Suzuki Castrol, Yamaha Austria Finale World Endurance Championship Still Open Despite Suzuki Castrol winning the Oschersleben 24 Hour round of the FIM World Endurance Championship last weekend, the title will not be decided until the final round of the series next month. Yamaha Austria pursued Suzuki Castrol through the night to finish the race in second place and to hold Suzuki Castrol’s championship lead to just 28 points. With 35 points available to the winner at the Bol d’Or season finale, the slightest slip by the Suzuki team will see the Austrians win the World Endurance Championship for the first time. Yamaha Phase One Endurance still have a slim chance of finishing the year in second place, but their toughest battle will be to defend the third place that they currently hold. After an 18 hour long battle with Bolliger Team Kawasaki at Oschersleben the two teams are just 13 points apart, with Team Fagersjo-el.se Suzuki also still in a position to challenge to for third. Diablo 666 Bolliger Kawasaki move from 8th to 6th place in the championship, and German team RMT21 Racing Honda have moved up to 7th in the championship after finishing in 7th place at Oschersleben. The final round of the FIM World Endurance Championship is the Bol d’Or at Magny Cours in France on the 16th and 17th of September. FIM World Endurance Championship Standings after 6 Races 1. Suzuki Castrol Team (Suz GSX-R1000), 150 points 2. Yamaha Austria Racing Team (Yam YZF-R1), 122 points 3. Yamaha Phase One Endurance (Yam YZF-R1), 89 points 4. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki (Kaw ZX-10R), 76 points 5. Team Fagersjo-el Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000), 68 points 6. Diablo 666 Bolliger Kawasaki (Kaw ZX-10R), 40 points 7. RMT 21 Racing Honda (Hon CBR1000RR), 36 points 8. National Motos Honda (Hon CBR1000RR), 35 points 9. Team Endurance Moto 45 Suzuki (Suz GSX-R1000), 29 points 10. Shell Endurance Academy Yamaha (Yam YZF-R1), 27 points

FIM MotoGP World Championship Brno, Czech Republic August 18 Friday Morning Practice Results: 1. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), 1:59.387, Michelin 2. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), 1:59.434, Michelin 3. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), 1:59.529, Michelin 4. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR211V), 1:59.600, Michelin 5. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), 1:59.675, Michelin 6. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), 1:59.731, Michelin 7. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), 1:59.871, Bridgestone 8. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC211V), 1:59.893, Michelin 9. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), 2:00.107, Michelin 10. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP06), 2:00.110, Bridgestone 11. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), 2:00.226, Bridgestone 12. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), 2:00.266, Bridgestone 13. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), 2:00.515, Dunlop 14. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), 2:00.529, Michelin 15. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP06), 2:00.687, Bridgestone 16. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), 2:01.074, Bridgestone 17. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), 2:03.114, Dunlop 18. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP05), 2:03.408, Dunlop 19. Ivan SILVA (Duc GP05), 2:05.588, Dunlop

FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: The whole Red Bull thing is something that plays on the hearts of every parent of a young racer. My son, Peter Lenz, is just now transitioning from pocketbike racing to racing a NSR50 in MiniGP races. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity through his pocketbike team (BMS Factory Racing) to take a trip to France and Spain this past March. It was our first trip to Europe, we learned a few things, the hard way. The most financially insightful was those bits of information related to airline baggage. Most US carriers allow each passenger two pieces of checked luggage. Each one of these pieces can weigh up to 50 lbs., for a total passenger allowance of 100 lbs (45 kg). Most Europeans carriers don’t come close to this limit. As an example RyanAir only has a total passenger allowance of 15 kg (33 lbs). That is only a third of the allowance of a typical US carrier like United Airlines. Ready for the real kicker? RyanAir charges eight Euros for each kg over the weight limit. Eight Euros multiplied by the 30 kg difference in checked luggage allowance equals”¦ a heck of a lot of money to be surprised with at check in… 240 Euros to be exact. Multiply that by four passengers and you have a 960 Euro ($1,165) bill handed to you at check in. Keep in mind RyanAir is a jumper airline. This bill we were handed was for a 2 hour flight from France to the UK. We were lucky enough that we were able to hand off some of our baggage to a local contact that agreed to ship it for us. Unfortunately even after handing some of the baggage off we were still stuck with a 400 Euro ($485) overweight luggage bill. It was a costly education on airline baggage policies, now we know. As with every adventure there are lessons to take from it all. No matter what don’t exceed 15 kg of checked baggage if you are going to use a secondary carrier. Be aware that most airline’s liability limit is a joke and won’t even pay for a good riding suit. Consider spreading the gear across passengers to minimize value of a single passenger’s bags. Though we paid our own way to get there, we were guests of the BMS factory in France and over the two weeks, we racked up a $4100 bill. As Fernando Peris mentioned, we didn’t know where the boys stacked up in comparision, and the only way we found out was to make a trip. It would have been nice for someone to put together a ‘thing you