Paddock Girls MotoGP Brno 2013

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Another double-top for Honda MotoGP riders as Marquez wins again

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Repsol Honda RC213V riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa repeated their one-two result at today’s Czech Republic GP at Brno, finishing in the same order as at Indianapolis one week ago, and improving their championship standing over third-placed Jorge Lorenzo.

The trio were spread by almost six seconds at Indy. Brno was much closer, and fierce from the first lap to the end. Marquez’s Honda was 0.313 seconds ahead of team-mate Pedrosa, with Lorenzo less than two seconds behind – a feast of action for more than 142,000 fans packing the hillsides of the fast and scenic 5.403km (3.357-mile) circuit.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 1st

“I’m so happy! Before we came here I didn’t expect to win, because Jorge and Valentino had both tested at Brno recently and Dani is always so fast here and won the race last year. It is a completely different track from those at which we have raced before, and these 25 points feel different to Indianapolis. This was a very hard fought win and I enjoyed myself a lot. The battle with Jorge was really good and we are pleased with the victory. Thanks to all the team.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd

“I am very happy with the result, generally speaking, because after all the problems with my injury and the doubts we’ve had at the last few races, we took a big step forward with my mental preparation today. We were more ready to win here, despite not being 100 percent. Unfortunately, our strategy was not the best. I had problems overtaking throughout the race, because I couldn't brake late and was always the third rider in the trio at the front. I think that I made my final attack one lap too late. If I had passed Jorge one lap earlier, maybe I would have been in with a chance of the victory. In any case, we had the right attitude of attacking until the end and gaining ground on Marc. I just needed another lap in order to catch him. We will try again next time. I want to thank the team for the great job that they did this weekend.”

Repsol Honda Team Press Release

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Dovizioso and Hayden, Seventh and Eighth at Brno

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Racing in cool but dry conditions in front of a crowd of 142,030 spectators, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively, in the Czech Republic GP at the Brno circuit.

Having started from the ninth and tenth spots on the grid, Dovizioso and Hayden found themselves in those same positions at the completion of lap one, and they proceeded to race one another nose-to-tail for all twenty-two laps. Both Ducati Team racers picked up positions when Bradley Smith and Cal Crutchlow crashed in separate incidents, and when the chequered flag flew, the Italian was in seventh place, with his teammate just .339 seconds behind, in eighth.

Next weekend will find the Ducati Team racing for the third time in as many weeks, this time at the Silverstone Circuit, site of the British Grand Prix.

Andrea Dovizioso - Ducati Team, 7th

“For what we could expect today, I’m pretty pleased because I was able to have a consistent pace, and I managed to get under 1’58” at the end of the race. I did the whole race in front of Nicky; I pushed my hardest, and I didn’t make many mistakes. I’m happy with my performance, but of course the gap is too much; 35 seconds is really a lot.”

Nicky Hayden - Ducati Team, 8th

“Once again, the guys in front were quite a bit quicker than us. Dovi got away from me in the beginning, but I was able to bring him back and race with him a bit. He was right in front of me at the end, but there was really nowhere to put in a clean pass without making it touchy. He rode a great race and covered all the lines the last couple laps. The bike was definitely better in the warm-up, and then in the race, I felt the best over the bumps that I have all weekend. I did the sighting lap on the hard front tyre, but I switched to the soft on the grid. It was a bit of a gamble, but it turned out to be the right choice.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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First Moto2 win for Kallio at Brno

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Mika Kallio stood on the top step of the Moto2 podium for the first time at Brno, after taking a hard fought win in today’s Czech Republic Grand Prix. Scott Redding rode to a creditable eighth place, limiting his losses in battle for the championship, after struggling with set-up issues all weekend.

Fast in every session this weekend at Brno, Kallio was involved in a race long battle at the front with Tom Lüthi, Nico Terol and Takaaki Nakagami. The race leader changed on almost every lap but, with just two laps to go, Kallio forced his way to the front. The 30-year-old Finn then posted his fastest lap of the race to pull away from his pursuers, taking the chequered flag and the race win by 0.5s from Nakagami.

Kallio has been on the podium twice already this season, at Austin and Le Mans, but today’s race win is his first in five years, his last victory coming in the British 250cc Grand Prix at Donington Park back in 2008.

