FIM MotoGP World Championship

Brno Circuit, Czech Republic

August 14, 2015

Free Practice Two Results (All on Bridgestone tires):

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:56.513, crash

2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:56.589

3. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:56.750

4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:57.074, crash

5. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:57.078

6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:57.178, crash

7. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:57.202

8. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:57.229

9. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:57.494, crash

10. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:57.544

11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:57.575

12. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:57.607

13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:57.718

14. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), 1:57.860

15. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:58.484

16. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:58.512

17. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:58.631, crash

18. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:58.678

19. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), 1:58.812

20. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:59.120

21. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA), 1:59.305, crash

22. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI), 1:59.482, crash

23. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), 1:59.680

24. Claudio CORTI, Italy (FORWARD YAMAHA), 2:00.781

25. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA), 2:01.261

More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing:

Grip problems hold back Redding at Brno

Brno, Czech Republic – 14 August 2015: A track temperature approaching 50 degrees Celsius made for a difficult second free practice session at Brno this afternoon, with the tricky conditions catching out plenty of riders. Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding avoided crashing, but it was still a difficult opening day for the Briton.

Redding finished the day 15th fastest after completed 33 laps of the 5.4km circuit but after initially struggling for grip on the softer tyre he felt that there was plenty of room for improvement. When using the softer compound the Briton had problems on corner entry, lacking the required confidence in the front.

Earlier in the session, when using the hard rear tyre, Redding had been faster and more consistent on the bike. Improving on this feeling will be key for a strong Brno outing. Tomorrow’s FP3 session will be crucial for Redding’s hopes this weekend and he needs to finish inside the top ten to guarantee a place in the Q2 shootout.

Scott Redding: 15th – 1’57.860

“It was quite greasy this afternoon but our biggest problem today was that we went quicker on the harder rear tyre than the on soft tyre. It’s a bit strange because normally you feel better grip but today we didn’t. At the end we used the softer rear and the harder front tyre and that combination wasn’t right, which meant we struggled for the lap time. We’re trying to find our way a little bit at the moment, but we’re working hard to figure out the right direction to take with set up. For tomorrow we’ll try and use the harder rear tyre and see how we go with on that. Right now, as soon as I lose rear grip then I struggle on corner entry and exit, so if we can find an improvement there then we should also see an improvement in the lap time.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It looks as though the track was quite difficult today because we saw a lot of crashes in the afternoon. Also I think that our choice of tyres for the final run in FP2 wasn’t the best one, but we had to try something because we could see the conditions were becoming more difficult. Scott’s pace over the longer run was pretty good, so I hope he can rediscover this rhythm for FP3 tomorrow morning. The two bikes are set up a little differently at the moment and it looks like the set up on the bike Scott used earlier in the session will be the preferred option for tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Get Back to Business in Brno

Brno (Czech Republic), 14th August 2015

After a successful weekend in Indianapolis, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi enjoyed their first day at the fast and flowing Automotodrom Brno and were both quick to find pace.

Lorenzo immediately positioned himself as a protagonist at the beginning of the first practice and kept dropping competitive laps throughout the session. With twenty minutes remaining he put his YZR-M1 to the test and shot to the top with a lap time of 1‘56.499, which remained unchallenged for the rest of the day.

The Spaniard continued his form in the afternoon practice, which saw him quickly climb up the rankings to second with a 1‘56.589. He spent the remainder of the time testing various settings to improve tyre life under hot track conditions and held his second place until the end of the session.

Teammate Rossi also had a strong start to the Czech Republic Grand Prix weekend. Gradually upping his pace, he was within half second off the fastest times by the end of the session and wrapped up the morning practice in sixth place with a best lap of 1’57.038.

The nine-time World Champion looked competitive again at the start of the FP2. He initially led the session with a 1‘57.754 lap, but suffered a minor crash with 38 minutes remaining due to fluid on the track at turn 13. Unhurt, Rossi quickly retuned to the pits to go out on his second bike ten minutes later. He went on to improve his time to a 1‘57.074 lap, ending the session in fourth place.

Today‘s results put Lorenzo first in the combined free practice time sheets, 0,539s in front of Rossi in sixth.

JORGE LORENZO

We started this morning in a very good way. The afternoon has seen some of the toughest circumstances that we‘ve had all season. It was very hot and on the straight you could feel the heat coming from the engine, so it was a very physically demanding training. Without wind, the track was much worse than it was in the morning, but we were able to keep a quite consistent pace compared to our rivals. In the end, I tried all the tyres and some settings of the bike that give us a good direction to work towards for tomorrow.