should know before heading to Spain’…it would have saved us at least $485. We have four years until he is old enough to even do the Red Bull event. At least next time we will pack properly and not walk in blind. The last thing we learned was most important, those European pocketbikers are fast but not untouchable. Michael Lenz Father of Peter Lenz (~http://peterlenz.com~) 2006 CMA Canadian National Pocketbike Champion Vancouver, Washington FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Opinion: Red Bull Rookies Cup A Bad Deal For American Kids While some of these kids have racing experience, many of them have little or none. How can they expect to go to Spain and compete against riders who have been riding 125s extensively? If a young racer has potential he will be noticed here in the United States. Several of our racers have been fortunate to move up into the Pro Ranks such as John Hopkins, Josh Herrin, Jason Perez, Michael Beck, Chris Ulrich and the list goes on and on. The initial $5000+ cost is only the beginning. What happens if and I say if you’re chosen? Who is going to pay for going to school while racing in Europe, who is going to chaperone you while you’re there, who is going to pay for all the other expenses associated with this program? Since I don’t believe any American riders will be selected over the Europeans, my suggestion is stay home, use that $5000 to hone your racing skills and gradually move up. If you’re good you will get noticed. Al Lyons, President CMRRA (~http://www.racecmrra.com~) Lake Elsinore, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I know how you feel about the U.S. kids going to Spain. Thanks for looking out for us. Hopefully someone at Red Bull U.S. can help. I contacted them last week. They said someone would be in touch, but I haven’t heard back yet. I understand what you’re saying and it all makes sense. It is a bit disturbing that we were invited not knowing what the kids were being accepted for, under what criteria, etc. We’re also going over there not knowing what they’ll be looking for. The kids are going to see a whole new level of riding, that’s for sure. Is this a push in the pants that’s needed to get some companies motivated to put together a U.S. series for kids? It would be nice to see and I think it’s needed so we can stop saying that the Europeans are ahead of us. For years there hasn’t been anything like this here and now that we’re invited to go over there to participate, people want to talk reality and say we’re not prepared. That’s not good for any kids confidence if they’re reading these claims (true or not). What would it take to have someone put a U.S. Jr. series together”¦not just a series to run and compete every few weeks, but a series that’s about kids and helping with their development, etc. We can’t keep saying that we’re going to get our asses handed to us by the Spanish kids and do nothing about it. I can’t keep quiet about this anymore”¦”¦I have to question Red Bull USA’s involvement in this as well. Are they going to be looking out for every U.S. rider’s benefit, or is it already determined what is going happen? I know of a very talented 13-year-old who missed the cut off by one month, so he wasn’t even able to apply. The Red Bull website wouldn’t even let him continue filling out the application because of his birth month, but I know for sure someone who’s younger got accepted and is going”¦so did they lie or are they connected and just going? Who’s going to be paying attention and verifying everyone’s credentials? It’s not fair if someone got accepted because of who they are affiliated with. I know this happens all of the time, but this is just another example of how this needs to be better laid out. This same team also was saying that no other U.S. kid should even apply because their kid was already chosen for the U.S. spot. I wonder what we’re walking into”¦..Your opinion on what should be done would be greatly appreciated. But, it’s too late”¦I’ve already paid for the tickets”¦ Jeremy Pupillo Liverpool, New York USGPRU (~http://www.usgpru.net~) already has a very competitive racing series for 125cc Grand Prix racebikes, and Roadracingworld.com is one of the series sponsors. What USGPRU needs now is to solve the last-minute insurance problem that prevents kids under age 16 from competing in USGPRU races held in conjunction with CCS races; younger kids can compete in USGPRU races held in conjunction with other events, including the AMA Sports Grand Nationals scheduled for next month at Mid-Ohio and the USGPRU finals at Miller Motorsports Park. And any future Rookie Cup program should involve existing racing organizations in the U.S., including USGPRU. In the meantime, the best advice for a young racer is, compete on as many different tracks as possible, as often as possible, whether it is with USGPRU, CMRRA, WERA, OMRRA or another organization in your area…John Ulrich, Roadracing World. FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I travelled with Young Gun – Garrett Carter in spring of 2005 to Spain to watch him compete in the Spanish National Series for 125 GP. His father had broken the bank to make sure his son had a fighting chance in the series getting the best team he could with his budget. The race I was at – his spanish “pro” teammate qualified in second of a group of almost 70 riders. At the time Garrett was the national – or on his way to – national USGPRU 250 and 125 Champion. In Spain, Garrett could only manage to qualify in the last 10 positions of that group and never made the A race – having to race the B race throughout most of the year. His other young teammates from England – all accomplished winners – also had an equally difficult time even making the A race. While the young spanish rider – with some MotoGP wildcard rides in 125GP was top five – and riding on the same team. This gives you an indication of the incredible depth of talent that exists in europe – especially