After the traditional mid-summer break, the MotoGP circus is preparing to head to the Czech Republic for the next round of this season’s championship which will see riders battle it out at the Brno circuit. On the back of two unlucky appointments in Germany and the United States, the Pramac d’Antin team is determined to achieve better results at the forthcoming race, even though regular rider Alex Hofmann will be unable to take part due to injuries sustained in a free practice crash at Laguna Seca last month. The German will be substituted on this occasion by Spanish reserve rider Ivan Silva, who also took part at the Czech Republic GP last season for the Pramac d’Antin team in place of Hofmann, who at that time was a temporary replacement rider for Sete Gibernau at the Ducati Corse team. Alex Barros, on the other hand, will be racing fully fit in Brno after recent injuries to his right hand had hindered his previous races and the Brazilian has a strong motivation to get back in the thick of racing action. The race weekend will start on Friday 17th August leading up to the 22-lap race on Sunday 19th. After this, the team will stay for an additional two days in Brno for some valuable testing. Alex Barros (76 points 9th in championship): “I’m happy to get back to action; finally after this summer break, my right hand has recovered its strength and I’m ready to go racing and determined to recover all the points lost in these two last races. The Brno circuit offers a variety of technical challenges that makes it difficult for riders to perform due to combination of elevation changes. As always I will give my best and I am sure that both my Desmosedici and Bridgestone tires will enable me to achieve my targets.” Ivan Silva: “I am happy to have the possibility to run in MotoGP again, especially this year where we have at our disposal the best tires and bike of this moment. During the entire season both Bridgestone and Ducati have shown to have very good qualities and competitiveness, so, for this reason, I’m honoured to ride the Desmosedici in Brno this weekend. I will do the best I can to contest a good race.” Luis d’Antin General Manager: “After the summer break we start again from Brno determined to recover points we lost during the two last races. Unfortunately Alex Hofmann will not be able to ride, so we decided to line up Ivan Silva. While Alex Barros has recovered from his recent hand injury and I’m sure he will do a good race this weekend. In the first part of this season, we weren’t too lucky, both of our guys were innocent victims of bad crashes that compromised their performance, but in spite of this, we always showed ourselves to be competitive and determined to achieve our objectives. For this reason, I want to thank first and foremost Bridgestone and Ducati for the material that they have given us and to all of our sponsors.” CIRCUIT Opened in 1987, when the MotoGP returned to dispute in Czech Republic. This circuit has a track with different kind of technical difficult which make in difficult pilots and engineers. Opened: 1987 Modified: 1996 Length: 5403m Width : 15m Longest Straight : 636m Right turns: 6 Leftturns: 8 Pole position: left Final Results 2006 MotoGP Class 1st Loris Capirossi: 43:40.115 2nd Valentino Rossi: 43:45.047 3rd Dani Pedrosa : 43:48.157

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins return to action at Brno in the Czech Republic next weekend refreshed and ready to go after the mid-season break, and both are sure that good results are a strong possibility. Vermeulen is especially eager to get back into the fray following his first dry weather podium last time out in America. The 25-year-old Australian will also be riding competitively for the first time since agreeing to remain with Suzuki for 2008 and will now be looking to fully concentrate on racing hard for the rest of 2007. Vermeulen will also be planning to build on his already impressive points tally that sees him in fourth place in the riders’ championship, having already scored 15 points more this season than he did in the whole of 2006. Hopkins had a strong race at Brno last year and finished seventh, following what he described as his best race of the season. The combative Anglo-American is still looking for another podium to go alongside his first top-three in China this year, and believes that Brno holds a good chance for him. Hopkins has recovered from the disappointment of Laguna Seca, where a first lap incident cost him any chance of a possible podium at his ‘home’ GP and will be determined to make amends in the Czech Republic. Brno is situated in the south-east of the Czech Republic, not far from the Austrian border and is the most eastern of all the European Grand Prix. The 5.4km circuit is an ideal track to come back to after the summer break and has a habit of producing exciting races. The layout features various types of corner combinations over many different elevations. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two hour-long practice sessions and then another free practice session the following morning. Saturday afternoon is reserved for an hour of qualifying to determine starting positions for the race. The main event is round 12 of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship and the 22-lap race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 19th August. Chris Vermeulen: “I cannot wait to get back in the saddle again. I have had some downtime relaxing on my boat in Australia I even went whale watching! But I need to be racing again – it’s my job! I’m glad that I have got next year’s negotiations all sorted and out of the way. I’m delighted to be staying with Suzuki and will now be able to concentrate on my riding and getting the best possible results for the remainder of the season, starting at Brno!” John Hopkins: “I was very disappointed at Laguna, but that’s racing and it’s all done now. I love Brno, it is a great circuit and with how the bike and the tyres are working this year I really believe we have a great opportunity there. I am fully committed to getting the best out of the GSV-R, and with corner-speed being a vital ingredient to success at Brno I think I have a good chance of putting us on the podium again!”

