DE PUNIET BOOSTS HIS CONFIDENCE AHEAD CZECH REPUBLIC GP Brno, 14 August 2008: French rider Randy De Puniet is eager to return to racing in the Czech Republic Grand Prix this weekend after a refreshing summer break. The 27-year-old will be back on his Michelin-shod Honda RC212V nr.14 for the race at the 5.403 km Brno Circuit which hosts the twelfth round of the season. Following a disappointing mid-season run of results the LCR Honda MotoGP racer has shown his true mettle in the last two races and aims to continue in the same vein at Brno, where he won the 250cc Grand Prix in 2003. Randy finished eighth in Germany before racing to his best result of the season at the US GP scored in extremely difficult circumstances, has reinforced his confidence for the second half of the season. De Puniet: “Brno is one of my favourites and in 2003 I won the 250 race. After the race in Laguna I feel very confident for the rest of the season. I think we found the right set-up to develop the bike on each racetrack. The good place we gained in the US gave us more incentives to be more competitive. In the last weeks I enjoyed my vacation but I also trained a lot to be physically fit for the heat at Brno and at Misano. After the race we will also have two days of testing.” More, from a press release issued Alice Ducati: ELIAS AND GUINTOLI AT BRNO IN THE BEST CONDITIONS POSSIBLE Summer break has now passed and the final sprint of the MotoGP World Championship 2008 begins from Brno, with the Grand Prix of Czech Republic on August 17th. On this track the Alice Team riders never really made it to conquer exciting results: Toni Elias have conquered, in his first appearance here in MotoGP, the fourteenth position, while in the past two years he has finished in 11th. Sylvain Guintoli has made his official appearance in the 500cc category in 2002 as a wild card, while last year he finished in thirteenth position. Brno circuit has hosted the first Grand Prix in 1965 and the track was 13,9 km long. During the years many modification has been done and now the circuit is 5,4 km long with the main straight being 636 meters long. Fabiano Sterlacchini, Alice Team Technical Director, is trustful for the return on track after summer break: “After Laguna Seca, where we conquered the best result of the season with Elias, we are ready to start again and try to improve even more. The hardest period has now passed and both riders have found a good method of work for each racing weekend. Surely this break has brought some time to relax to both riders and I am sure they are ready to begin in the best way possible this final part of the season.” Alice Team Spanish rider, Toni Elias, wants to try to change the non-positive results obtained on Czech land: “From when I joined MotoGP I never made it to conquer great results in Brno. The moment to do well here has come also because I find this track really fascinating. During the break I always trained and now I really feel in good form. I also spent sometime with my family and it has been really important to find back the best serenity and concentration.” His teammate, Sylvain Guintoli, will race on this track for the third time in the highest category: “I raced here in 2002 as a Wild Card, but last year it was the first time as a full time rider. Last year I couldn’t do an excellent race, but this year both, me and Toni, have all the conditions to compete with the fastest riders. The bike has reached a great level. I am still a bid sad for how the American race went: without that mistake at the beginning of the race I could have done surely a positive race. I will try to do better in Brno for me and for all my crew that has been putting me in the best conditions to give the maximum.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: After three weeks of well-earned rest the MotoGP World Championship participants reconvened at Brno ahead of the twelfth contest of the 2008 season on Thursday, with great weather preceding what may turn out to be another rainy weekend. Showers are reportedly a possibility at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky on Friday and Saturday, though on the eve of this weekend’s return to action the sun shone brightly in the clear blue skies, as the riders and their teams hope it will for Sunday’s racing. The main event on Thursday afternoon was the official pre-GP press conference held in the Brno media centre and attended by Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and John Hopkins (Kawasaki). For Pedrosa and Hopkins the Czech visit sees them both return from injury after missing recent races, while the MotoGP fraternity expects another intriguing battle between World Championship front-runners Rossi and Stoner at the resurfaced Brno circuit this weekend. Following some heated words from the World Champion last time out in California after the pair duelled their way round the Laguna Seca track, Rossi and Stoner shared smiles and handshakes in the press conference before the Australian Ducati Marlboro rider commented, ‘Like all riders we react the way that we do sometimes.’ ‘Maybe we over-reacted,’ continued the MotoGP title-holder. ‘I am going to hopefully just be putting up more of a fight in the last few laps this time, whereas I ran off and crashed at the last race. It would be nice if I can put pressure on right up until the last lap.’ Current standings leader Rossi said of the Czech challenge, ‘I had a bad race here last year but some good results here in the past. It is a track that I like and where I won my first Grand Prix in 1996. I am very curious to try it out on the Bridgestone tyres and to understand the grip and the potential of the new surface.’ The afternoon also saw a pit-lane walk at the historic Czech venue, with fans enjoying the chance to meet numerous MotoGP stars, local 250cc rider Lukas Pesek and a group of Czech 125cc wildcard riders with all money raised going to the official MotoGP charity, Riders for Health.