the 125 class that regularly draws more media and sponsors than our AMA Superbike classes. Garrett has gone on to start posting incredibly good finishes and qualifying in AMA Supersport and FX this year. A testament to the obvious talent and ability we all saw in him early. With some interest from major teams he looks set to make the step to pro rider. It is hard to say whether his spanish experience added to his racing future. I will say that after running at the front of the best 125 GP and 250 GP series in the US only to languish in the last few positions of the spanish series was incredibly tough – tough for even the strongest of competitors. Especially for someone so young. Enough to end a career – easily. Getting lapped teaches you nothing – racing for position is invaluable. In Garrett’s defense he never gave up and had nowhere to go with the USGPRU in North America. He was a bit too young to be thrown on a Supersport so it did seem like the best decision at the time. The Red Bull program looks to be a good one and Red Bull seems to be on the up and up. However; I would suggest that money would be better spent getting your kid on a bike – the more the better. If Garrett had spent a full year on a Supersport bike – and spent some of that money on building up a bike and getting a few more sets of tires per weekend – he might possibly be in a better chance to get even further ahead of the factory team riders he is regularly passing now. Hindsight is worth… My advice is to spend the money at home and get your kids on a bike – the more the better and the more diverse the better – super motard, moto, dirt track and even trials. Get them riding all the time and the talent will shine through. The fragile and intangible aspects of a young psyche are best protected at this age and when they are ready they will be ready. Dean de St. Croix Toronto, Canada FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: We’ve recently read your opinion article about the Red Bull Rookies Cup project on roadracingworld.com and would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your positive criticism. Since the Red Bull Rookies Cup still is a young project, all constructive comments are truly welcome. Thus, please be sure that we will take your arguments to heart and attempt to improve things for the future. With best regards from Austria, Heidi Ramsauer Red Bull GmbH Motorsports Fuschl am See, Austria

The Camel Yamaha team return from a three-week holiday next weekend to tackle the first of a final spell of six races that will determine whether reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi can turn around his fortunes and make a sixth consecutive defence of the title he has held since 2001. The Czech Republic Grand Prix takes place at the legendary circuit of Brno, located just over 200 kilometres south-east of the capital city of Prague, where last year Rossi took victory and the lap record as he edged towards his fifth straight title. The scenario is dramatically different for Rossi this time around but a similar performance is required as the Italian aims to close down the 51-point gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda). It is a tough task but certainly not impossible, as Yamaha legend Wayne Rainey proved in 1992 when he pipped the injured Mick Doohan to the title despite lying 65 points behind with only five races remaining. Fittingly this weekend marks the thirteen-year anniversary of Rainey’s final 500cc victory for the factory at Brno and is also precisely a decade since Rossi took his maiden Grand Prix win at the very same circuit in the 125cc class. Since then Rossi has added to his Brno tally with a further 250cc success and three wins in MotoGP – including last year’s dominant display on the Yamaha. Colin Edwards can’t wait to reacquaint himself with his YZR-M1 machine after riding a specially prepared YZF-R1 SP Superbike alongside Noriyuki Haga in the Suzuka 8 Hour two weeks ago. The prestigious Japanese race proved to be a brief but eventful affair for the American after he was knocked to the ground on lap one and then mounted a stunning recovery, only to suffer a mechanical failure a few laps later – continuing a run of bad luck almost comparable to that of Rossi. Despite the shortened holiday Edwards was able to take crucial time out to recharge his batteries at home in Texas and he returns to Europe even more determined to turn things around. Valentino Rossi: Race by race This time last season Valentino Rossi arrived in the Czech Republic knowing that two more wins would be enough to seal the MotoGP World Championship title but, for only the second time in his premier-class career, ‘The Doctor’ must now accept that with six races remaining his destiny is out of his hands. The latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune came immediately before the holidays at Laguna Seca, where a win for Nicky Hayden combined with a breakdown for Rossi left the Italian focusing simply on his performance in each approaching race. “This year I’ve had a lot of bad luck and Laguna could not have been worse, but now we have had twenty days of holiday to relax and forget about what happened there,” says Rossi. “Hopefully after this rest we can try to do something better in Brno. It isn’t one of my favourite tracks but last year it was a great race for me; almost perfect, with the fastest lap and the victory. I know that everyone at Yamaha and Michelin has been working hard in the break and hopefully in Brno we can come out fighting on Friday morning and make the most of the weekend. “I don’t know what to say about the championship to be honest. We only have six races left which is maybe not enough to make up the difference but anyway I want to try to have some fun and win as much as possible. Right now I’m not even thinking about the championship. I want to take it race by race and try to find a better way forward with this bike and these tyres