MotoGP - Round 12 - Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno

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http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Images/motogp_tcm78-188893.jpg

http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Images/cze_tcm78-113748.jpg - Round 12 - 2008 MotoGP Czech Republic - Brno

Fiat Yamaha Team pick up title gauntlet at Brno - 12 August 2008

http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080812120655906.jpg - Brno Circuit

The Fiat Yamaha Team resume their pursuit of the MotoGP World Championship title this weekend after a four-week summer holiday, with Valentino Rossi leading the series into what promises to be a thrilling seven-race climax. The Czech Republic hosts round twelve of eighteen, with the town of Brno staging a Grand Prix for the 39th time since the original 14km road circuit was first used back in 1965.

Rossi heads to the motorcycling heartlands of eastern Europe with renewed energy and ready to resume battle at one of his most successful circuits, following a stunning maiden win at Laguna Seca before the break. The 29-year-old took his first ever Grand Prix win at Brno in the 125cc class and has since added to his tally there with a 250cc success and three wins in MotoGP, as well as three second places in the top class. His success in America, which came after a thrilling tussle with Casey Stoner, means the Italian leads the Australian by 25 points at the top of the standings.

Jorge Lorenzo was also in need of a rest after picking up the latest in a string of injuries at Laguna, where a first lap crash left him nursing three broken metatarsals in his left foot. However, intense physiotherapy during the well-timed summer break sees him nearing full fitness as he returns to action at a circuit where he has taken 250cc victory from pole position for the last two seasons, in addition to a 125cc win back in 2004.

Whilst the riders have taken a well-earned rest, engineers at Yamaha’s factory headquarters in Japan have been working around the clock over the summer towards this weekend’s race, as well as for the two-day test that will take place afterwards. The well-balanced nature of the Brno circuit make it an ideal testing venue, with its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes retaining much of the character of the original road circuit, which wanders its way through the surrounding forests.

Valentino Rossi - “Looking forward to more racing”
“Last year we had a bad time at Brno; I could only finish seventh and it was quite disheartening. This year, however, we’re going there in a very different frame of mind: leading the championship, following a great win and with our bike and tyres working very well. I’ve had a good summer break, just relaxing with my friends and family, but now I am really looking forward to going racing again. I know that Brno is going to be hard and that Casey will be a formidable competitor once again, and we’re going to have to work at the maximum from the first practice in order not to lose any time in finding out the right set-up for our bike. We have seven races left and I am dreaming of them all being as fun as Laguna Seca!”

Jorge Lorenzo - “High hopes”
"I am going to Brno with a high hopes and above all trying not to think about the disappointment of Laguna Seca; it’s behind me now. In the USA I was fast once again and I hope that I can carry on like this in the Czech Republic. I know that I can. Brno is a circuit that I like a lot, it’s one of my favourites. I've won there three times in 125cc and 250cc. It’s a good place for my riding style and the weather is normally perfect. Physically I feel very good after the crash and the injuries, I definitely feel as good as could be expected. It’s the first time this season that I’ve really had proper time to recover, thanks to the holidays, so I think I am in good shape. At the moment I am still using my crutches to walk but I have been able to do some training and I know that I won’t have a problem when I arrive in Brno on Thursday.”

Davide Brivio - “Seven key races”
"Brno will be the start of a very important run of seven rounds to the end of the season. With 25 points on Stoner and 41 on Pedrosa we are in a good position, but we have to manage this advantage in the remaining races. It will be an exciting end to the season, with Pedrosa back in the fight and Lorenzo, I am sure, able to re-join the ‘podium club’. Last year, at most of these final circuits, we weren't able to fight at the top but we are working hard now to be able to provide Valentino with the most competitive package to allow him to race at the front, as he has for the majority of this year’s races. Every race from now on will be very important and Brno could be one of the most difficult for us against our competitors. We have to use all of our potential and work at 100% in all of the practices. Everybody in Yamaha is extremely motivated and we can’t wait to be back in the battle, especially after the exciting Laguna Seca show!”

