World Superbike gears up for Brno classic Brno (Czech Republic), Tuesday 5 July 2011 The FIM Superbike World Championship moves into the second half of the season this weekend with the Czech Republic Round at the classic Automotodrom Brno circuit in the heart of Moravia. The 5.403 km track is full of ups and downs throughout and has a total of 14 curves; the spectacular nature of the track and its strategic location mean that numerous fans will undoubtedly come over from neighbouring Eastern European countries as well as from Italy and Germany. The rider they will all have their eyes on this weekend, and whose name is indelibly linked with the Brno circuit, is undoubtedly Max Biaggi. The Aprilia Alitalia man has a grand total of three wins and seven podiums in the eight races he has taken part in at Brno since his arrival in World Superbike. His results take on even more significance seeing as he has never qualified for and finished a race in lower than fourth position. Add to this his three wins in 500 cc/MotoGP and four in 250 cc, and it becomes clear that the 2010 champion must be the favourite for the eighth round this coming weekend. While Max Biaggi is the rider with the best results at Brno, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) will be called upon to maintain his 43 point lead in the standings, over his Aprilia rival. Checa has been on the podium only once in his six races at Brno, finishing second in 2009, but this year he has already put an end to numerous preconceptions about his and his Ducati’s form. Third-placed man Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) has never raced a Superbike at Brno, but he does have a best result of fifth place in 2006 in MotoGP, and did win the 250 cc race in 2002. Currently Melandri has a gap of 66 points from Checa in the standings. Team-mate Eugene Laverty is also lining up for his Superbike debut on this track. The Irishman has already raced Supersport here, with one fifth place to his name in 2009, and Laverty, twice a winner already in his debut season, will be out to defend his fourth place overall from fellow Brits Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) and Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsports) who are right behind in the standings. Another British rider, the injured Jonathan Rea from Northern Ireland, will be replaced by Alex Lowes on the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR, the youngster having previously raced at Brno in Superstock. Another illustrious absentee will be Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsports), who will not be substituted in the team for this occasion. Other Italians who have gone well at Brno in the past include Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) and Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team). The former has seven podiums in ten races to his name, while the latter has twice won in Superstock in 2006 and in 2010. The BMW Italia squad will be back to full strength at Brno with the returning James Toseland, who won race 1 here in 2007, and Toseland is now on the road towards completing his recovery following a crash in private testing at Motorland Aragon. Things are beginning to move in a positive direction for the Kawasaki Racing Team, with Tom Sykes following up his Misano pole position with a top 5 placement at Aragon. Joan Lascorz scored a similar result at his home round, while Chris Vermeulen is finally putting in the mileage required after recovering from injury. Brno could also see a return to the leading positions for Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia), who has one win (race 2 in 2005) and two pole positions at the Czech circuit to his name. The Japanese rider has always been in the points in the twelve races he has taken part in, and always finished in the top 8, an impressively constant performance by any standards, and he currently lies ninth overall. Brno will be a home race to all effects for the Effenbert-Liberty Racing Team, who have their base in Prague, a Czech Republic sponsor and a Czech rider amidst their ranks. Jakub Smrz has on occasions proved to be blindingly fast but still has to find the right consistency on his Ducati 1098R machine. As well as regulars Pedercini Kawasaki (Mark Aitchison and Roberto Rolfo) and Supersonic Racing Team (Maxime Berger), the grid will be made up of wild-card entries for Italian Matteo Baiocco on his Barni Racing Ducati 1098R and Hungarian Viktor Kispataki on a Prop-tech Ltd Honda CBR1000RR. Points (after 7 of 13 rounds): 1. Checa 261; 2. Biaggi 218; 3. Melandri 195; 4. Laverty 146; 5. Camier 125; 6. Haslam 120; 7. Fabrizio 108; 8. Rea 94. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 273; 2. Aprilia 257; 3. Yamaha 235; 4. BMW 153; 5. Suzuki 112; 6. Honda e Kawasaki 111. More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda: New Castrol Honda line-up heads for Brno The Castrol Honda team heads to Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend (8-10 July) for round eight of the 2011 World Superbike championship with Britain’s Alex Lowes standing in for the injured Jonathan Rea. Lowes, from Lincoln in the east of the United Kingdom, has raced at the 5.4km Brno circuit during his time in European Superstock championships two years ago, but this will be his first outing on a full SBK-specification Castrol Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade producing more than 215bhp. The 20-year-old began the season in the British Superbike championship campaigning an Evo-specification CBR that carries a virtually stock engine and does not feature the sophisticated electronics of the SBK machine. However, Lowes showed that he could compete with other riders on full specification superbikes performances that brought his talent to the attention of many, including the Castrol Honda World Superbike team, and resu lted last month in him taking over the British Superbike ride of the injured Stuart Easton. Lowes’s relative youth contrasts with the experience of his new Castrol Honda team-mate, Ruben Xaus, who took part in his first SBK event when Lowes was just seven years old – the Spaniard has now competed in 212 World Superbike races. Xaus, still only 33, was exactly the same age as Lowes for his first SBK outing and knows the Brno circuit well, although his best result to date has been fifth place in race one last season. Alex Lowes After the British Superbike race weekend just gone, I’m happy to be able to focus 100% on Brno now and I can’t wait to get on the bike there. I went to the team workshop last week and the guys made me feel really relaxed and welcome and went through a circuit map with me to discuss the gearing and other settings that Jonathan used last year. I also tried the bike for size, but r eally didn’t change anything except lowering the front brake lever a little and adding a thumb lever for the rear brake. I’ll walk the track with the guys when I get to Brno and then just aim to keep improving in every session over the weekend. It’s difficult to know what to expect in the way of results until I get out there, but my aim is simply to enjoy myself, work hard and do the best that I can to make the most of this chance. Ruben Xaus After the last round in Spain we are obviously looking for an improved performance because the weekend there was not good at all. We were suffering some chatter at the rear so I need to work with my team to eliminate that in the fastest way possible. Everything is close in the championship this year and many times the top 15 riders are covered by a second. It’s that last second that is always the hardest to find but I’ll do my best with the team to search for it. Ronald ten Kate team manager First of all, on behalf of the team, I’d like to extend a really big welcome to Alex. We already spent a day together at the workshop last week, when we got to know him a little bit and dialled out some early settings issues with the bike, like handlebars, footrests, seating position and so on. We are all really looking forward to having him on board this weekend at Brno where we have done well as a team in the last couple of years. We are hoping for a productive and solid weekend. More, from a press release issued by Bogdanka PTR Honda: BOGDANKA PTR Honda’s Pawel Szkopek heads to Brno in the Czech Republic with high hopes for the seventh round of the World Supersport Championship which is the home race for the Polish ace. James Ellison knows the spectacular, high-speed Brno circuit well too and is looking to show podium potential yet again. The team’s Superstock 1000 rider, Marcin Walkowiak is hoping to improve on his season’s best of 19th in Spain. Pawel Szkopek: “I’m relaxed after the short break following Aragon but also very motivated as we’ve made good progress in the last two rounds. Brno is a track I’ve always done well at in the past and with it being pretty much our home race, I really can’t wait for the weekend to start. I know many Polish fans are coming to support us and this will give me a massive boost. I’m confident we can do really well.” James Ellison: “We’ve had a bit of bad luck with the bike recently and I’ll be trying to make up for that. I’m hungry for a good result for Bogdanka PTR Honda. We’re up front all the time when everything’s going good but we’ve just been a bit unlucky in a few races and missed on a couple of results that we know we’re capable of. I really like the Brno circuit. I’ve been there a few times in the past and have a good experience with it. It’s fast and fun to ride and should be good for the Honda as well.” Marcin Walkowiak: “Brno is a circuit I really like and have always done well at in the past – and it’s a home round for us so the whole team is really motivated. I want to improve on my result from Aragon and if everything comes together for us, we can have a really good race on Sunday morning.” Simon Buckmaster, Bogdanka PTR Honda Team Manager: “Pawel is building in confidence as his strong points scoring performance in Aragon showed. He is gelling with his team and we are looking for another points scoring ride in what is his home race at Brno. James dropped out of Aragon when his brakes faded suddenly. Despite this James is showing top five pace all the time and his first podium this year cannot be far away.