FIM MotoGP World Championship Brno, Czech Republic August 26, 2012 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 22 laps, 42:51.570 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -0.178 second 3. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -12.343 seconds 4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -18.591 5. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -25.582 6. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -29.451 7. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -34.514 8. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), -64.285 9. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -68.278 10. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), -69.972 11. Toni ELIAS, Spain (DUCATI), -70.003 12. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -84.040 13. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW-SUTER), -87.898 14. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), -96.165 15. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -100.565 16. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -101.226 17. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA), -1 lap 18. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -13 laps, DNF, retired 19. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -14 laps, DNF, crashed World Championship Point Standings (After 12 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 245 points 2. Pedrosa, 232 3. Casey Stoner, 186 4. Dovizioso, 150 5. Crutchlow, 122 6. Bradl, 105 7. Bautista, 102 8. Rossi, 100 9. Nicky Hayden, 84 10. Spies, 66 11. Hector Barbera, 60 12. Espargaro, 45 13. De Puniet, 41 14. Abraham, 25 15. Hernandez, 21 16. Pirro, 18 17. Edwards, 17 18. Ellison, 14 19. Pasini, 13 20. Silva, 11 21. Elias, 10 22. Petrucci, 9 23. Steve Rapp, 2 More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: PASINI ENDS IN SIXTEENTH POSITION THE GRAND PRIX OF BRNO The twelfth race of the World Championship for the MotoGP class was held today, at the circuit of Brno. In today’s warm up, which took place on wet track, Pasini set the fifteenth lap time. The race, on the other hand, was held on dry track: the Italian started from the sixth row and completed most of the laps together with Ellison, fighting for the points. The Italian, after maintaining a consistent rhythm, crossed the finishing line in sixteenth position. Mattia holds a total of 13 points in the Championship Classification, in nineteenth position. Mattia Pasini #54 – 16th “I’m not happy with today’s result. On the one hand, we know we have a good potential, but on the other, we didn’t manage to prove it on this track. This was a very fast circuit and there was no way we could take more advantage out of the good performance of the ART machine in the corners. Hopefully we’ll get to Misano and and we’ll have a chance to fight for better results.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: RANDY DE PUNIET LEADS THE WAY FOR CRTs POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider rounds off fantastic weekend with eighth place finish, whilst teammate Aleix Espargaró takes tenth Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo grabbed the headlines at the Czech Republic GP. Pedrosa had dominated practice, whilst Lorenzo had taken pole in qualifying. The duo were the obvious candidates for the race win, and that was precisely how things turned out on Sunday. Lorenzo opened things up in the lead, before Pedrosa moved in front on lap twelve. On the final lap, Lorenzo mounted an attack, responded to by Pedrosa on the penultimate corner as he got back in front and closed the door. Pedrosa won from Lorenzo, with Cal Crutchlow third. Randy De Puniet erased a sour memory of Indianapolis from his mind with a determined display at Brno. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider was highly motivated ahead of the Czech Republic Grand Prix, having clocked the fastest pace of the CRT riders in practice. Today he was the best of the new class in MotoGP by some distance. In the end he placed eighth, ahead of prototype machines and with reason to be pleased with his ride. Aleix Espargaró was the only rider able to come close to De Puniet on Sunday. The Spaniard was hoping to take the fight to his teammate, but a dip in track temperatures caught him out. His bike slid about underneath him at the start of the race, as De Puniet broke away. He eventually found a way of riding around the issue, finishing tenth and taking six more points for his tally at the top of the CRT standings. 8th Randy De Puniet: “Today went so well that I even managed to pass a number of prototype machines off the line. I am happy, because I think that both the team and I have done a great job this weekend. I stuck behind Rossi at the start and could see that there was smoke coming from his bike on every lap. Spies dropped the pace and I kept on pushing. I was praying that the smoke did not mean that the engine would break down completely and leave oil on the track. When the situation stabilised I could focus on my own race. Spies overtook me and I used him as a reference for a while. Soon afterwards he crashed out, so I was left by myself. In practice I had found a fast pace, so I focused on getting back to that and riding strongly to the chequered flag. I am very happy, because I managed to finish as the best CRT rider and cut two points off my teammate’s advantage.” 