Daniele Romagnoli - “Time for a good race”
“From talking to Jorge it seems that he is feeling much better; he is back in training and we are expecting him to be as fit as he could be in the circumstances. The crash was a huge disappointment but at least he has had the maximum time to get over it and we know that he will have made the most of the break. In Brno, the first aim for Jorge is to get back the feeling and confidence that he had at the start of the season, so that he can enjoy the remaining races. We need to rebuild his confidence in the bike. In practice at Laguna he was looking good – he was fast and qualified fourth. Then on the day we had some rear grip issues and the crash was very unfortunate. Rear grip is now the biggest thing we have to work on improving on the bike; we need to work together with Michelin to improve this. The new surface also adds an unknown quantity to this race and so tyre choice is going to be especially important. The team is very motivated and looking forward to getting back to work; we’re hoping for a good race, Jorge certainly deserves one!"

Brno:
Record Lap
L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1'58.157
Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'56.191

Grand Prix Results: Brno 2007
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43'45.810
2. J.Hopkins (Suzuki) +7.903
3. N.Hayden (Honda) +13.100
7. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +22.485

Jorge Lorenzo Result: Brno 2007
1. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia 41'04.954 (250cc)

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TV-Coverage on http://images.sportsline.com/images/cbss/ui4/headers/logo_short.gif
Czech Republic Grand Prix - Sunday, August 17, 2:00pm ET

*** Please check your local listings (cable, satellite, ...) to make sure you won't miss anything! ***

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Pedrosa expecting to be fighting fit for Brno - Monday, 11 August 2008

After resting and rehabilitating his finger and wrist injuries, Dani Pedrosa will be in better condition when he attempts to rejoin the title battle in the Czech Republic this weekend.

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Dani Pedrosa resumes his title campaign at Brno after a devastating double of Grands Prix without adding to his points tally. The Repsol Honda rider has spent the time since his last attempt at riding the RC212V (in practice for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, an event from which he eventually withdrew) aiming for a more comprehensive recovery from his recent left wrist and index finger fractures.

`The holiday period gave me a good chance to relax and recover, so I hope I will be fine for Brno,´ says Pedrosa, now 41 points behind leader Valentino Rossi. `When I returned from Laguna Seca my doctor told me I needed a week and a half of complete rest. I couldn´t train so I spent an enjoyable few days in Majorca, disconnecting from everything and resting both my hand and foot. I had the stitches removed from my hand in Barcelona and then I started rehabilitation. The hand still hurts but the wrist has good mobility and the fingers are no longer swollen.´

`I started training last week, mostly on my bicycle. I hope I can have a good race at Brno to start the second part of the championship in the best possible way. It´s the kind of circuit that demands a gentle, fine riding style, you don´t need to be aggressive when taking the corners. It has just been resurfaced, so we will have to wait and see what the grip is like. The atmosphere is always great, with a big and enthusiastic crowd on race day,´ concluded the Spaniard, who is likely to resume work with the pneumatic valve RC212V engine at the post-race pair of testing sessions in Brno.

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Hayden out of Brno with foot injury - Tuesday, 12 August 2008

2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden has pulled out of the Cardion AB Grand Prix Ceske republiky with a heel injury.

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In a big blow for his and Repsol Honda´s 2008 season, Nicky Hayden has been ruled out of action at the Cardion AB Grand Prix Ceske republiky with a foot injury. The American had picked up a knock on his heel when participating in the recent Supermoto event at the X Games, part of his extra-curricular activity over the summer break, but the severity of the injury had not been expected to sideline him this weekend.

Hayden was advised against participating at Brno this week by Dr. Arthur Ting, his trusted surgeon, and specialists yesterday strongly recommended a late withdrawal from riding until the upcoming visit to Misano. The calcaneus blow will not require surgery, but rest and rehabilitation have been prescribed.

