It’s been a perfect start to 2020 for the 21-year-old sophomore. Two pole positions, two wins. Will anyone stop El Diablo’s onslaught, or will the reigning Rookie of the Year do something that Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Viñales and more haven’t been able to do onboard Yamahas since 1980?
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
“It’s just the same as when I was in the Rookies 10 years ago,” enthused Brad Binder, at the track for a promotion. “The only thing that has changed is that they now ride the 4-strokes. Otherwise, it is just the same: practicing the start procedures, learning the bikes and the track, it brings it all back,” smiled the former Moto3™ World Champion and current Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
At the Andalucia GP, Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to take back-to-back MotoGP wins after qualifying from pole position since Jorge Lorenzo in Valencia/2015 and Qatar/2016.
Quartararo became the first Yamaha rider to set pole position and the fastest lap of the race, to lead across the line on every lap and to win the race since Jorge Lorenzo in Valencia 2016, his last race for Yamaha to date.
In addition, Quartararo is also the first Independent Team rider to set pole position and the fastest lap of the race, to lead across the line on every lap and to win the race in MotoGP since its introduction in 2002.
Takaaki Nakagami finished fourth in Jerez, which is his best result in MotoGP as well as the best result for a Japanese rider in the class since Katsuyuki Nakasuga was second in Valencia 2012 in wet conditions.
With Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi, this is the first Yamaha 1-2-3 since Phillip Island back in 2014 and only the third since the introduction of MotoGP back in 2002.
In addition, this is the 20th 1-2-3 for a same manufacturer in MotoGP: Honda (17 times) and Yamaha (3 times).
13 riders crossed the line at the Andalucia GP, which is the smallest number of finishers in MotoGP since Catalunya last year (13 finishers as well).
Nine of the riders lining up for the MotoGP race at Brno have previously won Grand Prix races at the track: Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Joan Mir, Johann Zarco, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Marquez, Cal Crutchlow, Tito Rabat and Miguel Oliveira.
At the Czech GP, Andrea Dovizioso is scheduled to make his 218th premier class start to equal MotoGP Legend Nicky Hayden in third place on the list of riders with most premier class starts behind Valentino Rossi (344) and Alex Barros (245).
At the Czech GP, Ducati will be aiming to become the fifth manufacturer to reach the milestone of 50 premier class wins, joining Honda (309), Yamaha (231), MV Agusta (139) and Suzuki (93).
With his win at the Andalucia GP, Fabio Quartararo became the second-youngest rider to take back-to-back premier class win behind Marc Marquez.
Quartararo became the sixth rider to win his first two premier class races in seven days along with Umberto Masetti (Spa-Francorchamps/Assen in 1950), Gary Hocking (Hockenheim/Clermont-Ferrand 1961), Johnny Cecotto (Imatra/Brno 1977), Kenny Roberts (Salzburgring/Nogaro 1978) and Kenny Roberts Jr (Sepang/Motegi 1999).
In addition, he became the first French rider to win more than once in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.
Fabio Quartararo became the first rider to take back-to-back premier class wins in the same country since Marc Marquez in 2013 (USA/Indianapolis).
Fabio Quartararo became the first Independent Team rider to take back-to-back premier class wins since Marco Melandri in Turkey/Valencia in 2005 riding a Honda. In Brno, Quartararo will be aiming to become the first Independent Team rider to take three wins in a row in MotoGP (since its introduction in 2002).
Fabio Quartararo became the first Yamaha from an Independent Team to win more than once in the premier class since Garry McCoy in the 500cc class, who did it three times in 2000.
In Andalucia, Fabio Quartararo became the first Independent Team rider to take four successive premier class pole positions since the introduction of MotoGP in 2002.
In Brno, aged 21 years 111 days old, Quartararo will be aiming to become the second-youngest rider to win three races in a row in the premier class behind Marc Marquez (20 years 182 days old, Germany/USA/Indianapolis/2013).