10th Aleix Espargaró: “I’m a little week from the flu, but in the race I felt more or less ok. The track temperature today had dropped a lot and that affected us. From the start I could feel the bike sliding out a lot. I got a good start, but Randy escaped straight away. He was just faster than me, taking three tenths of a second out of my times with every lap. When I got passed by the Ducatis I tried to stay with them, but it was hard to ride with them. On the straight they took off and on the corners I was back amongst Elías and Abraham. I got as close as I could on the final laps. Toni and I exchanged passes on the last lap on three or four occasions, and in the end I won out. I was expecting a little better from the race, as I thought that we had a little more pace. Still, I am happy to have taken points and to continue to lead the CRT standings.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Thrilling win for Pedrosa in Czech Republic Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa scored his second consecutive win and eighth successive podium today in Brno, in an intense battle with Jorge Lorenzo that went down to the wire. Dani starting from 3rd on the grid was able to pass Cal Crutchlow, in second position, before the first corner and closely tracked pole man Jorge for the first 11 laps, with the two Spanish riders trading record fastest race laps. Only hundredths of seconds separated the two and eventually on lap 12 Dani made a pass and held onto the lead until the final lap. With only a few corners remaining, Jorge passed Dani and both were involved in a dramatic final few turns which resulted in Dani squeezing out Jorge and taking the victory, a perfect gift to his father on his birthday! This is Dani’s 3rd win of 2012 and his 41st career victory, all on a Honda, equalling Mike Hailwood in most victories ever on a Honda, behind Mick Doohan (54) and Jim Redman (45). Dani has now reduced the gap to Championship leader Jorge to 13 points with 6 rounds of the 2012 season remaining. Casey Stoner, ruled out of this race due to injury remains in 3rd position with 186 points. The Repsol Honda Team will be back on track in Brno tomorrow for an Official Test day, which will see, as previously announced, Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea step in for the injured Casey Stoner. DANI PEDROSA 1st World Championship Standing: 2nd with 232 points “Today was one of my best races in MotoGP ever, to win with a big gap is always nice, but to have a battle like today with Jorge, it’s sometimes more rewarding. It was a difficult last lap because I knew that Jorge was very fast in the middle of the corner and I could hear the bike right on me and I knew that just the smallest gap would allow him to pass. In fact, in that left corner I opened the door just a little more than normal and ‘boom’ he was there, I could see his bike in my face! With just half a lap to go, I was a little more nervous than before but I knew I had some strong points coming to the end of the lap. I tried to get the best drive out of the hill and then in the last corner I was beside him, when I released the brakes w e were side by side in the corner and I was able to take my line and win the race. It was amazing and I’m really happy with this victory, for all my team and also for my father because it is his birthday! For the Championship we must keep up this momentum as Jorge is riding very strong and consistently in the top two. Testing will be important to set us up for the final part of the season, so let’s see what we can do”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: THANK YOU, TONI! After three races aboard the White and Green Ducati, Toni Elias completed his adventure with the Pramac Racing Team. Today, in a cool and cloudy Brno, the 22-lap race proved to be a tough challenge for Toni, who gave his maximum effort to claim 11th place during the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Starting from the fifth row of the grid, Toni made a good start, gaining two places on the first lap and achieving 11th position. On lap three, Toni was able to put his Ducati into 10th place and for the majority of the race he remained in this position, fighting with Abraham and Espargaro. Unfortunately, one lap before the chequered flag, Toni was overtaken by Espargarò, finishing the race in 11th place. The Spaniard ended this weekend with a positive result that showed the steady improvements that he made during this adventure. At the next round, which will take place in Misano Adriatico in a couple of weeks, Héctor Barberà will return to his Ducati after missing 3 races. Francesco Guidotti, the Pramac Team Manager said: “Toni is a fantastic person. He is always helpful and professional