`The injury is to a weight-bearing part of the foot and the doctors say that using too much pressure on the pegs could very easily give me some big problems,´ explains Hayden, who had been looking forward to the chance of opening up the gas of his pneumatic valve Honda engine at one of the most suited tracks for the RC212V motor.

`I went to Dr Ting and got the opinion of other specialists. I´ve done a lot with Ting, he knows the sport very well and he feels it would be quite risky to ride. He and the other specialists say that if I rode this week I might have to fight the injury for the rest of the year,´ continued the Repsol Honda rider.

`As hard a decision as it is and as bad as I feel about it, I think I´m better off staying home doing rehab and physio, then come back fit at Misano and try to finish the season strong. There´s been a lot of guys this year trying to ride less than a hundred per cent and actually making their problems worse.´

It will be the second race in succession that Repsol Honda have been unable to field a full lineup, with Dani Pedrosa having withdrawn from the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix after the initial practice sessions.

`I certainly feel bad about it for my team and I apologise. I had the permission of HRC to do the Supermoto thing. I just wanted to do some riding during the break, have some fun and I thought that maybe it´d give me a little spark for the rest of the season, but it backfired on me,´ concluded Hayden frankly.

The Cardion AB Grand Prix Ceske republiky will be the first race that the `Kentucky Kid´ has missed since the 2004 Portuguese round. He will obviously also miss the post-race test held at Brno.

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Hopkins set for race return this weekend - Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Kawasaki´s John Hopkins will reassume his place on the MotoGP grid this weekend, after rehabilitating the leg fractures suffered in Assen.

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After seven weeks and three races on the sidelines, John Hopkins will make a welcome comeback from a nasty leg injury when the MotoGP World Championship rolls into Brno –and the return to action could not have come at a more positive track for the Anglo-American.

Second placed at last year´s race onboard the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, Hopkins has proved to be a strong competitor in the Czech Republic and now aims to put in a similar performance with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR. Before he can do that, however, he will have to shake off the ring rust of a trio of Grand Prix events without lining up on the grid and test the condition of his left leg post-rehab.

`I´m feeling pretty good now, and I´m anxious to get back on track. I´ve now got full movement back in the injured knee and it´s been fine during my training regime up to now. I don´t think it´s going to cause me any problems on the bike, but it´s been almost seven weeks since I´ve thrown a leg over the Ninja ZX-RR, so I won´t know for sure until we start free practice on Friday,´ says Hopkins, who has a particular affinity for the track at which he was so impressive in 2007.

`Brno is a track I like a lot, and I believe it´s the MotoGP track I´ve ridden most frequently in my career, which means I know the place like the back of my hand. Also, our Bridgestone tyres work well at this track, and this combined with the new parts that Kawasaki are bringing to the race means we´ve got some positive things to work with,´ says `Team Green´s 25 year-old star.

`Even though the rehab at home with family and friends has been enjoyable, I am really looking forward to seeing the team, getting back on the bike and finding again the total mental focus necessary for the best possible result this weekend.´

Hopkins has not competed in a MotoGP race since the bwin.com British Grand Prix on June 22nd.

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Rossi straight back on the pace with strong second in Brno - 15 August 2008

The MotoGP paddock returned to action at Brno in the Czech Republic today, the first in a final run of seven races across four continents. Fresh from a well-deserved holiday following his stunning Laguna Seca victory, Rossi finished the day a close second behind Casey Stoner.

