NAKANO TAKES HARD FOUGHT EIGHTH PLACE AT BRNO Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in a hard fought eighth place in today’s Czech Grand Prix at Brno, to consolidate his tenth position in the World Championship Standings. Nakano got a good start from the second row of the grid, but dropped down the order after getting his Ninja ZX-RR sideways while battling for position on the opening lap. The 28-year-old Japanese rider was quick to rejoin the battle for fourth place, but was forced to ride on the limit and was unable to fight his way through to the front of the group. After lapping consistently throughout the race, Nakano waited until the last lap before setting up Nicky Hayden for a pass, but as the Kawasaki rider positioned himself to overtake the current championship leader, Suzuki’s John Hopkins managed to find space on the inside to pass both riders for seventh place. Undeterred, Nakano set up Hayden again at the final turn, squeezing up the inside of the American to steal eighth place at the line. Like his Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet also got a good start from the fourth row of the grid, but all his good work was undone in the first turn, when he went for the brakes too early and allowed four riders through, to leave himself down in 15th place. The 25-year-old Frenchman quickly dispatched Alex Hofmann to move up one position, before chasing hard after the battle for tenth place. De Puniet managed to close onto the back of Chris Vermeulen, but was forced to back off without challenging for the position when the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR started to slide under power. Although disappointed not to finish higher up the order at the chequered flag than 14th, de Puniet took some consolation from his consistent pace over the 22-lap race, and the fact that he now has one more race finish under his belt, in this, his debut MotoGP season. The Kawasaki Racing Team will stay on at Brno for a development test on Monday, during which both riders will test and evaluate a range of chassis and suspension settings, as well as conducting tyre tests for Kawasaki’s tyre partner, Bridgestone. Shinya Nakano: 8th “I got away from the start pretty well, but then I had a big slide halfway round the first lap, which lost me some time and dropped me to the back of the group fighting for fourth. While it was possible to match the pace of the guys in front of me, passing was a different matter. I was right on the limit just staying in touch, and with such a big group battling for position, it was difficult to even see a way past the riders in front. On the final lap I decided to have a go at Nicky Hayden but, as I lined myself up for the pass, John Hopkins charged up the inside of both of us to steal seventh place. I managed to get up the inside of Nicky going into the final corner and was able to hold on to the line to take eighth place, and the all-important championship points. Overall, although I would obviously have preferred to finish higher up the order, I’m happy enough with this result ahead of the overseas races.” Randy de Puniet: 14th “A mistake going into the first turn cost me dear today. I got a reasonably good start, but then I got on the brakes too early going into the first turn and allowed too many people to come past me. I managed to find a way past Alex Hofmann and, by the mid-point of the race, I’d closed onto the battle between Chris Vermeulen and Toni Elias. At this point I thought it would be possible to pass both, but then, with just eight laps left to run, the rear tyre started sliding whenever I got hard on the gas out of the turns, and I was unable to maintain the same pace. Although I am disappointed with my finishing position today, it is good to have gained more experience on the Ninja ZX-RR, and I’m happy to have another race finish under my belt.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “Shinya’s eighth place finish doesn’t really do justice to his performance today. He managed to stay with the battle for fourth place for most of the race, and in different circumstances I think he could have finished fifth or sixth. Maybe he should have tried a move on the riders in front one or two times, but it’s difficult to know whether this was even possible watching from the pit wall; only he can make that decision. But at the end, Shinya rode a good race, the bike and the tyres worked well, and I think we have to be satisfied with his result. Randy’s mistake into the first turn really messed up his race. This is something we need to work on with Randy, and I hope that if we can help him improve in this area, he will then be able to realise his full potential and get the results that he deserves.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT – FINAL TIMES 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 43’40.145; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +4.902; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +8.012; 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +14.800; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +15.025; 6. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +15.699; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +16.775; 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +16.942; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +17.061; 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +23.978; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +28.961 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Capirossi bounces back with dominant victory in Czech Republic Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske republiky Sunday 20th August 2006 A second victory of the season for Loris Capirossi was achieved in spellbinding fashion at the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske republiky, completing his full recovery after a horrific crash at Catalunya earlier this year. Capirossi took the holeshot and continued to pull away from the pack, at one point boasting a gap of eight seconds ahead of second placed rider Valentino Rossi, who had a rather more difficult time