The set-up issues that have hampered Redding all weekend caused the 20-year-old Briton further problems in today’s 20-lap Moto2 race. Initially the bike worked well following changes to the set-up made after warm up. Redding was running as high as fifth, and battling with Pol Espargaro, before the chatter returned as the tyres went off at half race distance.

Redding still looked set for a top six finish, until Johann Zarco hit him from behind, forcing them both off track. The off track excursion meant that both riders lost contact with the group ahead, with Redding eventually finishing eighth, after holding off a challenge from Simone Corsi late in the race.

With Espargaro finishing fourth at Brno today, Redding’s advantage at the top of the Moto2 Championship standings was reduced by five points to 21.

Mika Kallio #36: First

“My last win was five years ago at Donington, so this has been a long time coming. It’s hard to explain how it feels to win again. Even if I don’t show it on the outside, on the inside it was a great feeling, especially on the last lap when I knew I could win. It was a hard race, but I knew if I could get to the front and then make no mistakes in the last two laps then the win was on, so that’s what I did. Exiting the last corner I could see the chequered flag and I thought; ‘I’ve done it’. It was such a great feeling. The team has worked hard all season, everything came together for us this weekend and the race went exactly to plan. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Scott Redding #45: Eighth

“After struggling with set-up even into warm up, we made some changes ahead of the race that improved things slightly. It was enough to allow me to catch Espargaro, eventually passing him for fifth, but then the problems started. As the tyres went off and the fuel load reduced the chatter returned and it started to get difficult. I still think sixth was a possibility, but then Zarco slammed into my knee and forced us both off track, which meant we lost contact with the group ahead. I managed to hold on to eighth, which means I lost a little of my advantage over Espargaro in the championship, but I’m happy enough that I limited the loss to just five points. Now we go to Silverstone, my home race, to see what we can do there in front of the British fans.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“From the first practice session on Friday, we knew Mika could win here in Brno this weekend. After qualifying and warm up we were even more convinced and, this afternoon, he proved us right. It was a great ride by Mika and not an easy race to win. Nakagami, Lüthi and Terol pushed him hard, but he stuck to the plan, played to his strengths and took his first Moto2 win. Now he’s won once, I’m confident we’ll see him winning again before the season is done. To have two riders in the team that can win races has always been our goal, and with Mika we’ve achieved that today. Scott has struggled to find a good set-up on the bike all weekend, but he never gave up. He raced on settings we hadn’t tried previously, which made a small improvement, but it was down to him alone that he limited his championship losses to just five points today. A good job in difficult circumstances.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

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Top 20 for Loi as Danilo hits his target

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Livio Loi bounced back from set-up issues in practice and qualifying to finish a creditable 20th in today’s Czech Moto3 Grand Prix.

Jules Danilo came to Brno looking for a finish inside the top 25. The 18-year-old Frenchman leaves the Czech Republic having achieved his goal, after finishing in 24th position in today’s race.

Looking to add to his championship points tally today, Loi wasted no time in making up places after starting the race from 24th position on the grid. Having battled with Romano Fenati and Jasper Iwema throughout the race, the 16-year-old Belgian had fought his way up to 15th and looked set to add to his world championship points tally. With just two laps to go a collision with Jasper Iwema pushed Loi wide and he dropped back to 22nd, recovering two places to eventually finish 20th.

Danilo got a good start from 34th on the grid, but made up six places in the first chicane and then a further three places on the opening lap, to tag onto the group contesting 15th position. The Frenchman spent all but the last three laps in a battle with this group of ten riders, but dropped back after being caught up in Lorenzo Baldassarri’s crash and was eventually caught and passed out of the slipstream for 23rd place by Ana Carrasco.

Livio Loi #11: 20th

“I got a good start today, immediately getting into a battle with Romano Fenati and Jasper Iwema that went on for the whole race. I had the pace to lead, but not quite enough to get away from them, so it was always going to come down to the last few laps. With three laps to go Fenati came up the inside of me at turn four, Iwema tried to follow him through and we touched. I had to sit the bike up and come off the throttle, which allowed the group behind through on the inside. I managed to retake a few places on the final lap to take 20th at the line. I’m disappointed to have missed out on the points, but it was a good race and I enjoyed the battle.”

