MotoGP heads Stateside for Round 11

The 2010 World Championship calls on Indianapolis where Jorge Lorenzo will aim to continue his rampant form as he edges ever closer to a first premier class title.

The 2010 season continues its march towards the decisive part of the season with round 11 of 18 taking place at Indianapolis this weekend, and all eyes will once more be on Jorge Lorenzo as the Fiat Yamaha rider aims to maintain his phenomenal form this season. Victory last time out at Brno made the Spaniard only the third premier class rider in history to have placed inside the top two in all ten opening races of a season, and few would bet against him extending his win count this season to eight at a track he was victorious on last season.

With a 77-point advantage over Dani Pedrosa in the standings the Repsol Honda man will be eager not only to halt his rival’s run, but also to make up for last year’s Indy outing. Pedrosa dominated the weekend and started from pole, but crashed early in the race and eventually placed tenth. Fresh from second place in the Czech Republic he will be targeting a third win of the season, which would be a first treble of premier class wins in one year for the 24 year-old.

Casey Stoner’s consistent podium finishing over the past five rounds has lifted the Ducati Team rider to third overall, and still in search of a first win of the season the Australian will also be looking to make up for last year’s absence from this race due to illness. He will also be expecting a front-end improvement on his Desmosedici after testing new forks at Brno. Just four points behind him in the standings is Andrea Dovizioso, and the Repsol Honda man will want a solid result after his first DNF of 2010 in the last round. The Italian has finished fifth and fourth in his two rides at Indy, and will expect to go one better in the battle for third with Stoner.

Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi continues to go from strength to strength as he regains full fitness, and has winning form on the track from 2008. Two points off the Italian in the standings is his prospective team-mate for 2011, Ducati’s Nicky Hayden. The American – still in search of a first podium of the campaign – will be desperate for a strong home display and will hope the injured left hand he sustained in Brno does not hinder those aspirations.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Ben Spies will have identical aims to compatriot Hayden on home soil, whilst Randy de Puniet’s incredible return to action at Brno just four weeks after a broken leg will take its next step as the LCR Honda rider attempts to regain the highest privateer honour. Italian Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and another proud American Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) complete the top ten as it stands.

Rookies Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) will all want positive first premier class runs at the circuit, whilst those with previous Indy experience in Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Pramac Racing pair Aleix Espargaró and Mika Kallio will look to pull on their knowledge in search of good results.

Having ridden at the Brno test for the first time in two months Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team) could make his return to action, but is waiting to make a decision. In the case the Japanese rookie does not Alex de Angelis will continue as his stand-in on the satellite RC212V.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Big points haul for Spies and Edwards in Brno

A strong weekend concluded in fine style for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team in Brno with Ben Spies storming to a superb fourth position and Colin Edwards equalling his best result of the season.

Starting from the front row of the grid for the first time in his MotoGP career, Spies made a blistering start and led momentarily off the line before giving way to a typically fast starting Dani Pedrosa.

Spies swept by the Spaniard later on the first lap to engage in an exciting early battle with Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. Despite launching a concerted effort to stay in contention at the front, Spies was unable to maintain his impressive early rhythm.

Battling a small front-end grip issue, the Texan tenaciously fought to keep Casey Stoner at bay until the Australian relegated Spies to fourth position on lap nine. Spies dug deep again to try and keep himself in contention for a second rostrum of the campaign but he was unable to keep close to Stoner, the reigning World Superbike champion settling for a comfortable fourth position that moved him to within 25 points of fourth place in the overall rankings. He was once again leading non-factory rider and second best Yamaha as Jorge Lorenzo triumphed in emphatic fashion again.

Colin Edwards also made a brilliant start from the third row and he was involved in one of the few battles unfolding in front of a bumper crowd of 148,120.

The experienced 36 year-old fought tirelessly to close in on compatriot Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi before he too encountered some small front-end grip issues.