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Munich/Stephanskirchen, 5th July 2011. The FIM Superbike World Championship once again stops at a historic venue this weekend. The eighth round of the 2011 season will be held from 8th to 10th July at the “Automotodrom Brno” in Brno, Czech Republic. This time, however, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team will only be at half strength, with only works rider Leon Haslam (GBR) able to race. Injury means his team-mate Troy Corser (AUS), whose three victories in Brno make him along with Max Biaggi (ITA) – the most successful Superbike World Championship rider at this racetrack, must take a break this weekend. The Australian broke the ulna and radius in his lower left arm in an accident two weeks ago at Motorland Aragón (ESP). Troy’s recovery is making good progress, following an operation to set the clean breaks with two titanium plates and twelve screws. The team and he came to the joint decision that he would not return to action in Brno, as health and safety must take priority. Troy will most probably make his comeback at the next race weekend in Silverstone (GBR) at the end of July. Leon is currently testing with the team in Mugello (ITA) in preparation for the coming race weekend and rest of the season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport test and development rider Steve Martin (AUS) is also in action there. Last weekend, Leon and his BMW S 1000 RR were at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester (GBR), where he took part in the renowned hillclimb with other big names, including the legendary John Surtees. Troy visited the BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER). After seven of thirteen race weekends, Leon currently lies sixth in the riders’ championship on 120 points, with Troy in fifteenth place on 55 points. Together, the pair has already picked up 175 points for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team. In the constructors’ championship, towards which only the best result from each race counts, BMW lies in fourth place on 153 points. Leon Haslam: “We have not done a lot of testing between the last few races because they were all back-to-back. From Monza we went to the USA, to Misano and Aragón. When we left Monza we thought we would have the chance to win a race in the coming weeks. But the races were pretty tough and we struggled. It was quite difficult. So it is good to be able to get back into the swing of things with a test and set a few things straight for Brno. It is a circuit I am looking forward to go to, because Ruben and Troy had good results there in the past. I am looking forward to riding there with the BMW because it might suit the characteristics of our bike.” Troy Corser: “The BMW Motorrad Days at Garmisch-Partenkirchen were good fun. Everybody was quite relaxed, having a good day. I was pretty busy signing autographs and giving interviews. My arm is recovering well. The operation went very, very well with no complications at all. Now we need to give the bone time to strengthen underneath the plate. The doctors said that I should nearly be back to full strength in time for Silverstone. Unfortunately, however, Brno has come too soon. I will probably end up coming to Brno just to be there, but not to ride. For Silverstone, however, I will be 100 percent ready.” Bernhard Gobmeier, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “After having experienced some difficult race weekends we want to turn over a new leaf again at Brno. It was good to have a little break after our journey overseas to the US and the back-to-back-races at Misano and Aragón. It gave the team time to catch its breath. Unfortunately Troy will not be with us at Brno, but our priority is that his fractures heal completely and he gets back to full fitness. We are in close contact and are happy that his recovery is progressing quickly. He will most probably be with us again at the Silverstone race weekend at the end of this month. We took the decision that nobody would ride Troy’s bike in Brno. We used the break to improve the areas, in which we recently had some issues. At the moment we are also testing in Mugello before travelling to the Czech Republic. The circuit in Brno should suit our BMW S 1000 RR as its layout demands a lot of engine power. We are going to Brno with a lot of confidence.” Background: With over 400,000 residents, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. The city is located on the south-east edge of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, 256 kilometres from the capital Prague and 155 kilometres from Vienna (AUT). Brno is one of the most important university cities in the Czech Republic, a