With the newly surfaced track adding an unknown factor to the day’s proceedings, the Italian was pleased to find his Yamaha-Bridgestone package working well from the start this morning and he finished the morning session first. With rain a possibility tomorrow the team were keen to get through as much of their tyre programme as possible today and so Rossi tried several different combinations this afternoon, which saw him improve his pace by half a second. He finished the day 0.179 seconds off Casey Stoner.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'57.410 Laps: 44
“I’ve had a good holiday but it’s fun to be back on the bike again! Today has started very well and I am very happy with my bike and with our tyres, it seems the Bridgestones are working very well here so far. The new asphalt is good, much better than last year and the grip improved throughout the day so I think that they have done a good job. Casey is strong again here so it looks like being a hard race, but we have made a good start. Tomorrow it seems it could rain, which is a pity, but we have found a good setting today so hopefully, even if it is wet, then we will be in good shape on Sunday. We have some small engine modifications here to try but mostly we will wait until Monday to try the new parts, when we will have an important test.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“It’s good to be back in action; we’ve made a good start and been fast all day. We’ve tried quite a few different things and some different tyres with the aim of collecting as much information as possible, in case it rains tomorrow. Of course we hope it doesn’t but there is a chance it will be wet and so we wanted to make as much of today as we could so that we are prepared. It’s been a positive day and we hope that we can continue like this.”

Lorenzo struggles for grip at Brno

Jorge Lorenzo made a tentative return to action at Brno today, having spent the summer break recuperating from the three broken metatarsal bones he sustained during a crash at Laguna Seca. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider is now walking without crutches and was able to ride without pain today, confident that he is back to 90% fitness on the bike.

It was not an easy first day back however as the Spaniard struggled with front-end grip and was only able to put in the 11th fastest round. The team will now work hard, together with Michelin, to find a way to improve the situation for tomorrow.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 11th Time: 1'58.977 Laps: 45
“I am feeling very good physically, and I only feel pain when I walk to the bike in the garage – once I’m on it I am fine. I am feeling confident but I need half a second more in order to be at the front. The main problem is in the front tyre; I am worried because the first Michelin is in seventh and this isn’t great, it is clear that we all need to work together to improve this. We are working very closely together with Michelin and Yamaha and we are trying to find a better way for us here this weekend. It is very difficult at the moment to fight for the podium in the dry, and in the wet we don’t know yet. My main aim this weekend is to finish in the top seven. The new asphalt is better than last year so this is a good thing. One more thing I want to say – one of my mechanics, Juanito, has just become a grandfather and so I want to say congratulations to him!”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“We are quite lucky that Jorge’s physical condition is good – better than we expected – and in fact it’s the least of our problems today! Our biggest issue is the confidence in the front end; we don’t have enough grip and Jorge can’t go into the turns fast enough. Furthermore, the bike is understeering at full lean and therefore we’re losing a lot of time in the corners. From the morning session we were able to improve our package, but it wasn’t enough to enable us to fight at the top. Tonight we will work closely with Michelin to analyse data in order to help each other to improve our front grip problem.”

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MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/Misc/non/228731_Valentino+Rossi+in+action+MotoGP-1280x960-aug15.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'57.782 293.478
2 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'57.911 295.081 0.129
3 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'59.021 290.010 1.239
4 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'59.134 283.762 1.352
5 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'59.220 288.461 1.438
6 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'59.400 287.386 1.618
7 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'59.756 295.243 1.974
8 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'59.770 290.322 1.988
9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'59.965 293.239 2.183
10 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'00.082 292.365 2.300
11 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 2'00.083 294.840 2.301
12 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 2'00.429 287.923 2.647
13 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'00.447 293.000 2.665
14 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2'00.496 283.986 2.714
15 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 2'01.074 292.524 3.292
16 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'01.128 289.855 3.346
17 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'01.231 296.215 3.449

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MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification:
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Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'57.231 294.197
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'57.410 292.445 0.179
3 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'58.000 290.322 0.769
4 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'58.228 290.010 0.997
5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'58.264 285.789 1.033
6 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'58.462 286.548 1.231
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'58.672 292.682 1.441
8 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'58.830 288.615 1.599
9 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'58.881 294.759 1.650
10 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'58.923 294.197 1.692
11 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'58.977 292.286 1.746
12 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'59.094 289.156 1.863
13 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'59.328 289.855 2.097
14 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'59.405 284.135 2.174
15 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'59.943 292.921 2.712
16 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'00.540 295.566 3.309
17 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'00.621 288.692 3.390

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Front row start for Rossi at wet Brno - 16 August 2008

Fiat Yamaha team rider Valentino Rossi qualified second in Brno today, despite a soaking wet day at the Czech track as the MotoGP rain curse struck once again. Tomorrow will be the Italian’s seventh front-row start of the season and he will once again share it with Casey Stoner, who qualified on pole today.

