Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceske Republiky

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Brno, Czech Republic

August 5, 2018

Race Results (all on Michelin tires)

1. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 21 laps, Total Race Time 41:07.728

2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), -0.178 second 

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), -0.368

4. Valentin Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -2.902 seconds

5. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), -2.958

6. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), -3.768

7. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), -6.159

8. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -7.479

9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), -7.575

10. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), -8.326  

11. Alex Rins, Suzuki (Spain), -8.653 

12. Jack Miller, Ducati (Australia), -16.549 

13. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), -19.603 

14. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), -21.381 

15. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), -23.159

16. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), -27.673

17. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), -28.311  

18. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), -41.172 

19. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), -42.411

20. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), -50.941

21. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), -13 laps, DNF, retired

22. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia, -16 laps, DNF, crash

23. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM). -20 laps, DNF, crash

24. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), -20 laps, DNF, crash

25. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), -20 laps, DNF, crash

26. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 19 races):

1. Marquez, 181 points

2. Rossi, 132

3. Dovizioso, 113

4. Vinales, 109

5. Lorenzo, 105

6. Zarco, 97

7. Petrucchi, 94

8. Crutchlow, 90

9. Iannone, 81

10. Miller, 61

11. Rins, 58

12. Pedrosa, 57

13. Bautista, 51 

14. Pol Espargaro, 32

15. Rabat, 30

16. Syahrin, 24

17. Morbidelli, 22

18. Aleix Espargaro, 17

19. Smith, 13

20. Redding, 12

21. Nakagami, 10

22. Kallio, 6

23. Abraham, 4

24. Luthi, 0

25. Simeon, 0

26. Guintoli, 0

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

Zarco and Syahrin deliver strong Czech Grand Prix performance

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Johann Zarco launched forward from the third row of the grid today in scorching Automotodrom Brno. He came off the line well, defended his starting position and kept up with the top during the initial laps. With a strong and consistent pace, the fast Frenchman fought through the 21 long laps and saw the chequered flag in seventh. After 10 of 19 rounds in 2018, Zarco now occupies sixth of the overall ranking, still well in striking distance to the top 3.

In the meantime, Hafizh Syahrin did a good start and made up some places already on the first lap. The Malaysian was giving his all while fighting with his fellow rookie Franco Morbidelli, but eventually had to play it safe and take home important two points while crossing the line in 14th in order to keep the advantage of the Rookie of the Year on his side.

Johann Zarco

Position: 7th – Championship: 6th – Points: 97

“The race was good – P7 like the Qualifying. I tried to overtake at the beginning of the race, but it was complicated as the others were quite strong and I was not able to do exactly the same riding like them. So, to stay with them, I was sliding a lot and then I had to slow down a little bit. In the second part of the race I found a better pace to follow this group and almost caught them to fight, but I was a bit too close to the limit. At the end of the race, the bike was still under control, but I think I didn’t have enough positive points to overtake Danilo (Petrucci). I just had to finish the race and be happy with that. From yesterday, my feeling on the bike is getting back better and better and I could see in the race that I was very close to the podium since a long time. Something was missing, but now I’m sure I can find it with my team, because we have many races in a row now and not a lot of rest, which will be an advantage to step forward.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 14th – Championship: 16th – Points: 24

“In the beginning I felt really good with the bike and I was very close to Bautista. But after the middle of the race, the bike got nervous on the exit of the corners, I don’t know why. I tried to understand, but it was difficult for me to fight like this, although I tried to control the bike and work with my body. For sure it was very tiring. Now I try to come back stronger from the test tomorrow. We try to find a solution and I aim to continue working in this way. I collected two points more and it’s still very close to Morbidelli, but I try to make a good race next week.”

Hervé PONCHARAL

Team Manager

“What a race! I think today the spectators who took a few days off to come down to Czech Republic didn’t regret their trip because Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP have been fantastic fights. When the MotoGP race is like this, it’s just an unmatchable sport and show. I think the whole grid was really worried at the start because we were thinking it might be a replay of 2017 as we could hear and see that there were some thunderstorms and there was a high possibility of rain. We were more ready than last year, but anyway fortunately, we didn’t have to go through a flag-to-flag race and the track stayed dry and warm. Johann was one of the few riders on soft rear tyres. Although he said that he’s confident, I was a bit skeptical, but the first half of the race was good, he was there right at the end of the front group. Then we had two or three laps where he was losing a bit and I thought the gamble wouldn’t pay off. But then him and Bautista, the only ones on soft where the fastest for three laps in a row. So, we were more confident that it was a good choice. I was hoping he could catch the guy in front of him, but he never really managed to be that close. Overall, he had a really strong and good race. Three laps to go he was just 3.5 seconds off the front and in the last three laps he just took it home. Seventh is not too exciting, but all the top guys were there, he was in the group. I would say, it was the best race, we could have hoped for. The two factories that are on the podium are really strong at the moment. Clearly, they work very hard, but without an improvement you can not move forward. I think Johann did the best he can together with the team, he did the tyre gamble in order to have something, but on a regular base on a circuit like here where the machinery is very important, honestly there is not a lot we can do. We are a bit down to our competitors and it’s a bit frustrating, but this is the situation. We’ve been living this for many years and we continue to try our best. Johann is a fighter and we want to give him what he deserves to be in front. On Hafizh’ side there was a big battle as well, but of course less under the radar. He was fighting with his fellow rookie Franco Morbidelli. He was in front for quite a while and then Franco passed him, Hafizh followed, but there was nothing he could do to repass him. He is still leading the rookie championship, but he lost a point to Franco. This is exciting! He is learning and I think he did a really good weekend here in Czech Republic. In just a few days we’ll see what we can do in Austria.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

VALUABLE NINTH PLACE FOR BAUTISTA AFTER TIRELESS FIGHT AT BRNO

Ángel Nieto Team rider gains places on the final laps of the Czech Grand Prix, whilst teammate Karel Abraham finishes 18th.