VALENTINO ROSSI

Unfortunately Pedrosa had a problem with his bike and it lost some oil and I crashed. This afternoon was difficult for everybody because the track is very slippery and the amount of grip is very low and at the same time there are a lot of bumps, so every time I entered the corner I was pretty much at the limit. At the end of the afternoon it went a bit better and I went into fourth position, but I have to recover a disadvantage, especially the one to Jorge, who seems to have the best pace.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It‘s been a positive and hot first day. The conditions of the track were very difficult and the high temperature made the circumstances even worse. We started in the right way and the set up is working well for Jorge. His pace is very fast and consistent and he is feeling good with the bike. Vale‘s side still has some work to do. It was unfortunate that he crashed because of fluid leaking from Pedrosa‘s bike. Luckily he didn‘t get hurt and, even though it meant we couldn‘t get all the testing done that we wanted to do today. We still have enough time before the race on Sunday and I‘m confident that we can make another step for tomorrow.

More, from a pres release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Espargaro finishes as top satellite rider after battling the heat in Brno on day one

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro started the bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky in a positive light after finishing the opening day of practice in 7th place overall in the combined standings. The Spaniard concluded the opening session in 12th position after beginning to alter his Yamaha YZR-M1 for the undulating hills of Brno. After lapping the circuit 16 times, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion posted a lap of 1’58.195 as he looked optimistically onwards to the afternoon practice. When it began, Espargaro jumped straight back into gear and continued his work in preparation for Sunday’s race as he made steps forward with the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 by the close of FP2. He finished with a best lap of 1’57.078, which was set on his final run and his performance left him less than a hairs breadth back from Valentino Rossi who was in 4th, by only 0.004. This equalled 5th in the afternoon and 7th overall at the close of day one. Tomorrow, the Spaniard will seek to produce a notable showing in qualifying in order to clinch a top tier grid position.

Meanwhile, on the opposite of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith finished the opening day of action in the Czech Republic in 8th place overall after a solid effort today aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. The 24 year old British rider kicked off proceedings by beginning to set up his bike for Sunday, in FP1, before concluding the session with a best lap of 1’57.137, landing him in 7th. In the afternoon, Smith continued his work with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team under the blazing sun and completed a total of 16 laps around the 5.4 kilometre Automotodrom Brno. He set a best time of 1’57.494, yet his lap from the morning practice was the faster of the two sessions and saw him seize 8th overall. Tomorrow, he will intend to progress further with his setup work and then land his MotoGP bike in a positive qualifying position at the 11th round of the 2015 World Championship.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 7th Time : 1’57.078 Laps : 32

“Overall it has been a positive but challenging first day. This morning we were struggling in different areas, so my confidence wasn’t at its highest. Yet, we able to find the right direction to work towards and fortunately the modifications we made for the afternoon session, made me feel much more comfortable on the bike. This was truly positive as the conditions were much warmer in the afternoon and it should be very similar in Sunday’s race which also helps to boost my confidence. In free practice 2, the soft rear tyre was working really well and I could actually ride the bike in the way that I wanted to and I enjoyed it too. Therefore my rhythm along with my fastest lap time improved significantly. So after a tricky start to the weekend I can now optimistically look tomorrow’s FP3 session”

Bradley Smith

Position : 8th Time : 1’57.137 Laps : 34

“It was a good opening to the weekend and there are many positives to take from today. As soon as we hit the track this morning in FP1, I felt really comfortable with the bike, which set me up confidently for the afternoon. Yet, FP2 was a bit more complicated as it was a trickier for everyone due to the hot weather conditions and the track temperature. We were able to try both compounds of rear and front tyres in order to have all the necessary information available to analyse. Still, I’m a bit disappointed with the crash this afternoon, although it seems like a lot of guys made the same mistake because it has been quite difficult to find the right compromise in the balance between the hard and soft tyres. Therefore we need to try and understand what the issue was and fix it tomorrow because we expect Sunday’s weather to be similar to what we experienced today. So overall, it was a good start even with the small crash and in addition, I didn’t set a single lap time with the soft tyre at the end, but I still finished inside the top ten. As a result, I have to be happy and I’m ready to improve tomorrow”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez second fastest on day one in Brno, but injury scare for Pedrosa

It was a mixed first day in the Czech Republic for Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa.

This morning, with cooler temperatures, the riders attacked immediately with Marc second fastest and Dani third. At the end of the session Marc ran wide in turn thirteen and had to lay the bike in the gravel, thankfully he escaped uninjured.

This afternoon, the ambient temperature rose to over 30ºC and the session was littered with crashes from several riders as the track also rose to a high 46ºC.

Marc went fastest with his time of 1’56.513 on lap 3 of 6 and remained unbeaten for the remainder of the session. He was one of the few top riders to improve on the FP1 time despite crashing on his last exit in turn seven, fortunately walking away from the incident. His time placed him second for the day in the combined times.