After heavy rain overnight this morning’s practice was run on a damp track, with Rossi finishing the session in fifth. From then on the weather worsened and the best laps of the afternoon qualifying session were done in the first half, before too much standing water gathered on the track and the conditions deteriorated even more. Rossi’s Bridgestone rain tyres worked well and he was able to set some consistent laps early on, good enough to secure him the all-important front row spot. The forecast for tomorrow is mixed but the 29-year-old is confident that he will be in good shape to fight at the front, come rain or shine.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 2'12.846 Laps: 15
“I hope that we are in good shape for tomorrow, if it’s wet or dry. For sure though, like everyone else, I hope it will be dry because the conditions today were really terrible! After twenty minutes this afternoon there was too much water and it was impossible to improve the setting of the bike or the time, so I am glad I was able to do some good laps at the beginning. I think I can be more competitive in the dry, because also we have a few modifications to try, so hopefully it will be dry all day tomorrow to give us the best chance. Let’s keep hoping and see how we go!”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“We’re happy because we’ve reached our target of getting on the first row despite the difficult conditions today. Valentino did very well to make the most of the early part of the session and get some good laps in before it got so much worse. We are expecting tomorrow to be drier so we will try to make the most of this front row to get a good start and then hopefully fight for the win.”

Disastrous wet qualifying for Lorenzo leaves him last in Brno

A soaking wet day at Brno brought about a depressing day’s work for Jorge Lorenzo, the Fiat Yamaha Team rookie finishing the day in last place. It is a far cry from the consecutive pole positions with which the youngster started his year in MotoGP and he is faced with a difficult task tomorrow to make any kind of headway through the field.

Lorenzo was unlucky to miss the driest part of the qualifying hour, when he was inside the garage working on modifying his bike in order to try to find more grip. During the last forty minutes conditions deteriorated even more and there was no chance for him to improve his time, unable as he was to find any kind of grip or confidence in his tyres. His time of 2’23.701 left him outside of the 107% qualifying cut-off, but he will be allowed to race tomorrow at the discretion of Race Direction.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 17th Time: 2'23.701 Laps: 12
“It’s been a bad day! At the start of the qualifying it was drier and this is when I was in the garage trying to improve the bike with my team; I missed my chance and this is when the others set their fastest laps. I have had days almost as bad as this before, but I have to say that the fault is not all mine. I think that it is evident at the moment that our tyres are not working as they should. I am a professional however and I have to wait and have confidence in Michelin to find the right way forward. For tomorrow it’s going to be important to get a good start and try to get in the top ten. The surface is very good but we don’t have the grip we need, so whatever happens with the weather, it will be very hard.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“A really bad day for us; the worst qualifying session of the season. We already had some issues with front grip in the dry yesterday and we thought that in the rain we would be able to improve. Unfortunately things went even more wrong today and we couldn’t find any grip for both the front and the rear. We tried all the tyres available and, even with the softest, Jorge didn’t have enough confidence to ride at a decent pace. We had already tried some different settings this morning to try to improve the grip and this afternoon we tried some even bigger modifications, but the bike didn’t react to the changes in the way we hoped because of the low grip level from the tyres. Tomorrow will be a really hard race because we’re starting from last and, even if we can improve our pace in the dry, it’s still going to be very difficult.”