Andrea Dovizioso started the second half of the MotoGP season with a victory that brings him back into the fight for the World Championship. The Italian completed a Ducati double along with teammate Jorge Lorenzo at the Czech Grand Prix, taking the factory to second in the standings. Marc Márquez remains the leader of the Rider World Championship and extended his lead over Valentino Rossi, after finishing third today ahead of the Italian. Márquez was involved in a final battle amongst the podium finishers along with Ducati duo, but was held off despite countless attempts to overtake.

Álvaro Bautista took a valuable ninth position in the Czech Grand Prix, in a race in which he never gave up. The Spaniard was eleventh at the start of the second half of the race, but was several seconds ahead of those behind him. He managed to impose a strong pace, clocking the fastest lap of the race at that point (1:56.772) to cut the gap to the group fighting for eighth. On the final three laps he managed to overtake two rivals to get back into the Top 10, placing ninth. Teammate Karel Abraham started from twenty-second on the grid and was well positioned after the start, but an incident on the opening corners held him up and cost him several places. Despite this, he fought back to eighteenth place at the chequered flag for his home race.

9th Álvaro Bautista: “It was a race of two halves: In the first I had the worst feeling that I’ve had in recent races, but in the second half there was a radical change and I set the fastest lap of the race until the three riders on the podium bested it late on. The strange thing about today was the start: I got off the line well but I was not able to stop the bike, and I almost crashed three or four times. I wasn’t comfortable, and I thought we had lost the race because it was impossible to ride. However, in the second half I managed to go fast and I was able to fight for the Top 8, but I was only able to overtake two of the three riders in the group; I needed one more lap to overtake Pedrosa. I’m happy with the second part of the race, but we have to analyse the first half, because we could have done just as well as in Germany and fight for the Top 5.”

18th Karel Abraham: “It’s hard for me to say it, because I think a rider can always push a little more, but I think we gave our all today. The start was not bad, but in the third corner there was an incident between several riders. I was a bit cautious then and several rivals overtook me. Little by little I regained positions until I caught Nakagami, who was already far away. I got in front of Guintoli but I had problems with the rear and the bike cut the power, so he came back and overtook me. I needed to change the race mapping, but couldn’t until several laps later according to our strategy. When I could do that, I regained my position along with Guintoli. It’s a shame we weren’t able to reach Nakagami and Luthi, because I think I could have fought with them.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ STRUGGLES BUT, CLAWING HIS WAY BACK FROM 24TH AT THE START, RIDES HIS RS-GP INTO THE POINTS

SCOTT REDDING CRASHES ON THE FIFTH LAP

The Brno MotoGP race did not entirely reward the efforts of Aleix Espargaró, starting twenty-fourth on the grid and fifteenth across the finish line, but not as incisive as he would have liked. The high temperatures of the Czech track convinced both riders (Aleix and Scott alike) to choose the hard Michelin option on the front and on the rear, a combination that did not give Espargaró the right feeling.

Teammate Scott Redding also complained from the beginning of a certain difficulty braking, despite a good start and some early overtaking in the initial stages of the race. During the fifth lap, while lying sixteenth (he had started twenty-fifth), a loss of grip at the front led to him crashing and consequently retiring from the race.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“It was not a good weekend for us, to be honest. I did not expect all of these difficulties. The RS-GP performed differently compared to last year, especially in terms of the front end. When I go into corners and release the brakes, I struggle to turn and if I push, I risk crashing. We could have risked using a softer tyre, but in the end the team opted for the more conservative solution. All things told, I think that it could have been a good choice, but decisions are taken as a team, for better or for worse. Tomorrow we have an important day of tests. I am rather tired and sore, but I want to try to change the balance of the bike significantly to recover the right feeling with the Aprilia.”

SCOTT REDDING

“Unfortunately, today’s crash was very similar to yesterday’s. We were at the limit with the hard front tyre, especially when I fwas riding by myself. In fact, in the early laps I was able to be rather aggressive, overtaking a few riders, but then I began to lose the feeling, especially when I released the brakes, until the crash. It seems like with this bike, the front tyre’s range of use is rather restricted. As soon as you go out of the ideal window, problems begin. I could have settled for finishing the race, but I decided to have a go anyway, pushing to the maximum.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

ROSSI BANKS CRUCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT THE CZECH GP

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi secured a hard-fought fourth place at today‘s Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky. Maverick Viñales suffered his first DNC of the season due to an unlucky crash on lap 1.

Brno (Czech Republic), 5th August 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi had predicted that he would have a challenging end to the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky race and acted accordingly. He made a strong charge in the first half of the race, taking the lead several times. Though he had to relinquish P1, he still secured solid championship points with a well-earned fourth place. Maverick Viñales was fortunately mostly unharmed but unable to continue after an unlucky race incident on the opening lap.

