Stoner Czechs out at Brno, Simoncelli podium

MotoGP title leader Casey Stoner cruised to a dominant victory in Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix, which saw Dani Pedrosa crash from the lead, Marco Simoncelli claim a first ever podium and Jorge Lorenzo fade to fourth. 

Unlike his rivals, world champion Lorenzo chose the soften option front tyre - which helped the Yamaha rider take the lead ahead of Repsol Honda riders Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Stoner on the opening lap. 

But by lap three Lorenzo was starting to have front-end moments, which allowed both Pedrosa and Stoner back past. Moments later poel-sitter Pedrosa lowsided out of the lead, handing the advantage to Stoner. 

The Australian then rode steadily into the distance, building an advantage of over eight-seconds on his way to his sixth win of the year - extending his title lead over Lorenzo from 20 to32 points. 

Despite a stubborn resistance, world champion Lorenzo was caught and passed by Italians Dovizioso and Simoncelli, with Dovizioso gaining breathing room over his compatriot in the closing stages. 

Former 250cc world champion Simoncelli, who has crashed in five races this year and been penalised in another, finally claimed his debut MotoGP rostrum after withstanding late-race pressure from Lorenzo. 

Ben Spies - struggling with a pinched nerve in his neck this weekend - brought the second factory M1 home in fifth, 1.6sec from Lorenzo. 

Valentino Rossi lost places from his best Ducati qualifying of sixth, but - aided by Pedrosa's exit - recovered the ground lost and crossed the line 2.4sec from Yamaha replacement Spies and 12.6sec from victory. 

Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista - the only rider other than Lorenzo to choose the soft front - pressured Rossi for much of the race, before lowsiding from seventh place with six laps to go. 

That allowed Rossi's team-mate Nicky Hayden to inherit the position, having spent much of the race just ahead of fellow American Colin Edwards. 

Edwards' Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Cal Crutchlow joined Pedrosa and Bautista on the DNF list, as did fellow rookie Karel Abraham. 

Abraham, whose father and team manager owns the Brno team, was unable to finish his home race after an off-track moment was followed by an engine failure. 

Bautista's wild-card team-mate John Hopkins was forced to withdraw from the event after fracturing fingers in his right hand during Saturday morning practice. 

A test session will be held at the circuit on Monday, which will feature next year's 1000cc bikes from Honda and Yamaha. 

Czech Republic Grand Prix: 

1. Stoner 

2. Dovizioso 

3. Simoncelli 

4. Lorenzo 

5. Spies 

6. Rossi 

7. Hayden 

8. Edwards 

9. Aoyama 

10. Barbera 

11. Elias 

12. de Puniet 

13. Capirossi 

source: crash.net

Stoner needs more feedback - less chatter

Qualifying third on the grid was only of partial consolation to MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner, who concluded day two of the Czech Republic Grand Prix still needing more feedback - and less chatter - from his Repsol Honda.

"We hoped after yesterday that we could improve the feeling in the bike this morning but unfortunately it was a wet session, so we couldn't use it as we would have liked to," explained the Australian. "Also, the session didn't start too well with a fast crash in turn three which lost us some time and obviously dented my confidence a little. 

"Then this afternoon we started to get a little more feedback from the bike, but all in all we didn't really make a big step forward or improve it significantly from yesterday's first session. We seem to be getting more and more chatter as the weekend progresses and the more I push the more it increases and the slower I get, so it's a little frustrating. 

"I felt qualifying could have been better, we almost lapped with the same time on old and new tyres but in general we have a lot of work to do. 

"We're obviously happy with front row, but we're not really where we want to be with t he bike and there is still a lot of work to do. We're looking forward to tomorrow and I'm sure we can find some improvements in time for the race".

Stoner will start behind team-mate and pole sitter Dani Pedrosa, plus title rival Jorge Lorenzo, who trails Stoner by 20 points.

source: crash.net

Pedrosa first, Stoner third on Czech GP grid

Casey Stoner will join Pedrosa on the front row of the grid in third position and Andrea Dovizioso from third row in seventh position, after a very interesting qualifying session that was decided in the final 10 minutes.

After the third free practice held in wet conditions, the track was quite dirty and slippery for qualifying. However, the riders were able to continue improving the set up of their RC212V's and work on the pace before looking for the best position on the grid.

Pedrosa achieved his first pole of the season after showing impressive pace during the entire weekend, while Stoner made steps forward to solving the issues he had Friday in setting up his bike. Andrea Dovizioso slightly improved his lap time from Friday, but he will be hoping to make a bigger step in the race to fight for another podium.

