Monthly Archives: August 2012

bwin Grand Prix of Czech Republic

2012 bwin Grand Prix of Czech Republic
ROUND TWELVE 2012 MotoGP™ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY AUGUST 26
CRUTCHLOW SEEKS CHANGE OF FORTUNE IN BRNO

Isle of Man-based Midlander Cal Crutchlow chases a change of fortune at the magnificent Brno circuit when he rides in the bwin Grand Prix of Czech Republic on Sunday. Crutchlow crashed out of the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday and also fell twice from the Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha in practice and qualifying.

Despite the misfortune he still holds fifth place in the championship while Cumbrian James Ellison picked up another precious point when he finished 15th on his 50th Grand Prix appearance riding the Paul Bird Motorsport ART machine.

Scott Redding was the only British success at Indianapolis after finishing sixth in the Moto2™ race. The Gloucestershire teenager is fifth in the championship riding the Marc VDS machine. Two places behind him is 21 year old Bradley Smith who failed to score points this year after finishing 16th at Indianapolis with Londoner Gino Rea three places behind him.

Wiltshire teenager Danny Kent led the Moto3™ race from the front row of the grid at Indianapolis but eventually dropped to 12th. He‘s had some brilliant qualifying performances this year but just one podium finish. Danny Webb is doubtful for Brno after fracturing his right arm when he crashed the Mahindra in qualifying on Saturday.

Cal Crutchlow:
“Of course it was a disappointing weekend at Indianapolis with the three crashes but at least I was not hurt in any of them. The big positive is I was 1.2s faster than last year and at this level it is not a bad run to go 10 races in a row inside the top 10. I’ve got a chance to put things right in Brno next weekend and I will be doing my best to be challenging for a top result again.”

PEDROSA CLOSES IN FOR BRNO BATTLE

Indianapolis winner Dani Pedrosa is just 18 points behind championship leader Jorge Lorenzo as their battle continues at the bwin Grand Prix of Czech Republic at the ancient Brno circuit on Sunday.

It was just Pedrosa’s second win of the season but the Repsol Honda rider has finished off the podium on only one occasion in the 11 races this season. Lorenzo has just one win in the last five races but has won five grands prix and only been out of the top two on one occasion.

It promises to be another close fight in the 22 lap race round the 3.357 miles circuit. Lorenzo won the MotoGP™ race a couple of years ago while Pedrosa’s only success has come in the 125 cc class although he did start from pole last season.

Pedros’a team-mate World Champion Casey Stoner has won twice including last year but he arrives in the Czech Republic suffering with torn ankle ligaments and chipped bones in his right ankle following his spectacular crash during qualifying at Indianapolis. He completed an unbelievable race to finish fourth in America but now trails Lorenzo in the championship by 39 points.

Andrea Dovizioso is having a great season and took his fifth podium finish of the season at Indianapolis riding the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. He holds a comfortable fourth place in the championship especially after his team-mate Cal Crutchlow crashed in Indianapolis but still retained fifth place in the title chase.

Honda satellite riders Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista are separated by just two points in their battle for sixth. Bradl won his first grand prix in the 125 cc race at Brno in 2008 with Bautista successful two years earlier on route to the world title.

Valentino Rossi has won five MotoGP races at Brno and 16 years ago won his very first grand prix in the 125 cc race. His Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden hopes to be fit to ride after missing his home race at Indianapolis following a qualifying crash in which he broke some bones in his hand. Ben Spies will be looking for a change of fortune after his Yamaha engine blew apart while he was challenging Pedrosa for the lead at Indianapolis.

Aleix Espargaro leads the CRT battle from his Power Electronics Aspar team-mate Randy De Puniet who is a previous 250 cc Brno winner as is Tony Elias who continues to replace the injured Hector Barbera on the Pramac Ducati.

Nineteen year old Marc Marquez continued his quest for the Moto2 World Championship before moving to MotoGP with a comprehensive Indianapolis victory. It was the Spanish teenager’s fifth win of the season and leads his great rival Pol Espargaro by an impressive 39 points. Last year’s Brno winner Andrea Iannone had a disappointing Indianapolis and dropped to third place with former 125 cc winner Tom Luthi fourth.

German Sandro Cortese arrives at Brno brimming with confidence. He leads the Moto3 Championship by 29 points and won the 125 cc race at Brno last year. His great rival Spanish teenager Maverick Vinales crashed on the last lap at Indianapolis while Spaniard Luis Salom won his first grand prix.

BRNO FACTS AND FIGURES
The 3.357 mile circuit is situated on a wooded hillside high above the City of Brno. It replaced the old road circuit that ran round the town and staged the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix between 1965 and 1982. The undulating purpose built circuit which held its first grand prix in 1987 is a great favourite with the riders and attracts big crowds.

