FIM MotoGP World Championship Brno, Czech Republic August 14, 2010 Qualifying Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (Honda), 1:56.508 2. Ben SPIES, USA (Yamaha), 1:56.846 3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (Yamaha), 1:56.865, crash 4. Casey STONER, Australia (Ducati), 1:56.868 5. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (Yamaha), 1:57.059, crash 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (Honda), 1:57.117 7. Colin EDWARDS, USA (Yamaha), 1:57.222 8. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (Ducati), 1:57.635, crash 9. Hector BARBERA, Spain (Ducati), 1:57.960 10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (Suzuki), 1:57.981 11. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Honda), 1:58.089 12. Marco SIMONCELLI, Italy (Honda), 1:58.169 13. Mika KALLIO, Finland (Ducati), 1:58.182 14. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Honda), 1:58.430 15. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Honda), 1:58.522 16. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Ducati), 1:58.700 17. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (Suzuki), no time recorded * * Have qualified for the race having achieved a time within 107 % of the fastest rider in a free practice session. More, from a press release issued by Interwetten Honda: Better Feeling motivating for race The Grand Prix Ceské 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.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Pedrosa clinches pole; softer rear slick proves race-distance durability Round 10: Czech Republic GP Qualifying Automotodrom Brno, Saturday 14 August 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow’s Czech Republic Grand Prix from the front having secured his third pole position of the season, and his sixth ever on Bridgestone tyres, in a thrilling end to the hour-long qualifying session. His best effort came on his penultimate lap, using the harder option front and softer option rear Bridgestone slicks to deny Ben Spies his first MotoGP pole. Pedrosa’s pole time was 0.35seconds from the pole record, but faster than the existing circuit lap record, both of which were set last year on Bridgestone’s single supply slick tyres. Spies will start from second on the grid after an impressive showing to secure his first premier class front row start whilst championship leader Jorge Lorenzo completes the top three. All riders favoured the harder front for its extra stability under braking, especially into the downhill corners, and the softer rear for its extra edge grip and traction, allowing them to open the throttle earlier. Many riders continued to use softer option rear tyres that they’d already put laps on during the practice sessions and in doing so proved their race-distance durability and consistency. Mist delayed the start of practice by 25 minutes, although a dry line meant that Bridgestone’s wet tyres were not necessary. Conditions were fine and dry again for qualifying, although the threat of rain is ever-present for tomorrow’s 22-lap race, posing what could be the first wet grand prix of the 2010 season. Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “This morning during free practice it was difficult to judge race tyre choice because of the mixed conditions and the cooler track temperature, and because yesterday’s free practice was cut short by rain, all riders tried to check their race tyre choice during qualifying. From the beginning all riders used the harder fronts which will be the favoured choice for the race, but now with more dry track time we have been able to confirm the race-distance durability of the softer option rear tyre. “The softer rear slick offers better edge grip in these conditions than the harder option, which is crucial in allowing riders to accelerate early out of corners to maximise their speed on the many uphill climbs. The latest forecast is still for rain tomorrow however, which always has the potential to turn the order upside down. If it is wet all day, the warm-up session will be very busy for the teams and riders as they try to optimise their wet-weather setup, especially as we have had so little wet running this season.” Top ten from qualifying (Saturday 13:55 14:55 GMT+1) Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Gap Compounds Front, Rear 1 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m56.508s Extra hard, Medium 2 Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m56.846s +0.338s Extra hard, Medium 3 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1m56.865s +0.357s Extra hard, Medium 4 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 1m56.868s +0.360s Extra hard, Medium 5 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m57.059s +0.551s Extra hard, Medium 6 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 1m57.117s +0.609s Extra hard, Medium 7 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m57.222s +0.714s Extra hard, Medium 8 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m57.635s +1.127s Extra hard, Medium 9 Hector Barbera Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1m57.960s +1.452s Extra hard, Medium 10 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m57.981s +1.473s Extra hard, Medium Weather: Dry. Ambient 25-27°C; Track 37-38°C ( Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: 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 Álvaro 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 38ºC. 