He settled for a seventh place that moved him into the top ten in the overall rankings and today's 22-point haul – the second best of the season for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad - further consolidated the team's position in fourth place in the Team World Championship classification.

Ben Spies - 4th

“I got a good start and was staying right with Jorge and Dani for a few laps and had a comfortable pace. But after about lap seven I starting having problems with the front that I hadn't experienced all weekend. It's a shame because while I know I definitely didn't have anything to fight Jorge with because he is riding so well, maybe I could have stayed close to Dani. I'm not saying I'd have beaten him but I'd have been closer to put up a challenge. I had one second on Casey when I started having the problems but I had to slow my pace quite a bit and that was a bit frustrating because it meant he caught me quite quickly. I couldn't run his speed so when he passed me I didn't worry about trying to run with him. I'm not upset though because without that small problem I could have easily battled for the podium. I'd have loved the podium to give me a big lift before going home to Indianapolis, but I'm really happy with my recent performances and once again I was the top satellite team rider and I can't be unhappy with fourth place.”

Colin Edwards - 7th

“I gave it everything I had and I can't be disappointed with the way I rode. I thought it was going to be a good race because I'd been strong all weekend and really happy with the new front-end geometry setting that had helped the bike turn much better. And when I got a good start I felt confident that I could challenge for my first top six of the season. But in the race I didn't have the same feeling with the front tyre and I don't think I was the only one that had a small issue. When I tried to push a bit harder I had a moment and I lost contact with Valentino and Nicky in front of me. I took some risks to keep close to them but there was nothing I could do. Seventh is not a great result but it's better than where I have been finishing and hopefully we can make some more progress in Indianapolis and be closer to the front."

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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MotoGP testing underway at Brno

The second and final day of in-season MotoGP testing is underway at Brno in the Czech Republic.

As of the end of the third hour, Brno race winner and MotoGP title leader Jorge Lorenzo is fastest with a lap of 1min 56.269sec (from 21 laps), which is three tenths under Dani Pedrosa's pole time from the race weekend.

Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa is second fastest to Lorenzo so far at the test, but a full 1.155sec slower.

Casey Stoner, third in the race for Ducati, is also third on the timesheets, 1.357sec behind Lorenzo.

Lorenzo's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi, who announced a move to Ducati last night, is eighth.

Hiroshi Aoyama, missing from MotoGP since fracturing a vertebra at Silverstone, has completed 31 laps with a best of 1min 59.476sec.

That is slightly quicker than his replacement at Interwetten Honda, Alex de Angelis, managed in the race.

All MotoGP manufacturers have brought new parts to try at the test. 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Dani Pedrosa happy to be back on podium

Dani Pedrosa rode to a solid second place at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic on Sunday from pole position, and while stating that the result was not the one he had hoped for he was pleased to be back on the podium.

The Repsol Honda rider produced a good response to his DNF at Laguna Seca in the previous round as he made a trademark rapid start from pole, and he duelled with race winner Jorge Lorenzo for the early part of the race, eventually finishing just over five seconds behind his rival.

“It’s good to be back on the podium after the crash at the last race at Laguna Seca so I’m happy about this,” said the 24 year-old after the race. “My start was good and I was in first place through the first corner but in the first left-hander I was a little bit too concerned about my tyre temperature and braked too early, which allowed Ben and Jorge to get past. When I was in second place behind Jorge again I was trying as hard as possible to stay close, which I could do for a few laps, but for some reason I wasn’t quite able to go as fast as yesterday and though I tried to adjust my riding to improve this Jorge was gradually able to open the gap.”

Maintaining second position in the Championship with the result Pedrosa is aiming to go one better at Indianapolis as he seeks to cut Lorenzo’s 77-point lead in the standings.

“Today wasn’t the best result for us, but still the podium is okay and we can build on this result. After the test tomorrow we go to Indianapolis and I was strong there last year - despite the mistake in the race - so I’m confident we can be competitive again at the next race,” he concluded.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Jorge Lorenzo takes seventh victory at Brno

Jorge Lorenzo has extended his MotoGP title lead to 77 points, over three race wins, after claiming his seventh victory from ten starts in Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno.