Quartararo will also be aiming to become the first Yamaha rider to win the opening three premier class races of a season since Kenny Roberts in 1980 on his way to clinching the world title.
| Pos | Rider | Podiums | Wins | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1 | Valentino Rossi | 199 | 89 | 61 | 49 |
| 2 | Jorge Lorenzo | 114 | 47 | 44 | 23 |
| 3 | Dani Pedrosa | 112 | 31 | 40 | 41 |
| 4 | Marc Marquez | 95 | 56 | 29 | 10 |
| 5 | Mick Doohan | 95 | 54 | 31 | 10 |
| 6 | Giacomo Agostini | 88 | 68 | 20 | – |
| 7 | Eddie Lawson | 78 | 31 | 31 | 16 |
| 8 | Casey Stoner | 69 | 38 | 11 | 20 |
| 9 | Wayne Rainey | 64 | 24 | 22 | 18 |
| 10 | Andrea Dovizioso | 61 | 14 | 21 | 26 |
Aged 41 years and 161 days old on race day in Jerez, Valentino Rossi became the first rider aged 41 or more to stand on the podium in the premier class since Jack Findlay in Austria back in 1977 (42 years and 85 days old).
Rossi became the seventh oldest rider to finish on the podium in the premier class of Grand Prix racing behind Karl Hoppe, Fergus Anderson, Ernst Hiller, Nello Pagani, Jack Findlay and Jack Ahearn.
In addition, he became the eighth different rider of 41 or older to have stood on the podium in the premier class along with Karl Hoppe, Fergus Anderson, Ernst Hiller, Nello Pagani, Jack Findlay, Jack Ahearn and Les Graham.
With his podium finish, Valentino Rossi extended his record of the longest time span between first and last premier class podium to 20 years and 87 days, becoming the first rider to reach the milestone of 20 years. His closest rival is Alex Barros (14 years and 341 days).
Fabio Quartararo was 1 year and 10 days old when Valentino Rossi stood on his first premier class podium in Jerez back in 2000.
In Brno, Valentino Rossi will be aiming to stand on the podium for the second successive time and to become the oldest rider to do so in the premier class since Jack Ahearn at the Belgian GP and the East German GP in 1966 (41 years and 282 days old).
First used in 1965, this will be the 51st time that a Grand Prix event has been held here. The only venue that has hosted more Grand Prix events than Brno is Assen in The Netherlands, which has hosted the Dutch TT for 71 years of the motorcycling World Championship, a sequence that stopped this season with the cancellation of Dutch TT.
In 1965, the 500cc race was held over thirteen laps of the original 13.94 km long road circuit and won by Mike Hailwood on an MV Agusta in a time of 1 hour 11 min 23.2 sec. In 1975, the circuit was shortened to 10.92 km to improve safety. The last premier class race held on the road circuit at Brno was in 1977 and was won by Johnny Cecotto on a Yamaha. The circuit was subsequently considered too dangerous for the large capacity machines. The smaller capacity machines continued to compete in Grand Prix races on the Brno road circuit until 1982, before it was removed from the calendar.
The current circuit was first used for Grand Prix racing in 1987, hosting the Czechoslovakian GP until 1991. Brno did not appear on the calendar in 1992, but the event was back on the calendar in 1993 as the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic and has taken place every year since.
This will be the 33rd time that the current circuit has hosted a Grand Prix event, during which time the circuit has remained virtually unchanged. Minor modifications were made to the circuit in 1996 which extended the length from 5.394 km to the current 5.403 km.
Honda’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Marc Marquez in 2019, from pole.
Yamaha’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Jorge Lorenzo in 2015, from pole. Yamaha have had 12 wins in the premier class including six in MotoGP class 2002 with Max Biaggi (1), Valentino Rossi (3) and Jorge Lorenzo (2).
Ducati’s last win in the premier class at Brno: Andrea Dovizioso in 2018, from pole. Dovizioso crossed the line ahead of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, making it the sixth and the most recent Ducati 1-2 in the premier class.
