

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Tenth for Capirossi as injured Bautista misses qualifying

Rizla Suzuki?s Loris Capirossi will start tomorrow?s Czech Republic Grand Prix from the front of the fourth row after qualifying in 10th place, whilst team-mate ?lvaro Bautista will start from 17th place after a crash in this morning?s practice forced him to miss this afternoon?s qualifying session.

Capirossi (1?57.981, 25 laps) continued to improve throughout today?s practice and qualifying sessions and is certain that he can be competitive in tomorrow?s 22-lap race. He worked with the team to find an electronics package that he was happy with for the 5,403m Brno circuit and is convinced that the progress that has been made throughout the last two days will help him in tomorrow?s race.

Bautista missed the qualifying this afternoon because the Spaniard was still in the Brno hospital when the session started. He suffered a 140km/h high-side in this morning?s practice session and early indications showed that he might have a severe spinal injury. Bautista was taken straight to the hospital, but further examinations and a CT scan showed no fractures and just some heavy bruising to his back. Bautista will take to the track in tomorrow?s warm-up session and if he shows no ill effects he will be able to start from 17th on the grid, due to him posting a time in the practice session better than the qualification maximum from this afternoon.

Today?s qualifying was held in dry conditions with track temperatures getting up to 38?C. Dani Pedrosa recorded the fastest time of the day to give him his third pole-position of the season.

Tomorrow?s race is the 10th round of the season and both Rizla Suzuki racers will be looking to line-up on the grid as the lights change to go at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?We have worked hard today and although we went back a bit this morning it has been a good day. We did quite a lot of work on the engine management side of things and the team did a good job there. We tried two different settings this morning, but ran with just one this afternoon and it worked quite well. The time is not the best because I feel we could go quicker and I know I can go quicker, so I am optimistic for tomorrow and I am sure we can be competitive if the weather is good.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?Fortunately there is nothing broken, so this is the most important thing and tomorrow I will try and do the race. The crash was because as I entered turn three I lost rear grip and I couldn?t do anything about it. I did a big jump in the air and I could do nothing to save it. Tomorrow morning I hope I feel much better and I will try to race because I need to do as many kilometres as I can.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?The best news from the qualifying session didn?t even come from the race-track, it was the report back from the hospital that ?lvaro?s CT scan had shown no broken or damaged vertebrae and apart from severe bruising he?s fine and will attempt to race tomorrow. After the bad luck he?s had with injuries this year it?s nice to have the roll-of-the-dice for once and that he won?t be forced to miss the next few races is a big boost.

?Loris has been building steadily over the weekend and I think there is still more to come from him and the bike here at Brno. The front of the fourth row isn?t too bad a place to start and I?m sure that irrespective of conditions Loris will be giving it everything tomorrow afternoon.?

Cardion AB Grand Cesk? Republicky Qualifying Practice Classification:

1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1?56.508: 2. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.338: 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.357: 4. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 0.360: 5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.551: 10. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.473: 17. ?LVARO BAUTISTA:

 

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LORENZO CONTINUES FRONT-ROW RUN; SECOND ROW FOR ROSSI IN DRAMATIC BRNO QUALIFYING

An extraordinary qualifying session in Brno today left Jorge Lorenzo in third and Valentino Rossi in fifth for tomorrow's Czech Grand Prix. The Fiat Yamaha riders were luckily unhurt despite both crashing out within moments of one another on their final flying laps.
Heavy storms overnight had changed the nature of the track and Lorenzo was not feeling quite as comfortable with his front-end set-up as he would have liked this afternoon, losing time in the latter half of the circuit. Despite this he was still sitting in second position when he headed out for his final run, with his sights set on a tenth front row of the season. He looked on course to improve his time when he made a small mistake at turn eleven and was sent flying across the gravel trap, luckily getting up straight away unhurt. The championship leader had done a good enough job to hold on to third on the grid and he will line up next to fellow Yamaha rider Ben Spies tomorrow, who took his first front-row in MotoGP, with Dani Pedrosa on pole.

