Repsol riders prepare the assault on the top positions of starting grid in Brno.
In the MotoGP class, Pedrosa set the eighth and Hayden the tenth fastest time in the overall results of both free sessions. The North American rider was the fastest of the morning’s first free practice session.
The Repsol riders faced the first practice session of the Czech Grand Prix with prudence. In the MotoGP class, the top World Championship riders Hayden leader of the standings and Pedrosa second used todays sessions to make some tests and recover the pace after the summer break. Despite being fastest in the morning, Hayden and his team dropped back to tenth in the overall results of both free sessions since they dedicated most of the time to test different solutions for is bike. Team mate Dani Pedrosa, managed to complete his plan for this initial practice sessions on his first day at the Czech circuit on the MotoGP bike. Fifth in the morning, Pedrosa finished the afternoon session on eighth position.
The Repsol riders faced the first practice session of the Czech Grand Prix with prudence. In the MotoGP class, the top World Championship riders Hayden leader of the standings and Pedrosa second used todays sessions to make some tests and recover the pace after the summer break. Despite being fastest in the morning, Hayden and his team dropped back to eleventh this afternoon since they dedicated most of the time to test different solutions for is bike. Team mate Dani Pedrosa, managed to complete his plan for this initial practice sessions on his first day at the Czech circuit on the MotoGP bike. Fifth in the morning, Pedrosa finished the afternoon session on eighth position. Positive first day for the Repsol riders in the 250cc class.
In his first ever time at the Czech track, Shuhei Aoyama, set the eleventh fastest time in the morning and the eighth fastest time in the afternoons qualifying practice, improving the time he set in the free practice by almost two seconds. Team mate Martín Cárdenas, completely recovered from the injury suffered in his left collarbone was tenth in the morning and tenth in the afternoons qualifying practice as well. Bradley Smith faced his first contact with the Czech layout in his comeback to activity with caution, almost one month after the last stage faced in Germany. The young Repsol rider set the twenty-fourth fastest time in the mornings free practice and the nineteenth in the first qualifying practice. Despite lapping this afternoon one second faster than in the morning, Smith will have to improve tomorrow in order to get closer to the top times and get a better place on the starting grid.
Rider´s comments
Dani Pedrosa:
Today we started very well in the morning and made some good progress, although the track is not really at 100 per cent and its a little bit dirty. This might be why this afternoon we didnt improve so much. Tomorrow well continue to improve things to get ready for qualifying and the race. Adapting to riding the MotoGP bike here wasnt so difficult because it doesnt feel too different to the 250cc, its just a bigger bike. Sure the speed is much higher at the end of the straights, but in the corners the difference is just the size and weight of the bike. Anyway, well see if we can make some improvements for tomorrow and get a good qualifying position.
Nicky Hayden:
It was nice to get back on track this morning and it feels really good to be working with my boys again. I love being back here, working hard with my guys and everything felt pretty good in this mornings session. This afternoon, though, I didnt have such a good feeling. The track temperature changed a bit and we were trying a few different things on the bike, but even when we put the bike back to exactly how I had it this morning my feeling wasnt so good and my lap times werent an improvement. There are a few parts on the track where I feel like I could be doing better and a few places where I need to get the front to steer a little better and accelerate onto the straights. So Ill sit down and talk about a few issues with my team tonight and well work it out.
Shuhei Aoyama:
Its been ok considering that its the first day. Ive had good feelings but there are still things that have to be improved, so we can consider it a normal first day. The set-up is not bad, but we still have to work on the suspensions. Tomorrow were going to give it all and Im sure that we are going to improve. This is a nice circuit, quite fast but also a bit difficult. The result is ok for the first day.
Martín Cárdenas:
Its been a quite god day. This track seems to be very difficult. I had some trouble to adapt last year but Im finding my way this year and I felt quite good during the qualifying practice. This weekend we have tested for the first time both bikes with different settings in order to find the setting that adapts better to my riding style. The tests we made in the morning went good and we made further tests in the afternoon that improved the bikes feeling, so we were able to improve the times. The collarbone is still bothering me a bit but its ok in general terms.
Bradley Smith:
Theres not really much to say. Free practice went rather bad. Its a difficult track quite like Mugello and I struggled really badly at Mugello as well. It was quite nice to find my feet in the second session, sort out my line, sort out everything; I felt really good. I didnt get a perfect lap together but we still have a lot more to come and still have a few problems to sort out, but Im more than happy with my team and were going to sort out the problems tomorrow so Im looking forward to it. Its definitely difficult after four weeks, because I had managed to get a good level before we went away, and starting again from step one was a difficult thing, but were going to double our experience again from tomorrow so that should be even better.
Standings
MotoGP
- V.Rossi (Yamaha) 1.57.871
- R.de Puniet (Kawasaki) 1.58.028
- L.Capirossi (Ducati) 1.58.470
- C.Edwards (Yamaha) 1.58.851
- K.Roberts (KR) 1.59.119
8. D.Pedrosa (Honda)1.59.258
10. N.Hayden (Honda) 1.59.387
250
- J.Lorenzo (Aprilia) 2.03.238
- A.Dovizioso (Honda) 2.03.800
- H.Barberá (Aprilia) 2.04.653
- A.de Angelis (Aprilia) 2.04.670
- A.Debón (Aprilia) 2.04.754
8. S.Aoyama (Honda) 2.05.095
10. M.Cardenas (Honda) 2.05.165
125
- L.Pesek (Derbi) 2.08.810
- A.Bautista (Aprilia) 2.08.853
- M.Kallio (KTM) 2.09.176
- M.Pasini (Aprilia) 2.09.276
- J.Simón (KTM) 2.10.0351
9. B.Smith (Honda) 2.11.408