battling with young pretender Dani Pedrosa. Capirossi had stormed out of the blocks and stamped his authority on the race before the rest had time to react, and led from flag to flag to seal just his second win of the year on board the Ducati machine. Capirossi also set a new fastest lap on his way to the 25-point haul, finishing the race five-seconds clear of his compatriot Rossi. Camel Yamaha’s Italian star certainly had his hands full with Pedrosa, who after following behind for a number of laps pushed past the reigning World Champion on lap 19. There then followed a breathtaking series of exchanges between the two, ending on the final lap when Pedrosa misjudged a corner and lost valuable time on his opponent Rossi. It had been the first direct back-and-forth battle between the two World Champions, a thrilling moment of history that fans had been eagerly waiting for, and one which will have left them begging for more. Having dropped down the field in the initial stages of the race, Kenny Roberts Jr fought his way back to take an impressive fourth after starting on the front row. The former World Champion had his hands full with a number of riders going all-out to improve their positions, with the eventual top six being rounded off by Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner. The young Australian showed great maturity throughout the race and avoided another of the crashes that have plagued him recently whilst in good positions. John Hopkins made a late push to get past both Shinya Nakano and World Championship leader Nicky Hayden, who will be bitterly disappointed with his performance, which saw his championship lead over team-mate Pedrosa cut to just 25 points with a ninth place finish. Colin Edwards rounded off the top ten. 250cc GP Jorge Lorenzo, dominant all weekend at Brno, took victory from pole at today’s 250cc race to extend his lead at the top of the classification to seven points. The Fortuna Aprilia rider, fresh from renewing his contract for 2007, escaped from his pursuers both in the race and championship, Andrea Dovizioso and Hiroshi Aoyama, to win a race which had proved elusive for the Spaniard last season. Behind Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Aoyama were engaged in an exciting duel which drew to a breathtaking conclusion. Having gradually closed in on his Japanese rival, Dovizioso eventually made his move on the last corner, with Aoyama later admitting to have been “sleeping” with the Italian behind him. 17 thousandths of a second was all that separated the two, some distance ahead of fourth placed rider Roberto Locatelli. 125cc GP A fight to the finish at Brno saw Alvaro Bautista deal the knockout blow to race and title rival Mika Kallio. The Spaniard dominated two thirds of the race, although Kallio caught up with him on the final lap and made one final attempt to overtake. Although the Finn got through, Bautista powered out of the final corner to take victory number five of 2006, adding 5 points to his advantage over the Finn in the overall standings. With thousands of fans visiting from nearby Hungary, Gabor Talmacsi gave them something to cheer about with an unexpected podium finish. His chasing of the front two paid off as he headed a small pack of riders looking for a top three spot. Home rider Lukas Pesek, part of the group, slid off the track in the final stages for a heartbreaking conclusion. MotoGP Quotes 1st place: Loris Capirossi (Ducati): “The whole weekend was fantastic, I had said on Friday that “lets take a flight tomorrow” because nothing was working. The plan today was to start well and do my best on the first laps. I saw that I was putting in 1’58.1 etc laps and I was impressed, so its obvious that a lot of people have combined to achieve this great result.” 2nd place: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha): “I’m happy because we gained important points. From pole you always aim to win, and my start was not one of the best, but Loris was fantastic right from the lights going out. I tried to stay close in case his tyres slid, but we had problems today with rhythm, which we’ll work on tomorrow ahead of the next races.” 3rd place: Dani Pedrosa (Honda): “It was hard, starting from ninth, these guys were already in front when I was making up positions. When I got to main group Capirossi was already gone, and even on a normal day it would be hard to catch him. Fighting for second place, I missed a corner and lost 1 second, then decided to settle for what I had because Valentino was too far ahead.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: SUPERB FIGHTBACK FROM MELANDRI AT CZECH REPUBLIC GP Having started on the fourth row for what proved a difficult and hard-fought Czech Republic Grand Prix, Marco Melandri took a deserved fifth place in Brno which left him in fourth place in the World Championship on 161 points, behind Rossi, Pedrosa and current leader Hayden. The Italian made a particularly impressive start in Sunday’s race and made light of being in eleventh place on the grid, moving up to fourth spot before finishing 5th. It proved a difficult day for Spaniard Toni Elias who could not take advantage of starting on the second row as he ultimately finished in 11th. Elias currently sits in 12th position in the championship with 64 points. The FORTUNA HONDA team will stay at the Czech circuit tomorrow for a day of testing. MARCO MELANDRI ( 5th): “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” TONI ELIAS (11th): “I am satisfied with the work we have done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I did not start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we are going to do here.