Rossi had a brilliant start from second place on the grid and took the holeshot. The opening laps were a continuous back and forth between him and fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso, while Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo followed. The Doctor spent most of the early stages in second position, carefully observing his compatriot until, with 14 laps to go, he felt ready to make a break for it. He overtook Dovizioso and put his head down.

The nine-time World Champion held the provisional first place for three laps before another battle at the front unfolded. The number 46 rider fell back to fifth place, but he made sure to stay in contact with the leading group. He stalked Cal Crutchlow around the track and made a decisive overtake in the final chicane of the last lap to secure fourth place over the line, 2.902s from first.

Viñales experienced a disappointing end to the Czech GP weekend. Starting from 12th place on the grid he soon found himself mixed up in the busy mid-pack of the rider field. He had hoped to make the medium front – soft rear tyre combination work for him on the first lap to make up ground, but a race incident involving him, Stefan Bradl, and Bradley Smith ended his challenge prematurely. The Spaniard was able to walk away from the crash without serious injuries and will be looking for redemption at the upcoming Grand Prix in Austria next weekend.

The fourth place made Rossi the first rider to secure more than 6000 Grand Prix championship points over all classes. It also keeps him in second position in the championship standings with 49 points to first and 23 points ahead of teammate Viñales, who is now in fourth position. Yamaha holds third place in the Constructor Championship after the race in Brno, with a 43-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team remain in first position in the team standings with a 3-point gap to the second team.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action at the Automotodrom Brno tomorrow for a one-day Official IRTA Test.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It wasn‘t an easy race weekend at all for our team and also the last day is filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand we had Valentino starting from first row and fighting at the front. He put in the maximum and scored the best result possible given the circumstances. Of course on the other hand we feel sorry for Maverick, who‘s race ended early, but starting from the fourth row you know accidents like today’s can happen. It‘s unfortunate that the mishap cost him his third place in the championship standings, especially since the set-up that he tried in this morning’s Warm Up gave him a really good feeling and the decision to use the soft rear tyre could have played out well. Tomorrow we have an extra day here at the Brno circuit to get some testing done.

VALENTINO ROSSI

I think that at the end for me it was a good race because I made a good start, a good first few laps, and I always stayed in the front group. The problem was that I wasn’t fast enough to fight with Dovizioso, Marquez, and Lorenzo. I didn’t have enough pace, unfortunately, and that was a shame because I wanted to try to arrive on the podium, for sure. At the end I did a very good battle with Cal. I was able to overtake him in the last chicane and recovered one place, but it wasn’t enough for the podium.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

When I was already on the ground I was trying to pick up my bike, but it was too late. I don’t know who made the mistake, but it’s lucky in any case that I don’t have any significant injuries. It was a difficult weekend, for sure. We found a new set-up in the Warm Up and I felt really good, so I was very enthusiastic about the race. We need to stay focused and keep doing our job. I think the crash was a consequence of starting from twelfth place, so we have to pay really close attention to which direction we follow with the set-up, and let’s see what happens at the test tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Rabat forced to retire with a technical problem

MotoGP – GP of the Czech Republic – Brno

The weekend of Tito Rabat in the Czech Republic started in a perfect way. On Saturday, he made the move to the Q2 directly and in the race on Sunday, he had the best start of the season so far and got away with the top group. The rider of Team Reale Avintia Racing clocked the fastest lap of the race on lap five and rode along comfortably with Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa.

But on lap nine, bad luck struck once again. A technical problem left Rabat without any options, his bike simply stopped and there was no way to get it going again. Ducati immediately started a thorough analysis, trying to solve this problem for once and for all, because it was not the first race in which Rabat was left without reward due to a fault within the exhaust system. Nevertheless, Tito’s motivation remains high and he hopes for a great comeback from this disappointment with a strong result at Spielberg next week.

For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the race was a positive experience. The Belgian rider was able to put up a fight with Luthi, Abraham y Guintoli in the last group of riders. Only on the last laps of the race, the wear of his rear tyre had reached a point that made it impossible for himi to continue the battle until the chequered flag.

Team Reale Avintia Racing will now travel to Spielberg to contest the Austrian Grand Prix, where both Rabat and Simeon hope to finish higher up in the classification.

Tito Rabat | DNF

“This weekend was very positive until we ran into bad luck in the race. I had a phenomenal start and I think that I finally learned to start well with this motorcycle. And on the first laps, that are normally tough for me, I managed to hang on to the race leaders. But then, the bike simply stopped. We don’t know precisely what happened, but it’s a real shame because we could have scored a good result today. Even though, I repeat that I am satisfied, because I improved in areas in which I had struggled before. Now we go to Austria where I really want to show our progress in the race on Sunday.”

Xavier Simeon | P20

“I honestly think that this was a good race. I had a very good start, I recovered a number of positions on the first lap and I felt good on the bike. But five or six laps from the end, the rear tyre performance dropped and it was difficult to continue the battle with Abraham and Guintoli. Apart from that, the race went well and I saw things that will be useful in the next races to come. Now we go to Austria, a circuit that should be good for Ducati. Let’s wait and see”.

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

CRUTCHLOW BEST INDEPENDENT TEAM RACER IN BRNO

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow claimed fifth place in the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno on Sunday. Starting from fifth on the grid, The Briton was always involved in the battle at the head of the field until the closing laps when a worn rear tyre hindered his chances of fighting for a place on the podium.