The last win for Suzuki at Brno was in the 500cc class in 1989, with Kevin Schwantz. Suzuki have had two podium finishes in MotoGP: second with John Hopkins in 2007 and third with Loris Capirossi in 2008.
The best result for an Aprilia rider at Brno in MotoGP is an eighth-place finish for Aleix Espargaro in 2017.
In 2017, Pol Espargaro was the only KTM rider across the line in Brno, in ninth place, which is the best result for the Austrian manufacturer at this track in the premier class. However, Johann Zarco qualified in third place last year, which was the first front row for KTM in the class.
There have only been two podium finishes for Czech riders at the current Brno circuit across all classes: Lukas Pesek was third in 125cc in 2007 on a Derbi, and Jakub Kornfeil was third in Moto3 in 2018 on a KTM.
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1700 | Moto3 | FP1 |
| 1755 | MotoGP | FP1 |
| 1855 | Moto2 | FP1 |
| 2115 | Moto3 | FP2 |
| 2210 | MotoGP | FP2 |
| 2310 | Moto2 | FP2 |
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1700 | Moto3 | FP3 |
| 1755 | MotoGP | FP3 |
| 1855 | Moto2 | FP3 |
| 2035 | Moto3 | Q1 |
| 2100 | Moto3 | Q2 |
| 2130 | MotoGP | FP4 |
| 2210 | MotoGP | Q1 |
| 2235 | MotoGP | Q2 |
| 2310 | Moto2 | Q1 |
| 2335 | Moto2 | Q2 |
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1640 | Moto3 | WUP |
| 1710 | Moto2 | WUP |
| 1740 | MotoGP | WUP |
| 1900 | Moto3 | RACE |
| 2020 | Moto2 | RACE |
| 2200 | MotoGP | RACE |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 50 |
| 2 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 40 |
| 3 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati | 26 |
| 4 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 19 |
| 5 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 19 |
| 6 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 16 |
| 7 | Jack MILLER | Ducati | 13 |
| 8 | Alex MARQUEZ | Honda | 12 |
| 9 | Johann ZARCO | Ducati | 12 |
| 10 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 11 |
| 11 | Joan MIR | Suzuki | 11 |
| 12 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Ducati | 9 |
| 13 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 8 |
| 14 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 7 |
| 15 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 7 |
| 16 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 6 |
| 17 | Bradley SMITH | Aprilia | 5 |
| 18 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 3 |
| 19 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | Honda | 3 |
| 20 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia | 0 |
| 21 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 0 |
| 22 | Marc MARQUEZ | Honda | 0 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Rossi is way out front in terms of premier class podiums. His nearest challenger is former teammate Jorge Lorenzo on 114, with Dani Pedrosa on 112 and Marc Marquez tied on 95 with Mick Doohan. Rossi’s 100th podium came with both Lorenzo and Pedrosa on the box at the 2008 Spanish GP, the Italian finishing second behind Pedrosa on that occasion.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Although Marquez won’t yet return, there are two more riders suffering through the pain barrier, and both managed to finish the Andalucia GP. 2016 Czech GP winner Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), with more recovery time for his scaphoid, will want to be able to go the distance a little better, and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins, with a dislocated shoulder compounded by a small fracture, will be aiming to take a step forward too. The Spaniard took a hard-grafted tenth place last time out, but after Suzuki’s incredible preseason showing he’ll want to recover more ground and score as quickly as possible. The good news for the Hamamatsu Factory in the second race in Jerez though was Joan Mir, with the number 36 putting a crash in the season opener behind him to take fifth and get some reward for his speed. He’ll be even more keen to conquer Brno too, as the Czech track was the scene of his huge crash in testing last season that sidelined him for two races.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
With the start of this year’s calendar either put on hold or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky is one of only a few races that has retained its scheduled date, but instead of being the twelfth race of the season, it is now the third following the double-header at Jerez last month.