Dani Pedrosa:

"It's my first pole of the year and also after a long time, so I'm very happy for that. The weekend has been pretty good for us so far, the bike is working well and I'm feeling good physically as well. We made only a few small changes on the bike and this allowed me to concentrate more on my riding, so let's hope we are able to keep the pace tomorrow and fight for a good result. This is the most important thing and we need to keep our feet on the ground because the rivals are close. I think we can still improve the bike a little, especially on the chassis side to have better grip, even though I guess that the rain this morning affected the conditions on track which made it more slippery."

Casey Stoner:

"We hoped after yesterday that we could improve the feeling in the bike this morning but unfortunately it was a wet session, so we couldn't use it as we would have liked to. Also, the session didn't start too well with a fast crash in turn three which lost us some time and obviously dented my confidence a little. Then this afternoon we started to get a little more feedback from the bike, but all in all we didn't really make a big step forward or improve it significantly from yesterday's first session. We seem to be getting more and more chatter as the weekend progresses and the more I push the more it increases and the slower I get, so it's a little frustrating. I felt qualifying could have been better, we almost lapped with the same time on old and new tyres but in general we have a lot of work to do. We're obviously happy with front row, but we're not really where we want to be with t he bike and there is still a lot of work to do. We're looking forward to tomorrow and I'm sure we can find some improvements in time for the race."

Andrea Dovizioso: 

“After having struggled yesterday with the engine brake set up, today we went back to the old specification that we used up until the Italian Grand Prix. The rain fall from last night and this morning affected the track surface and this afternoon there was less grip and the references changed compared to yesterday. We will continue working, in particular on the front, because under braking we are on the limit. I also have to ride with more fluidity. We will keep on working also in the warm up to improve for the race. The pace is not so bad and it’s not impossible to fight for the podium. The race will be hard, with many battles so it will be important to make a good start.”

Repsol Honda press release.

First pole of the season for Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa followed up his superb Friday display in qualifying on Saturday, as the Spaniard secured his first pole position of 2011 for Sunday’s Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky race in Brno.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took the front position on the grid with a time of 1’56.591 in qualifying on Saturday, a time fast enough to put him on pole but still not a fast as the crushing lap he dealt Friday by a margin of 0.268s.

The premier class took to a dry track after the morning wet practice session, with reigning MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) taking an early provisional pole and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) leading in second half of qualifying. But Pedrosa retaliated, grabbing back the top spot and keeping it until the end of the outing.

Lorenzo pushed hard, bettering his previous best time by four tenths with a time of 1'56.704, giving him a front row start in the second spot, followed by Stoner with lap of 1'56.860 to put him in the final front row spot.

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) who started from the front row least year in his MotoGP rookie season, qualified four with a 1'57.178. The Texan is joined on the second row by Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who finished just outside the top ten on his premier class debut at Brno last season, whose time of 1'57.351 placed him in fifth to start. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) joins the second row after posting a time of 1'57.367, giving him his best qualifying of the season so far.

Andrea Dovizioso will start from the third row, his time of 1'57.442 placing him seventh fastest. American duo Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) take the final two spots on the third row, while Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini), riding for the first time in the MotoGP class at Brno after missing last year’s race through injury, completed the top ten.

Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed out of eighth position with 12 minutes remaining, running back to the pits to mount his second bike, finally concluding the qualifying in eleventh.

Cardion ab Motoracing’s Karel Abraham crashed out of the qualifying session, the 21 year old from Brno will start his home race from last on the grid. John Hopkins did not participate in the qualifying session due to injuries sustained in his FP3 crash pronouncing him unfit for racing.

source: MotoGP Official Website

Stoner sets the pace in the rain

Stoner led the MotoGP field in a wet third free practice session ahead of the Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky qualifying. Lorenzo posted second quickest and Rossi joined the top three with the third fastest time.

The final practice before MotoGP qualifying began with rain falling on the Brno circuit, until the last 5 minutes which saw the sun trying to break through but never drying the track. The premier class riders none the less took advantage of the wet session, pushing hard for good times and consistent paces in anticipation of a wet race on Sunday, though times were more than ten seconds slower than those of the day before.

Jorge Lorenzo topped most of the session, until Casey Stoner took his spot and held it on top of the timings in the last five minutes. The Australian had crashed at the start of the session on the cold track, but remained unruffled and proceeded to push, posting a final time of 2'07.321.

Ducati Team rider Valentino Rossi, who was seventh fastest of the field on Friday, found a good set up for the rain to post a time of 2'07.443, landing him third on the charts, while Dani Pedrosa finished the session in fourth place, his time set in the first practice session of the weekend remaining fastest of the field so far.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) took a significantly higher spot in the line up than his fourteenth place on Friday, the Kentuckian lapping well in the rain with a time of 2'07.695, just 0.374s off the pace set by Stoner for the session.