Dani crashed early in the session – on just his second lap – after some oil leaked from his front fork as he rode through turn thirteen and resulted in a high side. Dani visited the medical centre for an x-ray where they confirmed there was no fracture but heavy bruising to the left ankle. He finished the day 4th in the combined times with 1’56.784 (FP1).

Marc Marquez

2ND 1’56.513

“Today was a very productive day, we have obtained a lot of data and we have seen that this will not be an easy circuit. I am fast over a single lap, but I am finding it harder to set a constant pace. In FP2 we finished first, but more importantly we have made a step forward with our pace, because it seems that Lorenzo is has a very fast rhythm. This afternoon we got close to him and we will see if tomorrow we can continue to improve, in order to be as close as possible to the top.”

Dani Pedrosa

4TH 1’56.784

“I had a problem with the front fork which I didn’t realise until some oil hit the rear wheel as I was leaning over to the right into turn fourteen. The bike threw me off quite violently and I took a big knock to my left foot. I went to Clinica Mobile for a check-up and they performed an x-ray on my left ankle. Thankfully they confirmed there was no break or fracture, just a heavy contusion so I will have some treatment tonight and see how the situation is in the morning.”

More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:

Lorenzo sets searing practice pace in boiling conditions at Brno

Round 11: Czech Republic MotoGP™ – Free Practice 1&2

Brno, Friday August 14 2015

Bridgestone slick options: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre options: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)

Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 27-29°C; Track 35-39°C (Bridgestone measurement)

FP2 – Dry. Ambient 33-34°C; Track 49-50°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Lorenzo led the opening day of action at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider setting the quickest time in the morning Free Practice 1 session to end the day just 0.014 seconds ahead of Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez on combined times.

Lorenzo’s best time of 1’56.499 was less than half a second off the Circuit Record Lap and was set in the relatively cooler track temperatures of FP1 using the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks. Marquez set his best time of 1’56.513 in the hot conditions of Free Practice 2 also using the medium front and hard rear slicks when high track temperatures created extremely challenging conditions for the riders. Third quickest overall in Friday practice was Andrea Iannone on the Ducati Team GP15 machine, the Italian rider’s personal best time of 1.56.750 made on the medium compound front and soft compound rear slicks, leaving him just 0.251 seconds off Marquez’s benchmark.

After a warm start to the day for FP1, ambient and track temperatures continued to rise throughout the day with the air temperature peaking at 34°C and the track temperature reaching 50°C. The high track temperatures in the afternoon drastically reduced the grip level and consistency of the tarmac, creating difficult conditions for the riders. With grip hard to come by, there was significant testing of different tyre combinations in today’s practice sessions. By the end of the day all six slick specifications in the tyre allocation for the Czech Republic Grand Prix were used, with different options working better, depending on the track conditions. For the rear tyre, the medium compound rear slick was the most popular option, yet the factory Honda and Yamaha riders used the hard compound rear slick extensively in the scorching FP2 session, while the soft compound rear slick was widely used by the open class riders. With superior braking stability a key performance requirement at Brno, the two harder front tyre options; the medium and hard compound front slicks were used by every rider, apart from an initial check of the track on soft compound front slicks in FP1.

Hot temperatures are forecast for tomorrow, with track temperatures of around 50°C a possibility in FP4 and qualifying. Before then, the next MotoGP™ session is FP3 which starts at 0955 local time (GMT+2).

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department

“Today was quite a challenge, particularly in the afternoon when track temperatures reached 50°C. It is well known that the Brno circuit gets very greasy in hot conditions and listening to the riders, most said that the track conditions were quite poor, particularly when considering the bumps in some corners. Our engineers were able to work with the teams and riders to find a way to best manage the challenging track conditions and this is important as tomorrow we could experience very high track temperatures again. Given we had such variable grip levels today, a lot of different tyre combinations were tested but it is too early in the race weekend to know which compound options are the best race options. The positive thing is that all three rear slicks in our allocation are working well with different riders, while the medium and hard compound front slick were the most popular options today and we expect this to be the case tomorrow as well.”

More, from a press release issued by B Motoracing:

Abraham returns to MotoGP in the smouldering heat of Brno

After the initial day of training for Grand Prix Czech Republic, Karel Abraham is in 24th place. Two months after an unfortunate fall which resulted in surgery and a long recovery for the Czech MotoGP racer, the team is starting to look for the right setup, while also trying to take the strain off of the injured leg.

Karel Abraham

“The leg is mainly problematic during downshifting and left turns. We planned to get under two minutes today, but unfortunately, that is still far off for now. If it wasn’t, we could be looking for a reasonable placing. We’ll also have to make some changes in the setup because of the leg. Corti is about half a second ahead of me, so we definitely have a chance to move forward a bit, but we are far from ranking positions, that’s for sure. We started today with the setup from spring which was tailored to me. Tomorrow, we’ll also try out the ones tested this summer with replacement racers.”