At his third race back after injury, World Champion Rossi was looking to return to the front row for the first time and he looked like he might do just that as he steadily improved his times over the course of the session, feeling good with the set-up of his M1. On the first flying lap of his final run he was just a fraction off provisional pole time and pushing hard when he made a small mistake at turn 13 and lost the front end, sliding harmlessly off track and luckily doing no further damage to either his leg or shoulder. The Italian was disappointed to remain on the second row but he is confident of a strong showing tomorrow when the race gets underway at 1400 CET.

Jorge Lorenzo Position: 3rd Time: 1'56.865 Laps: 20

"This wasn't the best practice session of the year for us. We made some modifications that didn't work and it was especially a problem in the front, which was closing on me a lot. I wasn't fast and I was having to take too many risks. Then I made a mistake and the bike went flying! I really hope the engine is okay for tomorrow, luckily I am not hurt and I was able to get up straight away. We are still on the front row and we can't always be on top! I think tomorrow will be a tough race but we will see how we can improve our setting and see what happens."

Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 1'57.059 Laps: 23
"I'm okay and I haven't made any of my injuries worse, so this is the most important thing. I was pushing hard and trying to make my best flying lap and I just lost the front, so maybe we're still missing a bit of grip. I was really angry when I crashed because I think it was possible to get second or even the pole position! Apart from the mistake though I'm very happy because I feel confident on the bike and I enjoyed riding today; I think for tomorrow I can be competitive. Warm-up is going to be important because we need to try to slightly improve my feeling with the front. We also need to wait to see what the weather does!"

Wilco Zeleenberg Team Manager

"We've had better qualifying sessions but it's not too bad, this track always changes a lot after it rains and we just need to adjust things a bit more. At the beginning Jorge was looking okay and his speed was good but he didn't feel the same as he'd felt yesterday with the bike; he had less grip in the front and we made some adjustments but things weren't perfect. The crash was unlucky; he lost the front although it wasn't totally clear what happened. Anyway he is okay so we're not worried and now we will try to improve his confidence in the front tomorrow."

Davide Brivio Team Manager

"It was a good session until the crash! It's a pity because he was fast and he was going to improve his time and now we're only in fifth. But we've worked well and our setting is at a good level - we have room for some small improvements before the race but we feel like we're in good shape and Valentino didn't hurt himself, so we're looking forward to racing."





Qualifying Times


FRONT ROW

1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'56.508
2. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.846
3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'56.865

SECOND ROW

4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'56.868
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'57.059
6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'57.117

THIRD ROW

7. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'57.222
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'57.635
9. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'57.960

FOURTH ROW

10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'57.981
11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'58.089
12. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'58.169

FIFTH ROW

13. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'58.182
14. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'8.430
15. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1'58.522

SIXTH ROW

16. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'58.700

 

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Super Spies storms to maiden front row start in Brno

Ben Spies stormed to his maiden MotoGP front row start in Brno today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider coming within seconds of claiming a stunning pole position at the end of a dramatic qualifying session.

The Texan needed less than a quarter of the session to establish himself in the top six as he continued to make significant progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine in preparation for tomorrow's 22-lap race.

Spies began to demonstrate his fast pace shortly after the halfway stage when he moved into fourth position. His challenge for a landmark career first pole position began to gather serious momentum though when he surged into second place with a lap of 1.57.166 that put him just 0.005s behind Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.

He first moved to the top of the timesheets with 16 minutes remaining, an impressive lap of 1.57.140 on the softer compound Bridgestone rear tyre moving him 0.021s clear of the field.

The reigning World Superbike champion though wasn't finished and he produced another blistering lap in the final five minutes of 1.56.846 to put him back ahead of Pedrosa by a margin of just 0.013s.

But with a remarkable first pole position beckoning, Pedrosa produced a decisive late attack, the triple world champion clocking a best of 1.56.508 with just 40 seconds remaining to drop Spies into second spot.

Spies though was thrilled after securing his first front row start and is brimming with confidence that he can mount a serious challenge for a second podium finish in what has so far been a fantastic first full season in MotoGP for the 26-year-old.

Fellow American Colin Edwards also had something to cheer this afternoon as he enjoyed his second best qualifying session of the campaign.

The experienced Texan had joined Spies in the top three earlier in the session as he lapped comfortably in the low 1.58 bracket in full race trim.

Profiting from the improved turning performance created by a revised front-end geometry setting, Edwards looked destined to secure a place on the second row for only the second time in 2010.