research centre, seat of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, and exhibition centre. The “Automotodrom Brno” is a racetrack with a long tradition. The history of the circuit, which is known in the Czech Republic also as the “Masaryk-Ring”, goes back to 1930 when the first race was held on a 29-kilometre track made up of public roads. After the Second World War, the circuit was reduced to 17.8 kilometres. The first car race to be held on the new layout was the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix in 1949. In the 1950s, however, the circuit primarily hosted motorcycle races. In 1965 the circuit underwent further modifications and was reduced to 13.9 kilometres. Between 1965 and 1982 the World Motorcycle Championship was held in Brno until the circuit, which by then was just 10.9 kilometres long, was judged to no longer meet the safety standards required. The curtain eventually came down on the old “Automotodrom” in 1986. The new “Automotodrom” was opened in 1987 about ten kilometres from the old circuit. The FIM Superbike World Championship first visited the 5.403-kilometre circuit in 1993. Brno has been a permanent fixture on the World Championship calendar since 2005. Brno is a technically demanding circuit with a unique character. The track undulates through expansive corners. As a result, the circuit requires a flowing riding style and only a few hard braking manoeuvres. However, the engineers are faced with an interesting challenge: because the riders are braking into a downhill corner one minute and an uphill bend the next, the set-up must be spot on in order to give the riders security. Most riders like Brno, as they have to handle the corners delicately. The bike must have a well-balanced set-up. Along with Max Biaggi (ITA), BMW Motorrad works rider Troy Corser (AUS) is the FIM Superbike World Championship rider with the most victories in Brno to his name. The Australian has already won there on three occasions. However, injury means he will be unable to race there this year. More, from a press release issued by Honda: FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 08 JULY BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC. PREVIEW XAUS JOINED BY ALEX LOWES AS REA CONTINUES RECUPERATION Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) will team up with 20-year-old British rider Alex Lowes (Castrol Honda) at Brno for the eighth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship this weekend as team regular Jonathan Rea continues his recuperation from injuries sustain in a warm-up crash during the sixth round a month ago. After making some significant advances in machine set-up for the Miller Motorsports Park and Misano rounds, Xaus and his team were unable to find a solution to suit the most recent circuit on the campaign trail, Motorland Aragon. Xaus has now prioritised finding a chatter-free set up for his Honda CBR1000RR in the early sessions at Brno, before he takes on the challenges of superpole qualifying on Saturday 9 July and raceday on Sunday 10 July. Alex Lowes, the twin brother of 2011 Supersport World Championship rising star Sam, has never competed in World Superbike before, but he knows Brno from his time in Superstock racing, and he has been competing in the British Superbike championship on a full spec Kawasaki this season. Brno has hosted WSBK racing a total of eight times in the past, with the 5.403km circuit featuring on the calendar continuously from 2005 until now. During that time there have been two Honda victories, one for James Toseland on the way to the title win in 2007, and another first place for Jonathan Rea in race one last year. WSBK Rider Comments Ruben Xaus, Castrol Honda says: “I am not sure what I am expecting at Brno, but we are looking for a set-up that avoids chatter. We could not avoid the problems at Aragon and I even came into the pit box, which I have never done before. As soon as we solve this problem there will be a big step up for us. At Misano we did this and we were fighting a lot, climbing up with good pace. Hopefully at Brno we can make a return to that form and to the improvement we showed Misano.” Alex Lowes, Castrol Honda says: “This is an awesome opportunity and I am really looking forward to getting out there and doing the best job I can. It is difficult to know what to expect, but I have ridden a slightly different version of the Honda before and I have ridden at Brno before, so hopefully I can do a good job for Castrol Honda. You get quite a lot of track time at World events so hopefully after a couple of sessions I should be ‘on it’, as my brother Sam says all the time! As long as I do my best, work hard with the team and improve every session, then I think that would be quite good. That is what the team has said to me as well.” World Supersport Preview ROUND 7 Brno Hosts Supersport Again As Honda Riders Aim For More Podiums Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) crosses into the second half of the season as the