Marco Grana

chief mechanic AB Motoracing

“Karel got on the motorcycle for the first time in two months so it was really difficult, of course. His health limits him a lot, he can’t really prop his leg against the footrest and downshifting is a big problem. We’ll try to help him out by rearranging the transmission so that he has to shift one gear less on each straight. Other adjustments should help the bike keep the line better and be easier to control when changing direction. There were a lot of falls today due to the high temperatures. Tires lack grip which is only aggravated by the problems caused by health issues.”

More, from a pres release issued by OCTO Pramac Racing:

Yonny (11°) and Petrux (12°) very close to Top 10 after Friday’s free practices at Brno

OCTO Pramac Racing is looking with confidence to the qualifications of the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at the end of a positive Friday with Yonny Hernandez (11th in the combined standings) and Danilo Petrucci (12th) placed near the Top 10 with less than a tenth of a second delay.

Yonny has been very constant lapping with conviction from the free practice of the the morning ended up in 11th position. In the afternoon the Colombian rider has tried to push harder managing to improve by 4 tenths of a second his best laptime set in FP1 and finishing in 10th position the FP2 with a time of 1’57.544 (and an ideal time that would allow him to get the ninth place).

Petrux has recorded the biggest progress in the day. Despite a track in critical conditions that caused many crashes in the afternoon, due to the asphalt temperature very close to 60 degrees, the rider from Terni has managed to make a big step lowering by almost a second time his best laptime of the the morning and finishing the FP2 11° with a time of 1’57.575, only 31 thousandths of a second behind his teammate.

Yonny (11°) and Petrux (12°) very close to Top 10 after Friday’s free practices at Brno

11° – Yonny Hernandez – OCTO Pramac Racing #68 – 1’57.544

All things considered we made a good job today even if we have yet to solve some problems. The feeling with the front is not the best as it tends to close a lot and this doesn’t let me to find the confidence to push harder. Ending up the FP2 very close in Top 10 was a good result but we have to work more. Tomorrow morning we will try to solve this problem to try to qualify directly to Q2.

12° – Danilo Petrucci #OCTO Pramac Racing #9 – 1’57.575

The day was not bad although we are still a bit far from the others. The time attack with the soft tyre was not bad but the problems to fix are on the front and we will try to find a better weight balance. I hope to take a step together with the team and enter directly in Q2 also because this would allow us to have more tires available to fight for the the best position on the grid.

More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:

Baz and Corti back on track in Brno

It was an intense day of work for the Forward Racing team and its rider returning on track at Brno which this week will host the tenth race of the season.

Loris Baz, with a personal best of 1.58.678, clinched the 22nd position in the combined timesheets, a few tenths from the top Open bikes. The Frenchman is confident for qualifying tomorrow where the objective stay with the class leaders.

Claudio Corti is also motivated to do well as he is replacing Stefan Bradl on the Yamaha Forward. After an encouraging 2.00.074 in the morning the Italian suffered the temperature increase and was unable to improve his lap time in the second free practice.

Loris Baz – 76

“It is not easy to get back on track after a month out but it is good to be back on the circuit. Generally speaking I am happy with the work done today; I lack feeling a little but we do have margin to improve pace and setting tomorrow”.

Claudio Corti – 71

“On this first day of work we focused on regaining feeling with the bike after the experience at the Sachsenring. I was soon at ease in the first session and the impression was immediately positive. In the afternoon we started with the aim to improve the feeling with the brakes and in acceleration but the temperature rose a lot and it was difficult to approach the morning lap-time. I have to increase my confidence with the rear on corner-exit in view of the race, overall I’m satisfied”.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

MOTOGP – ENCOURAGING FIRST DAY AT BRNO FOR BRADL AND BAUTISTA HARD AT WORK ON THEIR APRILIA RS-GP MACHINES

Brno (Czech Republic), 14 August 2015 – The first day of MotoGP practice on the Czech Brno circuit had the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders following to different work schedules with encouraging results for both.

Alvaro Bautista focused on the comparison between a standard frame solution and an evolution. The initial feedback seems positive, although in the afternoon session the Spanish rider was unable to improve his performance due to a problem in the garage which kept him from getting back onto the track in the final part of the session to get in a flying lap. Alvaro got the 20th best time of the Free Practice 2.