Along with Ducati duo Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, fellow factory Honda rider Marc Marquez and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, Crutchlow was part of a five-man fight at the front. Ultimately, the two Ducati riders and Marquez pulled away to claim the podium places, while Rossi pipped the LCR man on the line to snatch fourth. But Crutchlow was pleased with his performance overall and believes the is a lot to build on ahead of the next round in Austria.

Cal Crutchlow – 5th

“I wanted to get third place and have a bit of room to slide, but I had people right behind me. (Jorge) Lorenzo did a fantastic job today to come through and get where he got. I ran out of rear tyre today, I couldn’t exit the corners like them (the leading three riders), I picked the bike up a lot, but it was the floating in the middle of the corner with a used rear tyre that was our problem. That seems to be the only difference between mine and Marc’s (Marquez) bike and we need to improve that”.

“But we’re looking forward to Austria, my team did a fantastic job and so did Honda because this has never been a real strong track for Honda. We have to be pleased, to be in there in the battle, way ahead of Dani (Pedrosa) which is one thing that is important in my team and my result. We achieved a good result today, although I’m disappointed to miss the podium.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

TOP 10 FOR IANNONE AND 11TH FOR RINS IN TRICKY CZECH GP

Andrea Iannone: 10th (+ 8.326)

Alex Rins: 11th (+ 8.653)

Sylvain Guintoli: 19th (+ 42.411)

• Iannone and Rins fighting within Top 10.

• Guintoli battles pain to bring home 19th place.

• Team ready for Monday’s Brno test.

The first race back after the short summer break provided plenty of tension for the 95,000 fans present at Brno; the hot Czech track was surrounded by clouds and storms just moments before the start of the race, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s three riders had to reconsider their tyre choices ahead of the 21 lap race. Andrea Iannone and Sylvain Guintoli stuck to the hard-hard combination, while Alex Rins opted for the medium front and hard rear.

Iannone and Rins made good starts from their third row grid spots, with the Italian quickly slotting into the lead group with 6th place. Rins was not far behind, and the pairing were solidly in the Top 10 with a view to progressing. But as the tough race wore on they found themselves defending. With just three laps to go they conceded a couple of places and brought their GSX-RRs home in 10th and 11th respectively, collecting decent points after the disappointment of Sachsenring. Sylvain Guintoli, riding with broken ribs, started well in 16th and finished the race in 19th place.

Tomorrow the team will take to the track again for an official test.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“It was a pity as the race was different to our expectations after the good performances of yesterday. Today our performance was also not so bad, the gap was very small, but in a race like this a small gap turns into this result. Despite a lot of help from our Test Rider, Sylvain, we couldn’t get the finish that we wanted. Tomorrow we have one day of testing where we’ll try to improve some things for the next race.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“To be honest we expected more from this race because during the practice on Friday and Saturday we had good pace. We thought we could go faster, but during the race we couldn’t really keep the pace of the top group. Starting from the third row means it’s not easy to stay at the front, and then we were not able to recover. It’s not what we wanted but we’ll move forward, the next race will not be easy for us but we’re always trying to improve. Anyway, all three riders finished the race and with Andrea and Alex we’ve scored some useful points. I would like also to thank Sylvain for tracking in a painful condition. He had a good weekend and it seems he enjoyed also. Tomorrow we’ll do some testing and try to fully understand everything from today, as well as testing some new parts for the rest of the season and also for next year.”

Andrea Iannone

“For sure I expected more from this race, but in any case I tried my best. I pushed from the beginning at 100% and I remained pushing until the end of the race, so it’s difficult for us. I hope we’ll have a bit more potential in the next races and we’ll remain a bit closer from the second half of the race until the end. This is the most important thing to focus on because we’re losing out in the second part of the races and struggle on the acceleration points with spinning. We have good potential but not in every area yet, tomorrow we’ll work on some things during the test.”

Alex Rins

“It was a really hard race, and very long. We struggled on corner exit, with a lack of traction. Tomorrow we’ll work hard to try and improve this problem so that next time we can be with the front group. Sincerely, I hoped this race would not be so hard and that I could stay with the group more easily, but it was hard to overtake. The last six laps were very difficult. We’ll try to find the solutions so that we can bring the bike back on the podium in the next races.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“The race was really difficult. I knew it was going to be tough as I’ve ridden with injuries in the past, but this is quite bad and has been getting worse through the weekend. The Clinica Mobile helped me to try and take the edge off the pain. But it was still painful handling ‘the beast’ for 21 laps! It was a long race, I tried to get myself within 40 seconds of the leader and we weren’t far off. I wanted to finish the race and I’m happy because I got that job done. Grip was tricky during the race with the heat, and hopefully we can work on this tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

OLIVEIRA WINS MOTO2 GRAND PRIX AS MOTOGP TEAM HAD TOUGH WEEKEND BEFORE HOMEGP

RACE 10th Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Automotodromo Brno (CZE)

The second half of the 2018 MotoGP campaign began in tough circumstances for Red Bull KTM as Pol Espargaro was ruled out of the Czech Republic round after a warm-up crash and Bradley Smith tangled with two other riders on the opening lap race and failed to reach the chequered flag. There was some relief with Miguel Oliveira celebrating his second Moto2 victory of the season and taking control of the series standings.

MotoGP

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team went into the tenth Grand Prix of the year at a hot Brno circuit optimistic of their race pace with the KTM RC16 and with the knowledge that a bright start would see Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith again challenging the top ten of the premier class.