In sixth was Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) following Hayden by 0.048s, with Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in seventh and Andrea Dovizioso in eighth. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) completed the top ten.

Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) placed in eleventh at his home circuit with a time of 2'08.460, a gap of 1.139s off the leading time.

Wild card John Hopkins on the Rizla Suzuki had a fall in Turn 3 just fifteen minutes into the meet. He was taken to the Clinica Mobile where he was diagnosed with a fractured finger and was unable to rejoin the session.

Pedrosa leads a Repsol Honda 1-2 in Brno Free Practice

The riders proved to be fresh after the summer break, especially Dani Pedrosa, who set the top time in both practice sessions today with a best lap of 1'56.328, just two tenths off the pole position record of Rossi in 2009 (1'56.145) and already under the circuit lap record (Lorenzo 2009, 1'56.670). Casey Stoner, the current leader of the Championship, finished the day in second, and Andrea Dovizioso, fifth.

Pedrosa was immediately on the pace, from his first round out in the morning session, and was the only rider to lap in the 1'56's this morning. The Spaniard had a good base to start working with from last year's set up and his improved physical condition helped him to start the weekend very strongly.

In FP2, Casey Stoner also managed to ride in the 1'56's after some issues in the morning session. He will continue working with his team looking to find more grip and better corner entry to improve his feeling in Brno with the RC212V.

Andrea Dovizioso's day was hampered by set up issues with his engine braking. He and his team will study the data tonight and make full use of FP3 to prepare his bike in the best way possible for Qualifying tomorrow at 13.55 local time.

Dani Pedrosa:

"The feeling was very good today from the beginning. The bike was working well from the first round and we could move ahead, improving little by little in both practice sessions. I think the main difference I felt is that I'm fresh after the summer break, the rest I had has helped me a lot, I can feel the energy I didn't have in the races before the break, so I hope I can keep the pace for Saturday and Sunday and be strong for the race. I'm very happy with the job we did in both sessions and I think we can still improve and be ready for both the qualifying practice and the race. I guess the other rivals will also do the same, so we have to keep focused. Today I rode alone all the time, maybe tomorrow I can compare a little with other riders to see where are they stronger or weaker than me."

Casey Stoner:

"Today hasn't been that positive to be honest, we seem to be having a similar start to our weekend in Laguna and aren't sure which direction to take at the moment. The feeling in the front is very vague, our corner entry and mid-turn isn't that great. We also need to find a lot more grip in the rear as I'm struggling on the edge of the tyre and exit of the corner. We have a long way to go before I feel happy with the set up and there are many areas we can improve, so tomorrow we will be trying a lot of different things on both bikes and prepare as best we can for Qualifying."

Andrea Dovizioso: 

"Today we struggled a lot with engine braking. This is a new engine brake that we used for the first time on Monday in Mugello after the Grand Prix, and that we have been using since. It’s very helpful but it's difficult to set up and today we struggled a lot to get the correct set up. We lost time and we couldn't do many laps. In the last lap I tried to push even if I was not so comfortable with the setting. I’m a little angry because I could be faster and I’m not satisfied with the fifth fastest time. Now we will study the data and then we will decide the direction to take. I hope that tomorrow we will continue with dry conditions as today and I’m confident we can improve."

Repsol Honda press release.

Stoner and Pedrosa break into all-time podium top ten

First and third places for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa at the previous US MotoGP marked the 52nd time that each had stood on the premier-class podium.

As shown in the following table, this places them in the top ten of riders with most podiums in the premier-class, and equal with 1987 world champion Wayne Gardner.

However, the pair remain 87 podiums behind Valentino Rossi...

Premier-class podiums:

1. Valentino Rossi 139 

2. Mick Doohan 95 

3. Giacomo Agostini 88 

4. Eddie Lawson 78 

5. Wayne Rainey 64 

6. Max Biaggi 58 

7. Randy Mamola 54 

= 8. Casey Stoner 52 

= 8. Wayne Gardner 52 

= 8. Dani Pedrosa 52

Pedrosa off to a flying start at Brno

The MotoGP bikes hit the track for the first practice session of round 11, with grey clouds overhead and cool temperatures welcoming the field into the second half of the season. Pedrosa took his Repsol Honda on a flying lap of 1.56’328, substantially faster than the rest of the field and the only rider under the 1.57” mark.

Fresh off the back of a victory at Laguna Seca Stoner, Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) was second in the field, though his lap of 1'57.294 was nearly a second behind the Spaniard. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who topped the timesheets briefly with 30 minutes to go, was 1.080s behind Pedrosa and third fastest of the session. The Italian ended the session with a crash in turn 13 but was unhurt.