In Stefan Bradl’s garage, on his second weekend with Aprilia, his familiarity with the RS-GP continues to grow. The German encountered a few problems in the morning from a physical point of view due to pain in his right wrist. The situation improved in the afternoon when Stefan was able to shave almost a second off his best lap, ending the session in fifteenth place.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Director)

“Today was a good day. In the second session we moved in a direction that seems to be an improvement in terms of handling. Stefan finished the day well, putting a good time on the sheets, but unfortunately Alvaro wasn’t able to get a flying lap in. We’ll continue the comparisons with Bautista on the new frame which, according to our manual stopwatch, is proving to be effective. Overall we worked in a slightly different way than our standard operating procedure, finding a few encouraging improvements.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“Today with Bradl we tried various setups that allowed us to gain a more in depth knowledge of the RS-GP with good results: Stefan also improved significantly in the afternoon, mounting the softer blend tyre, so we are happy about that. Unfortunately Alvaro had a problem that kept him off the track in the last few minutes of the second session with a new tyre. So he didn’t have the chance to improve on his time from the morning session. All told this first day can be considered positive in any case, considering the fact that the track is slippery and doesn’t have very good grip. These are difficult conditions for everyone and, in fact, we saw a lot of crashes today.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“I’m a bit frustrated that wasn’t able to improve in the second session since I couldn’t get in the last run. Working with the new frame I found a few small improvements, especially absorbing the bumps going into turns. In the afternoon we did some testing with both bikes, trying to find more grip but without finding any definitive solution. The conditions were difficult, especially with the front end in these high temperatures. Tomorrow we’ll continue our work.”

STEFAN BRADL

“Today we tried a lot of setup solutions because I am still in a phase where we need to figure out exactly which direction to go in order for me to adapt as best as possible to this bike. We worked on the frame geometries, implementing a few ideas that we had, taking some good steps forward both in the morning and in the afternoon. Then, in the second session, I put on the softer tyre for the first time and managed to capitalise on it quite well. But we’ll have to work hard on being consistent for our race pace. My wrist still isn’t at 100% but the situation improved in the afternoon. I hope that Sunday in the race I’ll be fit enough to push harder than I was able to at Indy.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Iannone third, Dovizioso fifth after first day of free practice for Czech Republic GP at Brno

Ducati Team’s two Italian riders both got off to a good start at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic. Andrea Iannone finished the first day of free practice in third place, while his teammate Andrea Dovizioso was classified fifth.

In the morning’s 45-minute free practice run, Dovizioso and Iannone both lapped amongst the frontrunners, and they ended FP1 in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

In the early afternoon FP2 session, the two factory Ducati men switched between the two versions of the Desmosedici GP15 at their disposal, and in the final minutes of the session, Iannone bolted on a soft rear tyre to set a time of 1’56.750, which hoisted him to third place in the provisional standings. Dovizioso, who lapped throughout with a medium compound rear tyre, set a time of 1’56.821 in the morning and this earned him fifth place in the aggregate standings.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’56.750 (3rd)

“Today things went better than at Indianapolis, but we have not yet been able to find an optimal set-up. In comparison with this morning the track conditions in FP2 were a lot worse and in the end we were unable to assess the difference between the two bikes available. I am struggling to ride without making any errors because in these conditions it is very easy to make a mistake and since we are still suffering with scarce grip at the rear, everything becomes more complicated. We still have to improve, especially in T2 where we lose a lot, and it is possible to make up a few vital tenths in that sector. For sure, this is an important aspect for the race, and so we will be working above all in this direction.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’56.821 (5th)

“I am quite pleased with the speed we have here at Brno because we are closer to our rivals and today I feel I could have gone much faster. In any case this is quite a difficult circuit because the track surface is in a rather critical state and in the afternoon there was less grip than in the morning. Now we have to work to make the bike turn in an easier and more constant way, because these are the factors that make all the difference in the race. In the afternoon session, we did several tests and the only thing to do now is to analyze all the information in order to find the best setting so as to be able to put in more laps tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Lorenzo draws first blood in battle of Brno

Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo ended Friday’s practice on top of the timesheets after an eventful day at the bwin Grand Prix Ceské Republiky that saw a number of top riders crash.

The Automotodrom Brno was basked in sunshine throughout the day, with track temperatures increasing by almost 20°C to reach a scorching 50°C by FP2. This meant that Lorenzo’s 1’56.499 from FP1 was good enough to top the combined timesheets, despite being almost a second behind Cal Crutchlow’s pole record from 2013 (1’55.527).

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez topped FP2 to finish just 0.014s off Lorenzo’s pace from the morning and end the day second on the overall timesheets. The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion crashed during both sessions, as he was amongst a number of riders to suffer from a lack of grip as the mercury rose.