Jules Danilo #95: 24th

“I got a normal start, but then I managed to get up the inside of a big group of riders into the first chicane, passed a few more later in the same lap and made contact with the group disputing 15th to 25th place. I was fighting like crazy with Philipp Öttl, but then Lorenzo Baldassarri highsided late in the race, Brad Binder hit his bike and touched me, pushing me wide. I lost contact with the group and got caught by Ana Carrasco right at the end. I enjoyed the race; it’s amazing how fast it seems to go when you’re battling in a group, rather than riding on your own. I’m happy to achieved my goal after a difficult start to the weekend and I leave here having gained a lot of valuable experience.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Releas

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Abraham finishes home race on nineteenth position

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Despite strong pain Karel Abraham has finished home race. The Czech rider was fighting with Bryan Staring and he defended his position in front of him. Second Czech rider in premier class, Lukáš Pešek crashed out in second lap.

Karel Abraham

"The aim for today was to finish the race. From this point of view it was not bad today however nineteenth position is not a result we can be happy about. This morning I tried to ride without anesthetics in the warm up to raise efficiency of them during the race. After the start I got in front of Lukáš but in the third corner Aoyama took me little bit out side and Lukáš overtook me. In Schwantz corner Bauer hit me and I don’t even understand how is possible that I managed it. However it was quit bad because it slowed me down a lot and so my body absolved another collision and my shoulder has started to hurt more. Essentially I ride the race with Staring and since a second half of the race I was thinking about the retirement because of the pain. When remained only eight laps to go I have decided to try to finish the race. We will see what bring next week. For now we are considering to skip the race and come back in good shape in Misano."

Marco Grana, chief mechanic of team Cardion AB Motoracing

"We finished the race and that is the maximum we could want considering Karel’s health condition after Indianapolis. Karel deserves a compliment because he gave everything to the race even he had nothing to lose he finished it. The bike worked well. Of course the nineteenth position is not our position but in this moment it was the maximum that we could reach. I think that Karel should skip one race and use tree weeks of break to get in better shape. It does not mean hundred percent but I believe he could be eighty percent OK."

Cardion AB Motoracing Press Release

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Warokon Puts in Brave Performance at Brno

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Despite suffering pain as a consequence of a crash in practice on Friday, Thitipong Warakorn was able to complete the Czech Republic GP. It was not easy for the Thai rider, but he showed great character to reach the chequered flag. He will now face the coming races on the calendar knowing that he is capable of strong performances when at full fitness.

Thitipong Warokorn (25°) "I gritted my teeth and tried to stay on track until the end, and I did. For me it is a source of a little satisfaction, I gained experience and can now be more confident about future races in the World Championship.”

Fausto Gresini “Just like he did yesterday, Warakorn showed that he has a strng character. He overcame considerable pain to finish the race. It is a real credit to him and a good sign for his future in the World Championship.”

Thai PTT Gresini Moto2 Press Release

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Small Progress for Pradita at Brno

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The end result was not what he had in mind, but the Czech Republic Grand Prix provided an increase in pace for Doni Tata Pradita compared to his practice times. However, in an attempt to push hard and make a pass, he suffered a misfortune and lost contact with the group ahead of him. It was a shame, but the experience will help to add to his experience in Moto2.

Doni Tata Pradita (24th) “I am pretty satisfied, because we were faster today than in practice and found some develpments which will help us in the coming races. Unfortunately I lost touch with those ahead when trying to pass Rivas, and they got away from me then. Also, from then on I didn’t have the same pace as before.”

Fausto Gresini “Besides the result, we saw a Doni who was determined and motivated today. He was not as laid back as in the last two races, which is very positive and very important for the coming races.”

Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Press Release

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Michele Pirro Ends in 12th Position at Brno

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Having started the Czech Republic Grand Prix from the fourteenth spot on the grid, Michele Pirro (serving as a substitute rider for Texan Ben Spies) gained two positions during the race, ending in twelfth place.

The twenty-two-lap race started under a gray and threatening sky, with lower temperatures than those that had marked the previous two days, and although the Italian lacked confidence in his bike’s front end and was ultimately unsatisfied, the experience was helpful in his getting used to the spec of Desmosedici GP13 that he’ll campaign again in one week at the Silverstone GP on 1 September.

Pirro now heads to Misano, where he’s scheduled to take part in three challenging days of testing with the Ducati Test Team before returning to the Ignite Pramac Racing Team garage in the UK.