Starting third on the grid, the Fiat Yamaha rider took the lead from title rival Dani Pedrosa at turn three of the opening lap, with the Repsol Honda rider also losing second position to Ben Spies.

Pedrosa re-passed the MotoGP rookie into the same corner next time around, and soon rode up to Lorenzo's rear wheel. Pedrosa then shadowed Lorenzo until just before the halfway stage of the 22 laps, when Lorenzo began to break away.

The #99 extended his advantage over Pedrosa during the second half of the race to win by a comfortable 5.494sec. Lorenzo then celebrated on hole seven of the Brno golf course.

Spies lost third place to Ducati's Casey Stoner on lap nine, while Valentino Rossi - who will finally announce that he is joining Ducati next season, later today - was strangely off-form throughout the race.

The reigning seven time MotoGP champion dropped from fifth to eighth through the opening turns and simply never made an impression on the race.

Rossi took seventh from Colin Edwards on lap four, which became sixth place when Andrea Dovizioso spun off his Repsol Honda - after running off line, while fourth - later in the same lap.

The Doctor's final pass was on Nicky Hayden, riding with a hand injury, for fifth place on lap six and he crossed the line 17sec from victory and 4sec behind Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Spies, who will replace Rossi at the factory team next season.

Hayden had dropped almost nine seconds back from Rossi by the end of the race, with fellow American Edwards 6sec behind the Ducati rider and the same margin ahead of San Carlo Honda Gresini's Marco Melandri.

The only action at the end of the race was the fight for eighth, with Marco Simoncelli being passed not only by team-mate Melandri, but also Aspar Ducati's Hector Barbera and LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet (riding less than a month after breaking his leg).

Simoncelli also looked set to lose out to Alvaro Bautista, when the injured Suzuki rookie overtook him late in the last lap - only to fall at the final turn.

Team-mate Loris Capirossi had crashed earlier in the race, while Pramac's Mika Kallio fell from ninth on lap eight.

A post race test session will be held at Brno on Monday.

Czech Grand Prix:

1. Lorenzo

2. Pedrosa

3. Stoner

4. Spies

5. Rossi

6. Hayden

7. Edwards

8. Melandri

9. Barbera

10. de Puniet

11. Simoncelli

12. Espargaro

13. de Angelis 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/race+report/

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Andrea Dovizioso tops Brno warm up

The Repsol Honda rider led the 20-minute Sunday morning session, which was met by a rain shower towards the end.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) set the fastest lap time in the warm up session for the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic on Sunday morning, in a session which was overcast by the weather conditions. The Italian’s effort of 2’10.135 was 1.682s faster than that of any other rider, as the session started on a track which appeared to be drying out and was then marked by a rain shower at its conclusion.

Pole holder Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) were second and third fastest respectively with an identical lap time, whilst Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) was fourth. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) completed the top six.

Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who will start from second position on the grid, was 15th with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) one place behind the American at just over six seconds off Dovizioso’s pace.

Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) was back on track after missing yesterday’s qualifying due to a fall in the second practice session. The Spanish rookie will start the race from 17th position on the grid. Alex de Angelis (Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team), Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) all had minor run offs with no consequences.

The MotoGP race is scheduled to get underway at 2pm local time.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Alvaro Bautista taken for medical checks

MotoGP rookie Alvaro Bautista has been taken to the Brno medical centre on a stretcher after an accident halfway through the Saturday morning practice session.

Bautista - who fractured his collarbone on a motocross bike earlier this year, forcing him to miss a race - was 15th fastest at the time of his accident.

The Rizla Suzuki rider was able to wave as he was carried through the doors of the medical centre.

The track was cool and misty this morning and had previously caught out Randy de Puniet, who is returning to action just one month after breaking his leg.