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.” Álvaro 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 Álvaro’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.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: CLASSY PEDROSA ON POLE IN BRNO, DOVIZIOSO SIXTH Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took his third pole position of the 2010 season in emphatic style today in a gripping and action packed qualifying session at Brno. With just two minutes to go, the 24-year-old Spaniard banged in a lap that was an impressive 0.338s clear of his nearest rival in a session that, up until that point, had been extremely close at the top. His factory Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was also at the sharp end of the qualifying contest and came within 0.3s of his second front-row start in succession, the Italian eventually settling for the second row and sixth quickest time today, with a gap of 0.609s to Pedrosa. Pedrosa was fastest in both of today’s MotoGP track sessions and has been on impressive form since arriving at the Brno circuit. Working on race set-up this afternoon, he spent most of the second half of the session in top spot despite the best efforts of his rivals to dislodge him. Twice in the last 20 minu tes Ben Spies snuck ahead by fractions of a second, only to be demoted once again almost immediately by Pedrosa. In the final moments, attempts first by Jorge Lorenzo and then Valentino Rossi ended in the gravel trap before Pedrosa put pole clearly out of their reach. This was Pedrosa’s 16th MotoGP pole position, and his 34th in all Grand Prix classes. For some time now, the Spaniard’s total of GP pole positions has kept pace with his total number of Grand Prix victories, and with 33 GP wins to his name, Pedrosa will be hoping to level those statistics once again with another victory in tomorrow’s 22-lap race. Dovizioso and his crew will use tomorrow’s 20-minute warm-up session to target some handling improvements at the rear of his RC212V, after which the Italian will look to make a strong start and get away with the leading bunch. After overnight thunderstorms at Brno last night, thick fog engulfed the MotoGP paddock this morning and t he practice sessions were delayed by 25 minutes until visibility reached an acceptable level. With the weather forecast still in doubt for tomorrow, all eyes will be on the skies as the 14.00 start time for second half of the 2010 World Championship approaches. DANI PEDROSA 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 6th 1m 57.117s +0.609s “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 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.” TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER “This was a powerful display by Dani and his crew today and it’s great to see a Repsol Honda back on pole position. Dani has been strong all weekend and he did well to steer clear of trouble this afternoon and put his RC212V on pole while some of his rivals hit trouble. We will pay close attention to the weather conditions tomorrow of course, but I think Dani has a good chance to fight for victory in the race. Andrea made progress too today and the second row start means he also has the opportunity to get away at the front tomorrow. With a few adjustments to machine settings he can fight for the podium too.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: 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 pod ium 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 h is 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 T eam 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 dro p 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.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: DE PUNIET FASTEST HRC PRIVATE RIDER AT BRNO GP QUALIFYING Brno, 14 August: Qualifying for the Czech Repulic Grand Prix was run in hot conditions today with ambience temperature of 25°C despite cloudy skies and fog welcomed the premier class riders this morning. Just after 25 days LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet again dug deep into his reserves to overcome the pain recording an incredible 11th fastest time of the day (1’58.089). Battling pain and displaying great determination the Frenchman improved his pace session by session getting the 14th place in this morning second free practice. The 29-year-old received a pain-killing injection prior to this afternoon’s 60-minute session struggling to get the most out of his machine on qualifiers and he bravely qualified as the best HRC satellite rider ahead of Simoncelli and Melandri. Tomorrow’s 22 lap race will get underway at 14:00 local time with Pedrosa, Spies and Lorenzo on the front row. De Puniet 11th 1’58.089 De Puniet: “Well… it is awesome to qualify 11th just after 25 days after my operation. I am only 1 tenth to 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 mid-long run (8 to 10 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 luckil y 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”. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: 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 g ood 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 Zeelenberg 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.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: 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.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: 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.