Last year’s race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) posted his best time of 1'57.587, two tenths behind Simoncelli to put him fourth in the standings. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was fifth quickest as he took his factory RC212V around in a best time of 1'57.776. That placed the Italian 0.127s ahead of Ben Spies (Racing), who was sixth on his Yamaha Factory YZR-M1.

Wild card John Hopkins who is returning for a second race aboard the Rizla Suzuki set an impressive seventh fastest time, followed by the other Rizla Suzuki of Álvaro Bautista. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards werninth and tenth, respectively, with Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) three tenths outside the top ten times.

MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) debuting as the first Czech rider to compete in the premier class at his a Grand Prix since 1989, was sixteenth in the standings.

source: MotoGP Official Website

Stoner to be a father, softens Motegi stance

On Thursday in the Czech Republic, MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner announced that he is to become a father for the first time.

The 25-year-old Repsol Honda rider, married to Adriana, won the 2007 world championship for Ducati and starts this weekend's Brno round with a 20 point lead over Yamaha's reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Stoner also explained that his wife's pregnancy was a major factor in his reluctance to attend the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.

At the Sachsenring in mid-July Stoner had stated "I will not go", due to radiation fears, but he has softened his stance during the summer break.

“There was a period after Silverstone that I felt very strongly that I wasn't going to go there. After things I'd seen and heard,” commented the Australian. “But that came from a very strong emotion after we found out that Adriana was pregnant. 

"We've discussed it a lot since then and that's a huge thing that's happened in my life and now the most important. I felt that the best thing I could do at that time was to make my mind up. There was no way I was going to risk my wife or my family and it was very tough.

“But in these weeks I've taken a lot of data from Australia, people we feel we can trust on the matter, and I'm now slightly more open to it than I was before. I think people can understand I was taken a little bit with my safety and that of my family in this matter. 

"We'll see in these next weeks, we'll continue talking and try and find out as much information as we can. I'm not saying that I am going, but I'm not saying that I'm not now. So we'll just have to see what happens in the near future.”

Lorenzo had also said he will not attend the Motegi event and the majority of MotoGP riders signed a petition against holding the race. 

However, an independent study recently declared that "the radiation risk during the [Motegi] event is negligible" and the Japanese MotoGP is thus expected to go ahead as planned on October 2.

The four other riders present at the Brno press conference on Thursday - Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Alvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham - said that they would also wait further before making a firm decision, with a riders' Safety Commission meeting planned for Friday.

Motegi is around 110 km from the damaged Fukushima power plant.

source: crash.net

MotoGP buzz back on with Brno press conference

Refreshed and ready for their imminent return to action after a two-and-a-half week interval since Laguna Seca, the MotoGP class returns to the track on Friday morning for the opening session of the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceské republiky.

Discussing the 11th round of the 2011 campaign on Thursday afternoon at the Brno circuit were a quintet of premier class riders, who attended the official pre-event press conference as the Czech venue prepares to get the second stretch of the season underway.

Thanks to his impressive win at Laguna Seca last time out – his fifth of the year – Casey Stoner heads into this weekend 20 points clear of defending World Champion and closest current rival Jorge Lorenzo in the standings, as he aims to protect his lead at the top of the Championship.

“We went into the break with a good result and so far it’s been a fantastic season. We’ll now just have to see how this weekend goes and the second half of the season,” said the Repsol Honda rider. “This is definitely one of my top three circuits and I have a lot of fun coming here, I like the area and I’m really ready for this race. I think it’s going to be a good one for us. At the moment a few of us are consistently running up at the front and between myself and Jorge it’s a battle week by week to see who takes points off who.”

Stoner will also stay on for the official test on Monday, in which he will continue the development of Honda’s 2012 prototype machine.

“I’m looking forward to another 1000cc test,” he explained. “It’s going to be a lot of fun coming to another circuit. Jerez was a nice test at a track that’s never really suited my style but I did surprisingly well there and we felt good with the bike. We’ll see how we go at this test and how it all compares on a different circuit.”

With the Japan GP in October a continual subject of discussion amongst riders and the media, and with the recent release of the report commissioned by the FIM and Dorna which confirmed that the GP is still scheduled to go ahead, Stoner gave his latest stance on the matter.

“There was a period after Silverstone that I felt very strongly that I wasn’t going to go to Japan after things I’d seen and heard,” he said. “That came from a very strong sense of emotion after we found out that Adriana (Stoner) was pregnant. We’ve discussed it a lot since then and that’s a huge thing that’s happened in my life and now the most important. So I felt that the best thing I could do at that time was to make my mind up. There was no way I was going to risk my wife or my family and it was very tough.”