Circuit Length: 5.403kms
Width: 15 m
Pole Position: Left
Longest Straight: 636m
Left Corners: Six
Right Corners: Eight

Pole Position Record:
Valentino Rossi/Yamaha
1.56.145 (2009)

Lap Record:
Jorge Lorenzo/Yamaha
1’56.670 (2009)

TELEVISION TIMES
BBC/BRITISH EUROSPORT 2
Friday 24 August
1210 – 1500 British Eurosport 2 – Live Practice Moto3, MotoGP, Moto2
Saturday 25 August
1155 – 1500 BBC Red Button & British Eurosport 2 – Live Qualifying Moto3, MotoGP, Moto2
Sunday 26 August
0955 – 1205 BBC Red Button – Live Moto3 and Moto2 races
0945 –1200 British Eurosport – Live Moto3 and Moto2 races
1230 — 1400 BBC2 and HD Live MotoGP race

CONTACTS

Nick will be available at the circuit from Thursday lunchtime until Sunday night. Please note Nick will not be available to answer the phone during qualifying or the races.

Email nick@nick-harris.co.uk
Mobile 07785 224 596
Crutchlow is looking for a change of fortune in Brno

By |2020-04-29T09:39:56+00:00August 22nd, 2012|Uncategorised|Comments Off on bwin Grand Prix of Czech Republic

RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX – Preview

BACK TO THE TRACK AFTER OLYMPIC GLORY

There can be no better venue for the British MotoGP™ riders to continue the post Olympic optimism than the World famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit when battle recommences at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix in America on Sunday.

Chasing the medals between those towering grandstands and across the famous yard of bricks the riders commence a frantic second half of the season as they crisscross the globe.

Isle of Man – based Midlander Cal Crutchlow chases his first MotoGP podium after a superb first half of just his second MotoGP season. He lies fifth in the World Championship and is involved in a tremendous battle with his Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Andrea Dovizioso. They are separated by just 15 points and it’s a fight that will continue until that final round at the beginning of November in Valencia.

It’s been a tough return to MotoGP for Cumbrian James Ellison. Riding the CRT Paul Bird MotorSport ART machine he crashed out in the previous round at Laguna Seca after securing points at the previous three rounds. He 16th in the Championship but is the fifth highest CRT machine only four points behind Michele Pirro who is the third highest.

Scott Redding and Bradley Smith have been champing at the bit to get back on the track after a five week break since their last race. In that race at Mugello in Italy Smith was fourth and Redding sixth but they will be chasing podium finishes round the 2.620 Indy circuit on Sunday. Gloucestershire teenager Redding has finished on the podium three times this season riding the Marc VDS machine and is fifth in the Championship. Smith’s best result was at Mugello on the Tech 3 Mistral machine and is seventh after scoring points in all of the nine opening rounds. Both riders have finished on the Indianapolis podium with Smith second in the 125 cc race three years ago and Redding third in the Moto2 race the next year. Londoner Gino Rea makes his Indy debut fighting to hang onto his Gresini ride after a tough first half of his Moto2™ Championship season.

The two Danny’s, Kent and Webb have tasted contrasting fortunes in the new Moto3™ Championship. Wiltshire teenager Kent may only be tenth but on many occasions he’s been battling for the lead on the Red Bull Ajo KTM and finished on the podium in Assen. He looks very capable of more podium finishes or even a grand prix victory. It’s been a very different story for the highly experienced Kent-based Webb. Riding the Indian Mahindra machine it’s been tough going and he chases his first points of the season in a very important second half of the year.

REDDING AND SMITH SET FOR MOTOGP NEXT YEAR
British Moto2 stars and grand prix winners Scott Redding and Bradley Smith look set to join Cal Crutchlow in the MotoGP Championship next season. Twenty one year old Smith has already signed a contract to ride for the Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha team next season while Redding is still hoping for a deal with his Marc VDS team to ride a Ducati next year.

During the summer break Redding completed a two day MotoGP test with Ducati in Italy. Smith’s first MotoGP ride is scheduled for Valencia in Spain a couple of days after the last grand prix of the season at the beginning of November.

Scott Redding:
“When I’m away racing I just want to focus on this year and so I don’t worry about what might happen next year, I’m aware of the gossip that goes on but don’t pay much attention to it until something actually happens so once this opportunity came about it’s certainly been interesting to know that Ducati are interested in me which is important for my career. I had no idea what was going to happen but I was going down the pit lane with the limiter on thinking “I’m on a MotoGP bike and I’ve no idea what to expect”. It was a real eye-opener, I opened it up full bore and thought “well, it’s not that quick” but realised about the anti-wheelie and traction control systems. The first time I came down the home straight and went from 5th to 6th gear and had the throttle completely wide open, that’s when you realise how fast it really is. It’s like sitting on a live rocket ship! Mugello’s a hard circuit to get a GP a bike around, there’s a lot of change of direction which is hard to get used to when especially on a bike that’s heavier than my Moto2 bike but it was pretty immense; the fast straight with the brow then you’re in the braking zone for the first corner by the time you’re in 6th gear. The bike would always want to wheelie but to try and go straight over it would cost 0.3/0.4s.They said there could be another test although I don’t get involved too much in the contracts side of things – I just want to concentrate on my racing although if I see Valentino or Nicky in the paddock I must just drop the elbow on them and then say “Ciao”!