Michele Pirro – Ignite Pramac Racing Team

“After the warm-up session, I thought I might have a little more feeling with the front, but that wasn’t the case. The only change we made was to switch to the front soft tyre, but I didn’t get the same feeling as this morning. That hurt me a lot, and honestly I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks because now I’ll be involved in three days of testing at Misano, followed by the Silverstone GP. I’m disappointed because I thought I’d be able to do better. I’ll try next week, although it’s harder with this bike than I expected.”

Michele Pirro MotoGP Brni 2013

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Andrea Iannone rewarded by consistency, perseverance

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Andrea Iannone earned a top-ten result in today’s Czech Republic Grand Prix, hosted at the Brno circuit, where the Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team rider posted a ninth-place finish that put him third best among the Ducati riders.

The eleventh round of the MotoGP World Championship was held under a cloudy and threatening sky, and with nine laps remaining, a hint of rain led the race stewards to wave the white flag, indicating that the race was declared wet and that riders and teams were allowed to change bikes. No one took the option, however, as the precipitation held off through the remainder of the twenty-two-lap race.

Iannone and his team are now preparing for the final event in this tripleheader, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 1 September.

Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

“I’m happy. The race started well, and for the first few laps, my pace was very close to Nicky and Dovi, and I also managed to be consistent. This means that we’re improving, learning, and working well. I started to get tired after ten laps; I had no strength for braking and acceleration, and I couldn’t stay on the bike. All in all, this weekend was positive. After the two falls and two hard days that I had to deal with, and which weren’t helped by my injury, we ended up having a good race. Of course it would be better for me if we could have next week off, as flying directly to Silverstone to compete in another race next week doesn’t help. I just hope it doesn’t get worse because at least I know what to expect. We’ll see.”

Pramac Racing Team Press Release

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Lorenzo Battles for Brno Podium

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Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo fought hard today to take third on the podium for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic with teammate Valentino Rossi taking fourth. 

Reigning world champion Lorenzo made an incredible start from fifth on the grid, out dragging the entire front row to take the hole-shot into turn one. Although initially able to build a gap of just over a second, he soon had rivals Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa close behind in pursuit. Lorenzo was able to hold off the attack and continue leading the race until just seven laps remained. Marquez’s first pass proved a failure with Lorenzo able to get back round the outside of the attacker and regain the front heading up the hill. The next attack came in the last corner with just four laps remaining, Marquez squeezing through for the lead. A lap later Pedrosa was to follow, Lorenzo then tucking in behind the two to secure third on the podium, just 2.2 seconds from winner Marquez. 

Rossi’s race proved to be a very similar experience to Indianapolis last weekend. Holding seventh from the line he was fairly quickly able to pass Bradley Smith for sixth as the first laps passed. Satellite Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow was soon to fall in front, promoting Rossi to fifth as he began a race long battle with Alvaro Bautista. The nine-time world champion would prove to be the victor, making the crucial pass stick as the last lap wound down, taking fourth position at the line. 

Lorenzo’s podium finish keeps him in third position in the world standings, 18 points behind Pedrosa in second. Teammate Rossi stays in fourth in standings on 143 points, six behind his teammate. The team now move straight to the Silverstone in the UK for the third of the back-to-back races, The British Grand Prix.

Jorge Lorenzo 3rd

“I think I did my best start in all my career in MotoGP, I took four positions and in the first laps I was really quick. Finally I couldn’t keep the same distance to second place so little by little they caught me. Especially under braking and on the straights they were faster than me so I couldn't do much more. I was a little nervous when the white flag came out because it’s really dangerous to race with slick tyres on little spots of rain but luckily it didn't come so we could finish in dry conditions. Finally when Dani overtook me it was too far to fight back, I didn't have the rear tyre or physical condition after pushing a lot all the race. The Championship is not lost yet but it’s very difficult now. We need just a few tenths to win the race so we have to pray for that at Silverstone!”

Valentino Rossi 4th

“Today was better than Indy, especially because my disadvantage to the top is half. I wanted to do better; we have to try to do better. The first three guys are impressive, very strong; I want to stay closer to them. Unfortunately I was ten seconds back, another fourth place but I want to be closer so we have to work. We tried to improve this type of setting in the last two races but it looks like it’s not fantastic. Also today I suffered a bit too much at the beginning of the race. We won’t give up and we will try next week to make a better job.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Press Release

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Stefan Bradl Ends Sixth at Brno

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Stefan Bradl rode his Honda RC213V to a positive sixth place in today’s 22-lap Czech GP at Brno race track scoring further important points which saw him holding the 6th place in the world classification. The German rider, who was the fastest on the first day of qualifying, failed to reproduce that form in the frenetic 15-minute QP2 reporting some front-end issues which relegated him 8th on the grid. Bradl leaves Brno circuit with some disappointment and the will to bounce back at Silverstone in few days.