and he worked with us with an impressive devotion. I hope he will find a great team to ride with to show his potential. Thanks Toni, from all the Pramac Racing Team”. Toni Elias – Pramac Racing Team Rider – “IÂ’m quite satisfied: I made a good start and I was able to stay with Abraham, De Puniet and Espargarò for the whole race. Unfortunately, I missed the top ten, but IÂ’m happy because I achieved my goal, which was to improve both my feeling and my confidence with the bike, race after race. The Pramac Racing Team did a brilliant job, and I tried to do my best. Thanks to the Pramac Racing crew for this fantastic opportunity!” Marco Rigamonti – Track Engineer Pramac Racing Team – “We are satisfied, more than we expected after yesterday’s difficult qualifying session. We lowered our lap times, improving a lot, especially during todayÂ’s race.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: GERMAN ROOKIE IMPRESSES ONCE AGAIN FINISHING 5TH AT BRNO GP Brno, 26th August: the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl rode his Honda RC213V to an exciting 5th place in today’s 22-lap Czech GP at Brno race track scoring further important points which saw him holding the 6th place in the world classification. In a morning warm-up held on a mostly wet track the German could not confirm the adjustments he required after yesterday’s disappointing qualifying but despite dark clouds looming, the track was dry for the race to delight the rookie riding the Japanese machine. Stefan: “I am quite happy because after some technical issues we have found a good race set-up. I could not push as hard as I wanted yesterday and the warm up session was wet so we could not test the last adjustments but the Team made a very good job and I could make another positive race. During the race I was quite confident and motivated: I took a good start and Rossi was in front of me in the beginning but suddenly he had a technical problem and some smoke came out from his exhaust. After that I thought he was having an engine problem and some oil soiled my visor which cost me a bit of time because I did not what was going on. Also Spies slowed down and Bautista overtook me but after that I started to set my pace. It took some laps to pass Bautista and Rossi again to do my own race. I had a better speed compared to the guys behind me so it’s a pity that we lost the race at the beginning but in any case it was a strong race by my side and want to thank my crew for their concentration and their efforts”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Pedrosa emerges victorious from epic Brno battle Round 12: Czech Republic Grand Prix Race Brno, Sunday 26 August 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 20-20°C; Track 23-23°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa came out on top of a momentous last lap battle with Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to score his second successive MotoGP™ victory and move even closer to his compatriot in the championship standings. The race started at a fierce pace with Lorenzo leading Pedrosa for the first half of the race, the two riders pushing each other to set a new circuit lap record on six consecutive laps, with a new mark of 1’56.274 set by Lorenzo on lap eight. After Pedrosa made his way past Lorenzo on lap eleven, the two riders held position until the last lap where Lorenzo squeezed past Pedrosa, before the Repsol Honda rider hit back at the final corner, getting the better drive to the line to win the race by 0.178 seconds. Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow also rode a faultless race to claim his first ever MotoGP™ podium by taking third place, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet made the most of his good qualifying performance to cross the finish line in eighth position to be the highest placed CRT rider. Rain fell overnight and on Sunday morning at Brno, causing less than ideal grip levels on the circuit, while a cool breeze and cloud cover kept track temperatures low. These conditions placed a premium on greater edge grip and warm-up performance for the rear tyre, resulting in every rider selecting the softer rear option, the medium compound slick for the race. Front tyre choice was also uniform across the field with every rider selecting the harder front slick; the extra-hard compound providing optimum cornering and braking stability with only a slight compromise in grip compared to the softer option. Although track conditions weren’t particularly favourable, the wider operating temperature range of the 2012 specification tyres allowed riders to effectively use the extra power of the 1000cc machines in the cool temperatures. Pedrosa’s consecutive victories at Indianapolis and Brno have closed the gap to Lorenzo in the MotoGP™ championship to just thirteen points with six rounds remaining. Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “The weather today was as forecast so the race simulations that took place yesterday in similar weather and track conditions ensured teams had a good setup for today’s race. The cool conditions resulted in every rider selecting the softer rear and harder front slicks, with this selection offering the optimal combination of rear edge grip and front-end stability given today’s conditions. This tyre selection worked very well today as despite track conditions being less than ideal, riders could still effectively get the power of the 1000cc engines to the ground, with a new circuit record lap being set and the overall race time being twenty five seconds quicker than last year. Our work here at Brno is only half done however, we now turn our attention to tomorrow’s group test where we will debut a new rubber compound we have developed, so I look forward to seeing how this is received.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Race winner “It was a difficult last lap because I knew Jorge was very fast in the middle of the corner and I could hear his bike right behind me. I knew a small opening would be enough for him to come past and going through a corner I opened the door a little more than normal and he was able to overtake me. Going into the last corner I was head to head with him but I kept my line and managed to win the race and I am so happy to get this win for all my team as well as my dad as it is his birthday.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: Yonny scores again and finishes in the CRT´s top three. Silva drops out Brno, 26 of August 2012. Once again the two Avintia Blusens MotoGP riders had different fortunes in the G.P. of Brno. Whereas Colombian rider Yonny Hernández is ranked twelfth in the general as he scored again and finished in the top three of the CRT´s his teammate Iván Silva was forced to drop out of the race as the gearstick counter of his motorbike gave out around the end of the race. Yonny attempted to stick with De Puniet y Espargaró´s Aprilias but the Italian motorbikes had a much better pace on the track and Yonny cleverly chose to secure the third position and the points related to the twelfth position. Early in the race Silva was battling with Edwards and Pirro but the chattering issue he has been experienced throughout the weekend has not allowed him to be any more competitive. After avoiding to crash as his front wheel dropped he found it hard to regain self-confidence and to follow his rivals´trail and he was eventually forced to drop out. 68 Yonny Hernández (12º, +1’24.024): “On the one hand I am glad I scored a fair amount of points and I finished third in the CRT´s but on the other hand I am disappointed because my pace was somehow lower than that of yesterday. My bike had a bit of chattering and perhaps the track was a bit dirty, I don’t know, but the thing is I noticed I couldn’t ride as fast as I did yesterday when I tried to maintain my position, regulate the gap between me and my rivals and finish off the race without any mistakes to be able to score again. I think we are close to be in for a win if we carry on diligently and that´s why tomorrow we´ll try out solutions that will perhaps enable us to take this little step ahead. Our bike is competitive but it can always be improved.” 22 Iván Silva (Dropped Out): “I managed to stick with Pirro and Yonny but I was struggling a little due to the chattering on my front wheel assembly. So I forced a little in this one bend so I could maintain the pace but I felt more vibrations than expected on the front wheel which locked my steering and even if I managed to avoid to crash I lost self-evidence from then on. My aim was to score and that´s why I didn’t want to take any risks so I cooled down the pace and Edwards and Pasini eventually caught up with me. This race was long and I wanted to wait and see what would happen but the gearshift counter dropped and I had to stop. It was the very first we had “stopped” because of a breakdown so we can’t complain. We have a good work schedule for tomorrow´s testing so we can improve in the next races.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Seventh place for Valentino Rossi at Brno Following a very promising warm-up session on a wet track, Valentino Rossi’s race in the Czech Republic proved to be more difficult than anticipated. An oil leak, which didn’t hurt engine performance, nonetheless certainly affected riding conditions for the Italian. When he also suffered a loss of tyre grip, he was forced to slow and eventually finished seventh. The Ducati Team will now travel to the Misano circuit, where Valentino will participate in a two-day test on Tuesday and Wednesday. His teammate Nicky Hayden will miss the test while he recuperates in the United States, but he is expected to return for the Grand Prix of San Marino. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 7th “I started well and the early laps weren’t bad, although the bike started to lose oil right from the beginning. It went on the footrests and the brake- and shift levers, which bothered me, as my feet were slipping everywhere. I probably could have done a bit better without that inconvenience, and maybe I would have finished close to Dovizioso. Anyway, I also had to slow down because the rear tyre began sliding too much after some laps, which has been our problem. Now we’ll see in the test at Misano in two days if we can manage to find something to help us in the last races.” Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager “The weekend started well. We improved steadily in every session, but the race didn’t play out positively for us. After the early laps, the bike suffered a loss of grip with the rear tyre, and Valentino lost contact with the leaders. As for the oil leak, we analysed the engine data and we have confirmed that there’s nothing unusual and that engine performance wasn’t affected. It certainly made riding more difficult because it made the footrests very slippery. We have a two-day test with Valentino at Misano on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we’ll work primarily on the chassis.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Classy Crutchlow claims stunning first MotoGP podium Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow rounded off a memorable weekend with a stunning ride to his first MotoGP podium finish in today’s bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky at the Brno circuit. After signing a new one-year deal to remain with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in 2013 yesterday, the 26-year-old then powered his YZR-M1 to second place in qualifying to score a career best grid position. He then capped the best weekend of his MotoGP career with a fantastic ri de to third position in today’s 22-lap race, a result that saw him become the first British rider since 2000 to finish on a MotoGP podium. Crutchlow brilliantly capitalised on his fourth front row start of the season to lead the pursuit of fast starting Spanish duo Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in the early laps. He was immediately able to set a fast and consistent rhythm and he impressively pulled away from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in fourth. The Italian was doing everything within his power to cut the gap to Crutchlow as he went in search of a sixth podium in eight races. But Crutchlow demonstrated fantastic concentration and speed to ensure Dovizioso never threatened to deny him a landmark first rostrum. Dovizioso was able to comfortably secure his seventh successive top four finish after he had held off an early challenge from compatriot Valentino Rossi. Today’s result continued a phenomenal season for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad. Crutchlow’s third position was the sixth podium in the last eight races for the French-based squad. And with 272-points in the Team World Championship standings, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team trails Yamaha’s Factory squad by just 39-points with six races of the 2012 campaign remaining. Cal Crutchlow 3rd 122 points: “It feels fantastic to finally score my first podium in MotoGP. This has been the perfect weekend for me because I signed a new contract with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and then scored my best ever qualifying result yester day. So to cap it all off with a podium is a great feeling and hopefully I’ve already gone a little way to repaying the faith Tech 3, Yamaha and Monster have shown in me. It wasn’t an easy race because I was on my own for most of it and it was a real test of concentration. The pleasing aspect is my pace was really consistent throughout, but it had to be because I knew Andrea was behind. I basically raced my pit board so I knew where he was but I knew he was going to be hard to beat when you look at how well he has been riding lately. I felt comfortable holding the gap to him but I couldn’t afford to make a mistake because I knew he’d be ready to pounce. It felt great when I came across the line and saw my crew celebrating because they have given me unbelievable support. I feel the pressure is off a little bit now, so hopefully today’s podium is the first of many. To end a 12-year drought for a British rider to get on a MotoGP podium is also a great feeling. It seems a long t ime since Jeremy McWilliams did it, so I hope the British fans don’t have to wait that long for the next one!” Andrea Dovizioso 4th 150 points: “I was confident going into the race that I could fight for the podium. But there is no doubt that Cal did a better job than me and I congratulate him for getting his first podium in MotoGP. When I was close to him in the early laps I could see he gained some time in corner entry and he had more corner speed than me. But he lost on the exit but for sure he was gaining more than he lost. I spent the whole race pushing at my maximum to recover the gap to him but it was not possible. He was very consistent and I couldn’t push him into making a mistake, so he did a great job. We have finished inside the top four again today but this result demonstrates that we still have some margin t o improve. We have collected a lot of data and we will analyse that now to understand how we can be faster.