YAMAHA BOSS WILCO ZEELENBERG SAYS JORGE LORENZO’S TYRE CHOICE WAS WRONG AT BRNO

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Yamaha boss Wilco Zeelenberg says Jorge Lorenzo’s tyre choice was wrong at Brno – MotoGP news

Yamaha Factory Racing boss Wilco Zeelenberg has explained that a soft compound tyre for the Brno GP was a wrong choice by Jorge Lorenzo.

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo chose to race with softer compound unlike other rivals who opted for hard slicks. Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista was the only other rider to choose a softer version.

Zeelenberg said, “We know the Brno track is hard on the front and as soon as you hear the rider wants to have the softest option, you have some doubt. You want to know if it will hold for the race and Bridgestone said yes. It did because our soft tyre looked better than the hard one Ben (Spies) had at the end of the race.”

The Yamaha team boss also explained the comparative condition between hard and soft compounds. Zeelenberg said that the soft compound tyre was in better condition after the race than the hard compound tyre that was used by other Yamaha rider Ben Spies.

On the other hand, the disadvantage of the soft slick was that it gave less traction under breaking and hampered the turning speed. Considering the qualifying round the situation was different, which let Lorenzo to choose soft tyre.

Zeelenberg added, “That’s racing and sometimes it is not as obvious as you think it should be. We are racing with a bunch of guys with a lot of experience and normally we choose exactly the right spot.”

In previous races, the Yamaha factory riders have made the right decisions every time, but this time it cost Lorenzo to lose precious points in the championship. To further testify the tyres the team used same slicks during the post race test at Brno. It proved to be the key to failure in the race.

At a point when only one rider on the grid has different choice than others, it is important to think whether it will work or not.

However, after a disappointing race day at Brno, Lorenzo is 32 points adrift of Casey Stoner and looks ahead to the Indy GP to close the gap from Aussie.

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MotoGP FP3: Stoner best at wet Brno

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MotoGP FP3: Stoner best at wet Brno - GPone English

The rain which hit the Brno circuit last night was still evident during the final MotoGP practice session. The premier class riders none the less took advantage of the wet running time, pushing hard for good lap times and consistent pace in anticipation of a wet race on Sunday, though times were more than ten seconds slower than those of the day before.

Jorge Lorenzo topped most of the session, until Casey Stoner took his spot and held it on top of the timings in the last five minutes. The Australian had crashed at the start of the session on the cold track, but remained unruffled and proceeded to push, posting a final time of 2'07.321.

Ducati Team rider Valentino Rossi, who was seventh fastest of the field on Friday, found a good set up for the rain to post a time of 2'07.443, landing him third on the charts, while Dani Pedrosa finished the session in fourth place, his time set in the first practice session of the weekend remaining fastest of the field so far.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) took a significantly higher spot in the line up than his fourteenth place on Friday, the Kentuckian lapping well in the rain with a time of 2'07.695, just 0.374s off the pace set by Stoner for the session.

In sixth was Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) following Hayden by 0.048s, with Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in seventh and Andrea Dovizioso in eighth. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) completed the top ten.

Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) placed in eleventh at his home circuit with a time of 2'08.460, a gap of 1.139s off the leading time.

Wild card John Hopkins on the Rizla Suzuki had a fall in Turn 3 just fifteen minutes into the meet. He was taken to the Clinica Mobile where he was diagnosed with a fractured finger and was unable to rejoin the session.

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Stoner Takes 6th Win of Season at Czech GP

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Stoner Takes 6th Win of Season at Czech GP - AllAboutBikes

Casey Stoner extended his lead to 32 points today by taking his sixth win of the season at the Czech GP. The Repsol Honda rider was followed by his teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, and fellow Honda rider, Marco Simoncelli, who earned his first career MotoGP podium.

Stoner took the Czech GP victory with a dominant performance around the BRNO track. Stoner could have had stiff competition from his teammate Dani Pedrosa, who started from the pole position, but Pedrosa crashed out of the race, leaving Stoner alone at the front. Stoner would claim his 7th victory of the season by more than 6 seconds ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.

Simoncelli took his first MotoGP career podium ahead of Jorge Lorenzo. It is only the fourth time this season that Lorenzo has missed the podium.

Lorenzo's Yamaha teammate Ben Spies took fifth ahead of the Ducati duo of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

Colin Edwards, Hiroshi Aoyoma, and Hector Barbera completed the top 10.

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John Hopkins to miss Czech Grand Prix through injury

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John Hopkins to miss Czech Grand Prix through injury - autosport.com

John Hopkins will miss the Czech Grand Prix after dislocating two fingers in an accident during Saturday morning's final practice session.

The American, who was competing as a wildcard entrant for Suzuki at Brno, fell at Turn 3 in wet conditions and complained of pains in his hand as he returned to the garage.

He was taken to Clinica Mobile for X-rays and diagnosed with a break and dislocation of his third finger and a dislocation of his second in his right hand, leaving him unable to compete in qualifying and the race.