Andrea Iannone (+0.251s) finished in third as both he and his teammate Andrea Dovizioso had an updated version of the GP15 to try out, with a new fairing and engine, alongside their current bikes. Iannone set his fastest time in FP2 to finish fourth, ahead of the second Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard had a nasty crash at the start of FP2 that meant he missed the rest of the session. It appeared as though some oil leaked onto his back wheel, and Pedrosa went down at turn 14 having already set a time in FP1 good enough for fifth. Pedrosa went to the Medical Centre with pain and contusions to his left foot and leg.

Dovizioso (+0.322s) fell towards the end of FP2 at turn 5 but still managed to end the day sixth fastest overall. Current championship leader Valentino Rossi also hit the deck. The nine-time World Champion crashing during FP2 immediately after Pedrosa’s incident at the same corner, apparently having slipped on some oil left on the track. Rossi had identified the first day of practice as crucial to his hopes of defending his lead in the standings, but finished 0.539s down on the pace of his teammate Lorenzo.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith were in seventh and eighth respectively. Espargaro went quickest in FP2 while his teammate Smith set his best time in FP1, before crashing late on in FP2 at turn 5.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow on the CWM LCR Honda completed the top ten.

Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera was the leading Open class rider in 14th, just ahead of Scott Redding (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) in fifteenth. Australian Jack Miller (CWM LCR Honda) was the leading Open Honda in 17th, with Nicky Hayden (Aspar MotoGP Team) in 18th and his teammate Eugene Laverty in 19th.

Forward Racing returned to the paddock having been forced to miss the Indianapolis GP due to financial issues, with Frenchman Loris Baz in 22nd and Claudio Corti in 24th. Local rider Karel Abraham (AB Motoracing) ended the day in 25th.

Rabat rules opening day in Moto2™

EG 0,0 Marc VDS’s reigning Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat ended Friday’s practice on top of the combined timesheets. The Spaniard set the fastest lap of an exciting day in FP2 at the bwin Grand Prix Ceské Republiky, with less than a second separating the top ten riders.

It was Rabat who took advantage of glorious conditions at the Automotodrom Brno (with track temperatures reaching 50°C) to set a 2’02.714, only 0.8s off his own pole record from last year. This was good enough to finish 0.097s ahead of Thomas Luthi on the Derendinger Racing Interwetten Kalex, who ended the day second overall.

The returning Forward Racing team saw Simone Corsi (+0.167s) leave it late to set the third fastest time of the day. The Italian, having missed the Indianapolis GP due his team’s financial problems, made up for lost time to finish in third.

Championship leader Johann Zarco (+0.260s) on the Ajo Motorsport Kalex had to settle for fourth after earlier topping FP1. Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese (+0.319s) was in fifth, ahead of Jonas Folger (+0633s) on the AGR Team Kalex in sixth.

Speed Up Racing’s Sam Lowes was fourth in FP2 with moments to go, but crashed out at turn 11 and had to settle for seventh, ahead of Julian Simon on the QMMF Racing Team Speed Up machine in eighth. Technomag Racing Interwetten’s Dominique Aegerter and Luis Salom (Paginas Amarillas HP40) completed the top ten, with less than a second separating them.

Kent ends Friday’s Moto3™ Practice on top

Moto3™ Championship leader Danny Kent left it until his very last lap of the day to top the combined Moto3™ timesheets. The man who has a 56-point lead in the standings set a 2’08.483 to finish just 0.167s ahead of Brad Binder on the Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Track temperatures had risen by 16°C from FP1 to reach 46°C for FP2 as the Automotodrom Brno baked in the afternoon sun; meaning grip levels were not at their best. Therefore it took until the last few minutes of FP2 for most riders to improve on their times from the morning, although they were still some way off Alex Rins’ pole record (2’07.622) from 2013.

Ongetta-Rivacold’s Niccolo Antonelli (+0.181s) completed the provisional front row despite a crash in FP1. Kent’s teammate Efren Vazquez (+0.217s) set his fastest time in the morning on his way to topping FP1, and a late crash in FP2 meant he had to settle for fourth overall.

Romano Fenati (+0.425s) on the Sky Racing Team VR46 KTM also crashed in FP2 but finished fifth on the combined timesheets after setting his fastest time in the morning.

Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Jorge Navarro (+0.430s) was in sixth, while Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Team Moto3) were seventh and eighth respectively.

Isaac Viñales, who is still filling in for the injured Ana Carrasco in the RBA Racing Team, was in ninth with Phillip Oettl (Schedl Racing GP) completing the top ten.

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

The heat does not stop Barbera from being the fastest Open at Brno

14/08/15 Avintia Racing MotoGP – Czech Republic GP – FP1-FP2

The weekend at Brno has started with very high temperatures, 33ºC air and more than 50ºC on the asphalt. But this did not stop Hector Barbera, who was fastest Open Class rider on the track from the first free practice session. The Avintia Racing Team Spanish rider finished the day only 1.2 seconds from today’s pace setter Jorge Lorenzo, an impressive achievement considering the track length of 5.4km.

