Fresh from a two-week summer break, Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo head to Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend riding high at the top of the championship. Despite a disappointing last round in the UK the pair remain first and second in the standings with seven rounds remaining, setting up a thrilling final seven-race run to the end of the season. Brno is a special track for Rossi as the Italian took the first of his 101 career victories there, in the 125cc class in 1996. Since then he has added a 250cc win and four MotoGP victories to his tally, including a commanding one last year on the way to his eighth World Championship title, and three second places. The 30-year-old slid out of the lead in Donington last time out but remounted to finish fifth, meaning he managed to extend his lead at the top of the championship to 25 points from his team-mate. 22-year-old Lorenzo also has an impressive record at Brno, having won there in 125cc and twice in 250cc, both times from pole position. He finished tenth at the Czech track last year, a creditable performance considering that he was nursing broken bones in his foot sustained at the previous round in America. This year he arrives more or less in full fitness, having had a chance to fully recover from another foot injury, lying second in the championship and determined to put in a good performance to try to close some of the 25-point deficit to Rossi. This year marks the 40th time a Grand Prix has been held at Brno since the 14km road circuit was first used in 1965. Today the modern track retains much of the character of the original road circuit, with its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes. The well-balanced nature of the circuit make it an ideal testing venue and the team will remain there after the race for a key mid-season test. Brno sees an important new rule come into existence, with all riders now restricted to just five engines for the final seven races of the season with a 10-point deduction for any rider who goes over his quota. Valentino Rossi “RESTED AND RELAXED” “The summer ‘holiday’ wasn’t as long as usual but anyway I’ve had the chance to recharge the batteries in the break and I’m feeling rested and relaxed. Last time out wasn’t ideal but in the end it was a positive day for us and we now have a one-race buffer at the top of the championship. Despite this breathing space we can’t afford to relax for a minute because our rivals are very strong and I expect everyone to be at their best in Brno. It’s a great track for me and I took my first ever win there; I’m hoping for another good result this time.” Jorge Lorenzo “AIMING TO GET BACK ON THE PODIUM” “I’m really excited about this race after what feels like a long time without one. It was good to have a bit of a break and I used the time to work on my fitness and to completely recover from the injuries I had after Laguna, in the gym and with my physiotherapist. The result is that I feel much better than I did in Germany and England and I’m excited to be getting back on the bike. I like Brno and I have had good results in the past there, including three wins. This time my aim is to fight hard and get back on the podium.” Davide Brivio “A GOOD CIRCUIT FOR VALENTINO AND YAMAHA” “After a short break, Brno is the start of three close races before the real season finale of the remaining four events. Brno is a good circuit both for Valentino and for Yamaha in general and we have to take advantage of this to manage and hopefully extend the 25-point advantage we currently have in the championship. Valentino has always been at the top there and it’s a track that’s full of important memories for him and for us, including in 2008 when it marked the start of us ‘completing’ the job of recapturing the title. At the moment we’re working very well and we are looking forward to maintaining the same high standard as much as possible. The competition amongst the top riders is very exciting and we hope we can offer everyone another great show.” Daniele Romagnoli “GREAT MOTIVATION” “A little break to recharge the batteries has been useful for us all before the last seven races. This has given Jorge the chance to improve his fitness after his Laguna Seca injuries and he will be in good shape for Brno. All the team and Jorge want to forget the ‘zero point’ of Donington and we have a great motivation to catch Valentino at the top of the championship! From this Grand Prix the new engine rule will be applied but Yamaha has worked hard on engine durability and maintaining performance so we’re confident that it won’t be an issue.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki ready for thorough Czech-up in Brno Rizla Suzuki MotoGP returns from a short mid-season break to get back to business at the Czech Republic Grand Prix to be held at the Brno Automotodrom this Sunday. Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen had an entertaining battle against each other at last year’s Czech GP, with Capirossi finally coming out on top and going on to take his first podium in Rizla Suzuki colours. Both riders are hoping that the Suzuki GSV-R can perform just as well at the 5,403m Brno circuit this year and – with the support of the whole team – will be looking to put recent tough races firmly behind them. The Brno race will also signal an alteration to the MotoGP regulations, as a major rule change will come into operation. For the remainder of the season Capirossi and Vermeulen – like every other rider on the MotoGP grid – will be restricted to a maximum of just five engines for the last seven races of the year, a rule that will cost the rider a 10-point penalty if he uses above his quota. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for the first free practice session, with the second on Saturday morning. Qualifying will take place on Saturday afternoon when all riders will battle for the best grid positions they can achieve. Sunday’s 22-lap race starts at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Loris Capirossi: “I just can’t wait to get back on the bike again; we have a lot of unfinished business and need to show that the results we’ve been getting are not a true reflection on how hard the team has been working recently. I got a third at Brno last year which was the last time I was on the podium and that is just too long, so I need to do something about it. We really want consistently good weather all weekend so we can get the set-up right for the GSV-R and if that happens I think we have a chance of a really good result.” Chris Vermeulen: “We’ve had a bit of time for some rest and relaxation since the last race and that has given all my injuries a chance to heal and I’ll be 100% fit when we get to the Czech Republic. The break has given us an opportunity to look at the data from the last couple of events and see where we can make some changes for Brno. I have been speaking with Tom about the bike and we have a few ideas and we are both quite positive we can improve it straight away – which will be good. I’ve done pretty well at Brno in the past couple of years and I’m sure that this is a track where we can make the best of the GSV-R.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM BRINGS WINNING FORM TO BRNO The Repsol Honda Team heads to the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic this week in excellent shape and fully primed for the second phase of the MotoGP season. With two victories from the last three races – one apiece for Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso – the factory Honda squad has hit form and will be looking for further success at the dramatic Brno circuit which traditionally hosts the first race after the World Championship’s short summer break. Andrea Dovizioso comes into the weekend still on a high from his perfectly executed victory at the British Grand Prix three weekends ago. The 23-year-old fulfilled the promise he has showed all season by demonstrating his brilliance in the treacherous conditions at Donington and scoring his debut MotoGP win. Boosted by that important landmark, the 2004 125cc World Champion is now determined to repeat the performance in dry conditions and establish himself as a regular challenger for the top step of the podium. Dovizioso has taken second place three times on his six previous visits to Brno and, with the extra confidence of a MotoGP race win under his belt, will be holding nothing back to go one better this weekend. Dani Pedrosa arrives in Brno targeting his second victory of the season after an impressive surge in recent performance. The Spaniard has been on the podium in two of the last three races, with a dominant win at Laguna Seca followed by a third place in Germany. He also looked like a potential winner at Donington before the race-day weather intervened. Having made use of the summer break to claw himself back to full fitness, the 23-year-old is now in a position to ride to his full potential and fight for victories at every race. Brno is a circuit he likes too, with two victories and five podiums to his name here in the smaller Grand Prix formulae indicating that Pedrosa is odd-on to be in contention come Sunday. The Grand Prix of the Czech Republic marks the introduction of new rules governing the use of engines in MotoGP. From this race until the end of the season, each rider may use only five engines – a regulation change which has been introduced with the intention of increasing engine life and therefore reducing the teams’ costs. Each engine will be sealed and tagged by the MotoGP Technical Director so that no engine modifications or rebuilds can be undertaken. In 2010, the rules will demand further increases in engine life with each rider being limited to six engines for the whole 18-race series. This weekend’s track action begins as usual with first practice on Friday afternoon at 13.55. Sunday’s 22-lap race begins at 14.00. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO World Championship position: 6th 94 points “I’m sure that me and the team arrive in Brno in a very positive mood thanks to the victory in the last race at Donington Park. I’m very motivated and I’m really looking forward to the race, and also to the test session on Monday because that should be valuable for us. I spent the two weeks of the summer break at the seaside not far from where I live and I had the possibility to relax, spend some time with my friends and also do some training ready for this weekend because Brno is a difficult and physical track. It’s a very fast circuit and I’m confident that our package can work well – in particular that we can make good use of the power of our engine. There are also many long turns that are quite demanding and you definitely need to quickly adjust your riding style to the characteristics of the track. I like the nature of this circuit, and the atmosphere created by the crowds of spectators on the hillsides is very special.” DANI PEDROSA World Championship position: 4th 115 points “It was a short summer break, but it was long enough for me to get back into training properly and build my fitness to close to 100 per cent. So I’m feeling ready for the second half of the season and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and fighting at the front again. It’s going be very important that I can now concentrate totally on riding the bike without any pain, and these last two weekends off have helped me in that sense. Brno is a circuit that I like very much: it’s technical and demanding. Plus the weather is usually good which would make a nice change. We have the final day’s testing for the season on Monday and it’ll be important for us to do some more evaluation work on the new engine and modified chassis which we’ve been running at the last few races. I’m feeling fit and ready for this race and me and the team are ready to get out there and put in a good result.”