Following the success of Aragon just over two weeks ago, the Yamaha World Superbike team are heading to the next round on the calendar, Brno (Czech Republic) eager to confront the challenges in store and optimistic to be on top form. Melandri’s impressive victory in race one and second in race two closed the gap further on the championship leader, Carlos Checa, to 66 points. With 12 races to go in the season and everything to fight for, Melandri and Laverty, currently in third and fourth place in the Championship standing, are en route to Brno determined to have the strength to do what it takes to further reduce the gap to the title.
The Brno circuit, previously known as ‘Masaryk Circuit’, originally called after the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomas Masaryk, is situated close to the city of Brno in the southern regions of the Czech Republic and has welcomed the World Superbike Championship since 1993. The current 5.403 KM permanent road racing layout was opened in 1987. Prior to that, all racing events were held on the street circuit which at its longest measured an impressive 31km.The newly renovated Brno circuit is host to some of the most prestigious international motorsport events: FIA Grand Tourismo Championship, World Touring Car Championship, A1 Grand Prix, World Moto GP Championship and World Superbike. Constant elevation changes, a 7.5% gradient uphill straight at the last chicane and featuring the fastest chicanes in WSB all guarantee a challenging weekend of racing, where the power and strength of the Superbike machines are thoroughly put to the test.
Marco Melandri arrives in Brno fresh from the historical track of Spa Francorchamps where he participated in an entertaining Yamaha track day which succeeded the Bikers Classics event, last Monday. Melandri lead a group of over 250 European Yamaha customers on a demo lap of the circuit, riding a Yamaha stock R1. The Italian enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to tackle the infamously difficult ‘L’eau Rouge – Raidillon’ curve. Two fortunate customers won the chance to follow and support Melandri and the Yamaha World Superbike Team at a race weekend later this year.
Marco Melandri
Yamaha World Superbike Team
“Brno is a track that I really like and I’m glad to be going there this week. This is a good moment for me, after encountering a few difficult tracks. I got my confidence back in Aragon and had a great weekend. I think Brno is a suitable track for my Yamaha R1 and I’m pretty sure that I can do well there again. It’s a track where I have managed to pocket some good results even in very difficult circumstances in the GP and I’ve also come away victorious in 125cc and 250 cc.”
Eugene laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team
“The last few rounds have been difficult for me. I’ve been struggling with a wheelie issue, but that should be resolved now. Brno is a nice flowing circuit which suits my bike so I’m confident I’ll be back in a position to fight for a win. I feel as positive heading to Brno as I did before Monza so hopefully that’s a good omen. I won’t be satisfied with anything less a podium!”
Brno technically speaking according to Silvano Galbusera
Marco Melandri’s crew chief
“Brno should be a good track for Yamaha. There are less tight corners and pretty good grip which suits our bike. Marco already knows the track, unlike quite a few other places on the calendar and that’s an advantage. I hope we will have nice weather for the weekend! We’ll start with the basic bike setting that we used at Aragon and see how that goes and then decide how to proceed in search of a suitable race set up. I also hope Pirelli supplies the medium soft tyres which should work well in Brno.”
Brno technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi
Eugene Laverty’s crew chief
“Brno has many elevations and undulations, you need good handling as there are many change of directions. Hopefully our breakthrough with the front of the bike will allow us to use the power of the Yamaha to its full advantage, especially on steep climbs. Eugene picked up some valuable points in Aragon, after two bad starts off the grid. We have had difficulty most of year so far on keeping the front of the bike down. On race day in Aragon, we made a big breakthrough and we will be working more on this setting in Brno to further improve.”
Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“We are starting the second half of the season in Brno with our riders in third and fourth place in the standings. Both this track and Silverstone are two places where we should be very competitive and be able to reduce the gap to Checa. Brno is a flowing track where a combination of the chassis and the strength of our R1 engine will be the key to victory for our riders. We expect to be very competitive in the Czech Republic, also thanks to the motivation driving the team and the riders and we want to provide a fantastic performance for our numerous fans.”
2011 World Superbike Czech Republic
Brno 05/07/2011
Circuit Length:
5403
Lap Record:
1’59.291
(Cal Crutchlow, 1/1/2010)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’58.018
(Cal Crutchlow, 7/11/2010)
Last Years Winner:
Max Biaggi
Yamaha ParkinGO Set Out for Success in Brno
Yamaha ParkinGO team is heading to Brno this weekend, determined to keep a strong hold on their championship lead. Chaz Davies is currently topping the standings on 105 points, 20 points clear of Parkes in second, while team-mate Luca Scassa sits not far behind, in fourth place, with 70 points. The Yamaha ParkinGO World Supersport Team has now won five out of the six races so far this season and sets out for Brno where they plan on powering the R6 machine to yet another victory this coming Sunday.
Luca Scassa was unfortunate in the last round of the championship in Aragon, struggling to get a suitable feeling on his machine. After clearly demonstrating his true potential earlier in the season and following a few less than perfect rounds, the Italian is more motivated than ever as he sets out for Brno, a track he likes and has been successful on in the past.
The Brno circuit is yet another classical stop off on this year’s calendar. The 5.403 km track features the fastest chicanes in the WSS championship, a steep uphill straight and several elevation changes, all of which add challenging character to the well-known International circuit which has a history of holding some of the most prestigious motorsport events.
2011 World Supersport Czech Republic
Brno 05/07/2011
Circuit Length:
5403
Lap Record:
2’02.708
(Cal Crutchlow, 1/1/2009)
Fastest Lap Ever:
2’02.060
(Cal Crutchlow, 7/26/2009)