THE BATTLE CONTINUES – EIGHT TO GO
After the shortest of summer breaks the battle for the MotoGP World Championship continues at the iconic Indianapolis Speedway on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. There are eight rounds of the Championship remaining in a frantic three months to decide the outcome.

Occupying the front seat of the roller coaster is Jorge Lorenzo fighting off the combined challenge of Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and World Champion Casey Stoner in those opening ten rounds. Only time will tell if the 23 point lead the Spanish Yamaha rider holds over Pedrosa or more significantly the 32 advantage over Stoner will be enough when the season closes in Valencia at the beginning of November.

The three leaders have all tasted success at the 2.620 miles ‘Brickyard ‘ circuit that incorporates the start and finish straight, albeit running in the opposite direction to the world famous Indy 500 track. Australian Stoner won last year, Pedrosa the year before and Lorenzo in 2009. This year Stoner grabbed his first win for three races in the last round at Laguna Seca and he needs to keep winning to put some real pressure on his great rival. Pedrosa’s consistency, off the podium just once this season, keeps the Spaniard in second place but he needs to win more races after just one victory this season to close the gap on his countryman at the front.

Nine times World Champion Valentino Rossi won the very first grand prix at Indianapolis, just before the tornado arrived back in 2008. Typically the Italian will be the centre of attention at the weekend after announcing he will return to Yamaha next season after two disastrous years at Ducati. The Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha pair of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow continue their season long battle for fourth place. Dovizioso leads the way by 15 points thanks to four podium finishes and one of them could replace Rossi at Ducati next season.

Former World Champion Nicky Hayden has re-signed for Ducati and can concentrate on his battle for sixth place with impressive MotoGP Rookie Stefan Bradl, Rossi and former 125 cc World Champion Alvaro Bautista who’s fighting to hang onto his San Carlo Gresini Honda ride. Ben Spies makes his last home MotoGP appearance for Yamaha and he’s determined to go out with a bang at Indianapolis where he finished third last year.

Toni Elias continues to replace the injured Hector Barbera who hopes to return at the bwin Grand Prix of the Czech Republic the following week on the Pramac Ducati. The CRT battle continues between Power Electronics Aspar team-mates Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaro who are equal on points way ahead of the field. There will be two extra CRT entries for the 28 lap race on Sunday. Steve Rapp makes his second appearance on the Attack Performance Aprilia after just failing to qualify at Laguna while former AMA Champion Aaron Yates rides the GP Tech machine at his home race.

The Moto2 and Moto3 riders return to the fray after a proper summer break of five weeks following their last round at Mugello in Italy. Despite only finishing fifth in Italy Marc Marquez holds a commanding 34 point Moto2 lead over countryman Pol Espargaro and Italian Andrea Iannone after a superb first half of the season. He won the Moto2 race last year in which Espargaro was second to secure his first Moto2 podium finish. Espargaro also won the 125 cc race three years ago and needs to secure his third win of the year to close the gap on Marquez and get away from Iannone who won the previous round in Mugello.

Moto3 makes it Indy debut and the American crowd are in for a real treat after a sensational start to the new championship. Nine points separate Sandro Cortese and Maverick Vinales at the top but there are at least ten riders capable of victory in the heat of battle. Italian teenager Romano Fenati makes his Indy debut after winning in Jerez, Luis Salom will surely win a race before the end of the season, Louis Rossi chases a repeat of his Le Mans victory while never rule out podium finishers Alexis Masbou, Alex Rins and Danny Kent.

INDIANAPOLIS FACTS AND FIGURES
The iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrated its 100th birthday three years ago by staging its second MotoGP race because the first race ever staged at “The Brickyard” was a motorcycle race in 1909. Since then the Oval circuit has been the home of the World famous Indy 500 car race. The 2.620 motorcycle circuit runs in the opposite direction but incorporates the same start and finish straight. The towering grandstands around the oval hold over 257,000 spectators.
Circuit Length: 4.216 kms
Width: 16 m
Pole Position: Right
Longest Straight: 872m
Left Corners: Ten
Right Corners: Six
Pole Position Record:
Casey Stoner/Honda
1.38.850 (2011)
Lap Record:
Casey Stoner/Honda
1’39.807 (2011)

TELEVISION TIMES
BBC/BRITISH EUROSPORT 2
Friday 17 August
1810 – 2100 British Eurosport 2 – Live Practice Moto3, MotoGP, Moto2
Saturday 18 August
1555 – 1800 BBC Red Button & British Eurosport 2 – Live Qualifying Moto3, MotoGP, Moto2
Sunday 19 August
1555 – 1800 BBC Red Button – Live Moto3 and Moto2 races
1545 –1800 British Eurosport 2 – Live Moto3 and Moto2 races
1830 — 2000 BBC2 and HD Live MotoGP race
2000 British Eurosport2 – MotoGP Action

CONTACTS
Nick will be available at the circuit from Thursday lunchtime until Sunday night. Please note Nick will not be available to answer the phone during qualifying or the races.

Email nick@nick-harris.co.uk
Mobile 07785 224 596
Redding will be back on his Moto2 bike this weekend

By |2012-08-13T15:48:35+00:00August 13th, 2012|Uncategorised|Comments Off on RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX – Preview
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