But despite his best efforts, he was unable to utilise the performance of his final two soft compound rear Bridgestone tyres and had to settle for seventh place. His best time of 1.57.222 was just 0.105s away from the second row and Edwards is confident he can score his first ever top six finish at Brno tomorrow.

Ben Spies 2nd 1.56.846 - 24 laps

?My goal was to be on the second row and I didn't think the front row was possible, let alone a pole position, so I'm really happy. From the start of the weekend every change we have made to the bike has been better and that doesn't usually happen. I had a decent pace so I was confident I could have a good qualifying. When we put the second soft tyre in I got into first position and I thought people would go faster. I did a really good time at the end but when I saw I was still up there I thought, ?I could do this.' Dani did a good job and I didn't have those last three tenths anyway and the time I set was a good time for me. It would have been nice to have a pole position but at this point just being on the middle of the front row is a great result for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and myself. I'll try and get a good start and if I can latch onto those guys for the first six or seven laps I can put together a good race. I've struggled in the first few laps in some races but here I've been able to get into a fast rhythm pretty quick, so I'm looking forward to it. This is just qualifying but it gives you confidence for the race. I've had a podium in my first full season and a front row is another box ticked and that's very satisfying for me.?

Colin Edwards 7th 1.57.222 ? 24 laps

?That's my best qualifying for a few races and it was looking really good for a while when I got myself into the top three after I used the first soft tyre. Unfortunately I just couldn't quite get the best out of the last two soft tyres I had at the end of the session. You have to push so hard to get a good time that you wear the front tyre a lot. It is only a small drop because the Bridgestone front is awesome, but it was enough to make the bike not feel as balanced and I struggled to get the bike turned. I just didn't have the confidence to push as hard as I wanted with a new rear tyre and used front. But I know when the grip is the same on the front and the rear that we've got a really competitive package. I'm really happy with the bike and the new front-end geometry setting is helping me a lot. I can just ride with more confidence and comfort and the bike turns much better with more weight on the front. We've finally got the chassis working pretty good and I'm riding good, so I'll hopefully get my first top six at this track. It has been a bogey track for me in the past but I'm confident I can get my best result here. Congratulations to Ben too for his first front row. He's been riding awesome and it is great for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.?

 

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DRAMATIC QUALIFYING SESSION FOR DUCATI MARLBORO PAIR AT BRNO

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden will start from second and third row respectively in the Czech Republic Grand Prix tomorrow after the today qualifying practice that saw the Australian finish just 0.003 seconds outside the front row and the American suffer a crash just as the session reached its climax, hurting his left wrist as a result.

Stoner has struggled to find the ideal set-up for his Desmosedici GP10 at this circuit but rode around his problems to challenge for pole position in an exciting finish to the session, which saw the top three riders separated by mere thousandths of a second before Dani Pedrosa emerged to secure pole by three tenths. Hayden had been impressive throughout the session in race trim but a crash in turn three when he was chasing a qualifying time on a soft tyre limits him to a third-row start and the painful prospect of 22 laps with a chipped radius (wrist) bone tomorrow.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 4th (1?56.868)
?This morning went a lot better than yesterday, we found quite a good solution and I was happy with the lap times considering the track was still a little damp after the storms last night. We hoped we could make progress in qualifying this afternoon but at the beginning every setting we tried seemed to go in the wrong direction. When we got the front working better we encountered a problem with the rear and vice-versa and we spent a lot of time coming in and out of the garage. It wasn?t until the last half hour that we found something better and on my second-last exit I tried to push harder but ran off the track a little bit and destroyed the lap time. I decided to come in and have another go on a fresh tyre and if it wasn?t for another rider in my way going into the last two corners I could have been on the front row. I?m disappointed in that respect but relatively happy with our pace in general. A few people are having problems with the front so it will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, hopefully we can hang at the front.?

