Just a few days after scoring a strong double podium, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team returns to Europe for Sunday’s Grand Prix of České Republiky.
Fresh from an impressive ride at last weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix that resulted in a double podium, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo continue the saga this weekend at Automotodrom Brno.
Rossi starts the eleventh MotoGP round with more determination than ever to defend his lead in the championship standings. A few days ago he rode an impressive race in Indianapolis, chasing from eighth on the grid to a solid third place, thereby continuing this year’s still unbroken podium streak.
The nine-time World Champion looks forward to taking his YZR-M1 out for a spin at the hilly circuit of Brno this weekend, where he holds a stunning record. He secured his first ever 125cc win at the Czech Republic track in 1996. This was followed by a 250cc win in 1999, a 500cc victory in 2001 and modern era premier class Brno victories in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009.
Teammate Lorenzo arrives in Brno after a great performance at the Brickyard that saw the four-time World Champion lead most of the race and cross the line in second place, sealing his sixth podium of the season.
Lorenzo also has enjoyed numerous successes at Brno, claiming a 125cc victory in 2004, two 250cc victories in 2006 and 2007 and a MotoGP win in 2010. The Spaniard has consistently finished on the podium at Brno since 2012, giving him good odds that he will claim another podium this weekend.
The first GP event in Brno was held in 1930. Racers would ride through the villages and western parts of the city on a road track until the new circuit was built during the 1980s. In 1987 the Brno track hosted its first FIM Czech Grand Prix, which became popular with both fans and riders thanks to its great atmosphere and location. The natural bowl in which the circuit is situated offers spectators an excellent view and provides changes in elevation and fast corners, testing the riders’ talent and the engineering to the limit.
Valentino Rossi
Championship: 1st, 195 points
“There isn’t much time to rest but I’m happy to go to the Czech Republic. In the end the Indianapolis GP was a good race, another podium is a good result. The American weekend didn’t start very well and it was very difficult to find the better setting for the race. At the end, after warm up, we had done a good job and third place for us was really good result. We are still first in the championship and that’s fine. For me Brno is a nice track, I like it better than Indianapolis, but at the same time, my teammate Jorge Lorenzo is very strong in Brno. Marquez will also be strong, as he was in Indy. We’ll have to do the maximum again in this weekend to not lose any more points, but I’m feeling positive and I think that we will make it a good weekend.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Championship: 2nd, 186 points
“Overall the last race at Indy was pretty good for us considering that usually Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not one of my favourite tracks. It also suits our rivals better than it does us, so we have to be proud of what we did there on Sunday. Now it is time to face Brno, a completely different circuit. In this case I like the contrast a lot because I always have great fun at Brno, it’s a nice racetrack where maybe we can be stronger than we were last weekend. We will need to be focused on doing a great job starting from Friday and try to gain as many points as we can to reduce the gap to Valentino.”
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“We are excited to return from the USA for four upcoming rounds on European soil, especially after the double podium in Indianapolis which was a good result for us. That circuit doesn’t suit us as well as others, so our strong performance from last weekend gives me extra confidence that we can continue as key protagonists again this weekend. The team always enjoy going to Brno, the event has a great atmosphere and it’s a track that Vale and Jorge both like. They are both in good physical form and want to begin working as soon as possible, so we are looking forward to setting up the YZR-M1 on Friday.”
Smith and Espargaro confident of speeding to success at Brno
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro confidently head to the Czech Republic ready to fight with determination as they intend to score two more top results at the 11th round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship. Both riders, who jetted straight from Indianapolis to Brno for the back-to-back races, will seek to ride their Yamaha YZR-M1’s to glory in front of the Brno crowd, which normally has the largest spectator attendance in the entire World Championship. However, the 5.4 kilometre Czech circuit is not just a firm favourite for fans but also for riders and it has hosted a MotoGP race every year since 1987, apart from a one year absence in 1992. It’s undulating corners and rapid changes in elevation always provide an entertaining spectacle and this year’s 22 lap sprint promises to be another thrilling race for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders.
Bradley Smith fully intends to continue his impressive form aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 as he looks to battle to another noteworthy finish in Sunday’s race. The British rider who arrives in the Czech Republic after a season of delights so far and fresh from concluding the Indianapolis Grand Prix in 6th position, will be gunning for the leading satellite position once again. Meanwhile Pol Espargaro aims to speed to a solid result at the bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky on Sunday in order to continue his climb up the championship standings. The Spaniard will be entering his 150th Grand Prix start at Brno and will aim to celebrate his record by finishing inside the top six.
Bradley Smith
Championship: 5th, 97 points
“Next up is the Czech Grand Prix at Brno, which is a circuit that I enjoy racing on. The big hills and undulating corners are good fun to ride on the Yamaha and I think we can do a thorough job there this weekend. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks going from the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, to Indianapolis and then straight to Brno, but fatigue is not an issue and I’m excited to put on a great show for the fans that come to the race. As always our plan is to get up to speed as soon as possible. The base setting that we have has been strong at every GP so far this year and with any luck that will be the same case at Brno. Nevertheless, there will be work to do but I am going to push as hard as possible so that I can hopefully cross the line as the leading satellite rider again. After the race we have a test day and then I will begin focusing on the next GP which is my home Grand Prix at Silverstone and it is definitely one of the highlights of my year.”
Pol Espargaro
Championship: 9th, 73 points
“I’m looking forward to the Czech Grand Prix, not only as it’s awesome to ride but also because it’s my 150th race start. Therefore, I am fully determined to get a strong result to celebrate this statistic. After a bit of an up and down season so far, I am confident about being comfortable on the bike and I am ready to get up to where I need to be, which is right behind the factory riders. I’ve had some great battles in Brno in the past as well as a few podium finishes so I hope that we can put on a good show again this weekend. Of course, we must get everything set up straight away in order to be prepared, especially for qualifying where we must be ready so that we can ensure a good grid position, as this is vital for the final race result. However, I fully trust my team and Yamaha as I know they will give me everything I need to be fast. I can’t wait to steer my M1 around the hills in the Czech republic and do my best to grab a top six finish!”
Ready to get back on track at Brno
It will be a happy return on track for the riders of the Forward Racing team as they will be at Brno this week for the Czech Republic Grand Prix. After being forced to sit out the trip to Indianapolis, the Swiss team will return to compete with all four of its riders starting from the Czech race.
Loris Baz, along with his new teammate Claudio Corti, will jump back on the Yamaha Forward to get close again to the head of the Open category. Even if he participated in one less race, the Frenchman is second in the standings just six points from Barbera and he has a positive mindset for the Czech race. Claudio Corti is also feeling confident as he will return on duty in the premier class of motorcycling.
Loris Baz
Championship: 16th, 14 points
“I’m really pleased to be able to race again in Brno. These holidays were longer than expected, but now it’s time to get my Yamaha Forward back on track. Before the summer break we were really close to the head of the Open category, the goal is now to stay close to those positions.”
Claudio Corti
Championship: –
“After the good experience at the Sachsenring I am happy to be riding again with Forward Racing in MotoGP. It will be a great opportunity to display my potential and to be able to get even more confidence on the Yamaha Forward.”
2015 MotoGP Czech Republic
Brno 12/08/2015
Circuit Length:
5403
Lap Record:
1’56.274
(Jorge Lorenzo, 1-1-2012)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’55.527
(Cal Crutchlow, 25-8-2013)
Last Years Winner:
Daniel Pedrosa