“In these weeks I’ve taken a lot of data from Australia, people we feel we can trust on the matter, and I’m now slightly more open to it than I was before. I think people can understand I was taken a little bit with my safety and that of my family in this matter. We’ll see in these next weeks, we’ll continue talking and try and find out as much information as we can. I’m not saying that I am going, but I’m not saying that I’m not. So we’ll just have to see what happens in the near future.”

When the other four riders present were asked about their opinions they commented that they would also wait further before making a firm decision, with a riders’ Safety Commission meeting planned for Friday.

Following Stoner’s comments Lorenzo was the next to speak, and the Factory Yamaha rider’s focus ahead of this weekend was clearly on closing his rival’s advantage.

“We know it’s going to be very hard work because he is riding so fast this year, so consistent, and has a good bike. But we are doing a lot, the bike is – I think – a winning bike, I am in good shape. From this moment in the season we have to try and improve the bike a little more so I think it’s going to be an interesting second part of the season,” he commented.

“In theory this is a good track for us, for the bike and my riding style, it’s a track that can be good for us,” added Lorenzo about Brno, where he won last year. “But this is just a theory. We must wait and see what happens during the weekend. The test on Monday is also going to be really important, it will be the first time I try the new bike. I have never tried a bike like that with such a powerful engine. We will see if I have to change my riding style for the bike.”

The Brno circuit holds special memories for Valentino Rossi as the site of his first GP win back in 1996, when the Italian took a 125 victory, and he said: “It’s already 15 years since the first win, which was here, so great memories!”

Looking ahead to this weekend at a circuit at which he has five wins and three second-placed finishes in the premier class, Rossi continued: “Jeremy (Burgess, crew chief) came back at Laguna Seca, we missed him a lot in Mugello and Sachsenring, and we decided to continue with this bike (the Ducati Desmosedici GP 11.1). We expect more improvements compared to the old one, but we have to work hard, Ducati are working hard to improve all the areas we are having problems in. Fortunately on Monday we have a test, so we hope for good weather and we have a lot of work to do.”

“Laguna was a better weekend for me and my team, I started from the third row and had a normal race for what is our potential at the moment,” he added. “It looks like we are not so slow at the end of the race on used tyres, we are slow at the beginning so we need to raise our potential and work on that for qualifying.”

Riding in his home race in the premier class for the first time this weekend, Karel Abraham will have the expectations of the crowd upon him and the rookie acknowledged the significance of this round.

“Of course this is a really important GP for me as it’s my home race, there is a lot of pressure and nobody means it in a bad way. We need to get a lot more experience than we have now, but with every lap we ride with the other riders we are doing that,” he said.

“We are happy so far with the season, of course we‘ve had some crashes which we’re not happy with but that happens when you’re pushing your limits. We will just try to have a good weekend and race, fight with some riders and then after the chequered flag we’ll say whether it was a good or bad race.”

Joining the other four rider was Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista, who is gaining confidence with every improvement made on the GSV-R this season.

“It’s not my best season this year but after the crash and the injury I can say I’m at my top level and can enjoy riding the bike and can reach the limit,” he stated. “The bike is much better than at the beginning, I’ve had some great battles like the one with Valentino in Sachsenring, and I’m looking forward to continuing this way this weekend.”

Bautista will be riding alongside wild card entry John Hopkins this weekend, something he hopes will benefit both himself and the team.

“I hope it’s good for me, if he’s slower than me for sure it’s good for me! It’s good for the team to have two bikes on the track and to have the opportunity to compare between two riders, because it’s difficult with one rider to test everything throughout a weekend,” he concluded.

Repsol Honda trio revitalised for Czech Republic

After a two-week interlude in which time they enjoyed some rest and recuperation before resuming their training programmes, Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa are all fully prepared to make an anticipated return to action at Brno this weekend.

The team celebrated a double podium in the previous round at Laguna Seca where Stoner extended his lead at the top of the Championship to 20 points with victory, whilst Pedrosa took third spot and Dovizioso finished fifth.

After this weekend's race, the Repsol Honda Team will make use of a testing day at the Brno circuit, using the opportunity to further develop the 1000cc 2012 machine. Contracted riders Pedrosa and Stoner will test the bike in the one day test on Monday August 15th.

Casey Stoner:

"I've really enjoyed this summer break. After a great race in Laguna, we decided to stay in California and visit some friends and enjoy some down time, mixed in with some training. Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season. I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there. I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno. The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamaha's in the past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him. We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important Championship points.”