The Czech Republic Grand Prix did not start so good for Mike Di Meglio and he did not find the good feelings he had last week at Indianapolis. In the morning, he was able to set a fast lap on soft tyres, but he could not improve in the afternoon and also suffered a minor crash at turn 3. Di Meglio is now analysing all the data with Ducati and his crew to try to make a step forward tomorrow.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 / 14th (P1 Open) 1’57.718 @HectorBarbera

I’m very happy because once again we are the fastest Open bike, we have a good gap over the second one, and we are just 1.2s from the fastest guy… I think we are getting the maximum of our bike. The team is working really well, the motivation is very high and also I feel at the top of my riding skills, and all together makes things easier. But we have to keep working for the race, because with more than 50 degrees track temperature, the bike slides everywhere, which is to be expected under these conditions. We have to make some adjustments tomorrow, use the FP4 to improve the race pace, and then try to be in the Q2, which would be incredible. I’m going to try it. We knew this track would be good for us, and at the moment it’s going well.

MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / 19th (P4 Open) 1’58.589 @Mikejpp63

It has been a complicated first day. In the morning, I managed to do one lap with the soft tyre at the end of the session, but my feeling was bad. This afternoon we tried many things, but nothing worked, so it was even worse. I think we need a big change on the bike set up because my feeling is not good and crashing when you are riding slowly is not something good. I think that we found a good set up at Indy, but it’s clear that this doesn’t work here at all. We need to keep focused on our job and try to solve these problems tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW MAKES PROGRESS IN BRNO

Cal Crutchlow finished the first day of practice at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in tenth place overall, but the Briton was satisfied with the work he and the CWM LCR Honda Team had put in throughout the day.

All riders have expressed their concern about the difficult track surface at Brno, which is bumpy in several sections and seriously affected by the suffocating heat, which saw track temperatures rise above the 50ºC mark. Crutchlow was another to add his voice to those complaints, but felt that the crew have started to find a solution to the issues that arise, improving his time by over a second from the morning to the afternoon practice.

Cal Crutchlow #35 – 10th (1’57.229)

“It was a difficult day with the track conditions, but overall I was quite pleased with things. We certainly need to improve entry into some of the corners under braking, and we found some strange things with the front tyre that I wasn’t happy with and it meant I couldn’t ride so comfortably.”

“Honestly speaking though, I was quite pleased with the second session. The overall lap time might not look too impressive, but it was only because I didn’t make a good fast lap with the front tyre. Tomorrow hopefully we can take some benefit of the morning session and learn a few things for Sunday’s race.”

More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:

ANOTHER SOLID DAY FOR MILLER IN BRNO

Following on from a positive weekend of riding just days ago at Indianapolis, race result aside, Jack Miller put in an excellent day’s work on day one in the Czech Republic, ending the day as the top Open Honda rider yet again.

The CWM LCR Honda man found the greasy and bumpy Brno circuit a handful on board his Honda RC213V-RS, and the morning session saw him finish in 22nd position. However with some tweaks to the machine by his crew, he improved his lap time by a full second in the afternoon practice, to end the day in 17th overall and positive about qualifying.

Jack Miller #43 – 17th (1’58.512)

“This morning was a disaster, but we seemed to have pulled through that. This afternoon was an improvement – even if the grip levels were a lot lower. I saw a lot of riders going down and it was a little bit scary at the start there. It’s really bumpy here, entering the corner on the brakes it just doesn’t want to co-operate, so we’ll work on our front stability tomorrow.”

“It was good though in the afternoon, we improved a lot of things, although we’re still not where we want to be. I’m not comfortable on the bike here over the bumps, so we’ve got a few things to look at and the boys will be helping me to get it right. We’re the fastest Open Honda out there at the moment so that’s a positive, but we’re not quite where we want to be.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Heatwave welcomes MotoGP to Czech Republic

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders set quickest lap times in cooler morning conditions

With no time to relax after their excursion to Indianapolis the MotoGP riders were back on track today for the opening free practice sessions of the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno. Unlike most opening days when the quicker lap times are set in the afternoon, the opposite was true today as the rising heat had a detrimental effect on track conditions. As such Jorge Lorenzo ended the opening day of the eleventh round of the season on top of the timesheets thanks to his effort in the morning session, with Marc Márquez quickest in a crash-strewn afternoon.

There was plenty of work taking place during both sessions in the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team garage, where both riders were happy with their initial set-ups before being forced to adjust to the change in temperatures. Nicky Hayden finished eighteenth overall after struggling over the bumpy sections of the Brno track when the temperatures rose in the afternoon. Like Hayden, his team-mate Eugene Laverty set his best lap of the day this morning although he was happier with his feeling in the afternoon. The Irishman was on course to improve his best lap almost at the end of the session when he crash in turn nine. However, Eugene is happy with his set-up and confident of improving tomorrow.