"This morning's injury is a huge disappointment to all of us," said Suzuki team boss Paul Denning.

"John is completely devastated that he is not able to compete in the grand prix tomorrow, especially as his form yesterday was extremely promising. He was just building up to speed very gradually in the wet conditions and, on the first lap that he tried to push a little bit harder, he made a simple mistake and folded the front.

"It was at exactly the same corner where Casey Stoner had done the same thing at the start of the session, but John was just less lucky and as he entered the gravel trap the angle of his hand meant that the impact folded his fingers. This caused a substantial break to one finger and further damage to another.

"If the injury had been his left hand he would be on the GSV-R this afternoon, but to control a MotoGP bike and expect to be competitive with that injury to his throttle and braking hand is completely unrealistic."

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MOTOGP: PEDROSA DOMINATES PRACTICE SESSION AT BRNO

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MOTOGP: PEDROSA DOMINATES PRACTICE SESSION AT BRNO - Agenzia Giornalistica Italia

(AGI) Brno - Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda, who took advantage of a two-week vacation to relax and train, dominated the track on the practice session, taking the circuit in 1'56"328, a time lower than Jorge Lorenzo's 1'56.670 in 2009 and 2/10th from Valentino Rossi's pole position in 2009 of 1'56.145. "I feel well and rested thanks to the vacation, the rest helped. I feel a strength and an energy that I didn't have in previous races," said Pedrosa. . .

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Stoner: Long way to go...

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Stoner: Long way to go... - crash.net

Casey Stoner has expressed a disappointment with his start to the 2011 Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno, claiming he isn't happy with various issues on the Repsol Honda.

The Australian says he is suffering with a 'vague' front-end and a lack of rear grip, though he was still fast enough to land second in both free practice sessions, behind team-mate Dani Pedrosa, but ahead of key rival Jorge Lorenzo.

Nonetheless, having ended his weekend at Laguna Seca in perfect style, Stoner is hopeful a solution to the problems on the RC212V can be found in time for qualifying.

“Today hasn't been that positive to be honest, we seem to be having a similar start to our weekend in Laguna and aren't sure which direction to take at the moment. The feeling in the front is very vague, our corner entry and mid-turn isn't that great. We also need to find a lot more grip in the rear as I'm struggling on the edge of the tyre and exit of the corner.

“We have a long way to go before I feel happy with the set up and there are many areas we can improve, so tomorrow we will be trying a lot of different things on both bikes and prepare as best we can for qualifying.”

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MotoGP Brno Repsol Trio Fired Up

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Honda Repsol's Stoner, Pedrosa, & Dovizioso, Ready For Brno

The World Championship visits this weekend the Czech Republic, with Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, Casey Stoner and Marc Márquez ready for the second half of the year. After a well earned break, MotoGP Circus resumes the action on European soil.

The Repsol riders go back to work with new energy and will look for new victories during the second half of the season. In the premiere category, the Repsol Honda Team reaches the technical track of Brno leading the championship and with three of the top four positions of the overall standings. Marc Márquez —second of the Moto2 World Championship—, will try to keep the good level shown in previous races and recovering points with reference to Bradl.

The leader of the MotoGP World Championship, Casey Stoner, used the summer break to rest and recover from the intense period of the World Championship they just had: six Grand Prix in eight weeks. The Australian arrives to the Czech Republic with the aim to keep the level shown in Laguna Seca, a race where the Repsol rider had to be patient and smart to wait for the perfect moment to overtake his rivals and cross the finish line in first position. He finished almost six seconds ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, which is also 20 points behind him in the overall standings.

After his third position in Laguna Seca, Dani Pedrosa started two weeks of holidays with the only aim to relax and recover his strength to keep setting good times and be able to sign results such as the ones he had in Germany and the US —first and third—. The Spaniard of the Repsol Honda Team will try to be again on the highest step of the podium at the Czech Republic, a track where he has been about to take victory twice —second in 2009 and 2010—. Since he returned after his injury, Pedrosa climbed to the fourth position of the World Championship, just behind his team mate at the Repsol Honda Team, Andrea Dovizioso.

The Italian was very consistent since the beginning of the season, achieving four podium positions in the first eight races —3 seconds and 1 third— which placed him in the third position of the overall standings. The Repsol rider arrives in Brno with the objective to keep advancing in the World Championship, start from a good grid position, be in the top group on Sunday and fight for his first victory of the season.

Dani Pedrosa

"These two and a half weeks have flown by for me, but I really enjoyed this break. The truth is that I needed it, first of all to rest after the last few races that were physically hard for me but also to disconnect a little and to train, to get back my physical strength and be fit again. My holidays have been a combination of all.
When I got back from Laguna I spent some days doing nothing just to relax the whole area of the neck, arms and back. After this I've been combining physical training with relaxation exercises to avoid over stressing the area. Now I'm looking forward to competing again and enjoying the races until the end of the season. The bike is working very well this year so I hope we can get good results and win races in this second half of the Championship.
Brno is a track I like, I've won there in 125 and 250, and I've had some podiums also in MotoGP so to fight for the victory is a challenge for me and I'm very motivated. I'm also looking forward to the test at Brno with the 1000cc bike. I missed the first one in Jerez due to the injury and I'm exciting to see to see how the new bike works".

