The Kawasaki Racing Team return to racing this weekend, with Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet determined to get the final part of the season off to a flying start, after spending time relaxing at home with family and friends during the three-week summer break. The race, at the classic and fast 5.4 km Brno circuit, is the 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship. It is the first of a hectic schedule of races that will see six events conducted in ten weeks to close the season at Valencia on October 29. While de Puniet managed to stay away from the racetrack for the entire three weeks of the summer break, Nakano was unable to resist the opportunity to attend the Suzuka eight-hour endurance race while at home in Japan. But it’s back to work at Brno this weekend for both Kawasaki riders, at a circuit that Nakano feels has certain sections that will suit the characteristics of the 2006 Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine. The 28-year-old Japanese rider got his weekend off to a dramatic start on Wednesday evening, as he finished second in the annual go-kart endurance challenge organised by Kawasaki Czech Republic. As a result, Nakano heads into this weekend hopeful of repeating his podium performance in Sunday’s 22-lap race. Despite being one of the fastest go-kart drivers on track, Nakano’s Kawasaki teammate, Randy De Puniet, finished well down the order with his team in the two-hour challenge, but remains confident of a better result with his Ninja ZX-RR this weekend. De Puniet has endured what can only be described as a difficult start to his debut season in MotoGP, but the 25-year-old Frenchman is hoping that the next six races will see an upturn in his race results, starting this weekend at Brno. Located 200 kilometres southeast of the Czech capitol, Prague, the current Brno circuit was constructed in 1987. Before that, Grand Prix races were held on a public roads circuit, with literally hundreds of thousands of Czech motorcycle racing fans turning out to watch from the roadside. While the crowd for this weekend is likely to somewhat smaller, the enthusiasm of the present day Czech race fans can be relied upon to easily match that of their predecessors from the 1970’s. Shinya Nakano: #56 “It was good to get away from the racetrack and relax for a while, especially after the tight programme we had in the run up to Laguna, but I didn’t manage to stay away from the racetrack for the whole three weeks. While I was in Japan I went to the Suzuka eight-hour endurance race. I’ve never raced endurance, so it was interesting to see what goes on, and it was good to get the opportunity to meet the fans without the distraction of having to race myself. But now the break is over, and it’s back to work at Brno. I like the Brno circuit, and I won here on the 250cc, but it’s not been such a good track for me on the MotoGP bike in recent years. The track is fast, but I think the critical part is from the halfway point, where it’s all up hill to the finish line. You need to be quick through this section to guarantee a fast lap. After three weeks away from MotoGP, it would be good to start the last part of the season with a good result, and that’s exactly what we’ll be aiming for this weekend.” Randy de Puniet: #17 “It seems like a long time since the Laguna Seca race. After the US Grand Prix I spent a week in America, travelling up to Los Angeles and Las Vegas before heading back to France and then Andorra. To be honest I’ve not done much since returning to Europe. It’s just been a case of relaxing as much as possible, after a particularly demanding run of races leading up to the summer break. It was good to get away from the racetrack for a while, to recharge the batteries, but now I’m looking forward to getting back to work at Brno this weekend. I like this track; it’s enjoyable to race at and I’ve had some good results here on the 250cc machine in the past. Like many of the circuits this season, it’s sure to look different from the seat of a Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine, but I’m confident that I can make the necessary adjustment during free practice, and I hope we will have a good weekend here.”