18th Nicky Hayden 1.58.549 (29 laps): “This morning we started with a pretty good feeling but in the afternoon the heat changed the track conditions completely and that changed our feeling with the bike. We tried a few things to regain some confidence, such as the hardest front tyre, but it didn’t improve anything. This circuit is quite bumpy and I am losing quite a lot of grip over the bumps and the bike is sliding around. We tried to fix it but we have still haven’t come up with the best solution, we need a more balanced bike. The suspension isn’t working correctly over the bumps so gradually I am losing corner speed, which is something we need to correct tomorrow. Dani and Valentino had strange crashes, seemingly because of oil on the track, so I decided to stop and see what was happening because quite a few of the riders were also crashing at the end of the session”.

20th Eugene Laverty 1.58.656 (30 laps): “This afternoon the conditions were quite strange but even so I had a good feeling with the bike – it was just a shame that I crashed towards the end of the session on my first lap on new tyre. Luckily I wasn’t hurt. I felt comfortable today on the bike, like at Indianapolis, so we will keep working in the same direction tomorrow. The set up of the bike means I can tackle the corners with confidence and I am sure that we will keep developing and be ready for the race. The team is doing a great job, like at Indianapolis, and we have found a way forward early on. I feel very happy within this team and even though the Indianapolis race didn’t go as we hoped we are working hard to make sure that the second half of the season is much better than the first.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

STEADY START FOR ESPARGARO AND VIÑALES IN BRNO

The first day of work at the Brno circuit saw Team SUZUKI ECSTAR return to its usual blue and yellow livery and both Aleix Espargarò and Maverick Viñales worked hard on the set-up of their machines and find much-needed confidence to improve their times.

Both riders also improved their lap-times from the morning to the afternoon session while not all the top riders could as the track got very slippery thanks to the rising temperatures of around 50°. The combined classification sees Espargarò in ninth place with 1’57.202 and Viñales in 13th with 1’57.607.

The main objective for Espargaro was to get a good feeling, which is why he tried different set-up options and tyre combinations which yielded a positive result in terms of overall performance with the bike. His attempt to get closer to the top is not yet complete, but both the rider and his crew have positive results to work on.

Viñales, on his side, continued the approach that proved to be effective in Indianapolis, focusing his efforts in finding a confident set-up for the race and use it as a starting point to get a base for a fast qualifying set-up. For this reason he ran the whole morning session with only one set of tyres (hard), finally riding for 14 laps. The afternoon saw him continue the work with the hard tyre. In fact it gave positive feelings to the rider that will be useful for tomorrow’s qualifying, even though he spent most time on the hard tyres.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“It’s been a positive day, the riders could find their feeling back with the bikes and we could finalise more positive work on our machines. We dedicated our efforts to finalising the set-up of the bikes, evaluating different options in set-up, electronics, and gear transmission ratio, and the efforts paid off. Aleix did suffer a little more, but finally found a good pace and also make good steps forward for the fast lap. Maverick kept on with his work in preparation of the race, focusing on pace consistency and he also found good set-up options. For sure we need to work harder and harder to be even more competitive, especially in the qualifying ‘time attack’ and the track is not easy to ride on at all due to the high temperatures that make the Tarmac very slippery; but today we got some positive results and I think we can make a good job tomorrow.”

Aleix Espargaro:

“It’s been a positive day, I am happy that we are getting over the bad weekend that we had in Indy and now I feel confident again in my GSX-RR. Here the tyres are a little different and we found a proper way to make my bike more effective. The track is very slippery, it is hard to keep on the right lines, but my feeling has improved a lot. We still have much work to do, but my performance has improved so much from morning to afternoon but this is not enough. We can be closer to the top and I want to be there. We can do better both in pace and over the single lap; therefore tomorrow we will focus to finalise the set-up and electronics to best-suit up my needs.”

Maverick Viñales:

“We continued with the idea of preparing for the race day instead of attempting immediately the quickest lap-time and once again I feel very comfortable with this decision. Today’s work gave positive results, in the morning I ran only one set of tyres which resulted in a good performance that eventually improved again in the afternoon. My pace is good and I could score some good times also with worn tyres. Here the heat is a big problem: the Tarmac gets very hot and tyre performances drops very quickly, therefore we need to work on finding a good balance between the single lap and the consistency of our performance. The track is not easy for us but when I was with worn tyres I could be in the top-10, and now we miss only the ‘crazy lap’ to enter Q2 and then get a good place on the grid, but for today I am satisfied enough.”