Motourage

Colin Edwards started and finished today’s MotoGP Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceské Republiky in eighth position, the American once again finishing the leading non-factory rider on board his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine. The 37-year-old rode a determined race throughout the 22-lap encounter, which took place under cloudy but warm skies in front of a massive crowd of 155,400 at the Brno circuit.

After struggling to find maximum traction in this morning’s Warm-up session, Edwards made a geometry modification to his YZR-M1 machine prior to the race. Although he felt the modifications improved front and rear grip, the improvements weren’t reflected by an improvement in his lap times, and he spent almost the entire race in close pursuit of fellow American Nicky Hayden’s factory Ducati machine.

Despite launching numerous attempts to up his pace and get within striking distance of the 2006 World Champion, Edwards was frustrated in his attempt to seize a hard-fought seventh position. He still collected eight valuable World Championship points to keep him well on course for a top 10 finish in the overall rankings.

Round 11 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship ended in unhappy circumstances for Cal Crutchlow. The 25-year-old was optimistic he could battle for a top 10 result. But his race was ended prematurely by a front-end crash at the first corner on lap seven after he’d just passed Hector Barbera for 10th.

Crutchlow was able to walk away uninjured but the British rider was frustrated that his hard work throughout the weekend went unrewarded.

Colin Edwards, 8th, +24.189:
“I said yesterday that if I finished in the same position that I started that I would be pretty happy. I guess I am pretty happy but it was not an easy race. I know I gave it my absolute maximum out there but eighth position was the best I could do but by no means was it a bad weekend. In the Warm-up this morning I had zero traction, so we made a small geometry change for the race and it was definitely better. I had more grip but the lap time was the same as this morning. All I kept seeing on my lap timer on the dashboard was 58.5, 58.5. It must have been like that for about 14 laps in a row and at one point I thought it had broken. I just couldn’t go much faster and it seems we are lacking traction compared to the others. I was spinning the rear tyre a lot and right now our bike feels a little bit unforgiving. I was right on the back of Nicky for pretty m uch the whole race but I couldn’t do anything with him. Our lap times just didn’t deviate at all, so I couldn’t get close enough to him. It wasn’t like he had more grip than me, but because we were doing the same pace I didn’t get close enough to attack him.”

Cal Crutchlow, DNF:
“Nobody is more disappointed than me with what happened because another crash is the last thing I needed. I am currently having a difficult run of races but all I can do is get my head down, work hard with my crew and try and put things right in the future. At the moment I am struggling with grip in the front-end and we seem to have been going round in circles a little bit to find a solution. Today I was off brake and accelerating at the first corner when I lost the front. The last person who wants to crash is me, but I can only do my best. I am sorry to my Team and Yamaha but I am s ure they realise that I am trying as hard as I can to get a good result. We’ve got a test tomorrow and that is important because we can work on the bike without the time constraints of practice. We can dedicate all our time to trying to give me some confidence back in the front. I still believe in myself and I am determined to get a good result in Indianapolis.”

Hervé Poncharal, Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager:
“Today feels a bit like a repeat of what happened in Laguna Seca. Colin had a strong race and I believe he got the best result we could have hoped for. He was pushing from the beginning to the end and he never gave up trying to put pressure on Nicky. I want to thank him for trying so hard and keeping a constant pace for the whole race. On the other side of the garage with Cal, I always try to understand, support and help, but he doesn’t feel confident with the front for some reas on. Part of this game is to adapt yourself and the riding style to the bike you have and we are crashing too much. And not finishing the races, I don’t think that this is the way to learn in your rookie year. I don’t want to blame anybody, but we need to be positive and think what we can do to help him in the future races. We know what he is capable of after the way he started the season so strongly, so we need to get back to that level of performance and hopefully it will come soon, starting at the next race in Indianapolis.”

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies secured fourth and fifth places respectively today in a tough battle for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. Defending world champion Lorenzo made a great start from second place on the grid, taking the lead on the first lap and holding off his rivals until a small mistake dropped him to third. As race leader Dani Pedrosa crashed out he was promoted to second, but having opted for a softer front tire than the rest of the grid, the Mallorcan struggled to maintain his pace, eventually succumbing a couple of places to finish fourth at the line. Despite his lack of grip, he started to close back in on third placed rider Marco Simoncelli in the final laps and was less than a second behind at the checkered flag.