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “I am so happy for Cal because the step he has made this season compared to 2011 has been incredible. He has worked so hard to get that first podium and today he finally got it, and I couldn’t be happier for him and his crew. It has been an incredible weekend for Cal. We thought it was great to sign him on a new contract yesterday and then he got his best ever qualifying position. This gave us a lot of optimism but he rode the perfect race. He got a good start and pushed hard right from the first corner and that is what you need to do in this class. He was very consistent too and he never gave Andrea one chance to close the gap. We know that Andrea is a great rider and he has b een in tremendous form, so for Cal to beat him today confirmed he did a truly remarkable job. This season has been beyond our wildest dreams and we have now been on the podium in 50% of the races. I’m sure this will take some pressure of Cal and we are going to see him battling for the podium again in the last six races. Andrea had another very good ride too. He really pushed Cal as hard as he could and he showed what a great sportsman he is today by acknowledging that he was beaten by the better man. We are now looking forward to going to Misano where we will give our maximum effort to extend this incredible run of results.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory racing rider Jorge Lorenzo put on an incredible show today in the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, dueling with rival Dani Pedrosa for an incredible 22 laps to take second at the line. Lorenzo took the hole shot from pole and led for the first 11 laps with Pedrosa running consistently half a second or less behind. The pair swapped positions mid-race and continued their Spanish duel, racing at speeds in excess of 300km/hr less than half a second apart until a dramatic final lap showdown. The Yamaha rider made a brave pass inside Pedrosa heading into the final chicane, only to run slightly wide and allow the fellow Spaniard back through. The drama continued through the final corner and to the line, Pedrosa claiming victory by a margin of just 0.178 seconds. Team-mate Ben Spies had a promising weekend compromised yet again as his run of bad luck continues to haunt him. The Texan’s clutch overheated from the race start, taking a couple of laps to cool down before it became 100% effective again. The issue initially dropped the unlucky rider down to 14th before he made a spirited comeback, climbing six places to eighth by lap eight where unfortunately he crashed. Today’s race results keep Lorenzo leading the Championship with a 13-point advantage of Pedrosa. Spies remains in 10th position. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will remain in Brno for a one-day test tomorrow. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: +0.178 “I really enjoyed that race, mainly in the last laps, Dani and I tried everything for the win. We are so close in the Championship that every point is important. It was a very strategic race, in some parts of it I was slowing down to relax a bit and get some air and I think Dani was a little later on as well, staying calm and preparing for the last laps. When Dani was pushing a lot I took a lot of risks to stay with him and finally I had to try to pass him, the victory was so close I had to try. This time Dani was cleverer than me and braver so congratulations to him, next time maybe it will be different! A big thank you to my team as well who worked really hard and made a very competitive bike for me.” Ben Spies Position : DNF Time: “The crash today was no other fault than myself, I was trying to get back into a rhythm and catch the group in front of me because I could see they were coming back and I had a good lap times for coming through. I’m really disappointed not just for me but for the team as they’ve done an excellent job this weekend, we’ve showed speed and motivation all weekend which is hard to do after Laguna and Indy. The race was really over for me before turn one because the clutch overheated off the line. It was no one’s fault; we checked the data and my practice starts are identical to my race starts. We checked the clutch and there is nothing wrong with it, it just overheated and took over two laps to cool down enough to give it 100% by which time the race was over. I still tried to get the best out of it I could and just made a small mistake.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “That was a fantastic MotoGP race today, the last lap was amazing to watch. Second place is not completely satisfying but anyway they both made a great show and if they had continued for another ten laps I think they would still have been right there together. Dani deserved to win today because finally he passed the line first. Jorge behaved really well and tried to do all he could to win it. To take so many risks when you are eighteen points in the lead is very brave so I’m proud of him.