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th (1?57.635)
?We started out well and on my first exit on a hard tyre I was able to improve my lap time quite a lot. We got into the 1?57s quite quickly and I thought we were in good shape to have a shot at a good grid position. Unfortunately my first flying lap on the softer tyre ended in turn three ? I just lost the front quite early on entry, I don?t know why. I know people always see ?I did nothing different!? but honestly, even looking at the data, the brake pressure and speed was the same as my previous runs. We need to have a look at that and understand it tonight. Luckily it wasn?t too heavy and everything on my body is fine other than my left hand. It must have got caught under the bike because it?s very sore and even though we tried to go back out I couldn?t change direction. We?ve had it checked out by x-ray which showed we chunk off the tip of the radius, which isn?t good, but my scaphoid is okay and that?s the main thing because I have a screw in there and it?s not damaged. Just walking around the paddock it?s not too painful but we?ll have to wait and see how it goes over 22 laps on the bike tomorrow.?

Circuit Record: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.670 ? 166.716 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2009), 1?56.145 ? 167.469 Km/h
2010 Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1'56. 508 - 166.9 km/h

 

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FIFTH AND SIXTH ROW FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM RIDERS IN CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX

Unfortunate qualifying session for Pramac Racing Team riders that conquered the thirteenth and sixteenth position on the starting grid respectively with Kallio and Espargar?. The overnight rain in Brno has not allowed the Team to identify the best setting to be developed during qualifying session in the second free practice. Both riders have had some stability problems at the beginning of the qualification into slow curves entrance, that on this track are frequents. In particular Aleix has had some grip problems on the rear tyre that enabled him to be very fast in the curve entrance. Mika instead had partially solved the problems he had yesterday during the first free practice reducing his best lap time of almost one second. His fastest lap time is very close to the top ten. Tomorrow he will certainly battle for an important position. The Grand Prix of Czech Republic will start tomorrow at 2 pm local time.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director

"We started the qualifying session with the best setting developed yesterday morning during the first free practice. The feedbacks were quite positive but we also encountered some problems in almost all sectors. In qualifying we have changed some positive characteristics identified in both free practice and once we mounted soft tyres the lap times were significantly lowered. We think that we have found a good technical package that we will try tomorrow morning during the warm up. We'll start from the back, but we aim to achieve a good result in tomorrow's race."

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing Team - 13th fastest lap time in 1'58 .182

"For just a few tenths of a second I was not able to enter in the top ten, I missed the ninth position for only two tenths, which it had happened often in recent times. At the beginning of the qualification I had some problems with the rear wheel and I could not get a good time. Once I put soft tyres I lowered my lap times and I had reduced the gap from the others riders. I had my best lap time at the end of qualifying session by taking a ride to the limit. Tomorrow morning we will turn again with this type of setting to try to further improve my lap time. I aspire to obtain a position in the top ten in tomorrow's race. "

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team - 16th fastest lap time in 1'58 .700

"Unfortunately I had a little bit of problems in the curve entrance, I had to brake much more than the other riders to follow the best lines. My gap from the others riders is mainly due to this problem. I was not able to improve my lap time in the last two exit from the box with soft tyres, in fact, I registered my fastest lap time at the twelfth lap on twenty-one. Tomorrow morning during warm up we will make various technical modifications with the hope that I can be more competitive in the race."

 

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INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM - Better Feeling motivating for race

The Grand Prix Cesk? republiky started slow for Alex de Angelis and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team and also the second free practice this morning was not better. But the Qualifying on Saturday afternoon was a motivation for rider and team for tomorrow's race. The result of a 15th starting position does not really look like an improvement, but De Angelis' feeling with the bike improved and made him happier today than yesterday. In the Warm up before the race there will be done some more changes to the set up, which will hopefully change the end result of the race in a positive way.

Alex de Angelis, 15 - 1'58.522:
"The result doesn't look like, but I am happy as I stayed in the Top 10 for half of the session at least this afternoon. This shows that we are going in the right direction. I hope it will continue like that. Finally I have a good feeling with the bike and I was able to enter the corners with higher speed. We will try some more changes to the set up during the Warm up tomorrow and I hope I can also stay in the Top 10 during the race then."

Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager:
"We improved with the base settings and we know, because of the not so good results in the last races, that we work in the right direction. Unfortunately the qualifying did not go very well at the end. But still we think that Alex can do a Top 10 result tomorrow in the race."