Ben Spies put in a valiant effort this afternoon, holding a strong pace for the duration of the race despite being in less-than-perfect condition. He continued to be hampered by physical issues with a numb arm resulting from a trapped nerve in his neck. Having lost one position off the start to fifth, he held that for the 22-lap race, gradually closing in on his teammate Lorenzo in front, finishing just 1.5 seconds behind him.

Lorenzo heads to the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix in the USA in two weeks time holding second in the Championship, trailing leader Casey Stoner by 32 points. Teammate Spies retains his position of sixth in the Championship standings, now nine points behind Valentino Rossi in fourth and just one point behind Pedrosa in fifth.

Jorge Lorenzo, 4th, +8.513:
“The front tire we chose was not the best option today. We tried it in qualifying and yesterday morning and it gave me a really good feeling and very constant pace. Today with the different conditions and temperature it was not working. From the beginning of the second lap I was really close to losing my front in every corner so it was difficult to improve on fourth position. The Championship is now even more difficult for us but that doesn’t mean it is finished. There are still a lot of points to be played for so we must focus on winning the most races we can. Now we must forget this race which is probably one of the worst this season and possibly in my MotoGP career, I am excited to try the 1000 bike and improvements to the current 800 engine tomorrow as well.”

Ben Spies, 5th, +10.186:
“That was a hard race; I wanted to quit every lap past the ninth. I tried as hard as I could and didn’t make too many mistakes. I just thought with Valentino coming behind me and being ahead in the Championship I’ve just got to keep on going until I fall of this thing. I didn’t fall off and I finished so it was a good result. Now it’s the complete opposite, it’s my right arm that’s completely dead because that’s all that was working in the race. Again I’ve got to thank the team; the bike was really good and definitely a podium bike. I’ve also got to thank the Clinica guys; I’ve never been in there so much, every day. That was the hardest physical race I’ve ever done. We got it finished, put it behind us and we scored some points.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“We expected a lot from this weekend because Casey was struggling and Jorge felt really good after qualifying. We decided to go with the softer option front tyre which felt really good yesterday but was not the right choice. In the race it gave the opposite results, he couldn’t do the 1’57 lap times. It’s very strange but that’s the reality, Jorge was struggling to stop and lean the bike. Let’s look forward; we are 32 points behind so we have to catch up. Indy is very soon and we have seven races to go so we don’t give up.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“I was surprised by Ben’s result, he was worried at the beginning of the race, and especially after warm up he didn’t think he could do more than 12 or 13 laps pushing. He did a great job; we knew it wouldn’t be easy. He pushed hard and consolidated his position. Unfortunately Jorge couldn’t do what we expected. Anyway there are still some more races to come and we will be ready for the next one.”

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team returned to action in Brno today, and the opening two practice sessions saw Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards make a solid start to their preparations for Sunday’s Czech Republic MotoGP round.

After a well-deserved two-week summer break, Crutchlow was instantly back in the groove in cloudy conditions this morning, the British rider setting the ninth-quickest time.

The 25 year old was able to dedicate all his time on improving the setup of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine having previously raced at the Brno circuit in the World Superbike Championship.

And he put that previous track knowledge to good use in this afternoon’s second session, which was run in hotter and brighter conditions that saw temperatures increase to 23 degrees C. Crutchlow improved his pace by more than half a second this afternoon, and a time of 1.57.859 put him sixth at one stage. He eventually finished ninth, but giving his confidence a major boost, he finished just more than 0.3” away from fifth position on combined times.

Cal Crutchlow, 9th, 1’57.859, 33 laps:
“Today was a positive day and we made a good improvement with the bike and I feel like the front-end feeling I’ve been missing in the last few races is definitely better. We tried a new handlebar position, bringing them closer to me and it was a positive step. It is still not as good as I’d like it to be but we’ll try and change the set-up of the bike for tomorrow to gain some more turning performance. I should have been a little bit quicker but I made a mistake on the last lap and I’m sure I could have been in the top seven. Valentino (Rossi) and (Alvaro) Bautista just got me at the end but I’m confident I can be battling for around seventh place in the race on Sunday. Not having to learn the circuit today has been a big help and I’ve proved with some track knowledge I can finish in front of some guys with a lot more experience than me in MotoGP. Maybe I’ve been pushing too hard in the last few weeks without the track knowledge on new circuits, but today my pace was pretty consistent and it was a solid start and gives me a platform to build on now for the rest of the weekend.”

