With the 3 week break coming to a close, FIAT Yamaha will arrive in the Czech Republic for Round 10 of the MotoGP World Championship in Brno, on top of the world. With Jorge Lorenzo running away at the top of the Championship, and 9-time World Champion Valentino Rossi back from his injury. And Brno is a track which holds much history for both riders. Lorenzo will be looking to add to his 3 wins already at this circuit, 1 in 125cc and 2 in 250cc. However, a repeat of last year will not be welcomed, as he crashed out of the race whilst sparring with Rossi for the lead.
Worryingly for the rest of the field, Lorenzo is recharged and excited for the second half of the season. “The holidays were perfect. Ten days in the Caribbean for rest and fun, charging the batteries for the second half of the season. I needed it because the calendar has been busy in the last month and now I can focus on the rest of the season.”
“We are going to Brno, a track I like and where I’ve won three times, but never in MotoGP. I haven’t even got a podium here and this is my challenge, my first podium in the second part of the season and in Brno. Czech Republic is a nice country, with amazing people at the race and also the track is impressive, fast and with some good hills. After the race I will stay in Brno to try something new on the bike, something to improve our bike until the end of championship. Good place to restart!”
Rossi has fond memories of the Czech circuit too, as this is where the first of 104 grand prix wins occurred.All in all, Valentino has had 6 wins here, 5 of which have been in the MotoGP class, with 2 being the previous 2 races. Using the break to recuperate, Rossi is feeling good about the rest of the season.
“I’ve had a good break and it’s helped me a lot to have this time to work on my physical condition. I’m feeling good about my leg and my shoulder and I hope that this weekend I’ll be feeling much stronger. Brno is a great track for me and it’s always special because it’s the first place I ever won at. Last year I had a great race, this year will be harder because I’m not completely fit yet but I am looking forward to getting back on the bike. We have half the season still to go and our aim is to have a good second half!”