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “It’s tough to say that we had another issue. From the start Ben’s clutch slipped for almost two laps which compromised the beginning of the race. Having checked the data we know Ben didn’t do anything unusual in his race start. Jorge rode yet another perfect race, his pass on Dani at the end was incredible, unfortunately Dani was able to get back past him to cross the line first. We’re looking forward to testing here tomorrow and in two weeks in Aragon to take another step forward with the 1000cc M1. Tomorrow Jorge will test the first 2013 prototype 1000cc M1 and Ben will be testing 2012 M1 set up solutions.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The MotoGP™ classes treated fans to some exciting racing this weekend at the bwin Grand Prix ÄŒeské republiky in Brno with Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa storming to a thrilling victory in the premier-class ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow, opening up the championship race once more. Despite dark clouds looming, the track was dry, much to the delight of riders and fans, and it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo who got the holeshot off the line, holing off Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow. Yamaha’s Ben Spies looked to continue his bad luck as he dropped back drastically after a few corners with a slipping clutch. This left Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi to chase down Crutchlow in third. With 17 laps to go, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl was involved in a tight battle with San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, with the German taking the Spaniard for sixth after dicing for numerous turns. Meanwhile, Spies looked to have re-found his stride with the issue sorted, and was fighting his way back through the pack after dropping down to 13th. Three laps later, Bradl was dicing with Rossi for fifth place, getting the better of the Italian after a few attempts. On the same lap, Spies’ race came to an end after he crashed out of his charge. Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva suffered a technical issue with 12 laps remaining, while Lorenzo and Pedrosa were neck and neck at the front of the race, having pulled out a significant gap over Crutchlow. On the same lap Bautista overtook Rossi, whose Desmosedici looked to be slowing. A lap later Pedrosa sparked some life into the battle at the front, as he got past Lorenzo on the inside, though the Mallorcan continued to stick to his rear wheel. On the last lap it was MotoGP racing at its best with Lorenzo forcing his way past Pedrosa with a tough move, with the Repsol Honda rider fighting back almost immediately, and the two almost neck-and-neck into the final turn. With Pedrosa on the better line coming into the final turn, he got the best drive to the line to take his third victory of the season. Crutchlow recorded his own milestone by taking his first ever podium in the MotoGP class, and ending a 12-year premier-class podium drought for a British rider. It was a fitting way to celebrate his contract extension with the team this weekend. Pedrosa’s win has moved him to within 13 points of Lorenzo and blown the championship race wide open at the top. Fourth spot went to Dovizioso, in front of Bradl, Bautista, Rossi and Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet who finished top CRT. Cardion AB Racing’s local rider Karel Abraham and De Puniet’s teammate Aleix Espargaró completed the top ten. Moto2™ It was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who took a stunning win in a close-fought Moto2™ race at the bwin Grand Prix ÄŒeské republiky in Brno in front of Tom Lüthi and Pol Espargaró. The track had dried out sufficiently to be declared a dry race, with Interwetten-Paddock’s Lüthi making the best of the conditions at the start taking the lead early on ahead of Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Espargaró and Márquez. Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding’s race was unfortunately ended very early, as the Brit crashed out after three turns. It was Márquez who made his intentions known early on as he fought past his compatriot into second. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, not wishing the leading trio to pull away, overtook Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi with 17 laps to go, pushing past Espargaró shortly after. With track conditions still not ideal after the wet track before, riders were tentative to make rash moves, leading to uncharacteristically cautions racing. Eight laps before the end however Espargaró sized up Iannone and took him on the inside, as further down the grid Tech 3 Racing’s Xavier Siméon and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Gino Rea both crashed out. As Márquez looked for a way past Lüthi, Espargaró went past him into second, although was taken straight back. He was subsequently ordered to drop a place, after being sighted for passing under a yellow flag. Espargaró did however not see the pit board instantly, yet Iannone helped him by passing him with four laps