The LCR Honda rider was fortunately able to limp away from the accident without assistance. 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Mika Kallio and Sterlacchini on the Pramac Ducati GP10

The Pramac Racing rider and the team’s Technical Director discuss the details of the set-up on the satellite Desmosedici GP10 in this motogp.com feature video.

A second season in the premier class for Mika Kallio has proven to be another important step in the Finn’s development on the Desmosedici GP10 of the Pramac Racing team, and in this motogp.com feature the 2009 MotoGP Rookie of the Year discusses the prototype alongside the team’s Technical Director Fabiano Sterlacchini.

Amongst the subjects discussed by Kallio are the differences between last year’s bike and the current 2010 version of the Ducati machine, his improvements over the past couple of rounds following a tough start to the campaign, how he had adapted to the bike, the use of his ice racing experience and his expectations for this weekend’s tenth round at Brno.

Sterlacchini provides an interesting insight into the technical side of things, talking about the task of finding the right balance and set-up for Kallio on the GP10, as well as the importance of the strategies used to manage fuel consumption, traction control and power delivery. With an emphasis on engine management this season Sterlacchini also talks about how the team are dealing with the regulations and the measures they are taking to handle and protect their quota.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Jorge Lorenzo back on track, back on top

MotoGP World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he'd left off before the summer break by leading a shortened Friday practice at Brno in the Czech Republic.

A light rain shower brought useable track time to an end after 45 minutes, the drizzle falling just moments after Lorenzo had extended his advantage at the top of the timesheets to 0.541sec over Honda's Dani Pedrosa.

Lorenzo starts this weekend 72 points ahead of Pedrosa in the championship battle. Lorenzo's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi was third in practice.

"I am happy to be riding here in Brno again," said Lorenzo, who crashed while fighting Rossi for the lead in last year's race. "It's always difficult to go back to work after the holidays and this track is so different to Laguna, so wide and much longer; it took me a few more laps than usual to get going!

"Once I found my rhythm this was a good session and I felt happy on my bike, with a good setting to start from. We tried both rear tyres and we need more time to choose, because unfortunately it rained a bit at the end and we had to stop early.

"We'll have to wait and see how the track is tomorrow but we hope for it to be dry so we can continue with what we started on today," he concluded.

"We had 45 minutes in the dry and we went very well, Jorge had a good feeling with the bike," confirmed team manager Wilco Zeelenberg. "We have some doubts about the rear tyre and whether to use the hard or the soft - we made some adjustments and we needed to check the setting again but then it rained so we didn't have the chance.

"But overall things are good and Jorge is feeling happy on the bike. We just need a bit more track time tomorrow to decide which rear tyre to use." 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Dani Pedrosa lays down challenge in second Brno session

The Repsol Honda rider led the pace in the final practice before qualifying at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.

Dani Pedrosa was the fastest MotoGP rider in the second practice at Brno on Saturday morning, setting a best time of 1’57.201 as he prepared himself for an attempt at securing pole position in the afternoon qualifying session.

The Repsol Honda rider was just 0.016s faster than Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo in the session and set the quickest time of the weekend so far with his 22nd of 23 laps, as Lorenzo kept a close tab on him and previewed what promises to be another intense fight for supremacy in round ten.

Andrea Dovizioso had been top close to the end of the hour with his best effort of 1’57.572, and that eventually placed him third at 0.371s off his team-mate’s marker. Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) was fourth (+0.487s on Pedrosa) with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completing the top five (+0.665s).

American trio Colin Edwards, Ben Spies (both Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) all registered top eight times, with rookies Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) both inside the top ten.

There were still some wet spots littering the track at the start of the session due to an overnight thunderstorm with the surface measuring a cool 19ºC, and one rider who had an early mishap was Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda). The Frenchman crashed 15 minutes in but fortunately escaped any bad effects as he continued his recovery on the bike after injury, returning to the track to set the 14th best time.