so I can have some fun and try to win some more races.” Colin Edwards: Refreshed and relaxed If anyone has endured as much bad luck as Rossi this season it is his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, whose Suzuka misfortune came on the back of illness at his home Grand Prix in the USA and, just a few weeks previously, a last-corner crash that denied him of his first MotoGP victory at Assen. However, after spending some time with his young family at home in America, the ‘Texan Tornado’ is confident he can kick up a storm at Brno. “It’s been really good to have a holiday because this season, especially during June and July, has been incredibly hard and I definitely needed some time off to relax with my friends and family,” says Edwards. “Now I am feeling ready to get back on my bike and enjoy the last six races. After the disappointment of Laguna I went to Suzuka for the Eight-Hour and sadly that didn’t work out either – it was a long way to go for six laps! Anyway, I’ve since had two weeks holiday at home in Texas with my family and I’m feeling refreshed and relaxed now and ready to get going again for the last six races. “Things haven’t worked out exactly how we would have liked up until now but I know that when our package is working we can fight at the top and this is what I am determined to do for the rest of the season. Brno is a track I really like and I’ve been racing there a long time so I know it pretty well. There’s always a good atmosphere there as everyone’s nice and chilled out after their holidays! I’m going to give the weekend everything I’ve got and hopefully the bike will work well so we can get a good result under our belts to set us up for the three flyaways” Davide Brivio: Keeping the faith Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio echoes Rossi’s sentiments about the championship being a ‘race by race’ affair but outlined the determination of his staff to back up their World Champion with 100% commitment until the end of the season. The Italian admits his team faces a tough challenge over the final six rounds but insists that they will not give up on the title until it is a mathematical impossibility. “Brno is the start of the final stage of the season and we go into it finding ourselves in a difficult situation,” admits Brivio. “We are obviously not where we would like to be in the championship with six races to go but we will not give up and every member of the team is ready to fight until the end. Of course we still want to win the title and we still believe we can do it. We have had a lot of misfortune during the season but we still have faith in our potential. “The break was good for everybody but after Laguna Seca we are looking forward to getting back on the track and trying to win races again. That is Valentino’s goal for every Grand Prix between now and the end of the season. Because of the Eight-Hour Colin barely had a day off for seven weeks before the holiday so I think he needed the break more than anybody and we are looking forward to seeing him back in good shape. Our target for both riders is simply to improve our level of performance and try to win every race.” Technically speaking: Brno according to Matteo Flamigni The current Brno circuit is encircled by the tendrils of the various ‘real’ road layouts that made up the Czech Grand Prix venues of yesteryear. Used for a Grand Prix for the final time in 1977, the old track was replaced in 1987 by what is basically the current incarnation, subtly altered in 1996 to measure 5.403km in length. Brno has come a long way since riders used to judder across its cobblestone sections but its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes still provide an interesting challenge for the riders and their engineers. “Firstly Brno is a difficult track for the riders because it is so wide – around 15m in some parts – and that makes it easy for them to run off line and make mistakes,” explains Matteo Flamigni, Data Engineer for Valentino Rossi. “From a set-up point of view we have to give the rider a bike which is strong under braking because there are many areas where a rider can pass or be passed in downhill turns, which adds to the normal stress of braking. The bike must also be stable in the long fast corners, such as turns one, nine and thirteen, and then agile for the chicanes. This is always a compromise situation at any circuit but especially at Brno, where the chicanes are also combined with elevation changes. “The balance of the bike is critical towards the end of the lap because there is a lot of weight transfer between hard uphill acceleration, which naturally lifts the front end, and braking into the chicanes, where the rider must wait for the front to load up again before turning in Brno is one of the circuits where you can most clearly see the evolution of the MotoGP bikes since changing from two-stroke to four-stroke because a good lap time has come down by around five seconds, even though the track hasn’t changed. As well as showing the general improvement of the bikes and tyres, this outlines the need for a lot of horsepower on the long uphill straights, where gearbox settings are also crucial.” Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 83 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 167 (108 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 41 World Championships – 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 59 x MotoGP World Championships – 2 World Superbike Brno Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’58.787 Brno Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1’57.504 2005 Czech Republic Grand Prix Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 43’56.539 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, +1.837 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda +3.444 7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +13.532

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.”

