MotoGP riders roar back into action
The sport’s 25 day recess between the US and Czech GPs is a much needed holiday for the riders many of whom are nursing broken bones.
“The holiday period gave me a good chance to relax and recover, so I hope I will be fine for Brno," said Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.
"When I returned from Laguna Seca my doctor told me I needed a week and a half of complete rest. I couldn't train so I spent an enjoyable few days in Mallorca, disconnecting from everything and resting both my hand and foot. I had the stitches removed from my hand in Barcelona and then I started rehabilitation. The hand still hurts but the wrist has good mobility and the fingers are no longer swollen. The foot is still taped, just to avoid rough movements. I started training last week, mostly on my bicycle. I hope I can have a good race at Brno to start the second part of the championship in the best possible way."
Brno has been part of the World Championship calendar since the mid 1960s, when the nation’s grand prix was staged around a 10.92km/6.785 mile street circuit on the outskirts of the city. Mike Hailwood won the 1966 and 1967 500 GPs there on his Honda RC181 four, but eventually the circuit was deemed too dangerous and hosted its last premier-class GP in 1977. It took a decade before the current Brno circuit was completed. Honda has enjoyed great success at this fast, undulating circuit which features many tricky downhill corners that require a perfect chassis set-up. Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, Tadayuki Okada, Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau are some of the big names that have won at the modern Brno venue.
"Brno is a good circuit, with some interesting uphill and downhill sections, very much in the style of the classic circuits," said Pedrosa. "The track is medium speed to very high speed with some good corners and fast straights. It’s the kind of circuit that demands a gentle, fine riding style, you don’t need to be aggressive when taking the corners. It has just been resurfaced, so we will have to wait and see what the grip is like. The atmosphere is always great, with a big and enthusiastic crowd on race day. Getting the set-up right for this track is always a delicate operation, aiming to get the best compromise between cornering ability and braking stability."