Andrea Dovizioso:

“I spent the summer break with my family and friends at the seaside in Sardinia. Early in the morning I was training, then I could play with Sara, my little daughter. It was a new experience for me that I really enjoyed. It was a perfect time to relax and switch off and now I’m ready for the second part of the season. We arrive in Brno very motivated as we want to redeem the disappointing result of Laguna. Brno is a fast track, the curves have a long range so the speed in the mid corner is high. I’m confident that we can be competitive there, the Honda machine is working very well and the characteristics of the track suit my riding style too. It’s similar to Mugello and we look for a good result. Casey, Dani and Jorge will be strong rivals, but I’m confident that we will be able to fight with them. We are determined to return on the podium. This is our target.”

Dani Pedrosa:

"These two and a half weeks have flown by for me, but I really enjoyed this break. The truth is that I needed it, first of all to rest after the last few races that were physically hard for me but also to disconnect a little and to train, to get back my physical strength and be fit again. My holidays have been a combination of all. When I got back from Laguna I spent some days doing nothing just to relax the whole area of the neck, arms and back. After this I've been combining physical training with relaxation exercises to avoid over stressing the area. Now I'm looking forward to competing again and enjoying the races until the end of the season. The bike is working very well this year so I hope we can get good results and win races in this second half of the Championship. Brno is a track I like, I've won there in 125 and 250, and I've had some podiums also in MotoGP so to fight for the victory is a challenge for me and I'm very motivated. I'm also looking forward to the test at Brno with the 1000cc. bike. I missed the first one in Jerez due to the injury and I'm excited to see to see how the new bike works.”

source: MotoGP Official Website

Stoner wary of Lorenzo at Brno

Barring a major surprise, the 2011 MotoGP title will be won by either Casey Stoner or Jorge Lorenzo.

With eight rounds to go, starting this weekend in the Czech Republic, Stoner leads Lorenzo by 20 points with third-placed Andrea Dovizioso already 50 points - or two race wins - from the top.

Between them, Stoner and Lorenzo have won seven of the ten races so far this year, but new Repsol Honda rider Stoner has claimed five of those victories - including a significant win over Yamaha's reigning world champion Lorenzo at the Laguna Seca round, just before the summer break.

"I've really enjoyed this summer break. After a great race in Laguna, we decided to stay in California and visit some friends and enjoy some down time, mixed in with some training," said Stoner.

"Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season. I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there.

"I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno."

But Brno is also one of Lorenzo's favourite circuits and Stoner expects a tough challenge from the M1 rider. 

"The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamahas in past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him," said Stoner.

"We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important Championship points".

Stoner, the only MotoGP rider to have tried next year's 1000cc Honda, will join team-mate Dani Pedrosa in testing the new bike during Monday's post race test. 

Third Repsol rider Andrea Dovizioso, who unlike Stoner and Pedrosa does not yet have a contract for next year, will not test the 1000cc bike (see separate story).

source: crash.net

Kevin Schwantz: Stoner can be better than Doohan

Kevin Schwantz has backed Casey Stoner to better Aussie legend Mick Doohan’s winning record in MotoGP.

The Repsol Honda rider has won 28 races, including a stunning success in the last round at Laguna Seca, and Texan Schwantz said Stoner was likely to comfortably surpass Doohan’s record of 54 premier class wins.

Doohan ruled MotoGP between 1994 and '98 before his career was cut short by injuries suffered early in the ’99 campaign during practice at Jerez.

Schwantz, who was 1993 500cc world champion for Suzuki, told MCN: "It’s like Mick's first championship, the Honda's were really coming into dominant form and the depth of the field is strong. Casey is a young guy, so he could beat Mick’s tally if he stays healthy. As Casey showed earlier this year, he can rack up wins pretty quick and he's got time on his side. For Mick the worst thing will be if another Australian rider beats his record. Casey's only 25 and I only won my first GP in 1988 when I was 24. And Casey's got 28 wins at 25!"

Stoner is favourite to capture his second premier class world title in 2011 having established a 20-point lead over Spanish rival Jorge Lorenzo with eight races of the campaign remaining.

source: MCN

Stoner: Risks and wins will decide title

Casey Stoner says consistency won't be enough to win the 2011 MotoGP World Championship, the series leader admitting 'risks' will still need to be taken to keep his rivals behind him.

The Australian heads into the mid-season summer break having won five of the ten races thus far and has finished off the podium just once, when he retired during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Currently 20 points clear of Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo in the overall standings and 50 points up on third place Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, Stoner is nonetheless refusing to rest on his laurels, insisting he will continue pushing for race wins into the second-half of the year.

"As difficult as it is, I do not think consistency will win championships,” he said. “You have to be there and win races, take risks. I think that is what might decide the championship. 