After a three-week summer vacation period, the MotoGP paddock reconvened today at the Central European city of Brno in the Czech Republic, the first of six races remaining in the seventeen event MotoGP World Championship calendar. Despite cooler conditions earlier on this week, the sun was shining and temperatures were on the up as summer returned to the area for the eagerly awaited Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske republiky. Leading the way as the series enters the home stretch is American rider Nicky Hayden, who arrives at the circuit with a 34-point cushion over team-mate Dani Pedrosa. Hayden is in fine form after he beat the young Spaniard into second place at the last round. After that successful home race at Laguna Seca, the Kentucky Kid knows that he will face a full-on attack from several quarters, with his closest challengers – Pedrosa, Marco Melandri and Valentino Rossi – all having won at the circuit in the past. A selection of visiting and home riders paid a trip to a local brewery for a pre-event activity ahead of tomorrow’s practice sessions. MotoGP riders Shinya Nakano and James Ellison were accompanied by local stars Jakub Smrz and Lukas Pesek in learning about the different stages of the brewing process at the Starobrno factory, which has roots in a nearby 14th Century monastry and is just a small part of the nation’s proud brewing heritage. The customary press conference was attended by the key players in the title race, with Hayden, Pedrosa, Rossi, Melandri and Loris Capirossi all giving their pre-race opinions to the gathered media. In two notable developments of the day, it was announced that both Sete Gibernau and Yuki Takahashi would be absent from proceedings at Brno. Gibernau, still recovering from a second operation on his collarbone, will be replaced at Ducati by Alex Hofmann as happened earlier on in the season, with Hofmann’s place in the Pramac D’Antin team being occupied once again by Ivan Silva. Takahashi meanwhile has chosen against riding in Sunday’s 250cc race, instead deciding to await further recovery from his broken arm. MotoGP Nicky Hayden: I’m just having fun now in the races, riding better than I ever have and remaining consistent. We’re coming up to some tracks which I really like and I have to stay focused, because I’ve been dreaming about the title since I was three years old and there is still a long way to go yet. It’s not one of my best tracks but I enjoy it, the elevation, the smoothness and the overtaking opportunities are my favourite aspects. Dani Pedrosa: Last year was a great race for me in 250cc, and I have to repeat that in MotoGP, which is always the case. Here will be different for me than last year, something that I’ve had to get used to. I am happy to be second in the championship at the moment, I can be proud of that. Marco Melandri: It was a nice holiday, but now it is good to get back on the bike and I can’t wait to ride again at 100%. I like the track but have never had a good race here. Now I just want to do my best and not think about the championship, in which there is quite a large gap. Valentino Rossi: The last few races have been difficult. The situation was better before Laguna, 51 points is a big step up, and my M1 has never been at 100%. Nothing is impossible, but to win six in a row seems too difficult for me. The important thing now is not to start from 10th and to finish on the podium at every race. I’ve won a lot of times here in Brno, but it’s not one of my favourite tracks. Loris Capirossi: The break was for the best, I’m back at 100% and there are some good tracks ahead for Ducati. I think the championship is a little bit too far away for me, but we can think about the future, and we are definitely performing better than last year. GRAND PRIX STATISTICS NICKY HAYDEN HITS TOP FORM After his debut victory at the U.S. Grand Prix last year, Nicky Hayden has performed consistently at a high level, challenging at least for a podium result at most races even when he has not qualified particularly well. This is illustrated by some statistics from the last 21 races since his maiden Grand Prix victory: Hayden has only failed to score points once in the last 21 races, at the British GP last year when he crashed out in the very wet conditions on lap 3. The only two races at which he has finished lower than 5th during this period are the 2005 Japanese GP and the British GP earlier this season; he was 7th on both occasions. He has finished on the podium 15 times in this period, including 3 race victories. Hayden has scored a total of 340 points since winning the 2005 U.S. GP, exactly the same number of points as reigning world champion Valentino Rossi. If Hayden finishes in the top four at the Czech GP he will have scored more points in the first 12 races of 2006 than he did throughout 2005. 