Colin Edwards, 12th, 1’58.313, 33 laps:
“Today has been a bit of a struggle to be honest and I was hoping to be a bit higher up the timesheets than 12th. We are working hard to find a solution but right now we’re still missing something in the set-up of the bike that allows me to push at a level I feel comfortable and confident at. My biggest problem is the rear grip and it doesn’t feel like the tire is getting the force into the ground I need and I’m riding on a small contact patch. As a consequence that also has an impact on front feeling and that is not the formula for setting fast lap times. I’m running wide a lot and to make sure I can get the bike turned I have to slow the corner speed right down. But losing a lot of corner speed kills the lap time, so I’ve got have a sit down tonight with my crew and come up with a plan to change the bike for tomorrow to see if we can make it better.”

As the short summer break comes to an end ,the MotoGP paddock got back to business today in Brno with the first and second free practice sessions of the Cardion AB Grand Prix Ceské Republiky.

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies blew off the cobwebs after their holidays and spent the morning and afternoon sessions making the first steps in setup for the Brno circuit. World Champion Lorenzo and his crew were focused on improving the stopping ability and turning ability going into corners over the two sessions. He finished the morning session in fourth, 1.259 seconds from first, and improved in the afternoon, remaining fourth but reducing the gap to first to 0.720 seconds.

Spies performance echoed his Factory Yamaha teammate, finishing the morning session in sixth, 1.575 seconds from first, and improving in the afternoon. He retained sixth position but reduced the gap to first to 1.177 seconds. The Texan rider’s performance was hampered by a numbness in his left arm caused by a trapped nerve in his neck which is being treated by Clinica Mobile after each session.

Jorge Lorenzo, 4th, 1’57.174, 27 laps:
“Today’s sessions have not been exactly as we expected. We are struggling a bit on braking, and we lose too much time over the lap. Tomorrow we will work hard to improve the bike in the morning to be ready for qualifying because at this moment we are pretty far from the front.”

Ben Spies, 6th, 1’57.631, 31 laps:
“It was an OK day for us; I’m actually pretty happy with the results. I’ve got a little bit of a pinched nerve in my neck, and I’m struggling a little bit on the bike, but I’m still giving it 100 percent. Lap times aren’t too bad; I’m just not able to put too many laps together in a row. We’re going to do a lot of physio over the next couple of days to get it where it’s comfortable for the race, and I’m pretty optimistic about how we can turn things around for Sunday.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“The afternoon free practice went a bit better than the morning, but still we are lacking a bit of confidence in the front. It’s difficult to say why but it looks like a lack of grip over the front. Turning ability has improved a bit but not enough from the morning so we need another step for the next session. For tomorrow we need to find a clearer direction to improve. P4 is not so bad to start but we have three bikes in front of us and some work to do.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“The bike set up is working quite well for Ben at the moment but he has a problem with his left arm which is preventing him from pushing hard. Apart from this he is reasonably happy with the tires and set up and progress. He is going to have some therapy tonight and tomorrow with the Clinica Mobile and we will see how much he can push on Sunday. Jorge has made a good start to the weekend, but is still looking to resolve some front end issues to improve his set up for Sunday.”

FTR Moto returns to Moto2 World Championship action this weekend after a four-week break for round 10 of the series at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic.

The Buckingham, England-based company sits third in the Riders and Constructors World Championships with Italian rider Simone Corsi – on the Ioda Racing Project team’s FTR M211 – looking to give FTR a repeat of last year’s podium finish at Brno.

FTR enjoyed third place in last year’s race and three finishers in the top seven. Now, as FTR’s young crop of 2011 stars begin to realize their potential, this second half of the campaign is poised to see some of those riders, including Esteve Rabat (Blusens STX), Yonny Hernandez (also with Blusens STX), Pol Espargaro (HP Tuenti Speed Up) all improve on their top-six finishes so far this year.

“The results are starting to happen now and much of the FTR success in 2011 has come in the last three or four rounds,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “Since the last round in Germany a month ago we’ve had a good chance to review the nine races so far and it’s left everyone at FTR pretty excited about the second half of the 2011 World Championship.”

Additionally, Max Neukirchner on the MZ-FTR is looking to add to four top-10 finishes so far this year while his teammate, Australian Anthony West, is out to improve on his season-best of a fourth place, at Assen in Holland.

Corsi’s Ioda Racing Project teammate Mattia Pasini has finished in the top six this year already and has proven an ability to lead races. The Italian rider will now be looking to perform in front of the traditionally strong Italian travelling support at Brno.

Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singh SAG) is out to add to his only point-scoring finish of the year in Spain while Santiago Hernandez (SAG Team) and Frenchman Valentine Debise (Speed Up) go in search of their first points of 2011.