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Czech Grand Prix: wild-card riders The wild-card riders who will race in the Czech Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Brno on August 19 next, are the following: Start number, Rider (Country, Bike), Team, Nomination 125cc class: 86, Ricard Cardus (SPA-Aprilia), RACC Aprilia, FIM 91, Karel Majek (CZE-FGR), FGR 07 Team, ACCR 92, Parel Pezek (CZE-Aprilia), Pesek Tema, ACCR 93, Michal Prasek (CZE-Honda), Roha’c & Fejta, ACCR 94, Tony Wirsing (GER-Honda), Honda Schumann Reisen, FIM 250cc class: 6, Alex Debon (SPA-Aprilia), Aprilia Racing, MSMA 87, Jiri Mayer (CZE-Honda), Klub Racing Team Mayer, ACCR 88, Wang Zhu (CHN-Aprilia), Zongshen Team of China, FIM 89, Zhou Hao Yun (CHN-Aprilia), Zongshen Team of China, FIM

Red Bull Moto GP Rookies Cup Race 5 / Brno. Two points is all that separates Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup leaders Lorenzo Savadori of Italy and Frenchman Johann Zarco. Four different winners from four countries in five races and a total of 22 points scorers representing ten nations characterises the open nature of the inaugural championship. The next round at Brno on August 18th might feature a repeat of the wheel to wheel duel between two young stars from either side of the Atlantic that thrilled the German crowd at the last race. Or it could be a nine rider brawl like the Assen event just two weeks before that. Spaniard Luis Salom won that dramatic race in Holland at the final corner and American Cameron Beaubier took the German race with a last lap move that seemed to make nonsense of the fact that he is only fourteen. After early season errors that dented his points score Beaubier is third in the title chase 30 points behind leader Savadori. Fourth in the title chase is Britain’s Matt Hoyle one point ahead of German Markus Reiterberger. It is consistency that has got them those points though Hoyle’s third at his home round in Donington was impressive and both he and the German could be on the rostrum in Brno. Consistency has been lacking for some in the title chase either through their own errors or technical problems and while Salom and American Kris Turner have both been on the Rostrum twice and lie sixth and eighth in the table respectively they need a change in fortune if they are to challenge the top men. The Brno round sees a return to action after the summer break and a more open venue than the tight sections of Sachsenring. The Czech circuit is more like Mugello, where Zarco won his first race in the second round of the series. Both Sachsenring and Mugello have significant changes of elevation and coming to grips with that is also important at Brno. A series of S-sections in Brno mirror those in Mugello and require both quick changes of direction and an understanding of just what produces both the best corner speed and pace onto the following straights. Get those S sections wrong and four of Brno’s straights become very long indeed. The generous width of the 5.403km (3.357 mile) circuit is both a blessing and a curse. It can allow room for mistakes to be compensated for but the open space makes picking the perfect line and repeating that lap after lap very difficult; particularly as several of the corners are blind. Again it will be a valuable learning experience for the Rookies and a great venue for more dramatic teenage action.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport news 2007 QMM Endurance FIM Championship Preview: Round 4, Oschersleben, August 11/12 Circuit: 3.667 kms. BMW Motorrad’s second 24 hour Endurance race outing of the year takes place on home soil, at the Oschersleben racetrack in Saxony-Anhalt. For this race, BMW have entered two teams in the Open class. The number 17 bike will once again be ridden by the same trio who took a superb win in the Open class at the Le Mans 24 hr race earlier in the year – Thomas Hinterreiter, Rico Penzkofer and Marcus Barth. This time, they will be joined by Jose-Luis Nion, Peter Ottl and Richard Cooper on bike number 71. The Oschersleben 24 hr race is an important step in BMW’s return to motorcycle sport and they are hoping to put to good use what they have learnt so far this year. Although Oschersleben is a fairly flat track, it is still a demanding circuit and one that does not give racers a lot of time to relax. In a sprint race this would not be so much of a problem but, in a 24 hour race, riders need a very high level of stamina and concentration in order to make a good result. Team Manager – Berti Hauser This is a very important race for us. It’s very important because it is our home race and it’s also important because this is the tenth anniversary of the Oschersleben Speedweek and the 24 hours here. There was a privateer BMW entered in that very first race and now BMW are here with a full factory team and we want to put on a good show for the fans. Like many teams, we tested here not so long ago and those tests gave us a lot of valuable information. The track is quite twisty and I think it may suit us because our bike is good in the turns. The straights here are not so long and so the actual lap times between the fast (Superbike class) guys and us are not so great. To show how highly we regard this race, we have entered two bikes – that’s a lot of effort, but we hope it will pay off in the end and our efforts will be rewarded.