7 of his 9 podium finishes this year have come after he has failed to qualify on the front row of the grid. YOUNGSTERS IMPRESS IN MOTOGP The influx of new young riders into the MotoGP class who have started to challenge regularly at the front have had a significant effect on the age profile of the podium finishers this year. As shown in the following table the average age of the podium finishers in the premier-class has been fluctuating marginally over the past five years from a low of 27.3 in 2001 to a high of 29.5 in 2004. This year there has been a significant drop to an average age of just 25.8 years. Further evidence of the young riders taking over in the class is that only one rider over the age of 30 has won in 2006; Loris Capirossi at the first race of the year in Jerez. At the end of 2005, six of the riders who finished in the top ten in the Championship standings were over the age of 30, while in the current standings only three riders from the top ten are over the age of 30. At the same time, the age profile of the podium finishers in the 125cc and 250cc class has stabilised around the 21 year mark, after both seeing a considerable reduction between 2001 and 2004. AVERAGE AGE OF GRAND PRIX PODIUM FINISHERS Year/MotoGP/250cc/125cc 2001 27.3 25.8 23.7 2002 28.1 22.7 23.6 2003 28.6 22.5 22 2004 29.5 22.2 20.4 2005 28.4 21.0 21.2 2006 (after USA GP) 25.8 21.3 21.8 Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines MOTOGP FACTS & FIGURES – Honda riders have won the premierclass race at the current Brno circuit on 10 occasions, Yamaha on 7 and Suzuki just once with Kevin Schwantz in 1989. – Nicky Hayden’s 5th place last year at Brno is his best result at this circuit. Hayden has been the first Honda rider across the line 5 times in the first 11 races of 2006. – Dani Pedrosa has been on the podium for the last 4 years racing in the smaller classes at the Czech GP, including 2 victories; the 125cc race in 2003 and last year in the 250cc class. After just 11 rounds of the championship Pedrosa has scored 160 points, the highest total by a Rookie in the premier-class since Rossi scored 209 points throughout the 2000 season. – Marco Melandri made his GP debut at the Czech GP in 1997 shortly after his 15th birthday to become the youngest ever rider to compete in a Grand Prix at that time. Melandri is a three-time winner at Brno having taken victory in the 125cc race in both 1998 and 1999 and the 250cc race in 2002. Melandri’s 3rd place finish at Laguna Seca means he has finished on the podium at 3 successive races for the first time in the premier-class. – Valentino Rossi scored his very first win in GP racing at Brno in 1996 in the 125cc class, after starting from pole for the first time in his GP career Since then he has had 4 more victories at Brno; the 250cc race in 1999 and the premier-class in 2001, 2003 and last year. – Loris Capirossi has had 6 top five finishes at Brno, including podium places in 2001 and last year. Capirossi’s 2nd place at Brno in 2005 is the best ever result for a Ducati rider at this circuit and the first podium finish at Brno for a rider using Bridgestone tyres. – Casey Stoner’s 3rd place last year in the 250cc race was his first podium at the Brno circuit. VALENTINO ROSSI’S TEN YEARS OF GRAND PRIX SUCCESS The Czech Grand Prix will be the 10th anniversary of Valentino Rossi’s first win in Grand Prix racing, in the 125cc class at Brno on the 18th August, 1996. If he should win this year at Brno he will become the 22nd rider in the 58 year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing to have a winning career lasting over a ten year period. The other riders who have achieved this are shown in the following list, which is topped by Angel Nieto, who won a total of 13 world tiles in the 125cc and 50cc classes. Second is Loris Capirossi, who would move to the top of this list on next winning a Grand Prix. RIDER/FIRST GP WIN/LAST GP WIN/LENGTH OF WINNING GP CAREER/YEARS 1Angel Nieto 50cc/E. Germany/1969 80cc/France/1985 16.02 2 Loris Capirossi 125cc/GB/1990 MotoGP/Spain/2006 15.64 3 Phil Read 350cc/GB/1961 500cc/Czech/1975 14.19 4 Loris Reggiani 125cc/GB/1980 250cc/Czech/1993 13.03 5 Max Biaggi 250cc/South Africa/1992 MotoGP/Germany/2004 11.87 6 Toni Mang 125cc/W. Germany/1976 250cc/Japan/1988 11.58 7 Alex Barros 500cc/FIM/1993 MotoGP/Portugal/2005 11.56 8 Luigi Taveri 125cc/Spain/1955 125cc/Italy/1966 11.36 9 Giacomo Agostini 350cc/W. Germany/1965 500cc/W. Germany/1976 11.34 10 Alex Criville 125cc/Australia/1989 500cc/France/2000 11.10 11 Barry Smith 50cc/IOM TT/1968 125cc/Belgium/1979 11.06 12 Tarquinio Provini 125cc/Spain/1954 250cc/Italy/1965 10.92 13 Bruno Kneubühler 350cc/Spain/1972 125cc/Sweden/1983 10.87 14 Tommy Robb 250cc/Ulster/1962 125cc/IOM TT/1973 10.82 15 Pierpaolo Bianchi 125cc/Austria/1976 80cc/San Marino/1986 10.31 16 Jorge Martine 80cc/Dutch TT/1984 125cc/Argentina/1994 10.24 17 Noboru Ueda 125cc/Japan/1991 125cc/Italy/2001 10.19 18 Barry Sheene 125cc/Belgium/1971 500cc/Sweden/1981 10.12 19 Luca Cadalora 125cc/W. Germany/1986 500cc/W. Germany/1996 10.11 20 Carlo Ubbiali 125cc/Ulster/1950 250cc/Italy/1960 10.06 21 Eugenio Lazzarini 125cc/Dutch TT/1973 125cc/Belgium/1983 10.02 22 Valentino Rossi 125cc/Czech/1996 