 

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Pedrosa storms to pole in frantic qualifying session

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) came out on top at the end of a hectic and thrilling Czech Grand Prix qualifying session at Brno this afternoon. The Spaniard produced a stunning performance, battling to and fro with his rivals until he stamped his authority on the session in the final minutes.

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) was next best Honda man, securing a second-row start with sixth fastest time. MotoGP?s top privateer Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) placed 11th, a heroic comeback just four weeks after he broke his left leg at the German GP. Fausto Gresini?s riders Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) had a more difficult afternoon and will start tomorrow?s race from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid. Alex de Angelis (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V), replacing the injured Hiroshi Aoyama, was 15th today.

Pedrosa?s penultimate lap was his fastest and it put him an impressive three tenths of a second ahead of second quickest Ben Spies (Yamaha) who will start from the MotoGP front row for the first time tomorrow. Third fastest was World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who retained his place on the front row despite a high-speed fall during the closing stages. The Spaniard wasn?t the only faller ? reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi also went down, as did Nicky Hayden (Ducati) and Simoncelli.

Pedrosa?s third pole position of 2010 ? following his pole performances at Jerez and Mugello ? puts him in a strong position for tomorrow?s race, round ten of this year?s 18-race season. The former 125 and 250 World Champion currently holds second place in the points chase, despite tumbling out of the lead at last month?s US GP, and is keen to follow up his Mugello and Sachsenring victories with another win. But he knows that won?t be easy, especially considering the weather forecast which suggests it could rain during the race.

Dovizioso would prefer to be closer to the front-running lap times but the Italian is at least happy that he has made significant steps forward from his performance here last year. He still needs to work on the rear-end set-up of his RC212V machine, even though his race pace was pretty good today.

De Puniet?s performance was remarkable, especially considering the fact that he slid off this morning. The Frenchman was cleared to ride by doctors on Thursday afternoon and eased himself back into riding yesterday afternoon after making an exploratory outing aboard a Honda CBR1000RR at the French track Ales earlier in the week. He received a painkilling injection before qualifying and will receive another before the race.

Simoncelli hampered his qualifying performance by sliding off during the first moments of the session, which left him struggling to catch up and struggling to find a good feeling during the remainder of the hour-long outing. It was the rookie?s second fall of the weekend. Team-mate Melandri continued to work on the new electronics package the team received at Laguna Seca but is still looking for an engine-braking setting that will allow him to enter corners at his desired speed.

De Angelis isn?t delighted with 15th place on the grid, but the San Marino rider and his team are happier with the progress they?ve made with set-up, which is giving de Angelis a much better feeling when he?s riding on the limit. This is only de Angelis? third MotoGP ride of the year, subbing for Aoyama, who broke his T12 vertebra during a Sunday morning warm-up tumble at Silverstone. Aoyama has been working hard on his recovery in recent weeks and is spectating here this weekend, with a view to testing his RC212V on Monday to see if he?s fit to race at the Indianapolis GP at the end of this month.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC212V: pole position, 1m 56.508s?It was a great qualifying session and to be back on pole position is fantastic after such a long time ? the last time was in Italy at the beginning of June. We?ve done a very good job so far this weekend and we have established a good pace for the race, but we still need to keep a clear mind, stay focused and try to be ready for any conditions because the weather forecast for tomorrow is very uncertain. Anyway, the team did a very good job today and I hope if it?s dry we can have a strong race and go for the victory. I won?t really be approaching the race tomorrow with a particular strategy. In this championship you have to find your own limit because there are a lot of riders going fast and you can only concentrate on your own performance and do the best you can. So I really hope to do a great job tomorrow and at least to be back on the podium.?

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda RC212V: 6th, 1m 57.117s
?We had a good pace today, and compared to last year here we have found more speed, whereas for some of our rivals this is not the case. This proves that our machine package has improved a lot from last year. Our lap time today was quite good this afternoon but we still have to work to improve our pace because Dani is quite a lot quicker and in the race he is usually very strong. In particular we need to work on the rear end because the machine is pumping and moving a bit too much. I think we are all at the limit with the front end as the accidents of Valentino, Jorge and Nicky show. I tried the hard option Bridgestone tyres today which we didn?t have the chance to test yesterday. It was important to do this in order to be ready for all weather possibilities tomorrow, but I think we have to use the soft option tyres for the race.?

Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda RC212V: 11th, 1m 58.089s
?Well, it is awesome to qualify 11th just after 25 days after the operation on my broken leg. I am only one tenth off the third row and this is incredible considering my physical condition. Yesterday I focused on easing my body back into the demands of riding my machine and today we experienced three medium-long runs (eight to ten laps) with good results. I know that the race will be tough, but if I can keep this pace I could ride for a top ten finish. Many riders crashed this morning and it also happened to me but luckily I escaped unhurt from the incident. I am delighted because my leg is improving day by day even if I will need a painkiller injection to finish tomorrow?s 22 laps.?

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V: 12th, 1m 58.169s?I am really annoyed! Once again we?ve started the session with a crash, this time after just three laps. Maybe the rear tyre was still a little too cold and I was unable to control it so I have to hold up my hand and say it was my mistake. Obviously this compromised the rest of the session so all we can do now is reflect on what happened and try to find the right solution to improve our setting in the warm-up tomorrow.?

Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V: 14th, 1m 58.430s?It was a really tough session for us. We changed a lot of things again because we are clearly struggling with the electronics. We haven?t managed to find a good balance under braking with the engine-brake system so I am very slow in corner entry. We still have faith that Honda can help us finally find the right electronic setting for the RC212V.?

Alex de Angelis, Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V: 15th, 1m 58.522s
?The result doesn?t look like much, but I am happy as I stayed in the top ten for at least half the session this afternoon. This shows that we are going in the right direction. I hope we can continue like this. Finally, I have a good feeling with the bike and I was able to enter the corners using more speed. We will try some more changes to the set-up during warm-up tomorrow and I hope I can also stay in the top ten during the race then.?

Pole position : 1m56.508s (166.948Km/h) Dani Pedrosa, Honda
Circuit Best Lap : 1m56.145s (167.469Km/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2009)
Qualifying position
1 Dani Pedrosa 1m56.508s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Ben Spies +0.338s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
3 Jorge Lorenzo +0.357s SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
4 Casey Stoner +0.360s AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
5 Valentino Rossi +0.551s ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
6 Andrea Dovizioso +0.609s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
7 Colin Edwards +0.714s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
8 Nicky Hayden +1.127s USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
9 Hector Barbera +1.452s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
10 Loris Capirossi +1.473s ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
11 Randy De Puniet +1.581s FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
12 Marco Simoncelli +1.661s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
13 Mika Kallio +1.674s FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
14 Marco Melandri +1.922s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 Alex De Angelis +2.014s ITA HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
16 Aleix Espargaro +2.192s SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
17 Alvaro Bautista NC SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

 

[KUCIAR666]

LORENZO BLOWS AWAY RIVALS WITH CLINICAL BRNO WIN; ROSSI STRUGGLES TO FIFTH

Jorge Lorenzo took an impressive seventh win of the season in Brno this afternoon with a clinical performance that saw him lead from the first lap to the chequered flag. In doing so he becomes only the third premier-class rider in history to finish in the top two at the opening ten races of the season. In stark contrast to his Fiat Yamaha team-mate's good fortunes, Valentino Rossi ran into problems from the start and could only finish fifth.
Despite surrendering pole position for the first time in six races, some bold moves from the Spaniard around the first two turns saw him take the lead before the first split and he looked in imperious form on his Yamaha M1, with yesterday's front-end troubles clearly a thing of the past. Dani Pedrosa kept close on his heels for the first few laps but every time his fellow countryman closed the gap a few tenths Lorenzo responded with renewed vigour and by the tenth lap he was a second clear. From then on he was unchallenged and he crossed the line 5.494 seconds clear of Pedrosa to take the 33rd win of his career and his 12th in MotoGP.

With the weather looking favourable following heavy rain this morning, Rossi was confident that he would be able to mount a strong challenge for honours this afternoon but it was not to be for the Italian today. He had felt strong all weekend despite sliding off yesterday but he never had the same confidence in the race and was unable to ride as he would have liked. He had dropped from fifth on the grid to eighth by the end of the first lap before rallying to pass Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden to move to fifth by lap six, but from then on he could make no further headway and rode a lonely race to the flag.