Less fortunate was Álvaro Bautista who crashed at turn three after half an hour, and the Rizla Suzuki rider appeared to be in some pain as he was stretchered from the track. Subsequent X-rays confirmed there was no fracture to his L1 vertebra, and the Spaniard will undergo a further medical check on Sunday morning to determine whether he can participate in the race.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Smooth start for Dani Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa helped put the disappointment of crashing out of the lead at Laguna Seca behind him by being second fastest in practice at Brno on Friday.

The US GP fall has left Pedrosa 72 points behind title leader Jorge Lorenzo, who was fastest by half a second during Friday's shower-shortened session.

Because of the weather, Pedrosa isn't too troubled by the lap time and is feeling good.

“This was the first session after the summer break and I took it quite easy just to get into the rhythm and to get used to the bike again," said Pedrosa. "Things went smoothly this afternoon and this was a pretty good start to our weekend.

"It was a pity that the session was interrupted at the end by the spitting rain, which was affecting the back side of the circuit the most, but before that came the feeling with the machine was quite good.

"Also because of the rain we couldn't get through all the Bridgestone tyre testing we had planned, but it's not a big deal. Tomorrow we will keep working on all areas of set-up and so far our direction seems on the right track.”

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was just 0.1s behind Pedrosa, but only fourth on the timesheets, with world champion Valentino Rossi between the factory RCV riders.

“It was a good start for us and I'm reasonably happy with the job we did today - even though the lap times are not so indicative at this stage because they will come down quite a lot tomorrow if it stays dry," said Dovi.

"We didn't have time to finish the full programme of work we had scheduled today because of the rain in the last ten minutes of the session. So we still need to do some more testing on the Bridgestone tyre options, and we'll also make some set-up changes to get a bit more stability on the brakes.

"I hope that tomorrow we can have two try sessions because the forecast is uncertain, but anyway I'm confident for this race weekend.” 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Valentino Rossi - My condition has improved a lot

Valentino Rossi began his third race weekend back from a broken leg, at the Brno event he had originally targeted for his MotoGP comeback, with third in Friday practice.

The world champion was fastest several times during the session, most latterly from the 29th to 36th minute, but was then out-paced by Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa.

Rain in the final fifteen minutes brought an early end to the session, but Rossi was pleased with how his fitness has improved in the two-weekend break since Laguna Seca.

"I'm happy, this was a good practice and I feel good on the bike," said Rossi who was 0.606sec slower than Lorenzo but only 0.065sec off Pedrosa. "After some laps I started to feel some pain in the shoulder and the leg but in general I am okay and my condition has improved a lot from the last race.

"We've done a good job on the setting and I was [among the] fastest throughout most of the session. It was a pity the rain came because we couldn't make the final step, but hopefully we can improve again tomorrow.

"Even though I still have some pain I am quite a lot stronger, especially with the shoulder, so I don't have such a big problem in braking," revealed Rossi, who won at Brno last season.

"It seems we're in good shape," stated team manager Davide Brivio. "Tomorrow we will continue to fine-tune the setting and hopefully make another step with the lap times."

Rossi hasn't won a race since round one in Qatar, but took his first podium since his leg injury with third last time out at Laguna Seca. 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Eighth a solid initial run for Marco Simoncelli

The San Carlo Honda Gresini rider recovered from a crash early on in FP1 at Brno to set the eighth fastest time of the session.

Marco Simoncelli set about the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic in a resolute manner on Friday, lapping eighth fastest in the first practice having climbed back aboard his San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V machine following an early crash.

The fall did little to tarnish the Italian’s enthusiasm and focus and his best time of 1’58.840 left him just over a second-and-a-half off Jorge Lorenzo’s top time, with a positive foundation to build on in Saturday’s sessions.

"Apart from the crash I’m happy with today,” said the former 250cc World Champion. “I started out well but lost the front when I hit a bump and I crashed. Maybe after a few days’ holiday I was just pushing too hard! When I went back out things went well and I set a 1’58.840 on my own in the only run we had time for before it started raining.”