leading Honda rider in the championship rankings as the series now heads to Brno for the Czech Republic for round seven of 12. Fabien holds fifth place and he is one of five Honda riders in the top ten places, in what is shaping up to be a particularly tough season. A difficult race weekend for him in the most recent round at Motorland Aragon in Spain put Fabien fifth overall, but memories of a comparatively recent victory at Brno in 2009 will help motivate him to attempt to add to his win total of 12 in this always intense category of racing. Despite losing some points through injury and misfortune in his rookie full season Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) has battled his way back to sixth overall, only two points behind 2002 champion Foret. Armed with another Honda that has already proven to be podium capable Lowes is relishing the challenge of Brno. It is a circuit he knows well from previous seasons in Superstock and Supersport, despite this being his first full year as a permanent WSS rider. Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Honda) has only recently relinquished his status as top Honda rider in the standings. Running his privateer machine on a modest budget in partnership with the Benjan team, Harms has been performing at a high level all season. The Dane feels that Brno will be a great leveller again, giving him another chance to fight for a podium finish. Young Frenchman Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) will go back to basics at Brno to recapture the kind of form that made him a candidate for rookie of the year in the early rounds. Now ninth overall, he and his multiple championship winning Ten Kate squad will ease into the Brno weekend with some new settings on his machine and will work towards a consistently fast performance on race day. Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) has had what can fairly be called an up-and-down season so far; with the high point of a podium at Donington contrasting sharply with some no-scores. Last time out Gino took a top six placing, but hopes to be in an even more competitive place on race day at his team’s home race. James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) is out to get back into the top ten this weekend, while the recently injured Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) is back to full fitness and out to replicate his great Brno showing from 2010 when he took a career best at that time, in seventh place. Polish rider Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka PTR Honda) has no home race in 2011, but Brno is as close to it as he will get and he will count on strong support at this venue. Ondrej Jezek (SMS Racing Honda) is a series regular who hails from the Czech Republic, with his aim to get into the points once more and move up from 22nd place. Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda) continues his push towards a final top 15 finish, as does Vladimir Ivanov (Step Racing Team Honda). Currently Lundh is 17th, and Ivanov 18th. Imre Toth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) will be partnered at this race by his fellow countryman Janos Chrobak, as Balazs Nemeth misses out. The next round for all classes will take place in Great Britain, at the Silverstone circuit between July 29 and 31. WSS Rider Comments Fabien Foret says: “We did not have the best weekend in Aragon, besides my injuries this year it was probably my worst weekend. So we are really looking forward to going back to Brno and getting to the front. I have some good memories of 2009 when I won there and I do not mind the layout and design of the circuit at all. We have a strong bike, a good team and it is a nice track, so hopefully we should be able to fight for the win.” Sam Lowes says: “Misano and Aragon were good as we were on the podium each time. We could have been satisfied with the results, but we could also have done better. I crashed in Aragon during morning warm-up and hurt my shoulder again, but it does not feel bad and as I showed afterwards it does not interfere with my riding. My shoulder is strong, just a bit painful. So I just want to get to Brno and go for the podium or even fight for a win before I head to my home race at Silverstone. To me the Brno track suits my style and as always I am looking forward to riding with this team and on this bike. I just want to get there and start riding.” Robbin Harms says: “Brno is a really good track and it has a lot of corners that I can make up time in. There is still a big uphill section and you still need a lot of power. I like the fast sections and the combination of corners, so I have great expectations at this track. Our bike will be the same as before but with a lot of maintenance since Aragon to be sure it works at its best. We have not got the budget to test so we are keeping it for race weekend.” Florian Marino says: “I think that for Brno I will start from zero, because the last two rounds were not good races. I will arrive at a track