After concluding the first of three races in the month of August at Indianapolis, the Ducati Team has now returned to Europe for the eleventh round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship season at the Automotodrom Brno circuit in the Czech Republic.

The circuit offers a truly fantastic spectacle for the fans, but also for the teams and riders, with its main features being a succession of variable-radius corners together with numerous steep uphill and downhill sections. Fast and flowing with plenty of room for different trajectories, the Brno circuit is one of the most popular tracks on the calendar for riders.

In last year’s edition, both Ducati Team riders qualified on the front row: Andrea Dovizioso finished in sixth place, while his current teammate Andrea Iannone, with a Pramac Racing GP14, finished one place ahead in fifth. The rider from Vasto also won here in 2011 in Moto2.

The Brno weekend programme gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 09.55 CET, while the 22-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 14.00 CET.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 4th (129 points)

“In general I like every circuit, but Brno is a really beautiful track and I am happy to race here on Sunday, even though at this moment it is difficult to know what to expect from the Czech race. On paper this should be a more favourable track for the GP15, but the last four races have been rather complicated for us and so me and the team will have to work hard to improve the situation. However, we are looking forward with optimism to this weekend and we hope that we can once again get back to fighting with the frontrunners again here at Brno.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 6th (94 points)

“The Brno race will be interesting because it will give us an idea of our competitive level, also on this track, which I consider to be fantastic and very special. I think that we should go a lot better than in the last few races and that the track will be more suitable for us, even though the overall situation is what we saw at Indianapolis. But we know that we have to continue to work hard to improve our form, and in any case, I hope that my negative streak in the last few races will come to an end soon!”

The Automotodrom Brno

Until 1982, races at Brno took place on a street circuit on the outskirts of the city but a new permanent track was built in the mid-1980s and the Czech Republic Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 1987 after a gap of several years. Hugely popular with riders and fans, the circuit is situated in the hilly woods around Brno, which offer a fantastic view of the action from trackside.

Circuit Record: Pedrosa (Honda – 2014) 1’56.027 (167.6 km/h)

Fastest Lap: Crutchlow (Yamaha – 2013) 1’55.527 (168.3 km/h)

Top Speed: Pedrosa (Honda – 2013) 314.8 km/h

Track Length: 5.4 km

Race Distance: 22 laps (118.9 km)

Corners: 14 (6 left, 8 right)

Race Start: 14:00 CET

2014 Results

Podium: 1st Pedrosa (Honda), 2nd Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Rossi (Yamaha)

Pole Position: Marquez (Honda) 1’55.585 (168.2 km/h)

Fastest Lap: Pedrosa (Honda) 1’56.027 (167.6 km/h)

Andrea Dovizioso

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP15

Race Number: 04

Age: 29 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)

Residence: Forlì (Italy)

Races: 232 (134 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)

First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)

Wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)

First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)

Pole Positions: 16 (3 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)

Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)

Andrea Iannone

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP15

Race Number: 29

Age: 26 (born on August 9th 1989 in Vasto, Italy)

Residence: Vasto (Italy)

Races: 170 (43 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 76 x 125cc)

First GP: 2005 Spanish GP (125cc)

Wins: 12 (8 x Moto2, 4 x 125cc)

First Win: 2008 GP of China (125cc)

Pole Positions: 9 (1 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2008 GP of Malaysia (125cc)