MotoGP/Germany/2006 9.91 USA GO ABOVE GERMANY Nicky Hayden’s success at Laguna Seca was the 172nd victory by a rider from the USA in all solo classes of Grand Prix racing. This is one more victory than achieved by riders from Germany (including the former East Germany). As shown in the following table only three other nations have scored more Grand Prix wins; Italy, Great Britain and Spain. GRAND PRIX VICTORIES BY NATION Total/MotoGP-500cc/350cc/250cc/125cc/80cc/50cc 1 Italy 669 192 66 183 207 3 18 2 Great Britain* 381 138 85 96 52 1 9 3 Spain 279 29 1 60 119 27 43 4 USA 172 153 19 5 Germany 171 1 11 81 44 6 28 6 Japan 162 12 8 61 75 6 7 Australia 132 84 14 21 10 3 8 Rhodesia 70 12 31 23 4 9 Switzerland 65 1 1 7 30 9 17 10 France 62 3 9 34 16 * Includes riders from Northern Ireland – Colin Edwards’ 9th place finish at Laguna Seca was the 32nd successive race at which he has scored points. The only rider with a longer sequence of successive point scoring finishes is Mick Doohan, with a run of 37. – Kenny Roberts has had a single podium appearance at Brno, in 1999 when he finished 3rd riding a Suzuki. This was the last time that a Suzuki rider finished on the podium at Brno. – John Hopkin’s 74 points total after 11 races is the most points he has scored in a single season since entering GP racing in 2002. – Shinya Nakano, who won the 250cc GP at Brno in 2000, has not had a top ten finish at the Czech GP since moving up to the premier-class. For the last 2 years Nakano has been the first Kawasaki rider across the line in 12th place. – Toni Elias finished on the podium on 3 occasions at Brno while racing in the smaller Grand Prix classes, including a 125cc GP win in 2001. – Sete Gibernau has started from pole for the last two years at Brno and won the race in 2004. Gibernau has now gone 16 races, since the German GP last year, without having finished on the podium. – Chris Vermeulen finished 3rd in the second race of the World Superbike event held at Brno last year. Vermeulen’s 5th place finish at Laguna Seca, after leading for more than half of the race, is his best result so far in his debut season on MotoGP. JORGE LORENZO AND ANDREA DOVIZIOSO BATTLE FOR 250CC HONOURS Since moving to the 250cc class at the start of 2005 Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso have continued a rivalry that had started in the 125cc class in 2004 when they finished together on the podium on 5 occasions. The following statistics show that since joining the 250cc class they have each finished on the podium 13 times, with Lorenzo having been victorious on 5 occasions while Dovizioso has stood on the top step once. However, Dovizioso has been a more consistent finisher with 21 top six finishes and scoring more points over his 250cc career than Lorenzo. Lorenzo has started one less 250cc race after missing the 2005 Malaysian GP, due to being suspended for his part in a collision with Alex de Angelis on the final lap at the previous race in Japan. STARTS/WINS/PODIUM/FINISHES/TOP 6 FINISHES/POLE POSITIONS/TOTAL POINTS AVERAGE Dovizioso 26 1 13 21 2 361 13.88 Lorenzo 25 5 13 17 11 341 13.64 LUKAS PESEK REVIVES THE FORTUNE OF CZECH RIDERS Derbi factory rider Lukas Pesek has revived the fortunes of riders from the Czech Republic with a number of impressive qualifying and race performances during 2006. He has set a number of new records and milestones with respect to Czech riders: At the opening race of the year at Jerez, Pesek became the first ever Czech rider to finish on the podium in a 125cc GP. This second place finish at Jerez also gave him the record of being the youngest ever Czech rider to finish on a Grand Prix podium. This podium at Jerez was also the first top three result for a Czech rider in any class since Bohumil Stasa was second in the 350cc race at the Czech GP in 1971 riding a Jawa-CZ. At the Italian Grand Prix Pesek became the first Czech rider on record to have qualified on pole position. Pesek’s current score of 102 points is already the greatest number of points accumulated by a Czech rider in a single season of Grand Prix racing. CLOSE RACING ONCE AGAIN IN THE 125CC CLASS The climax to the 125cc race in Germany was once again incredibly close, with Lukas Pesek the third placed rider just 0.111 sec behind the winner, making this the 5th closest podium finish in 125cc history. This was the 5th time this year that all three podium finishers have been covered by less than half a second, 3 of which feature in the following table showing the top 10 closest podium finishes of all time in the 125cc class (only races that have gone full distance are included). CLOSEST PODIUM FINISHES EVER IN THE 125cc CLASS Race/Time Covering Podium Finishers 1. Australia/1998/Philip Island 0.044 sec 2. Italy/2006/Mugello 0.052 sec 3. European GP/1993/Catalunya 0.085 sec 4. Catalunya/1998/Catalunya 0.096 sec 5. Germany/2006/Sachsenring 0.111 sec 6. Spain/1996/Jerez 0.116 sec 7. Great Britain/1979/Silverstone 0.120 sec 8. Australia/2004/Phillip Island 0.123 sec 9. Dutch TT/2006/Assen 