DUCATI MARLBORO MEN RESTED, RELAXED AND RARING TO RACE. Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa commence the second half of their 2005 season at Brno on August 28, rested and reinvigorated after MotoGP’s traditional midseason break. The pair took different routes to relaxation during their time off, Capirossi boating around Monaco, Checa trekking in the Pyrenees, but both men are now raring to tackle the final seven races of the year. “We go to Brno in positive mood,” says Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “Bridgestone made a big step forward at the Sachsenring, their new tyres worked really, really well and our riders showed they could go very fast. Carlos’ pace was unbelievable and was second fastest in morning warm-up, just ahead of Loris, so we were confident of a good race. But it didn’t turn out like that. Carlos fell and Loris, who actually recorded the fastest lap of the race, finished ninth. However, our motto is always ‘never give up’, so we go to Brno working hard to turn our speed into results and to get the best possible start to the second part of the season. Brno has been good to us in the past and we hope that we’ll have a good weekend there this time.” Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli knows what is required at the Czech venue, which has been hosting GPs since 1987. “Brno is a flowing racetrack that seems to suit our machine,” he says. “You need good horsepower for all the straights, real confidence in the front end for the downhill corner entries and a very manoeuvrable chassis for all the esses sections.” CONSISTENT CAPIROSSI WORKING TO GET BACK UP FRONT Ducati Marlboro Team man Loris Capirossi returns to racing at Brno holding eighth place in the MotoGP World Championship standings. One of only three riders to have scored points at all ten rounds so far, the Italian is aiming to maintain his consistency during the remaining seven races, while also getting closer to the front. Capirossi has scored one podium so far this season – when he took a brilliant third-place finish at June’s Italian GP – and he wants more top-three results before the end of the year. “Everyone in the team, at the factory and at Bridgestone is working very hard to give me what I need to get back up front,” says Capirossi. “Bridgestone brought some good tyres to Germany, they seem to have taken a good step forward, so we hope we can continue that progress at Brno, especially since they’ve had a month to work at developing more new tyres. I always look forward to Brno. These days we race at many quite short circuits, so it’s always special to race at fast, open tracks like Brno, Mugello, Phillip Island and Barcelona. I enjoy these circuits the most and our bike also works well at Brno. I’ve had a good few weeks off – just going out on my boat around Monaco and doing very little else – so I am ready to race again!” CHECA WANTS TO TURN SPEED INTO RESULTS Carlos Checa was right on the pace during last month’s German Grand Prix, running with the leading group until he slid off without harm. Now the Ducati Marlboro Team rider wants to turn that impressive speed into an impressive result at Brno. The hard-charging Spaniard’s results from the first half of the season – including a best of three fifth-place finishes in Portugal, Italy and Britain – don’t do justice to the pace he has shown at many races. Hopefully the second half of the season will be kinder to him. “I get on well with the Ducati, I know I can go very fast on this bike, but so far things haven’t turned out my way,” says Checa. “Hopefully my luck will change after the break. I like Brno and I know the Ducati is quite quick there. We have good horsepower and you need a lot of power at Brno, especially for the long uphill run to the final esses section. Brno is definitely one of the best circuits for MotoGP – it’s got a lot of fairly fast turns, some long straights and it’s very up and down, so it’s a real challenge to get the chassis set-up just right.” THE TRACK Brno is a masterpiece of a motorcycle racing circuit. Constructed in the mid-eighties it eschews the modern fashion of tight turns and hairpins for a mighty mix of fast sweepers and undulating corners that test rider talent and machine performance to the limit. Most riders love the place because it’s challenging and also because it’s pretty fast. But Brno’s most significant characteristic is its constant changes of elevation – the circuit weaves its way across forested hillsides outside the Czech Republic’s second city – which means that many of the turns are steeply cambered. Dealing with negative-camber corners requires a perfectly set-up machine, deft riding skills and especially crucial input from tyre engineers. Horsepower is also a major consideration at Brno because this is one racetrack where MotoGP bikes, usually caged in by slower venues, really get moving. Lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 1:59.302, 163.038kmh/101.307mph (2004) 2004 pole position: Sete Gibernau (Honda), 2:09. 782, (149.873kmh/93.127mph) DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 32 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) GP starts: 226 (56xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Brno 2004 results: Grid: 9th. Race: 5th CARLOS CHECA Age: 32 (born October 15, 1972) Lives: London, England Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 2 (500) First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500) First GP: Europe, 1993 (125) GP starts: 178 (58xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125) Pole positions: 3 (2xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: Spain, 1998 (500) Brno 2004 results: Grid: 6th. Race: 6th