Espargaro was focussed on making key final tweaks to his set-up in the morning warm-up session but his day and weekend was wrecked by a fall after just eight laps. The Spaniard was given medical treatment and a broken collarbone meant he was ruled out of the 21-lap sprint later in the afternoon. The team are waiting for a more detailed diagnosis of the injury but #44 will return to Barcelona on Monday morning.

Smith launched away from the fifth row of the grid and was determined to be in the heart of the action in the opening throes but ended up in the gravel trap with Stefan Bradl and Maverick Viñales after the German’s overtaking move on Turn 3 skittled the other two. Smith will now recalibrate his efforts towards the post-Grand Prix test on Monday.

Smith: “It was very frustrating but it has to be expected back there when everybody is jostling for position. The whole weekend was super-tight again. I was braking into Turn3 and Stefan took a lunge up the inside and tucked the front. His bike slid into mine and then I slid into Maverick and we all went down. We’ll have a lot to do now in the test and I’ll have a busy day but we got through a lot of stuff this weekend anyway. We still have a long list and I’ll be first out on track tomorrow and the last to leave.”

Mike Leitner (Team Manager): “Not a good weekend for us. We’re happy that Bradley is OK after his crash and I think it was not his fault. His front wheel was taken by Stefan’s bike. This is just a part of racing and we know this category is very tight. We were worried about Pol. He had a big crash this morning. He is lucky he did not hurt himself more and the only clear information we have at the moment is that he has a collarbone fracture, although we don’t know yet how complicated it is. He will go back to Barcelona tomorrow morning for further checks and we can then make a plan.”

Moto2

Again the Moto2 class did not disappoint when it came to close racing and tense action. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira was running at the front of the field from the first moments courtesy of his second-best qualification performance of the season o nthe KTM Moto2 bike. The Portuguese managed his tyres and stayed in contention against four other protagonists to eventually defeat Luca Marini by seven hundredths of a second. The triumph (and sixth podium in ‘18) drew #44 to the peak of the championship standings by just 2 points over Pecco Bagnaia. Teammate Brad Binder rode to 6th position and Swiss Innovative Investors’ Sam Lowes battled back from outside the top twenty to reach 9th spot.

Oliveira: “It was a very fun race. From the start I understood that the pace wasn’t going to be very fast, so the key was to overtake and not lose much time. On the final laps I knew I had to be further up at the front, then when Baldassarri passed us all I thought I maybe had something extra up my sleeve. I suffered a bit of chatter and sliding, but I wanted to be up at the front. I tried to ride smoothly and without making mistakes, and on the last lap I knew that Marini was going for the win, but finally I managed the last laps well and I was able to finish first. I’m very happy; it is an important victory for us and we hope to continue like this. Our goal now is to continue enjoying ourselves and working well. We know there are things to improve with the bike, and we are working on it tirelessly to try to make the dream come true at the end of the year.”

Aki Ajo (Team Manager Moto2): “It’s a great feeling that we have today. We went into the summer break with a victory for Brad Binder at Sachsenring, and we’ve started the second half of the season with a victory for Miguel Oliveira here at Brno. The whole team are very happy. Miguel had a great race today; I would say that the end of the race was the ‘Miguel Oliveira Show.’ I have great respect for Miguel, who never gives up and who put on a great performance. Brad wasn’t too happy with his race today, but this circuit was not easy for him and in my opinion it was also a good day for him. Both the riders and the whole team should be very happy with the work done today.”

Moto3

The first dash of the day was won by Fabio Di Giannantonio but only a second covered the first seven riders across the line. In 3rd place and ecstatic with his first podium finish of the season – and first since 2016 – was Redox PruestelGP’s Jakub Kornfeil on the KTM RC250 GP; the local man was cheered heartily to a memorable trophy.

MotoGP moves straight into the lush climes of the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg for the Grand Prix of Austria next week and where Red Bull KTM will enjoy a passionate and ‘orange’ home support.

Next Race: August 12, 2018 – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (AUT)

Results MotoGP Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, 41:07.728 min (21 laps)

2. Jorge Lorenzo (ITA), Ducati, +0.178 sec

3. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +0.190

4. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, +2.902

5. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +2.958

KTM

DNF Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +21 laps

DNS Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM (crash/injury warm up)

Standings MotoGP 2018 after 10 of 19 rounds

1. Marquez, 181 points

2. Rossi, 132

3. Dovizioso, 113

4. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, 109

5. Lorenzo, 105

KTM

14. Espargaro, 32

19. Smith, 13

22. Mika Kallio (FIN), KTM, 6

Results Moto2 Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +39:22.324 min (19 laps)

