The 2010 MotoGP World Championship reconvenes at Brno this weekend, the traditional starting point for the second half of the World Championship calendar following the sport’s brief midseason hiatus.
As usual, Honda’s MotoGP horde will be led by the Repsol Honda duo of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V), who currently hold second and third places in the World Championship. Team-mates Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) are also flying high, Melandri on the mend following a recent injury and rookie Simoncelli showing glimmers of greatness at the last few races. Honda’s other two MotoGP entries have been troubled by injury. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) is recuperating from the broken leg he sustained at last month’s German GP and is hoping to ride this weekend. Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) is still out of action, his place once again taken by Alex de Angelis.
Sunday’s race is followed by an important all-teams MotoGP test session on Monday, the last tests this season and traditionally the moment that teams start evaluating solutions for the following year. After that, MotoGP returns to the USA for the Indianapolis GP on August 29 then rushes back to Europe for the San Marino GP on September 5.
Pedrosa is anxious to get back on track following July’s United States Grand Prix, where he looked capable of scoring his third victory of the season until he slid out of the lead. Victory in that race would have kept the Spaniard very much in the title hunt, but the tumble leaves him 72 points behind series leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) with nine races to go. The championship is not an impossibility, but it is certainly unlikely unless Lorenzo encounters problems.
Pedrosa traditionally goes well at Brno. He has scored two victories at the magnificent Czech venue (the 125 GP in 2003 and the 250 GP in 2005) and has also stood twice on the Brno podium during his MotoGP career – second last year and third in 2006.
Team-mate Dovizioso has yet to taste podium champagne in the MotoGP class at Brno, but he has twice scored top-three finishes at the track in 250s – in 2006 and 2007 – and is looking forward to another podium chance this weekend. Dovizioso is having a great 2010 season, with four top-three finishes already. At Laguna Seca last month the Italian finished fourth after bravely bidding to take third place off Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at the very last corner.
Melandri and Simoncelli are both keen to get back to work so they can make further progress with the crucial electronics updates they received at Laguna. Melandri was particularly happy to have some time off after the US GP to undergo further physio on the left shoulder he dislocated at June’s Dutch TT. Since that fall he hasn’t been strong enough to fully exploit the performance of his RC212V, but he is hopeful that he will be close to 100 per cent fit this weekend. Melandri certainly has good form at Brno – he won the 125 GP at the track in 1998 and 1999 and the 250 GP in 2002 - though he has yet to make the podium in the big class.
MotoGP rookie Simoncelli has more recent success at Brno – in fact he won on his last visit, taking an impressive 250 GP win last August. The 2008 250 World Champion has been showing super speed and aggression during his last few MotoGP rides. He did slide off during the race at Laguna, but he is definitely on an upward curve.
De Puniet has been working hard to recover from the broken left tibia and fibula he sustained during the German GP on July 18. The Frenchman, who had been on a roll until the accident – scoring front-row starts and podiums on his satellite-spec RC212V – underwent surgery in Germany and has since been undergoing an intensive rehabilitation programme. He will be at Brno, where doctors will decide on Thursday whether he is fit to ride.
While the vast majority of the MotoGP grid contests their tenth MotoGP race of the 2010 season, de Angelis rides only his third race in the class. The San Marino rider started 2010 in the Moto2 series, but was brought back into the premier category shortly after Aoyama broke a vertebra at Silverstone in June. De Angelis rode his first races on the team’s RC212V in Germany and the United States, scoring 12th place finishes on both occasions. The former 250 GP winner knows that he still needs more time on the bike to fully get up to speed, so Brno will be a vital weekend for him.
The inaugural Moto2 World Championship resumes at Brno after its four week summer recess. The intermediate category wasn’t included in the US GP programme, so its riders have been resting and readying themselves for this race since the German GP on July 18. No doubt they will all be raring to go on Friday afternoon, and none more so than current leader Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki), who returned to his winning ways at the Sachsenring after a victory ‘drought’ that lasted almost two months. Elias has led the series since he scored the second of his first two wins at May’s French GP, but he then went four races without another victory. The German GP success has got the Spaniard back in the groove and he will be looking for more success at Brno, where he scored MotoGP podiums in 2008 and 2009.
Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki) still holds second place in the Moto2 championship despite falling during the last race in Germany. Apart from that DNF, the Swiss rider has so far proved one of the most consistent performers in this topsy-turvy championship, with four podium finishes from the first eight races.
Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up) has been the biggest find of Moto2, the Italian often the fastest rider on the track. So far he is the only rider who has been able to run away at the front of the pace to win by a large margin. He won like that at Mugello and Assen and seemed set for another runaway win at the Sachsenring, until Elias hunted his down and passed him.
Brno is a masterpiece of a motorcycle racing circuit. Constructed in the mid-1980s, it eschews the modern fashion of tight turns and hairpins for a mighty mix of fast sweepers and undulating corners that test rider talent and engineering to the limit. Most riders love the place because it’s challenging and also because it’s very fast.
But Brno’s most significant characteristic is its constant changes of elevation – the circuit weaves its way across forested hillsides – which means that many of the turns are steeply cambered. Dealing with negative camber corners requires a perfectly set-up machine, deft riding skills and especially crucial input from tyre engineers. Horsepower is also a major consideration at Brno because this is one racetrack where MotoGP bikes, usually caged in by mostly slower venues, really get moving.
The circuit was built to replace Brno’s treacherous street circuit that had hosted GPs since the mid-1960s; you still pass the old pit complex on the way from the city centre to the current venue.
Honda has experienced success with all kinds of premier-class machinery at Brno, from its RC181 four-stroke to the NSR500 two-stroke and RC211V four-stroke MotoGP bike. Mike Hailwood won the 1966 and 1967 Czech GPs around the old street circuit. Since the new circuit hosted its first GP in 1987, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, Alex Criville, Tadayuki Okada, Sete Gibernau and Valentino Rossi have also won for Honda at Brno.
HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “This has definitely been one of my best summer breaks of the last few years. I did nothing special, but I had a great time with my friends, enjoyed a lot surfing on the beach and was able to think only about having fun and relaxing, rather than working to recover from an injury, as has been the case in the last few years. It makes a big difference in order to recharge the batteries and go into the second part of the season with even more energy. Now I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike at Brno. It’s one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar; physically it’s very demanding, but it’s also very enjoyable to ride on a MotoGP bike. You have everything there: big elevation changes, very fast corners where you need to let the bike run through, and also hard braking zones where stability is very important. I would say that there is only one good line, so it’s crucial to be focused during the whole lap to get a good lap time – and it’s a very long circuit. I’ve had many podiums in Brno, including two wins, so I would like to add another one in MotoGP. It’s going to be a busy weekend for everybody, not only with the race but also because we stay on Monday for testing. It’s the only test day remaining this season so we have to make sure we do a good job to help us in the upcoming races.”
Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says: “We are very motivated for the next race at Brno and I’m confident that we can get a good result. Our target is to fight for second position in the championship, and so to do that we have to be up there battling for race wins every Sunday starting from this Grand Prix. I’m looking forward to this race weekend and also to the test on Monday because that will be really important for us. We will have the opportunity to test some new material and it will be a good opportunity to make some further progress. Brno is a fast and challenging circuit. There are also many long turns that are quite demanding and you need to quickly adapt your riding style to the characteristics of the track and the technical nature of the layout. The atmosphere generated by the spectators on the banks and hillsides is always very special and it’s a circuit I enjoy racing at. I’m feeling good going into the weekend after a having some time away from the MotoGP paddock. I spent the two weeks of the summer break at the seaside not far from where I live, with my friends, my family and Sara, my little daughter. Now I’m ready to get back on track.”
LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says: “Laguna was the first GP I’ve watched on TV since my debut. It was a bit hard for me to just watch, but in the meantime it was good to me to take some rest. A couple of days after the surgery I left the hospital in Germany to begin the hyperbaric chamber sessions in Saint Marguerite Hospital in Marseilles under the supervision of Dr. Mathieu Coulange and his team. This machine increases both the pressure and oxygen levels to help repair the tissues of the body at a faster rate. Then I moved to Cannes to pursue my rehabilitation supported by Doctor Marc Saramito and the physiotherapist Bernard Achou. I made ultrasound sessions to strengthen my bones a little more. Then I moved back home in Andorra, pursuing the ultrasound sessions with a domestic machine and I finally started to do some sports. Every day I go to the gym for cycling and I am training the top of my body with rubber bands and exercises. The doctors are always surprised with the speed with which I recover, and I have to admit that I am as surprised as they are! I use my crutches less and less. I still hope to be back for Brno, however the final decision will be made at Brno on Thursday when the circuit doctor together with Doctor Costa will examine my leg and my overall physical condition.”
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri says: “I expected to do better at Laguna Seca but unfortunately I was forced to accept that physically I wasn’t up to it. My shoulder wasn’t painful during the race but after ten laps I was exhausted. I had no feeling on the way into the corners and I couldn’t ride as fast as I’d hoped. Since then I took a short holiday near the sea but I’ve continued with constant physiotherapy in the hope that I can be back to full fitness for Brno. I like the circuit and if I have recovered as well as I hope and I can stay strong over race distance then I should be fighting near the front. I am not happy with the current situation because I don’t like to be making up the numbers in MotoGP!”
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli says: “The crash at Laguna left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. To be honest, after practice and qualifying I thought I could do really well, but I struggled more than I expected in the race and then I crashed, which wasn’t good. Whenever that happens you head home with your tail between your legs, but I took a short break in Sardinia and then began to prepare myself for this weekend because it is going to be a very important Grand Prix for me. Brno is a circuit I like a lot and I have always had good races there – especially the last two years, finishing third in 2008 and winning last year [in the 250cc class]. The Czech Republic has been kind to me in the past so I hope I can be strong again this weekend. We have more confidence now with the electronics package given to us by Honda in America, so we should get more performance out of the bike. ”
Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis says: “I am happy that once again I am on a 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.”
Moto2 RIDER QUOTES
Gresini Racing Moto2 rider Toni Elias says: “The win at Sachsenring ended a pretty bad run for us and I have got my confidence back with the bike. The team have helped me a lot and I am more determined and motivated to do well now than ever. I allowed myself a little holiday during the break and then focused on my training to make sure I don’t lose focus at what is a very important moment in my career. I have been on the podium at Brno for the last two years in MotoGP and it’s a track that seems to suit my riding style. I head to the Czech Republic with my focus on the job – I want to win and strengthen my position in the championship.”
Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 rider Thomas Luthi says: “I come back from the summer break and my holidays with new and necessary energy. I am fully recovered from my injury and I am completely fit again. I am looking forward to Brno as it is a fluent track which I like. I think we should be able to fight at the top again and be part of the front group. A podium finish would be fantastic for Brno and this is also the target.”
Fimmco Speed Up rider Andrea Iannone says: “It was good to get a few weeks break, so we could recharge our batteries for the second half of the season. Our aim is to continue the way we were going in the first part of the season. We won at Assen and Mugello and we were leading at Catalunya when we got that ride-through penalty, so we just need to keep going as fast as we can, keep learning, maintain our consistency and increase our points score.”
HONDA 125 RIDER QUOTES
Interwetten Honda 125 Team rider Marcel Schrötter says: “This is the second time for me at the Brno track and I have to say I like this fast track. I know the track already so I hope I can have a better result. The championship points I scored at the Sachsenring was a good motivation for me and I want to turn this motivation in more points. I hope I can achieve this goal.”