Stefan Bradl

“The sixth position is not that bad considering the whole weekend but I really wanted to be faster. We could not improve the bike as I would like because I had many problems with the edge grip on right and left sides of the rear tyre. I had to fight to pick up the bike to get a little bit of drive out of the corner to accelerate. I tried many things to save the rear tyre during the race but here, with these long corners, you have to carry the corner speed and, at the beginning, I was behind Rossi and Smith and I saw they could carry more corner speed. We wanted to stay with Rossi and Bautista but I was not capable to keep that speed. Let’s move to Silverstone to keep working”.

LCR Honda Press Release

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Positive Result for Alvaro Bautista at Brno

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After strong showings at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, Alvaro Bautista continued his great run of form at Brno. The Team GO & FUN Honda Gresini rider finished fifth in the Czech Republic Grand Prix, riding with a pace similar to those at the front for the entirety of the race. Only a speedy fightback by Valentino Rossi denied Bautista fourth place, which he missed out on by 77 thousandths of a second. Teammate Bryan Staring had a more difficult race, due to an unexpected drop in tyre performance, and eventually placed 20th.

Alvaro Bautista (5th) 

“Once again I had the chance to finish ahead of Rossi, but I ended up just 0.077 behind him at the line. However, I am happy because we had a good race and ran a fast pace that was better than in practice. I had a lot more confidence in the bike today. It was a nice battle with Rossi and maybe he just had a little more than I did at the end. We’re going in the right direction, continuing with what we started at Laguna Seca two races ago; this is very important. Last year we didn’t have a great feeling at Brno, but this year we went well which confirms that things are getting better. We hope to continue like this, because that way I can carry on enjoying myself alongside the Team, Honda, GO & FUN, Showa and Nissin.”

Bryan Staring (20th)

“We went a little better than in practice and we suffered a little less with the chattering problem, but the result was not what we were hoping to achieve this weekend. Unfortunately at the end the tyre performance dropped off and I was unable to ride as I had in the first part of the race. It is a shame, because after the problems in practice we were not able to get a good race result.”

Fausto Gresini 

“I would say that this was another good day and another good result for Alvaro. He had a great race, fighting hard with Rossi and keeping up his pace. Since the race at Laguna Seca he has been closer to the front, and we are continually improving. Now we just have to take that small step up to make a big difference. In any case, we are very happy with this weekend at Brno –where last year we had a lot of problems. We have continued this fine form and this is satisying. Thanks to Alvaro, Honda and GO & FUN, and also the team, Showa and Nissin for their great work.”

Fun& Go Honda Gresini Press Release

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Crutchlow and Smith leave Brno empty handed

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Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith’s Czech Republic MotoGP race didn’t live up to expectations after both fell out of top six contention in cool and cloudy conditions at the Brno track this afternoon.

Confident he could battle for a fifth podium of 2013 after a memorable qualifying performance put Crutchlow in pole position for the second time in his MotoGP career, the 27-year-old was locked in an exciting battle with Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista in the early laps.

The three-way fight was a repeat of a similar exciting tussle one week ago at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a determined Crutchlow led the way until he tumbled out of fourth position on lap eight.

The British rider was able to rejoin the 22-lap race and demonstrating the never-give-up attitude that has become his trademark in MotoGP, he fought through from the back of the field to take 17th at the chequered flag.

Smith was also optimistic that he could battle for a top six result after he too impressed with an outstanding qualifying performance yesterday. The rookie equalled his best grid position in sixth and he was running a strong pace right behind nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi in front of a massive crowd of just over 142,000 fans.

Feeling comfortable and confident after improving his pace on a full fuel tank in practice, Smith’s challenge was ended prematurely when he crashed at Turn 9 while occupying seventh.

Today’s race might not have had the outcome Crutchlow and Smith had hoped for, but both have once again demonstrated their high potential in Brno and the British pair are now eagerly anticipating a return to form in front of their home fans at Silverstone next Sunday.

