The Repsol Honda Team arrives in the Czech Republic leading the MotoGP class.
Nicky Hayden leads the overall standings followed by team mate Dani Pedrosa. The 2006 World Championship gets back into action this weekend.
Only a couple of weeks ago the Repsol Honda Team achieved its latest great results in North America, a couple of weeks that most of the people have used to recover strength and get ready for the intense end of the season that is just about to start. Within the echoes of the podium celebration in Laguna Seca, with a victorious Nicky Hayden celebrating his success in front of the North American fans, with Dani Pedrosa beside him enjoying his second position, the MotoGP gets back in to action this weekend in the Czech Republic, where Hayden finished fifth last year and team mate Pedrosa managed to take the victory in the 250cc class.
The Repsol Honda Team has landed in the Czech circuit of Brno as the leader and unquestionable reference in the premier class, with Nicky Hayden firmly keeping the leadership and team mate Dani Pedrosa 34 points behind in second position. The Repsol pairing is followed by Italian rider Marco Melandri, third, 44 points behind Hayden and Valentino Rossi who is fourth, 51 points behind the North American rider. Considering these figures, Hayden is right now the only rider in the premier class depending on his own results to clinch the title. Even if team mate Pedrosa, his closest rival in the overall standings, should win all races left, Hayden would only need to finish second in all of them to mathematically clinch the world title. It is true, that there are six races to go and 150 points at stake, but the riders of the Repsol Honda Team are starting this end of the season with very good cards poker cards maybe? , and the remaining part of the season will surely be filled with excitement and suspense until the very last moment.
In the 250cc class, Shuhei Aoyama and Martín Cárdenas, just as Bradley Smith in the 125cc class, will face this final part of the season with the batteries loaded to the maximum after this long summer break they have had the chance to enjoy. The six races remaining for the end of the season will be determining for their aspirations as regards the 2007 season. Aoyama, who has still his home race ahead in late September, will have to get back onto the podium he hasnt stepped on since the French Grand Prix. His new team mate Cárdenas, completely recovered from his collarbone injury, after this long break, has six important races ahead, in which he will have to try to make the best out of his official bike. And the youngest of the Repsol riders, Briton Bradley Smith, who has already scored eight points in his rookie season in the Motorcycling World Championship -12th in England and Germany-, will be facing the challenge of trying to continue scoring points in the remaining races. It will be with no doubt an interesting and intense end of the season for the Repsol riders.
Nicky Hayden:
‘Winning at Laguna was awesome. Then I had a few weeks off and it was nice to get home, regroup and get myself ready for this title run. Ive just been stuck into my normal programme, trying to prepare myself the best I can. Weve got six races to go so every race is huge. But this is just another race where we have to use every minute of all the sessions to qualify well and be ready to roll when the light goes out. I quite enjoy this time of the season and Brno is a track that I like. It normally makes for some good racing with the long straightaways combined with a lot of passing places. Im really looking forward to being back at the track with my boys and hopefully well come out of the gate strongly on Friday morning and put together a good package for two-o-clock on Sunday. Its really time to get it done. ‘
Dani Pedrosa:
‘This track has been good for me in the past, so Ill be hoping its the same situation on the MotoGP bike. A lot will depend on how the other riders go here because after the break everybody has more energy inside them, so for sure the other riders will be trying really hard. Brno is a fast track which will make it physically demanding on this bike, and also demanding for the Michelin tyres. Normally the weather isnt stable so this could interfere with the practice time as we try to get a good set-up. My position in the championship is not so bad, but my goal is to try to keep my rhythm and my speed and finish the remaining six races at a good level if I do that I will be happy at the end of the year.’
Shuhei Aoyama:
‘I went home to Chiba, in Japan on Wednesday after the last race, but I did not really have holidays. I used the time to think about the first part of the season and to train on my 50cc bike, which is a very popular bike in Japan. I also did some physical training both in the gym and some bicycle riding as well. As regards the next race, it will be my first time ever in the Czech Republic so I have been practising a lot with the Playstation. I dont know why, but I like the Brno circuit a lot and I hope to be able to make a good race there.’
Martín Cárdenas:
‘After the last race I went home to Medellín, in Colombia, to spend some time with the family; I had no special plan, just being with them after such a long time. I also did some physical training at the gym and also mountain bike riding. As regards Brno the only thing I can say is that last year the track appeared to me as a rather difficult track, very long and with a lot of chicanes, a bit complicated. Lets see what happens!’
Bradley Smith:
‘After the last race we went to Barcelona to train a bit motocross and supermoto and have a bit of a holiday, it was fun. Its a shame we did not go to Laguna Seca, it was rather hard to find something to do five weeks long! Im really looking forward to Brno, although it looks like a difficult track, quite wide but nice and fast. You never know until you ride there, but I think it should be good. I hope to take on the results from the last two races and even improve.’
The venue of the GP:
Brno circuit
The Brno Circuit was born in 1930, where large crowds of up to 100,000 spectators would stand along the 30 km road track around the city between forests and corn fields to watch the Masaryk Grand Prix. In 1984, with the support of the Czechoslovak President, a new, modern circuit was built 16 km from Brno and 200 km southeast of Prag, receiving the name of Masaryk circuit. Three years later, in 1987, and after several modifications it hosted the Czech Motorcycle Grand Prix, this time on a long and safe track that combines in its 5,4 km long undulating layout 6 left-hand and 8 right-hand corners, as well as a 636 m long straight. The Brno circuit opens its way through forested hillsides offering excellent places to view the bikes racing and its peculiar layout, with a total slope of 73 metres, testing both rider and engineer talent. The circuit, built with the aim to host a Formula 1 event some day, has become a yearly pilgrimage place for thousands of fans of the motorcycling world.
Official website: www.masarykcircuit.cz