“The bike still doesn’t feel great but I’m confident for tomorrow. The rain wasn’t heavy but there was no point staying out there and risking another crash. I feel better with the electronics than I did at Laguna. I spent time working on them with the team over the break and I think we’re already feeling the benefit."

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Colin Edwards eyes 'strong weekend' with new front-end

Colin Edwards finished Friday practice for the Czech Republic Grand Prix as the leading satellite rider, in sixth position, after benefitting from a new front-end set-up for his M1.

Edwards was a permanent fixture in the top six as he took advantage of the improved turning performance from the experimental set-up.

Fourth at the halfway stage, Edwards finished the session between factory Ducati riders Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner, with a best lap time 1.2sec from pace setter Jorge Lorenzo.

“I felt pretty good immediately and I feel like we should be in for a strong weekend if we can build on the momentum from today," said Edwards. "A lot this season we have started on the back foot a bit and spent the whole weekend playing catch-up. But we've got a platform to build on and that's mainly down to a new front-end setting we tried.

"Thanks to my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because they came up with this experimental setting and it worked really well. We put more weight on the front and I like it better than what I started the session on. Now the bike holds the turn a lot better and I'm not running wide.

"We've put more force through the front tyre to help it turn and I'm sure we can make another step tomorrow if we get dry conditions. I've never had a top six here before, so after this start I'm hoping to put that right on Sunday.”

Team-mate Ben Spies, who won at Brno in World Superbikes last season, couldn't find a set-up as easily as Edwards and finished the rain-shortened session in ninth.

“We started with the setting from Laguna Seca and I just couldn't quite reach the pace of where I needed to be," explained Spies. "But I know there is definite room for improvement. The first bike I just couldn't get working like I needed and we'd got quite a bit different front-end setting in the second bike. Right when I started my out lap on the second bike though I could see sprinkles of rain.

"I was trying to get round as quick as I could to at least get one fast lap in to try and compare the different front set-up and I'm pretty sure we've found something with that direction. The second bike should make it easier for me to roll through the middle of the corner because I was having to hold the brake a bit too much on the other bike to help it turn.

"I'm pretty frustrated because that bit of rain stopped me from getting in a few laps to properly try it and get some data. I wasn't fussed about bettering my time, I just wanted to feel the difference. But I'm 90 per cent sure that the second bike set-up is the way we need to go.” 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Valentino Rossi continues physical progress at Brno

The reigning World Champion reported an improved condition after the opening practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic, having gone third fastest in the session.

All eyes are on Valentino Rossi this weekend with an announcement on the Italian’s future scheduled for after Sunday’s race, but the Fiat Yamaha rider had only one thing on his mind after the first practice at Brno in which he set the third quickest lap time.

Fully focused on his improving physical condition the current World Champion was pleased with how the session, interrupted by rain towards the end, had gone as he lapped with a best effort of 1’57.821 – six-tenths off team-mate and fastest rider Jorge Lorenzo.

"I'm happy, this was a good practice and I feel good on the bike. After some laps I started to feel some pain in the shoulder and the leg but in general I am okay and my condition has improved a lot from the last race,” said Rossi. “I have pain in my shoulder but I’ve been able to work on it and build up the muscle and power. Also the leg has improved and I am more or less at 60% but am making slow improvements.”

Rossi, who has five premier class victories at Brno which includes the last two years, was also highly satisfied with the pace and set-up on his M1.

“We've done a good job on the setting and I was fastest throughout most of the session,” he said. “It was a pity the rain came because we couldn't make the final step, but hopefully we can improve again tomorrow.”

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Fonsi Nieto beats watching Abraham

Former 250cc title contender Fonsi Nieto knocked watching home hero Karel Abraham from the top of the Moto2 Friday practice timesheets at Brno, in the closing stages of the one hour session.