Another maximum-points haul for Lorenzo leaves the young Mallorcan 77 points clear of Pedrosa in the standings, with eight rounds remaining. Rossi holds on to fifth, 14 points behind Andrea Dovizioso. Tomorrow will see both Fiat Yamaha riders back out on track, weather permitting, for a one-day test before the bikes are shipped off to Indianapolis for the second US round of the season in two week's time.

Jorge Lorenzo Position: 1st Time: 43'22.638

"After my problems yesterday and the crash I didn't expect this today, I thought it would be much more of a struggle. Once I got to the front I expected Dani to come with me and I knew it was my moment and that I had to push as much as possible. I thought he would try to overtake me but I felt good, pushed hard and little by little I was able to lose him. I know I said I was riding for the championship now and that's still true but when there's the chance to win I have to take it! To take my seventh win in one season is fantastic, thank you to all of my team for such a good job after we had difficulties yesterday. Tomorrow we have an important test which we hope will help us in the last part of the championship and then we go to Indianapolis, a track that I love."

Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: +17.930

"We are really disappointed tonight because we had hoped to do a good race and I was confident that I could challenge at the front today. It seemed everything was right and yesterday we had a good pace but today we just weren't as fast and I couldn't stay with the leaders. We are sad but tomorrow we will have the chance to test and try to understand what went wrong today, which will help us to be in better shape in Indianapolis. As for my future, you will know something at 6pm today."

Wilco Zeleenberg Team Manager
"A surprisingly good result because after the crash of yesterday and Dani's speed in qualifying we had some doubts about today. Jorge really stuck his neck out to put in a great first half of the race and actually Dani couldn't stay with him. The lap times were equal or even slower to yesterday so we didn't make a huge change to the bike, so we really have to put this down to Jorge doing an excellent job and the others struggling a bit today. Well done to everyone for another great weekend."


Davide Brivio Team Manager
"Unfortunately during the race Valentino never felt good with the front and this made it very difficult for him in corner entry. Luckily we have a test tomorrow so this will give us the chance to really investigate what happened. We had a good pace throughout the weekend and we hoped to be able to stay with Lorenzo and Pedrosa but we weren't able to today so we're a little bit disappointed. Tomorrow will be a good opportunity for us to improve and work towards our target of a good end to the season."

Results


1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 43'22.638
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 5.494
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team + 11.426
4. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 13.723
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 17.930
6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team + 26.815
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 33.396
8. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 39.406
9. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team + 39.639
10. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 40.893
11. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 39.032
12. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team + 47.091
13. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP + 51.368

NOT CLASSIFIED

Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1 Lap
Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 15 Lap
Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 16 Lap
Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 21 Lap



Championship Standings


1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 235
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 158
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 119
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 115
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 101
6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 99
7. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 90
8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 75
9. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 61
10. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 57
11. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 54
12. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 48
13. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 36
14. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 32
15. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 31
16. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 25
17. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 18
18. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 11
19. Kousuke Akiyoshi (JPN) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 4
20. Wataru Yoshikawa (JPN) Fiat Yamaha Team 1

 

[KUCIAR666]

INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM - Set up improvements with Honda RC212V

The weekend at the Autodromo Brno, where the Grand Prix Cesk? republiky took place, finished with a 13th place for Alex de Angelis and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team. The work with the set up of the Honda RC212V went well this weekend and De Angelis improved his performance regarding to the races before as he had a much better feeling with the bike. Unfortunately he was pushed to the side while he was riding comfortable in the middle group and lost his position. Despite the result the weekend did go well for the team and more work on the set up will continue tomorrow, when the MotoGP class stays for one day testing at the Czech racetrack.

Alex de Angelis, 13 - 43'51.368:
"The race started quite well, I was fast and I could stay with the group. Then Espargaro pushed me aside and I had to go wide and finished in the grass. I lost some positions. It was hard to fight back, but I could manage it. Then the bike started shaking really hard and I rode to the grass again. I lost the connection and had to ride alone and I could not catch up again. I am really sorry for this result, as I know it could have been much better today. The direction the team changed the bike in is the right direction, but unfortunately I could not show it with a better result."

Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager:
"In his third race Alex was much faster and could stay with the middle field with the other riders. Step by step he gets to grips with the 2010 Honda, but at the end he could not manage to keep the lap times he did before."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Heroic Bautista crashes out on the final corner

Loris Capirossi and ?lvaro Bautista both crashed out of today?s Czech Republic Grand Prix at either end of the 22-lap race with both riders able to walk away uninjured from their respective incidents.

Capirossi got a poor start from 10th on the grid as another rider hit the left-hand-side of his bike on the first lap and knocked his clutch lever out of position. The Italian had to hit the lever to get it back into place, but the running repairs cost him time and he was relegated to last position. Capirossi quickly regained his composure and passed four riders in quick succession and looked like making a concerted attack through the field, but unfortunately he lost front grip on turn 12 and slid into the gravel with no hope of re-mounting and continuing the race.

Bautista battled heroically for the whole 22-laps as he fought against the pain caused by yesterday?s huge high-side and the other riders on track. Despite starting from the back of the grid he caught the battle for eighth position before the half-way point of the race. Bautista was fighting with the group and as the last lap arrived he was close enough to challenge Marco Simoncelli. He made a strong passing manoeuvre in the last corner and although he got past Simoncelli he lost the front of the bike and also slid into the gravel - as Capirossi had done earlier. Bautista was visibly disappointed with the outcome of the race after such a brave effort had proved fruitless in the end.

Today?s Brno Grand Prix was watched by nearly 150,000 people at trackside and they witnessed Jorge Lorenzo provide another commanding performance on his Yamaha to win his seventh race of the season and strengthen his grip at the top of the championship.

Rizla Suzuki will remain at Brno for a full day?s testing tomorrow as they try to unlock the potential of the Suzuki GSV-R and put today?s frustrations behind them. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will require another crossing of the Atlantic, as the field prepares to line-up for the Indianapolis Grand Prix in America on Sunday 29th August.

Loris Capirossi:

?I am so upset by today?s race because I know I could have had a good result here. I got hit on the first lap by another rider and that pushed my clutch lever right up, so I had to hit it to get it into place and by the time I had done that I was last. I easily passed four riders and I felt my pace was very fast, but then in turn 12 of the second lap I lost the front and crashed. I don?t know what happened because I wasn?t braking and I didn?t turn in too quickly, I just lost grip and went into the gravel. I am sorry for the whole team because they are working so hard and getting nothing. This has not been the weekend we wanted or deserved, so we will need to start work again tomorrow in the test and see if we can start to turn things around ? the potential was really good today.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?The crash was a big disappointment for me as I went to overtake Simoncelli, because at the beginning of race I didn?t know what my condition would be at the end and I was pleased that I felt strong enough to make the move. The first few laps were difficult because I?d only had about 40 minutes of dry practice all weekend and needed to get my reference points sorted out. The pain was horrible but I was able to start to push and in the middle of the race I was in the group challenging for eighth position, which was not too bad. After about half of the race my body started to tire and although I was pushing to the maximum, when I came up to other riders it was difficult to pass because I was at my physical limit. I would have liked to finish this race as this is now three consecutive races that I have failed to complete. The rest of the race was not too bad and compared to other riders my rhythm was good. I hope for the next race in America to make a complete weekend and continue with my progression in MotoGP.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?In sport you have to make your own luck, but it really feels like we need to go to a Church and have a word with someone who can maybe help us out a little bit! Absolutely nothing seemed to go right here at Brno and the most disappointing thing is that without question the bike and riders had the capability to challenge for a top-six position. ?lvaro made a heroic effort, we have to remember that he was in great discomfort and had only spent about 45 minutes practice time in the dry compared to everyone else?s three hours. Once he found his rhythm the bike was working well, his speed was good and he?d clawed his way into contention for an excellent finish. His commitment to catching and passing Simoncelli on the last lap was obvious and he nearly made it happen, but asked a bit too much of the front tyre in the final left. It was extremely disappointing, but we have to respect a superb effort.

?Loris?s race should have been his best of the season, the bike felt right and after he was knocked back to last place he looked like he could pass other riders with ease. He said the bike and feedback from it was the best he?d felt all year.

?The result today doesn?t reflect anywhere near our potential and we?re going to work positively at the test tomorrow and set our sights on realising the true capability of the GSV-R, Loris and ?lvaro for the rest of the season.?