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MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 3 Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/CZE/non/228970_Casey+Stoner+in+action+in+Brno+MotoGP-1280x960-aug16.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'09.609 283.241
2 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'10.168 275.299 0.559
3 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'10.941 272.383 1.332
4 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'11.117 277.634 1.508
5 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'11.215 281.323 1.606
6 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'11.374 278.925 1.765
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'11.389 278.709 1.780
8 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'11.762 277.992 2.153
9 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'11.879 284.135 2.270
10 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'11.950 280.010 2.341
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 2'12.069 272.589 2.460
12 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 2'12.213 272.934 2.604
13 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 2'12.276 279.141 2.667
14 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2'13.885 266.732 4.276
15 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'14.384 272.246 4.775
16 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 2'14.862 266.009 5.253
17 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 2'15.613 271.288 6.004

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MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification:
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Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'11.657 284.735
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 2'12.846 283.762 1.189
3 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'12.959 279.647 1.302
4 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'13.002 275.089 1.345
5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'13.352 271.561 1.695
6 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 2'14.064 278.135 2.407
7 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 2'14.535 265.356 2.878
8 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 2'14.718 277.349 3.061
9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 2'14.805 276.003 3.148
10 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 2'14.861 276.710 3.204
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 2'15.880 278.422 4.223
12 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2'16.032 271.288 4.375
13 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 2'16.510 272.589 4.853
14 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 2'17.632 264.511 5.975
15 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 2'20.074 257.204 8.417
Out of limit time
52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha
48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha

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Fifth win of the season takes Rossi fifty points clear - 17 August 2008

Valentino Rossi moved two races clear at the top of the championship with his fifth win of the season today, enjoying an easy ride home after his closest rival Casey Stoner crashed out on lap seven.

Rossi, starting from second, lost some time at the first corner getting past John Hopkins and for the first couple of laps Stoner looked in danger of clearing off, but the Italian soon found his rhythm and was gradually making up time on the Australian when he saw him slide off into the gravel. The pair had already opened out an impressive gap from the chasing pack and Rossi was left to race the remaining 15 laps alone and unchallenged, eventually coming home 15 seconds clear of Toni Elias. The seven-time world champion’s 67th premier-class victory takes him within one race of the all-time premier-class record, held by his compatriot Giacomo Agostini.

Rossi is now 50 points clear of Stoner with Pedrosa 15 points off in third, whilst Lorenzo’s six points see him remain fourth in the standings, ten points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 43'28.841
“I was confident today because my bike was fast from Friday practice, and with Jeremy we made a small modification to the front after warm-up to allow me to be a bit faster in some sections, and it worked very well. I lost about half a second getting past Hopkins at the start and Casey was incredibly fast at that stage, like he’d already done ten laps! For a short time I was worried but then, after two laps, I understood that my bike was working very well and that I was fast enough to try to catch him. I had closed a little bit already and gradually the red bike was becoming a bit bigger in front of me, and I think this is when he started to push harder and made his mistake. I was anticipating a very hard battle if I did catch him, so when I saw the red bike slide out I could hardly believe it – this made things a lot easier for me! After that I just enjoyed riding my bike; my Bridgestone tyres worked very well until the end and my M1 felt very good. Of course I can’t count this as a complete victory because Casey fell, and I am sorry for him, but this is racing and I have to be happy with this result. We are 50 points clear which is a lot and I am very excited to be going to Misano in this situation. However we know that 50 points is still not always enough when you have someone as strong as Casey and so we won’t relax. Now we have two days of testing and we will try some new electronics in order to help me open the throttle earlier and also, of course, test some Bridgestone tyres.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“Of course this is a very important victory for us and we’re very happy today. It’s clear that Valentino did a very good job at the start not to let Stoner get too far ahead, and he was starting to make up ground and put some pressure on him when he unfortunately crashed. Of course this made our job a lot easier! We need to keep going like this and not lose our concentration, but we’ve had two very good races and we are confident that we are in good shape. We have two days of testing now which will be very important for the final six races, and then we go to another home race at Misano and try to make up for last year!”