“We are going to do the best job we can every time we get on track, but if one of the days we are not able win, we need to settle for second place, a third or even worse, but we will try to win every time."

Reflecting on his season so far, Stoner is delighted with the performance of the RC212V, pointing out that the package is still strong even on the 'worst days'.

“I think that without the problem of the second race, we would have been in the podium in all races this season, which I believe is something very special. I am very happy this year at the Repsol Honda Team. 

“The bike has been working brilliantly and even on the worst days it did not work poorly. This is something very positive. When we have the opportunity to win we are always there, very close, and that gives us the chance to win more often."

source: crash.net

Stoner: "Consistency does not win titles, you need to win races”

Leader of the MotoGP World Championship with five victories in ten races, Casey Stoner has started his first season at the Repsol Honda Team taking the initiative in his tough battle with Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. The victory in his first Grand Prix with the Spanish energy company livery was the best sign of the Australian rider's hunger for victory, and he will arrive at the Czech Republic with an advantage of 20 points at the top of the MotoGP World Championship.

Five victories and four more podiums in 10 races. It does not sound bad at all for a first half of the season, does it?

"Yes. I think that without the problem of the second race, we would have been in the podium in all races this season, which I believe is something very special. I am very happy this year at the Repsol Honda Team. The bike has been working brilliantly and even on the worst days it did not work poorly. This is something very positive. When we have the opportunity to win we are always there, very close, and that gives us the chance to win more often."

Which race do you prefer from the ones held until now with the Repsol Honda?

"I would say that my favourite race this season was, undoubtedly, Laguna Seca. We had a very difficult weekend. Since Assen, where I had a huge crash, I suffered a bit due to my injuries, because I had a fall again in Sachsenring and things did not really go our way. When we arrived at Laguna Seca I was confident, but unfortunately, during the weekend we were not able to have the bike we wanted. It was not until the race when we took the step ahead we needed and which gave us the confidence to have a great race."

Lorenzo, Pedrosa and yourself are very close in terms of performance and you have a level well above the rest. Does it gives the lead and the victories a higher level?

"I have competed with those riders throughout my career, so I think that the value of the victories is always very high. The three of us, Jorge [Lorenzo], Dani [Pedrosa] and myself have had the bad luck to coincide in a very difficult time, one of the toughest in history, in which it is most difficult to achieve victory, and it is certainly a great feeling, a deep emotion when you win. But after competing with them most of my life, the feeling is more or less the same. When you have a race like in Laguna Seca, then the feeling is special, but it was also the same in the first victory in the first race with Honda. It was something special."

From now until the end of the season, what do you think will be the details that will decide who will be the Champion?

"I could say consistency, but as difficult as it is, I do not think consistency will win championships. You have to be there and win races, take risks. I think that is what might decide the Championship. We are going to do the best job we can every time we get on track, but if one of the days we are not able win, we need to settle for second place, a third or even worse, but we will try to win every time."

What would you say about your bike and what has to be improved on it? Because in the last races you suffered more than expected...

"We had some weekends that were a bit weird, because in Mugello we suffered a little, because the tyres overheated, which was caused by an excess of grip on the rear. In Sachsenring we tried to reduce the grip, to decrease the temperature of the tyres and that is not the correct direction. In Laguna Seca we followed the same path, trying to avoid the temperature from being too high, but it was not the right direction. We have just been going around in circles to try to take a step ahead to find grip again, to find traction that helps the bike work well, because this is what I think is Honda's best feature: traction. When we do not follow that path we don't have a strong feature and that is why we suffered in those races."

And where do you think you need to improve? How do you feel about your physical problems?

"Now we have a few weeks' break and I am sure that we will feel much better afterwards, because week after week I did not improve too much. It is something we have suffered, but we had to compete and we did not think too much about it. There are many things I must improve in my riding, also with this bike. I have been learning in the last races, but the lack of experience with the Honda does not help. It will be great to have more experience to know that a certain set-up works in a certain way, and that it is good to follow that path when we lack grip or when it is difficult to turn. With a little more experience maybe we could have even less bad moments, so I think that with a bit more experience we will improve those points, because they were weaknesses in the last races."

What do you ask for the second half of the season?

"Honestly, the best thing that can happen is that it is the same as the first half! To arrive with more than the rest to the end of the season is our main objective. I want to achieve even more victories, I want to do my best until the end of the season. The bike is good, is fast, I am riding well, but the problem is that I have very strong rivals that do the same. We will have to wait and see what we can do in the second half of the season, but I am sure it will be a tough championship."

What are your plans for these free days before going to the Czech Republic?