0.128 sec 10. Spain/1999/Jerez 0.129 sec – Carlos Checa has scored points at all 18 races since he finished 8th at the Czech GP last year. Checa’s 7th place finish at Laguna Seca was the best result in the premier-class for a rider using Dunlop tyres since John Hopkins finished 7th on a Dunlop shod Yamaha at the Dutch TT in 2002. – Randy de Puniet twice finished on the podium in the 250cc class at Brno, including a victory in 2003.50cc facts & figures – Aprilia have won the 250cc race at Brno 7 times in the last ten years, while Honda have had just 2 wins in this period, with Biaggi in 1997 and Pedrosa last year. Nakano’s triumph in 2001 was the second at this circuit for Yamaha in the 250cc class. – Jorge Lorenzo, who won the 125cc GP at Brno in 2004, finished 2nd in the 250cc race last year after qualifying on pole position and leading for the majority of the race. – The two riders heading the current championship classification, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso had a great battle for the victory in the 125cc race at Brno in 2004, which was won by Lorenzo by just 0.036 sec after passing Dovizioso at the final corner. – Alex de Angelis and Jorge Lorenzo have both finished on the podium at the last 5 successive races. – Yuki Takahashi has only finished on the podium twice this year, but on each occasion has won the race. -Only 3 riders have scored points at each of the 10 250cc GP races this year; Andrea Dovizioso, Yuki Takahashi and Roberto Locatelli. -Roberto Locatelli took the 125cc race at Brno in 2000 on his way to winning the world title. GRAND PRIX RACING NUMBERS 51 Valentino Rossi is currently 51 points behind championship leader Nicky Hayden. Only one rider has ever gone on to win the premier-class title after being so far back, Wayne Rainey in 1992 when he trailed Mick Doohan by 65 points with five races of the year remaining, but went on to claim the title after Doohan suffered serious injuries which resulted in him missing several GPs. 36 The total number of Grand Prix events held at Brno. Eighteen were held on the previous closed road circuit and eighteen on the current circuit, which was first used in 1987. 12 The number of times Alex de Angelis has finished on the podium in the 250cc class without having tasted victory. Only one rider has had more podium finishes in the 250cc class without winning a race, Heinz Rosner, who finshed in the top three 13 times in the mid 1960’s riding MZ factory machines. 7 Max Biaggi is the most successful Grand Prix rider at the current Brno circuit, having won on 7 occasions; 5 times in the 250cc class and 3 in the premier-class. THIS WEEK IN HISTORY 13 years ago Czech GP/Brno/1993/500cc Three times world champion Wayne Rainey scored the last of his 24 Grand Prix victories with team-mate Luca Cadalora following home in second place, the last time that Team Roberts scored a one-two result in Grand Prix racing. Two weeks after this race Rainey crashed at the Italian GP at Misano and sustained injuries that ended his career. 18 years ago Czech GP/Brno/1988 Jorge Martinez won both the 125cc and 80cc races on his way to taking the world titles in both classes. This was the last ever occasion that a rider has won two Grand Prix races on the same day. 19 years ago Czech GP/Brno/1987 The first Grand Prix event to be held at the current Brno circuit following a four year gap without a Czech Grand Prix, after the old road circuit that had held the races up until 1982 was considered too dangerous. 25 years ago Swedish GP/Anderstorp/1981/500cc Barry Sheene’s last Grand Prix victory and the last occasion on which a British rider has won in the premier-class. This was the 300th GP to be held in the premier-class, of which riders from Great Britain had won 138. Since then there have been 356 races in the premier-class without a British rider being victorious. 26 years ago West German GP/Nurburgring/1980/350cc One of the greatest title deciding races of all time with the two protagonists Jon Ekerold and Toni Mang level on points going into the last race of the year. The race was run at record pace with a fastest lap by race winner Ekerold taking an incredible 14 seconds off the previous lap record; a time faster than Kenny Roberts had achieved to qualify in second place on the grid for the 500cc race. 30 years ago Czech GP/Brno/1976/500cc Twenty-four year old British rider John Newbold, riding a Suzuki, scored the only Grand Prix victory of his career and the first ever victory at Brno in the premier-class by a two-stroke machine. 32 years ago Czech GP/Brno/1974/500cc Phil Read riding an MV-Agusta won the race from team mate Franco Bonera. This was the last time that four-stroke machines achieved a one-two finish in the 500cc class. 52 years ago Swiss GP/Berne/1954 This was the last GP to be held in Switzerland prior to the country banning motorcycle racing. Switzerland held a Grand Prix for the first six years of the World Championship series with five of the events being at Berne and one, in 1950, being held at Geneva.