2. Luca Marini (ITA), Kalex, +0.070 sec

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, +0.525

4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA), Kalex, +0.745

5. Xavi Vierge (ESP), Kalex, +3.362

KTM

6. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +3.643

9. Sam Lowes (GBR), KTM, +4.038

Standings Moto2 2018 after 10 of 19 rounds

1. Oliveira, 166 points

2. Bagnaia, 164

3. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, 113

4. Baldassarri, 106

5. Binder, 101

Results Moto3 Automotodromo Brno 2018

1. Fabio di Giannantonio (ITA), Honda, 39:09.124 min (18 laps)

2. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, +0.112 sec

3. Jakub Kornfeil (CZE), KTM, +0.339

4. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, +0.560

5. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.771

KTM

6. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), KTM, +0.896

7. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, +1.030

8. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, +1.097

9. Albert Arenas (ESP), KTM, +2.034

23. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +12.976

Standings Moto3 2018 after 10 of 19 rounds

1. Bezzecchi (ITA), KTM, 133 points

2. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, 130

3. Di Giannantonio, 116

4. Canet, 112

5. Bastianini, 97

KTM

6. Kornfeil, 77

7. Rodrigo, 76

8. Ramirez, 66

9. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, 60

10. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, 52

22. Binder, 20

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

TAKA MISSES OUT ON THE POINTS IN BRNO

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami just missed out on a points finish in the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Sunday. Starting from the seventh row of the grid, the Japanese rookie was impeded after a collision on the opening lap and then struggled to make up ground as he eventually finished in 17th position.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a good start and was well-placed after the first couple of corners, but he then almost came off after a crash ahead of him and lost a number of places. Despite pushing hard from then on, Nakagami missed out on the points places and acknowledged after the race it had been a difficult weekend.

Takaaki Nakagami – 17th

“I had a good start and had a good position into turn one and two, but at turn three there was a crash ahead of me and no space. I had to brake and come together with Maverick (Vinales) and I was lucky to stay on the track, but I lost a lot of position“.

“After that our plan was to lap in the mid to high 57s, but I couldn’t keep that pace on all the laps so I tried to change the mapping and my riding style to improve the lap times, but unfortunately I couldn’t do that. I’m sorry for the team, because everybody tried to give me the best bike, but this weekend I found it difficult to adapt to the MotoGP bike.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marc Marquez celebrates his 100th MotoGP race on Brno podium, Pedrosa in eighth place

At the Czech GP, Marc Marquez celebrated from the third step of the podium the special milestone of 100 MotoGP races, showing once again the reasons behind the impressive numbers of his still relatively short Premier Class career.

His 71st MotoGP podium out of 100 starts (71%) was the best result the young Spaniard could achieve today, so after sticking with Lorenzo and eventual winner Dovizioso until the last lap of the race, he ultimately settled for third. At the same time, he achieved his weekend goal of extending his Championship lead at a track where he did not feel totally comfortable. He arrived in the Czech Republic with a 46-point advantage on Valentino Rossi and left with +49.

The other statistics related to his special 100th MotoGP milestone are 40 wins (40%), 68 Pole positions (68%), and 42 race-fastest-laps (42%).

Teammate Dani Pedrosa, who started from 10th on the grid, continued to struggle in corner exits; only at the end of the race was he able to recover two positions and cross the finish line in eighth place.

Tomorrow, the Repsol Honda Team will remain at Brno for a one-day post-race test before moving on to Austria for next Sunday’s Grand Prix von Österreich at the Red Bull Ring Circuit.

Marc Marquez 93

3RD

“Our target for the weekend was to extend our lead in the Championship, and we achieved that. We arrived here with a 46-point edge, and we leave with 49, which is very good. Already yesterday I was expecting that Lorenzo and Dovi would be the strongest opponents, maybe with Valentino, and they were all there today. I was ready to fight as well, but honestly it was difficult to fight against the two Ducatisti as they had strong acceleration and braking stability. I tried but it wasn’t possible, so we took this positive third place. Today was my 100th race in MotoGP, and I used the experience that comes with that; if it had been my second or third MotoGP race, I probably would have tried for the win and either got it or crashed, but it was the 100th and I used wisdom. Third is my worst useable result this year, and I’m happy with it because we finished very close to the top at a track where we often struggle. I’m confident, as better tracks for us will come.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

8TH

“I wasn’t comfortable on the bike and I wasn’t able to exit fast from the corners, so I was trying to recover in the entries. I was doing kind of an elastic effect. Just at the end, when the other riders’ tyres dropped and they couldn’t be so effective on acceleration, I was able to make a couple of passes. It’s not easy to ride that way, but tomorrow we have a test here and I hope we can work to be able to be faster on acceleration.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC):

Early crash prematurely ends Czech GP for Stefan Bradl

An unlucky race incident at turn 3 on the first lap of the Czech Grand Prix prevented HRC wildcard rider Stefan Bradl from taking advantage of a very good start from the sixth row of the grid.

The German struck his right shoulder in the crash and, although medical examination ruled out serious injury, he stretched his ligaments and is experiencing pain and discomfort.

Stefan Bradl 6

Team HRC – MotoGP

“Unfortunately, I was just braking into turn 3 with Viñales not far ahead when I felt a blow and then found myself in the gravel. I looked around and saw that also Bradley was involved in the incident. Honestly, I didn’t understand exactly what happened. It’s a real shame because I had got a very good start and I’m sure I would have been able to recover some positions. Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot of pain pain in my right shoulder. At the Medical Centre, examination luckily ruled out fractures, but the ligaments are quite stretched. We have to see tomorrow how I feel for the test.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

The Battle of Brno

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) has taken his second win of the season in incredible style in the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky as a three-way fight for the win raged between the 04, his Ducati teammate Jorge Lorenzo and reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). By the flag it was a Lorenzo vs Marquez classic on the final lap to decide the podium positions, with the ‘Spartan’ taking second and Marquez, on his 100th MotoGP™ start, forced to settle for third – nevertheless marginally extending his Championship lead. It was also an anniversary for ‘DesmoDovi’ as the Italian celebrated his 100th race for Ducati with the win.