"I don't have many plans, just try to recover from my injuries and if I am able to recover enough, then start training again before the beginning of the next part of the season. This year, since Le Mans I have been sick or injured and it was very difficult to find time to train, so it would be good just to get back to the track in full form."

Interview courtesy of Repsol Media

video: Podium Press Conference Laguna Seca 2011 Casey Stoner

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Stoner: Too early for title talk

Casey Stoner has rejected suggestions that he is well on his way to the 2011 MotoGP title.

The Repsol Honda star scored his fifth win of the season in Sunday's US MotoGP at Laguna Seca - ending a three-race losing streak and raising his win rate back up to 50% after ten of 18 rounds.

The Australian heads for the MotoGP summer break with a 20 point advantage over Jorge Lorenzo, who Stoner caught and passed on Sunday.

"Talking championship points at this moment is a little difficult. Points can slip away so quickly. As long as we are there at the end of this season - we're not going to win the world championship now," said Stoner, the 2007 world champion.

"I think if we have a chance to win it that'll come towards the end of the season or the last race. As long as I stay close enough for that, and we can keep these good results up, then I'll be happy.

"But Jorge is going to be strong every race and I think Dani [Pedrosa] is going to be up there, beating us and taking points away from us. It's definitely going to be a tough end to the season."

Yamaha's reigning world champion Lorenzo, lucky to escape serious injury in a huge Saturday crash, has won just two of the ten races this year. This time last year he had won seven of the ten races.

"To win the world title the important thing is to finish in front of Casey. Today we tried and couldn't, but there are more races," said the Spaniard. 

"My strategy is just to go as fast as I can. Even then it is going to be tough, but we will try to the end.

"At Brno, in a better physical condition, maybe things can change."

Stoner and Lorenzo have both suffered one DNF so far this season. 

Honda has not won the MotoGP title since 2006 and 2011 is the factory's last chance for an 800cc crown. 

source: crash

Stoner turns 'difficult weekend' into 'great win'

Casey Stoner will head for the MotoGP summer break with a 50 percent Repsol Honda win rate and 20 point lead at the top of the championship standings, after a memorable victory at Laguna Seca, California, on Sunday.

The Australian, who suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Valentino Rossi in the 2008 event, looked in danger of shedding points to title rival Jorge Lorenzo for the third race in a row after struggling with race pace during practice.

Second on the grid began Lorenzo, Stoner then lost a place to team-mate Dani Pedrosa at the start. Stoner remained third for the first half of the race, but made sure the leaders weren't able to escape and, as the fuel load dropped, was able to go on the attack.

Stoner passed Pedrosa on entry to the famous Corkscrew turn on lap 18 of 32, then chased down Lorenzo for nine laps before passing him around the outside of turn one on lap 27.

With a sore Lorenzo backing off, Stoner took his fifth win of the year by 5.634sec.

“All weekend we didn't really have the pace of Dani and Jorge and weren't comfortable running that pace, but we made some changes overnight and were a little more confident going into the race. 

"Before the race I felt relaxed, confident and generally calm, we started a little slower to get the tyres warm gently and the bike didn't feel great with a full tank of fuel. 

"So I was patient and took my time, staying with Jorge and Dani to control the gap and make sure they didn't get too far away. I felt I had more speed but decided to wait and watch. I saw Dani struggling a bit and he started to drop back from Jorge so I had to attack at this point. 

"Once I caught up to Jorge, I watched to see if he made a mistake and kept the pressure on him, then chose my moment to make the move and was able to slowly open up a gap and bring the race home. 

"It's really fantastic to come from such a difficult weekend and get a great win and I'm very thankful to all my team. It's definitely one of my best races and one to enjoy.”

Lorenzo and Pedrosa have both won two of the ten races this year, with the other victory falling to Lorenzo's Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies.

source: crash

Pedrosa 'finished' by mid-race distance

Dani Pedrosa was in contention for his second MotoGP victory in a row for the first half of Sunday's US Grand Prix, until his weakened physical conditions began to take its toll.

Pedrosa took second from Repsol Honda team-mate Casey Stoner at the start, and kept within touch of Yamaha's race leader Jorge Lorenzo for the first half of the 32-lap race.

But by then Pedrosa, who missed three races after fracturing his collarbone in May, felt physically 'finished'. 

The former US GP winner was overtaken by eventual race winner Stoner on lap 18 of 32 and went on to finish almost four-seconds from runner-up Lorenzo.

"I'm very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury," said Dani. "I couldn't have predicted this result before coming to Laguna, because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. 

"Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn't get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don't rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It's been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. 

"Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit in Brno".

Pedrosa's fifth podium of the season means he is now back ahead of Valentino Rossi for fourth in the championship.

source: crash

Podium Laguna Seca 2011