Cal Crutchlow 17th – 127 points : 

“Obviously I am disappointed after qualifying in pole position but I had to push really hard to try and get away from Bautista and Rossi. Lorenzo made an incredible start and his first lap was really strong and that put us all under pressure. I was happy with my pace and I felt comfortable but then I made a mistake. I was trying to get myself back in contention for the podium and I lost the front. I am sure I could have finished fourth but I got back on a damaged bike and set a fast and consistent pace and I never gave up. It is not the best preparation for my home race at Silverstone but I go there knowing I have the pace and that I can be challenging at the front. I am really excited for Silverstone and I know the support from the British fans will be incredible, so hopefully I can give them something to cheer about.”

Bradley Smith DNF – 59 points : 

“The race ended far too soon and it is not the way we wanted a positive weekend to end. I don’t feel I did anything different in that corner and I felt comfortable and the bike felt very good. The improvements we made on a full fuel tank made the bike much better in the early part of the race but I got caught out in Turn 9. The data showed I accelerated a fraction earlier and those small margins can make all the difference. Unfortunately the handlebar was broken so I couldn’t get back in the race. But in my rookie season this can happen when you are pushing to try and learn and build experience. At least I don’t have to wait long for Silverstone. I’m disappointed with today but highly motivated to build on the positive points we gained here. Racing at home is always special but this will be my first MotoGP race at Silverstone and I can’t wait.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Press Release

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Kent ends positive weekend with brilliant points finish

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A determined ride to 12th position in today’s Czech Republic Moto2 race ensured Tech 3 Racing Team rider Danny Kent heads to his crucial home round at Silverstone with confidence high after a big breakthrough weekend in Brno.

Kent secured his second points scoring finish in the ultra-competitive Moto2 category to complete a hugely encouraging weekend in which he claimed a career best qualifying and race result on the French designed and built Mistral 610 machine.

Starting from 12th on the grid after his 2.02.956 in qualifying was the fastest ever lap recorded by the Mistral 610 at Brno, Kent immediately gained one place in a short drag race to the first corner. But in a typically frantic opening lap he slipped down the order to 16th.

In the coolest conditions of the weekend so far, with temperatures only creeping up to 16 degrees, Kent was able to quickly move back into the top 15. He then maintained an impressive rhythm that enabled him to fight his way back into 12th position, which is one place higher than his previous best result in Catalunya.

The most satisfying aspect of his performance was his pace and consistency over the 20-lap race distance. Kent has been working incredibly hard to improve his speed on worn tyres and he reaped the rewards today, with his pace throughout comparable to those battling for the podium.

He set his best lap of the race of 2.03.308 on lap 14 to finish just 12.4s behind race winner Mika Kallio. Kent is now excited to build on the momentum gained today when he races in front of his home crowd at Silverstone, where is confident he can challenge for a maiden top 10 in Moto2.

Today’s race was a difficult battle for Louis Rossi, who started down in 28th place on the grid. Despite the tireless efforts of his Tech 3 Racing crew, Rossi has never been comfortable enough to demonstrate his true potential on the fast and undulating Brno track, though he did recover to 20th position.

Today’s race was another valuable data gathering exercise for Rossi and his Tech 3 Racing crew and he is hoping to be back challenging for the top 15 again in the forthcoming British Grand Prix.

Danny Kent 12th – 7 points :

“I am really happy with how this weekend went and obviously it feels like we’ve taken a big step. The important thing was to bounce back quickly from the disappointment of Indianapolis and we managed that. To get my best ever qualifying and race result shows we are making progress with the Mistral 610. I got a decent start but unfortunately in the early laps I got a bit beaten up and that ruined my chance of being in the top 10. I definitely had the pace to be up there and that’s what I’m most pleased about. My times were fast, really consistent and as good as those running inside the top six. I had a good pace all weekend and the team worked really hard to give me a good package and now I can look forward to Silverstone with a lot of confidence. This weekend was just what I needed to get some momentum heading to my home race and hopefully in front of the British fans I will be able to break into the top 10.”

Louis Rossi 20th – 4 points :

“I gave 100% and did my absolute best today but clearly it has been a very tough weekend. I felt my pace was strong in the first part of the race but I missed some chances to pass and go with the group in front. We have to learn about what’s happened this weekend and try and be more competitive at Silverstone. We will continue working hard and hopefully I will have a better feeling on the bike next weekend to help me get back into the top 15.”

Tech 3 Racing Press Release

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