Lorenzo finishes tenth with gutsy ride in Brno

Fiat Yamaha Team rookie Jorge Lorenzo finished a creditable tenth in Brno today, making up seven places after starting last on the grid. The Spaniard made the most of the tools he had available to pass several riders, including two on the last lap, and hangs onto his fourth place in the championship as a result. His team-mate Valentino Rossi won his fifth race of the season and was saved another tense battle with Casey Stoner after the Australian crashed out of the lead on the seventh lap.

Lorenzo was able to pass Colin Edwards early on and he then gradually settled into a rhythm and passed both James Toseland and Dani Pedrosa to take 12th. During the middle part of the race his lap times gradually improved and brought him closer to the next group and he was rewarded with an exciting final lap, which saw him pass first Sylvain Guintoli and then John Hopkins on the line to take tenth.

Six points for Lorenzo see him stay ten points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso in fourth place in the championship, whilst Rossi is now 50 points clear of Stoner. The Fiat Yamaha Team now have two days of testing before they head to the next round at Misano in Italy in two week’s time.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 10th Time: +39.573
“This race is a bit sad for me because we have the potential to do a lot better. However considering what has happened this weekend and, above all, the problems with the front tyre, I think we have done almost as much as we could. At the start I didn’t want to take too many risks and I could feel that the front tyre was getting worse on each lap, but on the other hand the rear tyre was getting better each lap! I know that we have had had problems this weekend but I know that Michelin are working very hard, so now we will try to use the test to make some improvements. I want to say thank you to all of my team for their hard work, congratulate Valentino for his victory and finally also Toni Elias for his podium.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“Today we couldn’t have done any better than this, but we can’t be satisfied to finish tenth. But overall Jorge did a great job and a good race, and he was able to find a good rhythm in the middle part of the race, continue until to the end and pass many riders, plus he was able to score some valuable points. Motivation in our team is still high because we have many more races to do and tomorrow at the test we will start again to work very hard with Michelin, look at the problems we have had here and try to find a way to improve things for the remaining races.”

http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080817201153531.jpg http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080817201418437.jpg

[Rossi46]

MotoGP Race Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/CZE/non/229177_Valentino+Rossi+in+action+in+Brno+MotoGP-1280x960-aug16.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap
1 25 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 43'28.841 164.025
2 20 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 43'43.845 163.087 15.004
3 16 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 43'50.530 162.673 21.689
4 13 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 43'54.700 162.416 25.859
5 11 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 43'58.306 162.194 29.465
6 10 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 43'59.449 162.123 30.608
7 9 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 44'05.294 161.765 36.453
8 8 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 44'05.591 161.747 36.750
9 7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 44'07.663 161.620 38.822
10 6 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 44'08.414 161.575 39.573
11 5 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 44'08.451 161.572 39.610
12 4 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 44'09.733 161.494 40.892
13 3 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 44'40.331 159.651 1'11.490
14 2 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 44'49.974 159.078 1'21.133
15 1 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 45'05.879 158.143 1'37.038
16 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 45'07.248 158.063 1'38.407
Not classified
1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 11'49.228 16 Lap

[Rossi46]

World Championship Standings:
Pos. Rider Nation Team Points
1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 237
2 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 187
3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 172
4 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 120
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP 110
6 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha 102
7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 99
8 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team 84
9 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 83
10 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 77
11 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 75
12 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team 66
13 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 49
14 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team 42
15 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 41
16 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 40
17 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team 37
18 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team 33
19 Ben SPIES USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 10
20 Jamie HACKING USA Kawasaki Racing Team 5
21 Tadayuki OKADA JPN Repsol Honda Team 2

[ferrarif1]

great race by rossi, i am not sure if he would have caught stoner. it was stoners race to lose.

great battles behind the leaders, nice to see elias and caparossi on the podium can recall the last time #65 was up there.