Bones continued: “Obviously Simone Corsi has proven to be the most consistent of any rider in the Championship but, from an FTR perspective, we have a good line-up of quality riders who are all capable of causing a surprise or two on their day.”

The eleventh round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic, three weeks after Pramac Ducati rider Randy de Puniet’s frightening qualifying crash at the Laguna Seca Grand Prix. The Frenchman, like his teammate Loris Capirossi, won’t be in top form, but the goal is to take to the track for the race. De Puniet took the 250cc win at this track in 2003, and it’s also one of the favorites of Capirossi, who in 2006 finished first aboard the factory Ducati.

Fabiano Sterlacchini, Pramac Racing Technical Director:
“We come to Brno after a break of a couple weeks, although our two riders, Loris Capirossi and Randy De Puniet, certainly won’t be at 100 percent. Loris continues to undergo daily therapy on his shoulder. After the miracle at Laguna Seca, where he managed to finish the race, there’s hope that he’ll be better. Randy’s condition is still uncertain. The fractures that he suffered are quite painful, but he has the will to race. He’s not taking anti-pain medication these days, but maybe he will if he decides to ride. Brno is a very nice circuit, even if there are some particular spots to consider—fast changes of direction, so the bike will have to be stable.”

Loris Capirossi, Pramac Racing Team:
“Unfortunately, the shoulder problem is persisting. The doctor said I should undergo surgery, but I’ll only consider that after the championship. For now I’m undergoing therapy every day. For Brno I hope to continue improving my physical condition. I’ve rested during this two-week break, which I really needed. I want to ride well and to finally have a good result. The Czech track is one of my favorites, so hopefully I’ll manage that.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing Team:
“Missing the race at Laguna Seca was very difficult for me to accept, especially after the hard work carried out during practice and qualifying. During the past couple of weeks, I visited the doctor to better understand the situation with my pelvis. Fortunately, there are no fractures, but the pain still hasn’t gone away. I underwent, and am still undergoing, daily therapy in order to be ready for Brno. The bike had responded well to input in recent races, and it would be a shame not to take full advantage of this positive moment for us with the bike.”

John Hopkins will race for the Rizla Suzuki team at the Czech Republic round of the MotoGP World Championship at Brno on Sunday August 14; his second appearance of the season for the Rizla Suzuki squad. However, this time he will competing alongside Alvaro Bautista rather than as his replacement.

Hopkins finished a very respectable 10th in Jerez

Hopkins filled in at Jerez while Bautista was recovering from a broken femur and scored a creditable 10th place at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Anglo-American racer last rode at Brno for Rizla Suzuki in 2007 and recorded his best-ever finish in a MotoGP race by bringing his Suzuki GSV-R home in second place – a result that went some way to seeing Hopkins secure fourth place in the Championship that season.

Hopkins is currently in second place in the British Superbike Championship onboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 with the Samsung Crescent Racing team. His next event is at Silverstone in England, when he gets a taste of world championship motorcycle racing as he competes in the World Superbike series, also as a wild card, on Sunday July 29.

John Hopkins:
“It’s a real thrill to get the opportunity to ride at Brno, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m very pleased that we have been able to achieve it because it is something we have been working on for a long time. To be honest, it couldn’t be at a better track for me either. I had my best result in my MotoGP career at that track, and I’m really pumped that I am going there again. As far as the Suzuki goes, I think it’s a great bike, and the package is a lot better than when I last rode it in 2007. I think that in comparison to what I was able to do in Jerez, I believe I will be able to perform a lot better because back then I hadn’t been on a bike in a competitive environment for six or seven months.

“I got thrown in at the deep end in Spain, but this time I will have a lot more race-craft. It’s also a huge benefit for me to be riding alongside Alvaro instead of riding in place of him, so that will be really good; not just for me but for the whole team. With the two of us, we can help develop the bike and share the extra data to get the best out of the GSV-R. It will be better to be riding with him in the team instead of replacing him because nobody likes to see a rider injured, and having more bikes on the grid is always better for everyone.

“I really want to thank everyone at Suzuki for giving me this chance and my Samsung Crescent team back in England for letting me take the opportunity to go back to MotoGP – even if it is just for one ride at the moment.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager:
“Everyone at Rizla Suzuki is looking forward to welcoming John back into the fold for the Brno Grand Prix. It is a track that the GSV-R has gone well at in the past, a track that John really enjoys, and we’ll be doing everything we can to give him a decent platform to get a good result. We also hope that John’s MotoGP experience and data during the weekend will help us find a better solution for both riders and increase our performance overall.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki racer Alex Lowes has been given the dream opportunity to ride in the World Superbike Championship in place of Jonathan Rea, with the blessing of MSS team boss Nick Morgan.