It was Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who took the holeshot from second on the grid, with polesitter Dovizioso just losing out and shuffled back a place as Marquez retained his P3 through the first corner. Lorenzo wasn’t able to make a move from the second row and settled into fourth, with drama then hitting the early stages as a multi-rider incident saw Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and wildcard Stefan Bradl (HRC Honda Team) crash out.

At the front ‘DesmoDovi’ was quick to strike for the lead and he and Rossi dueled it out, but it was the 04 Ducati ahead over the line. Marquez then began to attack Rossi, before Lorenzo struck instead and picked the pocket of the number 93. Dovi led Rossi led Lorenzo led Marquez and it seemed it could be in for another Dutch GP battle royal – but that wasn’t to become the story of the race.

It first became a long train with Dovizioso at the front and squabbles breaking out throughout, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) vs Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) vs both and the fight at the front stretching all the way from Dovi through Rossi, Marquez, Petrucci, Crutchlow, Zarco, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team).

By ten laps to go, however, a group of six had begun to emerge, including those who would fight for the win. Dovizioso, Marquez, Rossi, Crutchlow, Lorenzo and Petrucci had pulled out a gap, and the final showdown would be whittled down further. With expected race pace within the 1:56s and no one putting that in, it was a game of high speed chess – before five laps to go saw Lorenzo take Crutchlow to put Marquez in the middle of the Ducati duo at the front. The pin was soon to be pulled.

A lap later and the laptimes dropped – with Dovizioso, Marquez and Lorenzo all bolting in unison to suddenly pull out a gap on Crutchlow and Rossi on the chase. The trio slammed down into the 1:56s and showed their hand, setting up the Czech GP for an incredible final few laps.

Lorenzo was the first to make a serious move, attacking Marquez on the inside of Turn 14 and carrying the momentum up the inside of Dovizioso at the final corner in a stunning almost-double overtake…but it didn’t stick. ‘DesmoDovi’ took it back as Lorenzo headed a bit wide and was forced back into second, but the gloves were off. On the penultimate lap Lorenzo attacked for the lead again but again headed wide, with Dovi slicing back through before Marquez tried it near the end of the lap against Lorenzo. It was, however, as-you-were over the line for the final lap…

Marquez attacked Lorenzo at Turn 4 as the duel began, but the ‘Spartan’ hit back with a stunner into Turn 6 that sat up the reigning Champion. With Dovizioso then with a bit of margin at the front, the number 99 Ducati threw everything at it to chase down his teammate – but through the final corner neither was just close enough for that final attack. That made it an impressive second win of the season for Dovizioso and his first at Brno, with Lorenzo second and Marquez completing the podium on his 100th MotoGP™ start.

The fight wasn’t over, however. Just behind the breathless battle for the lead, another duel was lighting up the final lap, and it was Rossi who was able to pick the pocket of Crutchlow and beat the Brit to the line by just hundredths – taking the rider from Tavullia over the 6000 career points mark 22 years after his first ever GP win taken at Brno. Petrucci took sixth ahead of Zarco, with Pedrosa pouncing on the Suzuki riders to take eighth by the end. Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) was also able to move forward and took ninth in his 150th premier class race, with Iannone beating Rins to the honour of completing the top ten.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was P12 ahead of top rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) back from injury, with fellow debutant Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) for pretty close company in fourteenth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), also returning from injury, completed the points scorers.

So that’s it from a frenetic fight for the win at the incredible Czech adrenaline factory of the Automotodrom Brno – but don’t worry, there’s not long to wait for more as MotoGP™ heads for the hills of Austria and the Red Bull Ring for a back-to-back thriller.

More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

 Sunday 5 August 2018

MICHELIN BATTLES THE HEAT AS DOVIZIOSO WINS A THRILLER

Michelin faced excessive track temperatures all weekend at Brno during round 10 of the MotoGP™ World Championship before a cooling of the surface today saw the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské Republiky produce another exciting race with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) taking a stunning victory.

This weekend saw asphalt temperatures rise to above 50°C – which is the highest it has been for MotoGP at the 5,403m Brno circuit this century – and the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres had to contend with this as well as the complexities of this technically demanding circuit. With its heavy-braking downhill sections and hard acceleration zones, all of which were magnified with the extreme heat, the riders and teams worked unstintingly with their respective Michelin Technicians to get the optimum performance for their respective machines in preparation for the race.

Today saw a drop in temperature as the clouds cooled things down and the track thermometer read just 38°C and this change caused many teams to rethink their plans and alter the choice of tyres as the race approached. When the lights went out to signal the start of today’s main event, the front medium and hard compounds and the rear soft and hard versions were all that were favoured by the 25 riders that lined up on the grid for the 21-lap race.

Dovizioso was on pole, but he was beaten to the first corner by Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), before the Ducati man regained the lead to head the field at the end of lap-one. The initial stages of the race were a guarded affair as no rider wanted to show their hand and chose to preserve their Michelin tyres for the long race ahead. As the laps ticked by lap-times improved and a battle started to form at the front. Dovizioso and Rossi were joined by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team). These five swapped places numerous times as the race drew to a close, with some impressive overtaking as the top riders in the world put their faith in the performance of the rubber and pushed their Michelin tyres to the limit. The latter part of the race gave the 84,678 fans at trackside, and the millions more watching on TV around the globe, huge excitement as Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Marquez fought for the podium positions. As the flag dropped Dovizioso took victory on his Ducati, Lorenzo followed him home with Marquez third, as this trio also set the three fastest laps of the race on the last circulation, demonstrating the durability of the MICHELIN Power Slicks over such a demanding race. Rossi finished in fourth, with Crutchlow taking fifth and the position of First Independent Rider. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) was sixth, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) securing seventh place. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was eighth, Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) on his 150th MotoGP start taking ninth and Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) rounding out the top-ten.