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Capirossi storms to victory on Bridgestones in Brno Czech Republic Grand Prix Race Brno Sunday 20 August 2006 Bridgestone-shod Ducati rider Loris Capirossi scored a sensational win in Brno this afternoon after a dominant display which saw the Italian finish the 22-lap race with a five second advantage over runner-up Valentino Rossi, the man who beat him into second in last year’s event. The sensational result takes his and Bridgestone’s 2006 win tally to two. Capirossi also set the fastest lap of the race (1m58.157s) with a four-tenth-of-a-second margin. Such was the competitiveness of the Ducati-Bridgestone package in Brno this afternoon that over one-third of Capirossi’s laps in the race were quicker than second-placed man Rossi’s best lap. Suzuki and Kawasaki also showed good race pace on their Bridgestone tyres with John Hopkins and Shinya Nakano separated by just under two-tenths at the chequered flag. Hopkins Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen ended a difficult weekend in 12th place, two ahead of Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet, who scored his seventh points result of the season. A further two places further back was Ducati’s Alex Hofmann who finished in 16th place just out of the points. Loris’s victory bolsters his fifth place in the world championship with the points deficit to the leader now just 50 points. With only 25 points gap to second place, there is all to play for in the remaining five events of the year. Points scored by John and Shinya today have seen them retain top ten places in the classification with 9th and 10th respectively. Loris Capirossi Ducati Corse Race Winner: “This has been an unbelievable weekend for me! After a difficult Friday, we did a great job with strong support from Bridgestone. Yesterday, I could see my rhythm on race tyres was really good, a little better than everyone else’s, so I told my team that my dream was to make a great start, push hard during the first few laps, make a gap and I saw from my pitboard that my advantage was growing bigger and bigger. I would like to say fro my heart thanks to the team and all the sponsors who believe in us.” In attendance today, Akira Nishimura – Bridgestone Corporation – General Manager Motorcycle Racing “I am very pleased with this result. Each of our three teams have performed well this weekend, so I would like to say congratulations and thank you to all of them. Loris’s performance was flawless. He has been quick all weekend and has frequently topped the timesheets, but his competitiveness this afternoon far exceeded our expectations. This victory means a lot to Bridgestone.” Junichi Kawajiri – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tire Development “A tremendous performance from Loris this afternoon has produced the perfect end to a competitive weekend for him and Ducati. Their approach to the weekend has been correct with a strong emphasis on bike set-up and long run simulations in free practice, which demonstrated the superior competitiveness of their bike with one Bridgestone tyre specification in particular. Ultimately, all three Bridgestone-shod teams raced with this specification and both Suzuki and Kawasaki were able to take away top eight results with John and Shinya passing Nicky Hayden in the final stages of the race. We always had high hopes for this race and we are pleased to add a second victory to our 2006 account. That first win in Jerez back in March seems a long time ago, but we now have a run of favoured tracks coming up where we will do our best to add a third. The work never stops and we are testing here from tomorrow with all three teams, six race riders and test rider Shinichi Itoh. We have a wide range of tyre compounds, constructions and shapes to try, as we begin our preparation for Malaysia, Australia and Japan GPs. Today’s result certainly boosts our confidence and team morale heading into the next events.” Bridgestone Race Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap Front Tyres Rear Tyres P1 Loris Capirossi Ducati 43m40.145s WINNER Slick Medium Slick Medium P7 John Hopkins Suzuki 43m56.920s +16.775s Slick Medium Slick Medium P8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 43m57.087s +16.942s Slick Medium Slick Medium P12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 44m04.123s +23.978s Slick Medium Slick Medium P14 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 44m09.106s +28.961s Slick Medium Slick Medium P16 Alex Hofmann Ducati 44m09.946s +29.801s Slick Medium Slick Medium Weather: Dry and sunny, some cloud Air 24°C, Track 36°C, Humidity 21% More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: Czech Republic Grand Prix Brno Circuit, Czech Republic Sunday 20th August 2006 ROSSI CLINCHES CRUCIAL SECOND PLACE AT BRNO Valentino Rossi picked up 20 vital points in the Czech Republic today after taking second place in a race which saw series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) stumble to ninth a result which reduces the gap between the pair to 38 points with five rounds remaining. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) took a dominant victory, leading from the first corner to finish with a 4.902 second advantage, whilst Rossi had to fend off a valiant challenge from rookie Dani Pedrosa (Honda) four laps from the end before comfortably sealing the runner-up spot. It was an even tougher afternoon for Colin Edwards, who started out in equally impressive fashion to his team-mate but faded in the second half of the race to finish in tenth. The Texan started from eighth on the grid and was keen to get in touch with the leading riders as soon as possible, making up three places on the opening three laps. However, his efforts took their toll on the rear Michelin tyre of his YZR-M1 machine and, without the perfect set-up to rely on in the latter stages of the race, he was forced to drop back and settle for another top-ten finish. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd; + 4.902) “It was a good race today and I am very happy with the weekend. Obviously starting from pole position you hope that you can win but today Loris had a completely different pace to the rest of us and I couldn’t believe the gap he made! We weren’t perfect today and we still had a few problems, but anyway I was able to do a good race and fight hard to the end. I had a great battle with Pedrosa with many good overtakes, which was great fun, especially since I finally managed to finish in front of him! Even though I didn’t win today this is a very important result for the championship; we are now third and we’ve gained on Pedrosa and Hayden. After this weekend the situation is much clearer for us with the bike and the tyres and now we have two days of testing, during which we have some new things to try in order to help us be even more competitive for the final five races. This weekend my M1 worked well from Friday morning, which is very encouraging after the problems we’ve had during practice this season. Everyone at Yamaha has worked so hard to come back to this level so I want to thank my team and all the engineers. Now there are five more races and five riders who can still fight for the championship, so I think it’s going to be a very exciting end to the season!” COLIN EDWARDS (10th; + 19.435) “At the beginning things felt alright and over the first few laps I was actually quite excited. I was able to be quite aggressive and pass a few people, but then after a while things just went downhill. The balance of the bike didn’t feel right and I just couldn’t keep the same level. Then the tyre started to go off after about eight laps and that just acted as a limiter and my pace went right down. I was fighting really hard just to keep the pace I was running and it was nowhere near fast enough to be competitive. The bike didn’t feel perfect under braking either and that makes life difficult here! We’ve spent all weekend playing around, trying to find the right balance but we just couldn’t find exactly what we needed. Honestly we’ve worked hard all weekend but things just weren’t right today. We’ve got two days of testing now and plenty of work to do if we’re going to improve for the final few races.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “This has been a good weekend, despite the fact that we didn’t win. We’ve achieved the most important goal of taking a lot of points back from Hayden and also gaining on Pedrosa. Valentino starting from pole position is a great improvement after the previous weekends and it’s a good sign for the final part of the season. There are five riders now that can win the championship and it’s clearly going to be a hard fight to the end, for which we need to be fully prepared! This weekend has shown how well Yamaha can react to problems and everyone has worked extremely hard to solve them, so a big thank you to the mechanics, engineers and of course Valentino! Colin made some big changes before the race and in the first part of it he looked very good. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep that pace up and now these two days of testing for him will be very important in order to come up with some things that can help him finish the season well.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Sunday Aug 20 2006 Race – Brno CAPIROSSI SCORES REMARKABLE BRNO WIN Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi rode a remarkable race at Brno today, leaving the rest of the MotoGP grid trailing in his wake for his second victory of 2006. The Italian led from start to finish, increasing his advantage at an astonishing rate until he was eighth seconds ahead, he then eased his pace to win by a very comfortable 4.9 seconds. Team-mate Alex Hofmann, subbing for the injured Sete Gibernau, had a more difficult race, finishing 16th. Today’s victory was greeted enthusiastically but it also had his crew wondering what might have been if he hadn’t suffered injuries at June’s Catalan GP that handicapped him at the next four GPs. Capirossi led the World Championship going into Catalunya and currently lies fifth overall. The Ducati Marlboro Team stays here to test for two days when Capirossi will have his first ride on the team’s 2007 bike, the all-new 800cc GP7. Capirossi’s fifth MotoGP victory also makes a little bit of history – the former 125 and 250 World Champion now has the longest winning career in GP history, spanning more than 16 years. Capirossi scored his first victory in the British 125 GP at Donington on August 5 1990. LORIS CAPIROSSI, race winner, 5th overall on 151 points “This has been an unbelievable weekend for me! After Friday morning I wanted to take the plane back to Monaco because the bike wasn’t working so well, but after that we did a great job, with strong support from Bridgestone. “Yesterday I could see my rhythm on race tyres was really good, a little better than everyone else’s, so this morning I told my team that my dream was to make a great start, push hard during the first few laps, make a gap and I saw from my pitboard that my advantage was growing bigger and bigger. I would like to say from my heart thanks to the team and all the sponsors who believe in us. Of course, I am also a little upset about my bad luck at Barcelona but the three-week break before this race was a big help, it allowed me to rest and get my fitness back, so I came here feeling 100 per cent. “I don’t want to talk about the world championship yet. I will just do my best at the last five races and we will see, you never know. We stay here to test tomorrow. First we try some new tyres on the GP6, then in the afternoon maybe we try the new 800. I will be like a kid tonight, too excited to sleep!” ALEX HOFMANN, finished 16th, 17th overall on 21 points “For sure it didn’t help not having much time on my race tyres during practice. In the race I ran into a wall, whatever I did I couldn’t improve. Whenever I tried to attack I almost highsided, it was impossible to do more. The race was close, so if you lose just a few tenths a lap you are out of the game. I really wanted to do well here, so I’m disappointed.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “This victory was something we needed, it’s great to be back on top. Loris rode an unbelievable race. Now we can’t help but think about Barcelona, but we are not out of the championship yet, we know we have some more good tracks coming up, so we will keep fighting. It was a shame that Sete wasn’t here because I believe he could have run with Loris. Anyway, a big thanks to Loris, the team, the factory and our technical partners, Shell Advance and Bridgestone, who have worked so hard to bring great tyres here.