remaining. This ignited an entertaining battle between the pair, as Lüthi lost the lead to Márquez. The dice for fifth place was also gaining momentum a few laps before the end with JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis swapping positions frequently. The final lap was a thrilling affair with Lüthi and Espargaró desperate for the lead, with Iannone mixing it up as well. The Swiss rider looked to be lining up a move in the final turn, yet did not have enough drive on to the straight, meaning it was Márquez who took the chequered flag, with Lüthi and Espargaró completing the rostrum. Márquez now holds a 48-point lead at top of the championship standings in front of Espargaró. Fourth spot went to Iannone, followed by Corsi, De Angelis, Zarco, Tech 3’s Bradley Smith, Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio and Pons’ Esteve Rabat. Moto3™ In an enthralling Moto3™ race at the bwin Grand Prix ÄŒeské republiky in Brno it was Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who held his nerve in drying conditions to take victory in front of Luis Salom and Sandro Cortese. Despite no rain falling it was declared a wet race from the start, with most of the riders opting for slick tyres as a dry line was forming quickly. It was AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin who got the holeshot, yet it was JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, on wet tyres, who soon took the lead on the still very damp track. With 18 laps left he was however being chased down by Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who had made his way into second. It was two laps later that Folger, on slicks, pushed past for the lead, as the ever-drying track was causing Vázquez problems. Behind the two, Mahindra Racing’s local replacement for the injured Danny Webb, Miroslav Popov, Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil and Racing steps Foundation KRP’s John McPhee were having a great race dicing for podium positions. Half way through the race, both Khairuddin and McPhee had gone past Vázquez, as the pursuing group containing Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese closed in on that fifth spot. In the meantime, MZ Racing’s Toni Finsterbusch retired with a mechanical issue. Caretta Technology’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi was forced to retire with six laps remaining, whilst Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales had slowly fought his way up into fourth place. It was heartache for Khairuddin as he crashed out of the race with four laps left, as Popov fell coming onto the straight. The final laps provided the typical battle between Cortese and Viñales for the final podium spot, with Kornfeil struggling to keep the pair off. Going into the final lap, RW racing GP’s Luis Salom, who had been stalking behind, snuck behind Cortese, with Viñales and Kornfeil behind. In the end was Folger who crossed the finish line first with a near six-second gap to take his second-ever GP win ahead of Salom, who had pushed passed Cortese in the final turns. This now gives Cortese a 32-point lead at the top of the championship standings ahead of Viñales, who came in fourth. Behind him were Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins, Kornfeil, Cortese’s teammate Danny Kent, Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati, Rins’ teammate Miguel Oliveira and Fenati’s teammate Alessandro Tonucci. More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Edwards in the points at Brno This was not an easy weekend for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team, who during the first two days at Brno had trouble finding the ideal setting for Colin Edwards bike’s traction control and chatter. The team was able to provide Colin with a setup that allowed the American rider to finish in 13th position and to improve during the race his qualifying lap time. Colin Edwards is currently in 17th position in this season’s MotoGP championship, at only one point from Michele Pirro and four from Yonny Hernandez. Colin Edwards -13th “It wasn’t a bad day, we came in 13th. Compared to the pace we have made this weekend, we managed to find something that works in terms of electronics setting, that we had been looking for all weekend. And during the first couple of laps it was I was trying to understand what we had in terms of the change in the electronics and felt it out, it was good. Then I put my head down and went for it. Then once I passed Pirro I simply lost feeling because of the vibration and it didn’t allow me to push harder. I finished thirteenth but this is the best the bike has felts o far.” Sergio Verbena Crew Chief “After all the problems we have had this weekend we finally found a solution to the chatter problems. This morning we were not able to test what we wanted due to the rain during warm up but in the end the race went well. We had faster lap times than the ones done during yesterday’s qualifying session. We have gotten closer to the lap times of the top CRTs and we end the weekend with 3 more points.”