Abraham, riding in his first and probably last home GP as a Moto2 rider - he is set to switch to MotoGP on a satellite Ducati next year - was leading the session with 22 minutes to go, when he suffered a fast fall from his FTR (insert 'bouncing Czech' pun here).

Abraham was unharmed, but his damaged machine meant he took no further part in the session and could only look on from the pits as Nieto put his Holiday Gym Moriwaki into first place by just 0.002sec.

Former title leader Shoya Tomizawa also fell, but got his Suter back to the pits for repairs and was able to finish the session in third place, a mere 0.032sec from Nieto.

Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi, riding in the nearest event he has to a home race, took fourth place for the Fimmco Speed Up team, with Julian Simon fifth for Aspar (Suter) and Catalunya winner Yuki Takahashi sixth for Tech 3 (+0.164sec).

Title leader Toni Elias, 42 points in front of Thomas Luthi, was banned from Friday practice as punishment for a test session at Misano last Sunday (see separate story).

Luthi could only mange 15th in practice for Interwetten Moriwaki.

Friday practice - Brno:

1. Nieto (Moriwaki) 2m 4.875s

2. Abraham (FTR) +0.002s

3. Tomizawa (Suter) +0.032s

4. Talmacsi (Speed Up) +0.135s

5. Simon (Suter) +0.157s

6. Takahashi (Tech 3) +0.164s

7. Corsi (Motobi) +0.341s

8. Iannone (Speed Up) +0.425s

9. Debon (FTR) +0.454s

10. Tode (Suter) +0.463s

21. Redding (Suter) +1.230s 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Smooth session sets Dani Pedrosa off on right foot

The Repsol Honda rider was satisfied with the feel of his factory RC212V in the first Brno practice session, and hopes to continue on the same line of progress tomorrow.

Dani Pedrosa made a confident start to his Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic on Friday with the second fastest time in practice, establishing a good feeling with his Repsol Honda RC212V as he prepares to start the second half of his campaign with a strong result.

The Spaniard spent much of the hour at the top of the timesheet as he began fine tuning his machine for Sunday’s round ten race, and his best lap of 1’57.756 eventually placed him just over half a second off Jorge Lorenzo in a session which was affected by the start of rain 15 minutes from its conclusion.

“This was the first session after the summer break and I took it quite easy just to get into the rhythm and to get used to the bike again,” said the 24 year-old, who currently occupies second spot in the Championship standings. “Things went smoothly this afternoon and this was a pretty good start to our weekend. It was a pity that the session was interrupted at the end by the spitting rain, which was affecting the back side of the circuit the most, but before that the feeling with the machine was quite good.”

The aim for Saturday will be to finalise the set-up, including tyre selection, as Pedrosa aims to challenge Lorenzo once more for the win and cut down his compatriot’s 72-point lead at the top of the standings.

“Because of the rain we couldn’t get through all the Bridgestone tyre testing we had planned, but it’s not a big deal,” added Pedrosa, who intends to try the harder rear slick tomorrow. “We will keep working on all areas of set-up and so far our direction seems to be on the right track.”

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Title leader Elias banned from Brno practice!

Moto2 title leader Toni Elias has been banned from Friday practice at Brno for testing at Misano last Sunday.

The Gresini Moriwaki team didn't attempt to hide the test, stating in their official Brno preview:

'Before traveling to the Czech Republic the team completed a short test with Toni Elias at Misano to complete some work on aerodynamic updates and general set-up of his Moriwaki MD600.'

"The team have not stopped working throughout the summer break and recently completed a test at Misano, working on aerodynamics and set-up, in order to give Toni Elias an even more competitive bike," added team manager Fausto Gresini.

But, apparently unbeknown to the team, that outing broke a ban on testing at GP circuits during the summer break and Elias - who starts this weekend's ninth round of 17 with a 42-point lead over Thomas Luthi - has now been penalised and his team fined.