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Dani Pedrosa will start the Cardion ab Grand Prix ÄŒeské republiky from pole position on Sunday after a fantastic qualifying effort at Brno. The Repsol Honda rider’s best lap of 1’56.508 delivered his third pole of the season and placed him just over three-tenths of a second clear at the top of the timesheet in a session that had a dramatic climax. American rookie Ben Spies had looked to be on course for a sensational first ever MotoGP pole when he assumed the lead time with only a few minutes remaining. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie will not be disappointed with second spot on the grid next to Pedrosa however as he starts a premier class race from the front row for the first time. Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo will attempt to achieve his seventh win of the campaign from the final front-row spot having qualified at 0.357s off Pedrosa’s pace. However, the Fiat Yamaha rider had a fall right at the end of the hour-long session when pushing through turn 11, a crash which thankfully left him unharmed, however his confidence may well have taken a slight knock. Casey Stoner was not satisfied with his Ducati Team machine as he struggled with traction on corner exit, but a determined final push at the end of the session placed the Australian fourth and he and his team will work hard overnight to correct the rear grip issues he appeared to be having. Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), at just over half a second off pole, will start from fifth and the reigning World Champion was extremely frustrated to have a fall at turn 13 just moments after Lorenzo went down. Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso will complete the second row after taking his factory RC212V round in the sixth best time. The third row comprises Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and rookie Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar), with Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) tenth. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) will start from 11th on his return from injury. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) had a fall inside the opening ten minutes but returned to the track to qualify 12th, whilst Hayden had a crash at turn three with 15 minutes remaining and suffered a chipped radius in his left forearm, however he will be fit to race. Absent from the session was Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) following his crash in the morning practice, and a decision on his participation in the race will be made on Sunday morning. Moto2 Shoya Tomizawa took his second pole position of the season as the Japanese rider set the fastest lap time in qualifying for Moto2. A time of 2’03.452 was enough to see the Technomag-CIP man 0.232s clear of the rest of the competition as he searches for his first win since the curtain-raiser in Qatar. Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) was next fastest as he took his fifth front-row start of the season having been on pole for the three previous rounds, and championship leader Toni Elías (Gresini Racing) and Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR) will also launch their races from the front row after finishing the session with the third and fourth best times respectively. Aiming for strong results from the second row of the grid will be Yuki Takahashi (Tech3 Racing), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP), Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) and Arne Tode (Racing Team Germany), with Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) completing the top ten. It was a season’s best qualification to date for the young Brit. Currently second in the Championship, Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing) will start from 13th position having qualified just over a second off Tomizawa’s pace. Home rider Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) suffered the misfortune of two crashes and ended 34th overall, having been one of the quickest riders in Friday’s free practice. 125cc Bradley Smith put in a masterful qualifying performance at Brno on Saturday to qualify in pole position for the 125cc class, setting a fastest lap of 2’07.146 to power himself to the top of the grid. It was the British rider’s first pole of the 2010 campaign after he had started on the front row for the five previous rounds leading into round nine. Smith’s pace placed him 0.484s ahead of his closest rival, team-mate Nico Terol, whose display was equally impressive given the fact that this is his first GP back from a serious back injury which he suffered in a crash at the Catalunya circuit. There was almost a full second gap between Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) and Smith as the Spaniard set the third best time of the session, and Championship leader Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) did a sterling job to qualify in fourth and complete the front row having dislocated a shoulder in yesterday’s practice session and missing Saturday morning’s run. Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo), Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing), Randy Krummenacher (Stipa-Molenaar Racing) and Tomoyoshi Koyama (Racing Team Germany) all achieved second row grid positions. Johann Zarco (WTR San Marino Team) and Luis Salom (Stipa-Molenaar Racing) completed the top ten. There were a number of crashers inside the final ten minutes as Krummenacher went down at turn 13, whilst Zarco and Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) were both involved in a fall at turn two. Wild card rider Ladislav Chmelik (Moto FGR) experienced a front-end fold at turn seven late on as well and failed to qualify for the race. More, from a press release issued by Honda: Czech Grand Prix, Brno MotoGP and Moto2 qualifying August 14 2010 Weather: warm and cloudy Track temperature: 38 degrees Ambient Temperature: 25 degrees 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. Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP, Suter) was back to his brilliant best in Moto2 qualifying, scoring his second pole position of the year, three and a half months after he took his first pole at Jerez. Winner of the very first Moto2 race at Losail, Qatar, in April, Tomizawa has had an up and down time of it recently, scoring no better than fifth at the last six races. But his performance today suggests a turnaround from the talented Japanese rider who was more than two tenths quicker than Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up). The other men who made it onto the front row were World Championship leader Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) and Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans S.T.R, Suter). All four riders know that the first moments of the race will be crucial Moto2 starts are hectic to say the very least and it’s a fine line between being aggressive enough and too aggressive to complete the first lap close to the front. At least Brno is much wider than most MotoGP tracks, which will give riders a bit more room to manoeuvre than usual. Elias and Iannone currently third on points are so far the two most successful riders in the Honda-powered series, with three wins and two wins respectively from the first eight races. Elias made the front row today despite being disqualified from riding in yesterday’s first practice session. The ban was punishment for undertaking a test session at Misano during the midseason break. Elias’ team presumed they were allowed to test at their nominated test venue, but in fact no testing is allowed during the break. So far Iannone has been the only rider able to make a clear breakaway from the Moto2 pack in the first laps, and no doubt the Italian will be aiming to repeat that trick here, which will allow him to run his own race, without having to ride defensively to protect his position from rivals. A last-minute set-up tweak made by his crew during qualifying may help Iannone achieve that goal. Veteran Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans S.T.R, Suter) is on a roll, scoring his first Moto2 front-row start just a few weeks after his first Moto2 podium at the recent German GP, where he finished third behind Iannone and winner Elias. Marcel Schrötter (Interwetten Honda 125 Team) ended the 125 qualifying session in 18th position, complaining of inadequate grip. After a change of tyres the 17-year-old German found some more speed but could do no better than 18th quickest. 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.” MOTO2 RIDER QUOTES Shoya Tomizawa, Technomag-CIP, Suter: pole position, 2m 03.452s “I’m very happy to get pole, especially because I have been very, very unlucky at the last few races sometimes I struggle, sometimes I get hit by other riders. Things seem better after the holidays, so I hope I can get a good result this time. We are getting closer to the Japanese GP in October, so we have to keep working on the machine to make it as good as possible for those last few races. Maybe I was a bit lucky today. There are so many riders in Moto2 that it is often impossible to find a clear track to ride a good lap, but today I found some room.” Andrea Iannone, Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up: 2nd, 2m 03.684s “Today has been a tough day, because we have worked so hard on finding the best setting. I think we found something at the end of qualifying, but we weren’t able to make the most of it because we didn’t have time to fit a new rear tyre. I am looking forward to the race and I am aiming to enjoy it. My thanks to the team for all their hard work.” Toni Elias, Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki: 3rd, 2m 03.741s “I think I could have made pole position, but I made a mistake shifting gear on my last lap and that cost me vital time. Anyway, I am happy because the bike set-up is more or less okay; we have done everything we can for tomorrow. I hope to make a good start, avoid any problems with other riders during the early laps, and then we will see what happens.” Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans S.T.R, Suter): 4th, 2m 03.794s “This is my first front row in Moto2, so of course I am very happy. We made some important changes to our set-up before the race in Germany and now the machine feels very good; I feel really comfortable, which is so important to going fast. It’s very important to be at the front for the start in Moto2 and I expect a big fight in the race.” HONDA 125 RIDER QUOTES Marcel Schrötter, Interwetten Honda 125 Team: 18th, 2m 10.610s “At the end of the qualifying it was going better, then we tried different tyres and I did not slide as much as before anymore. My feeling for the bike got better immediately. Then I had to ride alone and I was not able to stay with the lap times. I am still optimistic that it will be better tomorrow.”