that I know better than Aragon and my team will have some good set-up ideas to start the weekend with. I have been working hard to be stronger and more consistent in races, so hopefully I will be working better on the bike than recently. The track layout at Brno seems good for my riding style.” Gino Rea says: “I am prepared, physically and mentally and I am really looking forward to it. I think we will have the same material as we had at Aragon, but with no big long straight this time, hopefully we can be closer to the front. I have ridden at Brno this year, but only on a track day, so we did not get any real testing in. We will treat Brno like another race, except that it is the home race for the team. It would be good to get a top result for them.” James Ellison: “I like every track on the calendar, but Brno is one of my favourites. I have been there on a MotoGP bike and I remember it being a big wide track, so it will probably feel even wider on a 600. The only really trouble free weekend I have had so far was Misano when I was running a good pace. I hope we can have another weekend like that, but with a better final result. I think our bike will work well at Brno, but we will have to make sure we have a good drive up the hill.” Miguel Praia says: “I am completely recovered from the shoulder injury and did a lot of work on it since Aragon, to get my fitness back. I like Brno and I was seventh there last year so my target will be to make my best ever race. I am dreaming of a top five because I am completely recovered and have been training very hard in the hottest part of the day in the Algarve, so the high temperatures we expect at Brno will not be a problem for me.” Pawel Szkopek: “I’m relaxed after the short break following Aragon, but also very motivated as we’ve made good progress in the last two rounds. Brno is a track I’ve always done well at in the past and with it being pretty much our home race, I really can’t wait for the weekend to start. I know many Polish fans are coming to support us and this will give me a massive boost. I’m confident we can do really well.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: The eighth round of the Superbike World Championships and the fifth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup will take place over the weekend of July (/9/10 on Brno circuit. The Brno Circuit is the largest and the most prestigious racing circuit in the Czech Republic and is located near the city of Brno. The brand new racetrack was built in 1987 and since then all of the most prestigious motor sport events have taken place there. It’s named after the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk. Circuit main characteristics : Length : m.5.403 Pole Position : left Width : m.15 Left turns : 6 Right turns : 8 Superbike lap record : Cal Crutchlow 2010 – 1’59″291 Superbike best lap : Cal Crutchlow 2010 1’58″018 Superstock 1000 lap record : Maxime Berger 2009 – 2’03″119 Superstock 1000 best lap : Maxime Berger 2009 – 2’03″119 Only two weeks after the Superbike and Superstock 1000 Italian Championship races at the Misano World circuit, Pedercini team moved to Brno for the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and the Superbike world championship. Team and riders are eager to continue to develop their bikes and to reach more points for championship standings. Roberto Rolfo : “Brno, a fantastic track that has always rewarded me with great races but I haven’t always been able to conclude them. You ride through a forest in a really amazing place . A fast track, technical, ups and downs that are exciting and downhill braking where it is difficult to pass because you need to make the bike slide a lot. I would say that the track suits my riding style and where in 2010 I was winning my first Moto2 race when a technical problem stopped me. The same thing happened in 2002 in 250 when a crash prevented me from winning. At Brno in SBK I have always done quite well with 2 fifth places in 2007 but then a tenth and a technical problem in 2008. I hope to improve the potential of our bike so as to be further ahead compared to Aragon and obtain some strong results together with my team!” Mark Aitchison :”I have been looking forward to Brno since finishing our last race in Aragon. In the time we have had off, our team made a small test in Misano and I believe we have learnt more about our Kawasaki, which should help us make more informed decisions about overall bike setup for future races. This weekend I really want to focus on getting back into my rhythm and then start working to improve our bike in the second part of the race, once the tyres lose their best performance. This point is really where we have had some problems in past races to date, so I hope we can move closer with this. I am motivated to do well at this great track and put my hard work into making two strong races on Sunday”. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: THE ALTHEA RACING TEAM AND CARLOS CHECA READY FOR THE NEXT SBK CHALLENGE, THIS WEEKEND AT BRNO Brno (Czech Republic), Tuesday 5th July 2011: this week the Superbike stop off at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic for the eighth round of the World Championship. Championship leaders, the Althea Racing team and rider Carlos Checa aim for two great results to defend their position in the overall standings. Three weeks ago Checa raced at his home track of Aragon in Spain. A third place finish in Race 2 helped boost his points total and ensure that he arrives at Brno with a 43 point advantage over the second placed rider. Carlos’ best result at the Czech track in recent years was a second place scored in 2009; the team hopes to be able to improve on that performance this weekend. Davide Giugliano and Lorenzo Baroni, Althea Racing’s riders in the Superstock 1000 category, line up at Brno for round five of their ten event championship. Giugliano continues to top the overall standings with 95 points. Carlos Checa “I’ve been on the podium here in SBK and really like the track. It’s one of the most historic circuits of all and I always enjoy riding here. Last year we did not have such a great race but that was down to a tyre choice. I think we have great potential this year; of course we have a disadavantage when it comes to power, especially on the uphill and the straight but I am confident and I think the work we’ve been doing this year will help us.” Checa’s Superbike form at Brno 2010: Race 1 9th, Race 2 6th 2009: Race 1 2nd, Race 2 5th 2008: Race 1 8th, Race 2 DNF Country: Czech Republic Circuit: Automotodrom Brno Length: 5.403 km Pole Position: left Race distance: 20 laps = 108.060 km LAP RECORDS: Best lap Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1’59.291 (2010). Superpole Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1’58.018 (2010). 2010 RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Rea (Honda); 2. Biaggi (Aprilia); 3. Crutchlow (Yamaha). Race 2 1. Biaggi (Aprilia) 2. Rea (Honda); 3. Fabrizio (Ducati) More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: An Eager Yamaha World Superbike Team Head to Brno in Search of Victory Following the success of Aragon just over two weeks ago, the Yamaha World Superbike team are heading to the next round on the calendar, Brno (Czech Republic) eager to confront the challenges in store and optimistic to be on top form. Melandri’s impressive victory in race one and second in race two closed the gap further on the championship leader, Carlos Checa, to 66 points. With 12 races to go in the season and everything to fight for, Melandri and Laverty, currently in third and fourth place in the Championship standing, are en route to Brno determined to have the strength to do what it takes to further reduce the gap to the title. The Brno circuit, previously known as ‘Masaryk Circuit’, originally called after the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomas Masaryk, is situated close to the city of Brno in the southern regions of the Czech Republic and has welcomed the World Superbike Championship since 1993. The current 5.403 KM permanent road racing layout was opened in 1987. Prior to that, all racing events were held on the street circuit which at its longest measured an impressive 31km.The newly renovated Brno circuit is host to some of the most prestigious international motorsport events: FIA Grand Tourismo Championship, World Touring Car Championship, A1 Grand Prix, World Moto GP Championship and World Superbike. Constant elevation changes, a 7.5% gradient uphill straight at the last chicane and featuring the fastest chicanes in WSB all guarantee a challenging weekend of racing, where the power and strength of the Superbike machines are thoroughly put to the test. Marco Melandri arrives in Brno fresh from the historical track of Spa Francorchamps where he participated in an entertaining Yamaha track day which succeeded the Bikers Classics event, last Monday. Melandri lead a group of over 250 European Yamaha customers on a demo lap of the circuit, riding a Yamaha stock R1. The Italian enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to tackle the infamously difficult ‘L’eau Rouge – Raidillon’ curve. Two fortunate customers won the chance to follow and support Melandri and the Yamaha World Superbike Team at a race weekend later this year. Marco Melandri Yamaha World Superbike Team “Brno is a track that I really like and I’m glad to be going there this week. This is a good moment for me, after encountering a few difficult tracks. I got my confidence back in Aragon and had a great weekend. I think Brno is a suitable track for my Yamaha R1 and I’m pretty sure that I can do well there again. It’s a track where I have managed to pocket some good results even in very difficult circumstances in the GP and I’ve also come away victorious in 125cc and 250 cc.” Eugene laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team “The last few rounds have been difficult for me. I’ve been struggling with a wheelie issue, but that should be resolved