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno Sunday August 20, 2006 TITLE RACE TIGHTENS AS NICKY STRUGGLES IN BRNO Loris Capirossi (Ducati) won this MotoGP race easily from Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in second with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) third. World Championship leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was ninth, his worst result of the season. And the title implications, although not that far-reaching yet, suggest that this season’s World Championship chase may yet have more twists and turns to it. With Capirossi likely to be strong again in Japan and Malaysia, Nicky cannot afford to drop points to this extent with Dani just 25 points behind and Rossi now just 13 behind Dani. Capirossi had so much more pace than anyone here that he finished nearly five seconds ahead of Rossi at the flag, and even held a seven second lead on lap 15 of this 22-lap encounter run in cloudy conditions at 24-degrees with the track at 36-degrees. The Italian Ducati man led into turn one on lap one and never looked back until the final lap when he took two, long lingering gazes backwards to see just how far out of touch his pursuers were. Far away they may have been, but the action was frantic as they fought for the remaining places. Hayden held second on lap one from Rossi who soon deprived the American of that spot and set about trying to stay with Capirossi. Nicky gradually slipped down the race order when a clutch problem compounded a lack of traction as his team-mate Dani moved up from fifth on lap one. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V), who eventually finished sixth, was another man who was up with the early action in fourth place on the opening laps. The Aussie rookie would finish more than 15 seconds down on the leader, but locked in massive group fight for fourth to ninth place. By lap three Dani was in fourth past Stoner and he would leave that group behind as he began to close on his team-mate Nicky in fourth. Hayden fought hard to hang onto his place, but Dani dislodged him in the space of a lap and began to work on Rossi for second. It was an intense battle and one in which neither rider was prepared to yield. There was contact, sheer bravery, tests of nerve and feints to deceive everything race fans wanted to see between these two stars of the scene. But it was Rossi who prevailed this time to hold onto runner-up spot in this race. Further downfield the scrap for fourth was every bit as monumental as the tussle further up ahead, with Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V), Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V), Stoner and Hayden all involved with Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) and John Hopkins (Suzuki). The verdict went to Roberts with Melandri fifth, Stoner sixth and Nicky a frustrating ninth. Hayden can only hope that this will remain an aberration in what has been a copybook season for him so far. Dani said, “Third was good for me seeing as I started from ninth. I made a good start, although it could have been better. And I was strong on the brakes and could overtake. When I caught Valentino I waited because it was quite early in the race and Capirossi was already gone. We made some good moves, all very aggressive. We were pushing hard, but I made a mistake, lost a second and could not recover the time.” Nicky said, “I had a few issues in the race, but I’m not going to go into them. The bottom line is that this is not the sort of result we wanted here this weekend. One week you win and the next week you’re ninth that’s the level of competition we’re dealing with here. I’ve had some tough results before and battled through, and that’s what we’ll try to do again.” Kenny said, “I hated to see Nicky (Hayden) back there, because he’s leading the championship, and I know every point for him is valuable. Once I got past him he was boxed in. I had a chance to get past Casey (Stoner) and Marco (Melandri) later on the same lap. It’s hard following people all race long, then to try and open up a bit of a gap when they’re trying as hard as they can. So I just tried to keep it tidy, and we made it.” Fifth-placed Marco said, “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” “That was hard race,” said Stoner. “There was a lot of overtaking going on sometimes three times in one lap. But I didn’t have enough rear tyre left to race for fourth place. They’d already destroyed themselves when I was behind Hayden. That was close racing and while I would have liked a better result sixth will have to do for now. I really needed an extra Red Bull this morning.” Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) finished 11th and said, “I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I didn’t start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we’re going to do here.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) was 13th. He said, “My start was not so bad but after three four laps the rear wheel was spinning and I had little traction, I could not go forward. Then I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and dropped back. Then in the middle part of the race I was getting more traction and the bike felt much better and I could get closer to the group ahead of me.” The World Championship points table looks like this: Hayden 201, Pedrosa 176, Rossi 163, Melandri 161, Capirossi 151. And in the Constructors’ Championship Honda has 262 points to Yamaha’s 201 with Ducati on 160. The 250cc contest belonged to Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia). He won comfortably from his main series rival Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) who stole second place from Hiro Aoyama (KTM) at the final turn on the final lap. Aoyama led out of turn one on the opening lap, before Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) took the lead and then crashed out on lap four handing the reins to Lorenzo. Aoyama and Dovizioso briefly took turns to lead, but as the final laps approached Lorenzo steadily pulled clear to win by two and a half seconds. Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished sixth and his team-mate Martin Cardenas (Repsol Honda RS250RW) was seventh. Lorenzo heads the World standings with 199 points to Dovi’s 192, while the injured and out of action Takahashi remains third with 133 points. Aprilia heads the Constructors’ series with 246 points to Honda’s 209. Dovi said, “To get second here is not a bad result, but we can’t be happy with that. We want to win and we need to win if we’re to have a chance of the World Championship. We’ve got to win the next race and win again if we’re to keep this season alive.” Aoyama said, “My main aim was to finish the race so I wasn’t able to be as fast as I wanted at the beginning of the race. Then I found my pace and tried to stay in the second group, but I finally lost contact and wasn’t able to catch up with them again. I’m not really satisfied because I expected more from this race.” The points table now shows Lorenzo on 199 to Dovi’s 192 and in the Constructors’ table Aprilia with 246 to Honda’s 209. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) won the 125cc race and further tightened his grip on the series. The Spaniard had to fight hard to fend off the attentions of Mika Kallio (KTM) on the final lap, but the speed of his Aprilia told on the sprint to the line. Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was third. Bautista was the pace man from the lights and Kallio did all he could to reel in the flying Spaniard and get on terms by the final lap. He dived inside at the final turn on the final lap, but did not have the speed to deny Bautista as the finish line loomed. Talmacsi was delighted with his hard-fought third in front of many Hungarian fans who had made the trip to Brno. It was especially sweet as he beat local man Lukas Pesek (Derbi) to the final podium place when Pesek lost the front-end of his machine on the exit of the final turn. Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) was fifth. Talmacsi said, “I never expected a result like this. This has been my dream since the beginning of the season, and to achieve this result in front of 20,000 Hungarians who are here is amazing. I can hear them all celebrating.” Luthi said, “It has not been easy this season. I need to qualify on the front two rows to stand a chance of the podium but here I could not get on either row. The race was a big fight and I was a little lucky in the end to get fifth place. I have to qualify better in Malaysia.” Bautista now leads the World Championship by a massive margin. He has 230 points to Kallio’s 161. Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) lies third with 147 points. Aprilia lead the Constructors’ Championship with 253 points to KTM’s 166 with Honda lying third on 124 points. Honda GP rider quotes: Race quotes GP Czech Republic Sunday August 20. MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “I think we did a great race and third place is very good for me because I started from ninth on the grid. I made a good start but I think it could have been even better and I could have made up even more places into the first corner. When I caught Valentino I was waiting because it was very early in the race. By that point though, Capirossi was already gone he was too fast for us today. So we were battling for second place and we did some very good overtaking manoeuvres, some of them very aggressive. We were pushing very hard. With three laps remaining I made a mistake at one corner and lost a second that I couldn’t recover, so for the last lap I decided to finish third. I’m looking forward to the next races.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 4th.My riding position is still not great, and the full fuel tank affected me in the beginning. I was riding as hard as I could but I wasn’t able to brake as hard as I needed to or open the throttle as soon as I needed, so I lost positions in the early stages. Once the balance came back as the fuel load burned off, it got better. I was right with the group, then I got an opportunity to get past those guys at the end, and I took advantage of it. I was in the right place at the right time. I hated to see Nicky (Hayden) back there, because he’s leading the championship, and I know every point for him is valuable. Once I got past him he was boxed in. I had a chance to get past Casey (Stoner) and Marco (Melandri) later on the same lap. It’s hard following people all race long, then to try and open up a bit of a gap when they’re trying as hard as they can. So I just tried to keep it tidy, and we made it. We need to figure out some things tomorrow. I wanted to be within five seconds of the leader if I could, but it didn’t work out that way. Kenny Roberts Sr. – Team Owner. I still think we need to improve our race pace, but I’ve been saying that for the last two races, and every raced we have improve it … so if we keep going in that direction I don’t think we really have a problem. If you would have said at the beginning of the year that we would get fourth here, we’d have said – yeah, we’ll take it. We’re getting closer and closer. For a team with just one rider, we’re doing pretty good. We didn’t use the new gas tank today, although it gives a better riding position. Every time you make a gas tank, the fuel filtering is very, very critical. wu have to get some miles on it. We had trouble yesterday … we knew there was a chance of that happening, but when you’re trying to develop things as quickly as we are sometimes you take the chance. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 5th “Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 6th “That was a hard race, there was a lot of overtaking going on, sometimes three times in one lap. At the end I just didn’t have enough rear grip to race for fourth position against Melandri and Roberts — the tyres had slowly destroyed themselves when I was stuck racing in the group behind Hayden. There was some really close racing and while I would have liked a better result, sixth place will do for now. I made a great start and was fourth at turn two but then went backwards to seventh – – I just needed an extra Red Bull this morning to pep me up before the race.