Alex, who is currently filling in for the injured Stuart Easton in the MSS team, will be joining his twin brother Sam – who rides in the World Supersport series – in the WSBK paddock at Brno on July 10. Alex immediately impressed in British Superbikes when he jumped on the new 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R at Thruxton, putting the machine on pole for the first time.

Team owner Nick Morgan:
“Alex stood in for the team at the last minute and immediately gelled with the bike and squad. We’ve been really excited with his performances. A shot on a World Superbike is a fantastic opportunity, and he goes with our blessing, albeit with a word of caution also!”

Alex Lowes:
“To first be offered the MSS ride, then an opportunity in World Superbikes is incredible and I’d like to thank Nick and the team for being so understanding. My main focus is still on the BSB Championship and getting into that top-six Shootout for Kawasaki. Snetterton is up next before the WSB round, so that is the priority.”

FTR Moto recorded a fifth podium finish of the 2010 Moto2 World Championship as Andrea Iannone finished third on the FIMMCO Speed Up FTR M210 machine in round nine at Brno, Czech Republic on Sunday.

Iannone – starting from second place on the front row of the grid – made a poor start and was forced to battle back from seventh place on the opening lap, eventually taking the lead of the race on the sixth lap from fellow FTR M210 rider Alex Debon.

Yuki Takahashi and eventual race winner Toni Elias closed in and passed Iannone in the closing stages and Iannone was forced to settle for third place.

“Today was a difficult day,” said Iannone who moved into second place in the Championship standings. “I didn’t make a good start then eventually got to the front but the pace of Elias and Takahashi was too much for me in the end.”

Gabor Talmacsi – Iannone’s Speed Up teammate – fought his way through from 16th place on the grid to cross the finish line in a credible sixth place at the end of the 20-lap race, while Debon on the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team M210 finished in seventh.

Debon put in a spirited ride as he moved from 12th place on the opening lap to lead the race by lap five and eventually take his first podium finish since the British round at Silverstone two months ago. And the Spaniard’s progress was halted by a broken steering damper from the halfway stage of the race.

And there was no dream home race victory for promising Karel Abraham and his Cardion AB Motoracing Team FTR M210 as he was forced to miss the race following crashes in Friday’s practice and Saturday’s qualifying sessions. Abraham suffered minor injuries and mild concussion.

“Overall it’s great to see one of the M210s on the podium again although, at one point, I thought Iannone, Debon and Talmacsi were all heading for the victory.” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “With all three of our machines in the top seven, including Alex with a broken damper, and out of 39 starters I’m more than happy.”

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland ended the first World Superbike qualifying session at Brno today satisfied with a good base setup. Despite suffering earlier in the day with a severe lack of grip on the track, the afternoon’s qualifying saw both improve their times as they fine tuned the set up. Starting qualifying with a setup that didn’t suit the track so well, Crutchlow spent some time in the session waiting in the pit while it was changed. Despite the lack of track time he came out in the dying minutes to take second fastest on the board, less than three tenths off the lead.

Teammate James Toseland was also looking comfortable in the session despite suffering from a chest infection. The first 20 minutes saw Toseland lapping comfortably and consistently inside the top four, only dropping to ninth towards the end and finishing just three tenths off fourth.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1’59.571)
“It wasn’t too bad today considering we all struggled for grip at the start of the sessions, it came a bit better later on. From my point of view we’ve got a lot of work to do chassis set up wise. We tried the set up we had in Imola but it didn’t work here, so we didn’t get many laps in the qualifying session as we were changing the bike. We’ve gone back to our old base set up and it seems to be working better here. We’re struggling for side grip a bit but the lap times towards the end of the fifteen laps I did weren’t so bad. We’ll see for tomorrow, and I hope Troy Corser is OK and back with us tomorrow.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 2’00.451)
“I’m not feeling very well at the moment, I’ve got a chest infection so it’s been a tough day today. Consistency wise I think we’re there and I’m quite pleased with the way the bike has been round the track today. I like the circuit a lot and we seem to be working pretty well. I just hope I’m feeling a bit better tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team
“For the first day it was ok today. Pirelli bought some new tires that we tested in Imola to run here as well. For sure the bike set up for both riders is pretty much there now so the main job we have is to find the right race tire for both James and Cal. We also need to fix some small details as both riders have some things they want to improve. Overall we are quite satisfied.”