Michelin will now remain at Brno for a one-day official test, before traveling straight to the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg in Austria for round 11 of the championship, which will be held next Sunday.

Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team:

“The front worked really well and I’m very happy with its performance today, especially on this track where there are a lot of bumps and it is normally very difficult. We are very focussed on the rear because on our bike we are always trying to preserve the tyres for the end of the race. Overall this weekend it has been very good as we had an advantage with our bike with acceleration, so we always have a chance to fight right till the end. We are still trying to adapt the bike to the tyres and get the very best performance and that is something we will continue to work on.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“This has been a real complex weekend for us. We did not anticipate the extreme track temperatures we would face and the working range that the tyres would have to contend with. Due to how we have progressed during our three seasons in MotoGP the operating windows are now much larger and this was highlighted as every rear compound was a raceable option today. The durability of the tyres was a very important issue, but we knew that the tyres could withstand the 21 tough laps around here no matter what the temperature and that was proved as Jorge, Marc and Andrea set the three fastest laps respectively on the very last lap. This has been a very positive weekend for Michelin and we will now stay for the test where we have a new tyre to evaluate, before we head to Austria and another tough examination at a very unique track.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Ducati Team scores a fantastic 1-2 victory at Brno. Andrea Dovizioso wins the Czech Grand Prix ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, second at the flag

Both Ducati Team riders put in great performances today at the Automotodrom circuit near Brno, with Andrea Dovizioso celebrating his 100th GP for Ducati by winning the Czech Grand Prix ahead of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who finished a close runner-up.

The Italian rider, who started from pole position, led for 18 of the scheduled 21 laps, battling first with Rossi, then in the final stages holding off the attacks from his team-mate and Marquez and he crossed the finish-line in first place with an advantage of 178 thousandths of a second over Lorenzo. Thanks to today’s win, Dovizioso moves into third place in the Riders’ championship standings with 113 points, 68 behind leader Marquez.

It was also a great race for Jorge Lorenzo, who after powering away from the second row, was a bit behind the leading group until two-thirds of the race but he then caught the two leaders and engaged in a spectacular battle with Dovizioso and Marquez right down to the chequered flag, which he took in second place behind his team-mate. Today the Spanish rider also notched up the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1’56.640, which he set on the final lap, and he has now moved up to fifth place in the championship with 105 points.

The next event will be the Austrian Grand Prix, which will be held in one week’s time at the Red Bull Ring circuit near Zeltweg.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st

“It was an incredible win! Before this weekend I was excited because I felt that we could do well, but I never expected such a spectacular victory. I was very quick right from the first session on Friday, yesterday I did an awesome qualifying, today in the race I had a perfect strategy, and so I’m very pleased with everything. I managed the race lap by lap, trying to interpret what was happening around me and see how the other guys were riding: I raced well without ever misusing the rear tyre and, even though I was having a bit of difficulty in the final stages, in any case I was able to fight off Jorge and Marc, who today were both really on top form.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2nd

“I’m very happy about my second place but also for the team’s 1-2 result and I’m very proud about the way we were able to overturn the situation from Friday, when we were in a bit of difficulty. Bit by bit we improved the bike to make it very competitive and we found a setting and a strategy for the race that worked well. Today I managed the situation calmly, because it was vital to look after the tyres and get to the end of the race in the best possible condition in order to try and attack and play my cards. I was feeling good and the bike was very stable, but I was struggling a bit in acceleration and it was a pity because I could have fought for the win, but my pass on Marquez two laps from the end allowed Dovizioso to gain a small advantage and it wasn’t possible to pass Andrea, who did a really great race.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“We’re obviously very pleased, especially because unlike our closest rival, we didn’t have the advantage of having tested here in Brno and so finishing first and second is an amazing result. I believe that it clearly demonstrates the great job we’ve done to give our riders a competitive bike and I’d like to thank everyone in Ducati Corse, both back in Borgo Panigale and at the track. It was an awesome, exciting race, and both Andrea and Jorge were so good today!”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

 Grand Prix Ceské republiky – RACE

#CzechGP Race. Petrux fights with the leading group and finishes 6th. Jack ends up 12th. p.s #ForzaDucati

Danilo Petrucci finished in P6 the #CzechGP after a very good race with the leading group. Jack Miller was the protagonist of a great comeback as he had to start from 17th position.

Petrux managed to stay with the front group and on lap 3 he overtook Crutchlow for P5. The race pace is good and halfway through the race Petrux tries to chase Valentino Rossi. The rider from Terni finished in sixth place after a great race.

Jack Miller tried to push hard but in the first lap he was slowed down by the crash that involved Bradl, Vinanles and Smith. The race pace is good and Australian rider tryied to get the Top 10. Miller finished 12th in a good race complicated by the qualifying (17th).

P6 – Danilo Petrucci

“I did well in the race. I’m happy for this weekend. Perhaps I could have taken a few more points but I go to Austria with great confidence. I’m very happy for Ducati, I feel I’ve given a good contribution”.

P12 – Jack Miller

“It was a difficult race. The qualifying didn’t help me and I had some problems in the first lap. We can do better but the feeling with the bike is very good and the team is doing a great job. I can’t wait to be in Austria”.