now. Brno is a nice flowing circuit which suits my bike so I’m confident I’ll be back in a position to fight for a win. I feel as positive heading to Brno as I did before Monza so hopefully that’s a good omen. I won’t be satisfied with anything less a podium!” Brno technically speaking according to Silvano Galbusera Marco Melandri’s crew chief “Brno should be a good track for Yamaha. There are less tight corners and pretty good grip which suits our bike. Marco already knows the track, unlike quite a few other places on the calendar and that’s an advantage. I hope we will have nice weather for the weekend! We’ll start with the basic bike setting that we used at Aragon and see how that goes and then decide how to proceed in search of a suitable race set up. I also hope Pirelli supplies the medium soft tyres which should work well in Brno.” Brno technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi Eugene Laverty’s crew chief “Brno has many elevations and undulations, you need good handling as there are many change of directions. Hopefully our breakthrough with the front of the bike will allow us to use the power of the Yamaha to its full advantage, especially on steep climbs. Eugene picked up some valuable points in Aragon, after two bad starts off the grid. We have had difficulty most of year so far on keeping the front of the bike down. On race day in Aragon, we made a big breakthrough and we will be working more on this setting in Brno to further improve.” Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “We are starting the second half of the season in Brno with our riders in third and fourth place in the standings. Both this track and Silverstone are two places where we should be very competitive and be able to reduce the gap to Checa. Brno is a flowing track where a combination of the chassis and the strength of our R1 engine will be the key to victory for our riders. We expect to be very competitive in the Czech Republic, also thanks to the motivation driving the team and the riders and we want to provide a fantastic performance for our numerous fans.” More, from another press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha ParkinGO Set Out for Success in Brno Yamaha ParkinGO team is heading to Brno this weekend, determined to keep a strong hold on their championship lead. Chaz Davies is currently topping the standings on 105 points, 20 points clear of Parkes in second, while team-mate Luca Scassa sits not far behind, in fourth place, with 70 points. The Yamaha ParkinGO World Supersport Team has now won five out of the six races so far this season and sets out for Brno where they plan on powering the R6 machine to yet another victory this coming Sunday. Luca Scassa was unfortunate in the last round of the championship in Aragon, struggling to get a suitable feeling on his machine. After clearly demonstrating his true potential earlier in the season and following a few less than perfect rounds, the Italian is more motivated than ever as he sets out for Brno, a track he likes and has been successful on in the past. The Brno circuit is yet another classical stop off on this year’s calendar. The 5.403 km track features the fastest chicanes in the WSS championship, a steep uphill straight and several elevation changes, all of which add challenging character to the well-known International circuit which has a history of holding some of the most prestigious motorsport events. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: MICHEL AIMING FOR A PODIUM Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio will be going all out for a podium in Brno this coming weekend. The Italian likes the spectacular 5.403 kilometre track and has enjoyed many successes there on his previous visits, taking seven podiums in ten races. Michel I like Brno circuit very much because it is a real racetrack – full of ups and downs and many fast corners. I particularly like the fast corners and I think my bike will go very well there. It’s been a bit of a time since my last podium, but I think Brno is the kind of track where I could get on the podium. Of course my raceday plans would be helped if I could actually qualify on the front two rows of the grid. This has been a problem for me this season and it is very hard to get a good result if you have to start a race from rows three or four. I would be happy if qualifying tyres were scrapped because that would get rid of the element of luck in the three Superpoles. I think, if the qualifying tyres were scrapped, I would have a much better chance of qualifying on the first two rows of the grid. However, this is not going to change this season, so I and the team just have to manage the situation and qualify better. It is as simple as that. I am really looking forward to Brno and am thinking of at least one podium. If things go well on Friday and Saturday, then who knows what could happen on Sunday. But whatever happens in practice and qualifying, I shall be doing my very best to get on the podium on Sunday.