“On Sunday 8th August 2010 rider Toni Elías (SPA) and Gresini Racing Moto2 team (ITA) practiced at the Misano World Circuit, which is an infringement to the Art. 1.15.1.2.iv of the 2010 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations," said an FIM statement

“The Race Direction has decided to impose a disqualification of Friday's practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic and a fine of €3,000. No appeal has been lodged. The decision of the Race Direction is final.”

Art. 1.15.1.2.iv states that teams are forbidden to practice "At any circuit included in the Grand Prix calendar of the current year during breaks".

A 'break' is defined as "two consecutive week-ends where events are not scheduled." 

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/

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Jorge Lorenzo instantly on the pace in first Brno practice

The MotoGP World Championship leader was over half a second faster than the remainder of the field in the opening session of the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic, ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.

Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he left off as the MotoGP class returned to action at Brno following a three-week summer break. The Championship leader set the quickest lap of the first practice at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic with a best time of 1’57.215 on his Fiat Yamaha M1, in a session that encountered rain in its final 15 minutes.

At 0.541s off Lorenzo’s pace was Dani Pedrosa as the Repsol Honda man set about mounting another challenge to the dominance of his compatriot. Pedrosa, who was leading the last round at Laguna Seca when he crashed, will aim for a step up in pace to enable him to once more push Lorenzo for the win here in round ten.

Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completed the top three as the reigning World Champion timed in at just six-hundredths of a second off Pedrosa, displaying further progress on his way back to full fitness. Close on his tail was fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), who was the fourth and final rider under the 1’58” bar in the hour-long session.

Nicky Hayden was the highest placing Ducati on his factory machine at just over a full second off the top time, with Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) completing the top eight on the timesheet. Rookie Simoncelli experienced the only crash of the session early on, which did little to dent his confidence.

Making his return to action less than four weeks after suffering a broken left leg at Sachsenring was Randy de Puniet, with the LCR Honda rider 16th at just under three seconds off Lorenzo.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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Ducati Team to up the pace at Brno

Both Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden have declared themselves more than ready for the resumption of their respective campaigns, with each focused on taking a step forward at the Cardion ab Grand Prix.

Rested up and ready to resume the 2010 campaign, the Ducati Team head to Brno this weekend with a renewed focus as the second half of the season gets underway. For Casey Stoner the last four races before the summer break produced steady progress as he finished on the podium consecutively, rounding off with a season’s best so far of second at Laguna Seca.

Victorious at the track in 2007 the Australian knows the winning formula for the circuit, and is looking forward to this weekend’s Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic as he pushes for a first win of 2010.

“Brno is one of my preferred tracks, and I have liked it since I first rode here in 2002,” explained Stoner. “It’s a long track which has a fluid design with numerous changes in direction, and offers many overtaking opportunities. It’s the type of circuit that normally leads to spectacular races.”

Having missed last year’s race at Brno due to illness Stoner is even more eager for round ten, where he intends to go for victory once more. “I’m impatient to get on track here,” he stated. “Last year I didn’t ride here and I really missed it. I intend to make up for that this year. We hope to get a good set-up on the bike and find those extra tenths that will enable us to fight for victory.”

Team-mate Nicky Hayden is still in search of his first podium of the season, a result he has come extremely close to on a number of occasions. The American is just as prepared to unleash his Desmosedici GP10 on the Czech track as his colleague after a refreshing summer break.

“It’s good to return after two weeks of holidays, and Brno is a great track to come back on,” he said. “I think that all the riders like it because it’s fast and very fluid and without doubt it’s very different to the last two tracks we’ve raced at, Sachsenring and Laguna Seca, which are both tight and twisty.”

The aim for the race is to step up a level, and Hayden is also ready to make the most of the test on Monday which follows the GP.

“We must take a new step forward. It’s not easy with the level of competitiveness in this Championship, but we have to make progress. After the race we’ll have a day of testing which we hope will give us the opportunity to advance in this manner,” concluded Hayden.

Source: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/

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