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 9th. “I was going pretty good for the first part of the race. I made a good start and was feeling comfortable running in third. The result’s frustrating and we had a few little issues in the race but I’m not going to dwell on that. The bottom line is that the result is not what we wanted this weekend, but that’s racing. One week you win and the next you’re ninth that’s the level of the competition in MotoGP. We’ve had some tough results this year and we’ve bounced back so we’ll regroup and do that again. I’ve got some great support from fans at home and abroad and that means a lot to me. I knew it was going to be hard work but me and my boys are strong so we’ll put in a couple of days testing and come back fighting for the next one.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 11th “I am satisfied with the work we have done, but I can’t be happy with the result. I did not start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we are going to do here.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 13th. “My start was not so bad but after three four laps the rear wheel was spinning and I had little traction, I could not go forward. Then I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and dropped back. Then in the middle part of the race I was getting more traction and the bike felt much better and I could get closer to the group ahead of me.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 2nd. “The four points difference between second and third are really important for the championship. This track is a bit difficult for us and it favourites a lot Aprilia; the only chance to beating Lorenzo was to stay close to him. But when Locatelli caught me and pass me, I lost the contact with him and couldn’t do anything else. I have to be happy with this and wait more favourite circuits like Motegi and Estoril. This second place is for sure a good result, and I gathered important points in the last curve, but I’m not completely satisfied because I want to win and not arrive second. In the last lap I didn’t think I was able to beat Aoyama; then, though, I brake hard in the last corner being able to stay close and keep a good speed in exiting. He, probably, didn’t expect it and didn’t close the way. The championship is still open; I believe I can do it at 100% because we have just 7 points gap and my team works very well. My bike is always competitive as far as chassis concern”. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: Did not race due to injuries sustained at Suzuka 8 Hours. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 6th. “I’m not really happy. I made a bad start and at the beginning of the race I wasn’t really able to push as much as I wanted. I hadn’t a good feeling and I didn’t want to crash. My main aim was to finish the race so I wasn’t able to be as fast as I wanted at the beginning of the race. Then I found my pace and tried to stay in the second group, but I finally lost contact and wasn’t able to catch up with them again. I’m not really satisfied because I expected more from this race.” Martin Cardenas, Repsol Honda: 7th.”I made a very good start today and I have been able to be in the top group from the beginning which was of great help for the result. I didn’t want to take any risk during the race because my main aim was to finish. During one or two laps I had a nice fight with Barbera, Debón and Shuhei, but as I said, I didn’t want to take any risk. I was finally seventh and considering that the aim was finishing the race, I think that it’s a very good result.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda:14th. “The race was so so for me I pushed at maximum today. The set up was good and the bike handled well in the race but I am a little down on top end power. In general everything worked better than in qualifying but we need to find some more speed before Malaysia where the track is very fast in places.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 15th. “In the morning warm up we changed the set up so the bike was a little closer the one we raced at Sachsenring. It was not the perfect bike but better than in final qualifying. I didn’t make a good job of the start the bike reared up and a lot of riders steamed passed me into the first corner. I was not too fast with a full fuel tank but once the fuel level dropped I felt more comfortable on the bike and started to find a good rhythm and enjoyed the battle for 15th place. I didn’t score any points in the last two races so I am pleased to get one today after the problems I had in qualifying.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 16th. “I started from the back of the grid because I missed the start of warm u lap. I had to fight hard to get with the group I was racing with towards the end. I was close but after 15 laps the front tyre was completely finished and the front end kept turning in on me and I could not stay with the group “ Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf crash. “I am quite happy even though I crashed out of the race. Now I know I can ride with the fast factory team riders. But I had to be late on the brakes to stay with them and eventually I made a mistake braking the front end turned in and I went down. I am sorry for the team who did a good job and gave me a great bike for the race today. I am looking forward to Malaysia.” 125cc: Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 3rd. “I was dreaming to get on the podium today, but actually I didn’t expect it. In the first part of the season, we had some problems with the bike set-up, but during this summer break the team and I thought a lot about what to do and we made some important changes. Today the bike was working well and for this I want to thanks HRC and my mechanics, who made a great job during this weekend. It is for me a great emotion getting on the podium in front of all my supporters. Now my goal for the last five races is to be always competitive and achieve the sixth place in the final classification”. Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 5th. “I am happy with myself and the way I rode today but I am a little angry because I just could not pass anybody on the straights, not even from the slipstream. I lose too much down the straights here I have to work too hard in the corners to make up positions. I need to get alongside a rider to outbrake him, I cannot do it from behind. It has not been easy this season. I need to qualify on the front two rows to stand a chance of the podium but here I could not get on either row. The race was a big fight and I was a little lucky in the end to get fifth place. I have to qualify better in Malaysia if I hope to be on the podium.” Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 10th. “I don’t like very much this track but after a perfect start and some good laps, the engine performance wasn’t good any more. I tried to follow the leaders, like Taclmacsi, but the gear problems prevented me to maintain the same rhythm of the Aprilia in front of me. I finished 10th but I think to have lost a chance”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 11th. “I got a perfect start but Bradl passed me on the first straight and we were together the whole race. His bike was really fast today but I could get alongside him at some places and outbrake him but he would come passed again. At the of the race I got him at one of the right hand corners at the bottom of the circuit and just held him off to get 11th place.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 13th. “This morning the track was wet and it dried during the warm up. I felt very comfortable on the bike and I finished in 10th position. I also made some starting tests that were very beneficial for the race. I took a very good start and it allowed me to get a good position at the beginning of the race. Then, I was with Sandro Cortese and Stefan Bradl, fighting for the 11th place. I could easily follow them but in the last laps, I missed a gear and I lost places. But I’m happy because this track has always been difficult for me and the level is very high this season. We improved a lot this weekend especially on the chassis and engine and I’m confident for the Grand Prix in Malaysia.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 25th. “I’m reasonably happy with my race the set up was not as good as in qualifying just little things, the bike did not steer so well today. My start was OK and the engine was fast but after one lap I noticed I was not as fast as I could have been but I gave it my best so I can do no more than that. “ Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 26th. “I couldn’t find the right set up. I had problems with the front and I was very slow in the corners. I need to do more sessions to understand the best set up for my bike and during the week end we haven’t much time”. Stefano Musco, replacement rider for Lorenzo Baroni at Humangest Honda: 33rd. “Of course, I’m very happy about today as it is the first race ever in the MotoGP World Championship. Riders are all very fast and it hasn’t been easy for me, but I knew before coming here it would be like that. I finished the race and, for now, I’m happy with it. I had fun to race in such beautiful circuit and in front of so many people. I want to thank Humangest Racing Team for this chance”. Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: Did not race due to broken arm sustained in qualifying. Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf technical problem. “My start was very good and the bike was fast. Then after two laps I started to hear noises from the engine and it was difficult to change gear. I went back wards slowly then the engine stopped on lap six and I was out. Very disappointing because I had a very fast bike today.” More, from a press release issued by Michelin: MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006 Czech Grand Prix, Brno ROSSI & PEDROSA DUEL THRILLS BRNO CROWD Michelin men Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) provided some superb entertainment as they enjoyed a no-holds-barred battle for second place in today’s Czech GP, won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici). The pair swapped positions on numerous occasions in a contest that could have a crucial effect on the outcome of this year’s World Championship. Pedrosa and Rossi are currently second and third on points, still some way behind series leader Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) who had a difficult ride to ninth this afternoon. Rossi finished 4.9 seconds behind Capirossi and 4.1 seconds ahead of Pedrosa. Kenny Roberts Junior (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin) won a thrilling contest for fourth place, crossing the line a few tenths ahead of Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) and Casey Stoner (Honda LCR RC211V-Michelin). “Loris showed what he could do during practice here, so we knew this would be a tough race,” said Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “But we did enjoy watching Valentino and Dani racing together, the first big battle between these two guys. And they chose quite different tires, Valentino choosing a harder rear, as usual, while Dani went for something softer because his riding style allows it. Both were able to run consistent times during the race. Kenny Junior also rode a great race, running a particularly strong pace during the closing stages when he was able to pass Marco and Casey to get fourth.” Michelin riders currently hold the top four positions in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, having won 10 races and filled 30 of the 36 podium places so far this year. Top five Michelin riders’ tire choice Valentino Rossi: soft compound narrow profile front; hard compound rear Dani Pedrosa: medium compound narrow profile front; medium compound rear Kenny Roberts Junior: medium compound narrow profile front; medium compound rear Marco Melandri: medium compound wide profile front; medium compound rear Casey Stoner: medium compound wide profile front; medium compound rear