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM GOES BACK TO BUSINESS AT BRNO The Ducati Marlboro Team travels to Brno to commence the second part of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship with Casey Stoner leading the riders’ World Championship, Ducati ahead in the constructors’ series and the team itself heading the teams’ championship. Following the sport’s traditional three-week summer break, Stoner brings an impressive 44-point lead to the Czech Republic but the Australian is determined to keep pushing to add to his tally of six race victories as he pursues motorcycling’s greatest prize. Team-mate Capirossi is also looking forward to returning to action at Brno, where he won last year’s Czech GP in superb style. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project director “It’s good to be starting the second part of the season with Casey leading the riders’ championship and with us leading the teams’ and constructors’ championships. But we must keep our heads down and work to give Casey and Loris the best we can at every race. Over the past couple of years the second part of the season has traditionally been the best for our package. But this year the new tyre rule changes everything. So sometimes we might arrive at a track where we expect to be competitive and we have a tough weekend, and sometimes the opposite, like Laguna Seca, where we had a great weekend despite having struggled there in the past. So we will take each race as it comes, just like we did during the first part of this season.” CASEY STONER, World Championship leader on 221 points “It’s good to be going racing again after getting back to Australia for a bit during the summer break. I want to keep pushing and win more races, that’s my plan. I’ve always had very good results at Brno, I like the circuit a lot. It’s another of those fast, flowing circuits, a little bit like Mugello and Phillip Island, so it’s always been one of my favourites. But we’ll have to see how we go when we get there. I’m not saying I’m going be any faster there than anywhere else, but I do really enjoy the circuit. Looking at the Ducati and Bridgestone package, Loris did really well at Brno last year, but saying that he also did really well at Jerez last year and we kind of struggled a bit at Jerez at the start of this season, so we just have to wait and see how it’ll be. Anyway, I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to find out all the bugs and we hope to be strong again on race day.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 8th overall on 77 points “I feel ready to start the second part of the season and continue the good direction we found at the last couple of races. Of course, I love Brno, I won there last year and for sure it is one of my best tracks. I love to ride the circuit because it’s a fast track with plenty of fast corners, but it is also quite complicated with some downhill sections and some uphill sections, so you need to make the bike work well there, you need a balanced machine to give you the confidence. We rode the 800 for the first time at Brno last year, so it will be interesting to go back there because the bike has come a long way, it’s very different now. You also need good horsepower at Brno. I think we will probably start practice with two different engine specs – the standard spec plus the new spec we first used a few races ago – then we will decide which spec to use for the race.” THE TRACK Brno is a masterpiece of a motorcycle racing circuit. Constructed in the mid-1980s it eschews the modern fashion of tight turns and hairpins for a mighty mix of fast sweepers and undulating corners that test rider talent and machine performance to the limit. Most riders love the place because it’s challenging and also because it’s pretty fast. But Brno’s most significant characteristic is its constant changes of elevation – the circuit weaves its way across forested hillsides outside the Czech Republic’s second city – which means that many of the turns are steeply cambered. Dealing with negative-camber corners requires a perfectly set-up machine, deft riding skills and especially crucial input from tyre engineers. Horsepower is also a major consideration at Brno because this is one racetrack where MotoGP bikes, usually caged in by slower venues, really get moving. BRNO DATA Lap record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), 1m 58.157s, 164.618km/h-102.289mph (2006) Pole position 2006: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 56.191s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 34 (born 4 April 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 259 (89xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) GP victories: 28 (6xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) Pole positions: 41 (8xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Brno 2006 results: Grid: 2nd. Race: 1st CASEY STONER Age: 21 (born 16 October 16 1985) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP7 GP starts: 88 (27xMotoGP, 31×250, 30×125) GP victories: 13 (6xMotoGP, 5×250, 2×125) First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125) First GP: Britain, 2001 (125) Pole positions: 8 (4xMotoGP, 2×250, 2×125) First pole: Netherlands, 2003 (125) Brno 2006 results: Grid: 12th. Race: 6th