Andrea Dovizioso

"I spent the summer break with my family and friends at the seaside in Sardinia. Early in the morning I was training, then I could play with Sara, my little daughter. It was a new experience for me that I really enjoyed. It was a perfect time to relax and switch off and now I’m ready for the second part of the season.
We arrive in Brno very motivated as we want to redeem the disappointing result of Laguna. Brno is a fast track, the curves have a long range so the speed in the mid corner is high. I’m confident that we can be competitive there, the Honda machine is working very well and the characteristics of the track suit my riding style too.
It’s similar to Mugello and we look for a good result. Casey [Stoner], Dani [Pedrosa] and Jorge [Lorenzo] will be strong rivals, but I’m confident that we will be able to fight with them. We are determined to return on the podium. This is our target".

Casey Stoner

"I've really enjoyed this summer break. After a great race in Laguna, we decided to stay in California and visit some friends and enjoy some down time, mixed in with some training. Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season. I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there.
I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno. The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamaha's in the past seasons and I think Jorge [Lorenzo] will be strong there, so I will be watching for him.
We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important Championship points".

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Stoner out to increase lead in Brno

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MotoGP championship leader Casey Stoner believes that he is in a strong position to extend his points advantage over rival and reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo, with the Honda expected to suit the swooping nature of the Brno layout this weekend.

Stoner heads into this weekend's Czech GP with a 20-point lead over Lorenzo following the Australian's victory over the Spaniard in the USGP last month, and said he went into the summer break boosted by his dominant performance at Laguna Seca.

"Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season," he said. "I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there. I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno."

Stoner hasn't written off the challenge from Lorenzo, who won the event last year which was dominated by Yamaha.

"The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamahas in the past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him," said Stoner. "We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important championship points."

Teammate Andrea Dovizioso, who lies third in the championship, is also determined to set the record straight with a good result this weekend after a disappointingly distant fourth last time out at Laguna Seca.

"We arrive in Brno very motivated as we want to redeem the disappointing result of Laguna," he said. "Brno is a fast track, the curves have a long range so the speed in the mid corner is high. I'm confident that we can be competitive there, the Honda machine is working very well and the characteristics of the track suit my riding style, too.

"It's similar to Mugello and we look for a good result. Casey, Dani [Pedrosa] and Jorge will be strong rivals, but I'm confident that we will be able to fight with them. We are determined to return on the podium. This is our target."

This article originally appeared in Autosport.com

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Gresini: Interesting negotiations at Brno

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"The Czech Republic Grand Prix is bound to be an interesting one for the future of MotoGP with a lot of negotiations ongoing" - Fausto Gresini.

San Carlo Honda Gresini team principal, Fausto Gresini, is expecting a busy time on and off-track this weekend at Brno.

The first race after the summer break, the Czech Republic round marks the traditional start of the 'silly season' - and there are also the 2012 1000cc rules to refine.

"The Czech Republic Grand Prix is bound to be an interesting one for the future of MotoGP with a lot of negotiations ongoing, but our goal is to carry forward the Simoncelli project with the same professionalism as always," said Gresini.

Marco Simoncelli has proven to be a match for anyone over one lap this season, qualifying on the front row at six of the ten events (including two poles).

Although Simoncelli's race day performances have been marred by a series of mistakes, he remains in high demand for 2012 and recent rumours have linked him to a possible factory Ducati ride.

The Italian's first choice is sure to be retaining factory HRC status at Gresini, but with present Repsol rider Andrea Dovizioso likely to want a similar level of factory support next year much will depend on how many RC213Vs Honda is willing to run.

Either way, Simoncelli's bargaining power would be massively increased if he can finally claim a debut MotoGP podium.

"After a wonderful holiday in some fantastic American parks I go to Brno looking for the best possible result," said Marco. "We have to focus on the second half of the season and try to score some positive results.

"The circuit suits my riding style even though I didn't go so well there last year in MotoGP. I have won there before in the 250 class and I have also been on pole and on the podium in 125. Overall it is a track I like and I hope to do well. "

Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama, also out of contract at the end of the year, will be making his first Brno MotoGP start after being injured last year.

"The result at Laguna Seca [tenth] wasn't particularly pleasing but I still wasn't in good physical shape so now after this break I hope I am in better shape and form at Brno," said Aoyama. "I need to rediscover my confidence in myself and in the bike.

"It will be my first MotoGP appearance at Brno because I was injured here last year so it will be a new experience but I like the track and I was on the podium here in the 250cc class in 2006, as well as finishing fourth in 2009. I have the motivation to do well this weekend."

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