Situated approximately 200km from the country’s capital Prague, the location of the circuit – high in the hills outside of Brno and set in a forested area – means it can be subjected to wet weather. That means Michelin will have to be ready with wets but forecasts are for fine and sunny weather with temperatures around 20-degrees. Slick compounds will be matched to work at an optimum with the medium abrasive track and will see the front slicks in soft, medium and hard in a symmetric design, whilst the new construction rears with have an asymmetric finish with a harder right-hand side.
It’s been a clean sweep for Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) so far, with the young Frenchman on a maximum 50-points as we return to race in the Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky. His two races in Jerez were pitch perfect and within tenths of each other, his gap at the front comfortable – at least in terms of margin – and he’s most definitely the man to beat as we arrive at Brno.
“This week at home has been good to think about and enjoy the first two GPs of the season. Brno is a track that I really like. We know from last year that we can be fast there and that we have the performance, even if it is not the best place for our bike. There are a lot of great corners that make up the circuit but the last corner is one of the best. You have to go in with a lot of corner speed but also prepare to take the perfect line for the straight. It’s great to be going there after taking two wins and we’re looking at fighting for the podium this weekend. Our expectations are high and I can’t wait!”
A broken humerus in a dramatic Spanish GP put paid to Marc Marquez’ (Repsol Honda Team) first two chances to score points in 2020, despite a some would say silly effort in a couple of sessions in the Andalucia GP to come back and salvage some points. The defending champion has also managed to damage the plate in his arm and had to undergo further surgery overnight to replace the plate and has now been ruled out of this weekends proceedings where he will be replaced by Stefan Bradl.
Looking at the last few Czech GPs, the man third overall – Dovizioso – should allow himself a spring in his step on the return to Brno. A win in 2018 and second place last year speak well of his chances, and something that may well be crucial to the likes of ‘Undaunted Dovi’ is the familiar territory we’re returning to. Although everyone knows Jerez, no one knew Jerez in the 40 degree heat of July. Everyone knows Brno in August.
Yamaha’s last win at the track came in 2015 as now-test rider Jorge Lorenzo put in a lights-to-flag special. On the one hand, five years seems a long time but on the other, it was four in Jerez since Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took Yamaha’s last win there… and Quartararo felled that with something that looked like ease, twice in a succession that was most definitely quick. Add that to the fact that five of the six places on the podiums in Jerez were filled by YZR-M1 machinery, and Yamaha were 1-2-3 in the Brno test last year, which is the last time we were on track at the venue. But then what about their engines used so far? And top speed deficit to some?
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had his problems in Spain but Rossi was back on the box and knows a fair few things about Brno… and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) had a barnstormer of an Andalucia GP to keep the ‘Doctor’ honest, the Japanese rider crossing the line in fourth only a few bike lengths behind Rossi, the 28-year-old is now fourth in the championship standings to boot!
Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) has serious speed and will want to unleash that after a crash last time out, and his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia looked set for a first podium in the Andalucia GP too before seeing it snatched away by a technical problem. Miller has 13-points to his name and will be aiming to keep racking up the tally as there are now 12 premier class races left in 2020, with another Grand Prix in Europe just added, thus Quartararo’s handy early lead is far from unassailable. And Jack was on the podium at Brno last year…
And what about KTM? The Austrian factory showed awesome speed in Jerez over both race weekends, and although there was some bad luck and trouble for them on Sunday, Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is fifth overall. And his rookie team-mate, Brad Binder, had stunning pace. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) too. So what can they do in Brno? On the lead up to two home GPs back-to-back at the Red Bull Ring right after this one, they’ll want a few more points in Czechia – and to confirm their speed.
Marc Marquez will sit this one out, but two more riders will still be suffering through the pain barrier, although both managed to finish the Andalucia GP. 2016 Czech GP winner Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), with more recovery time for his scaphoid, will want to be able to go the distance a little better, and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins, with a dislocated shoulder compounded by a small fracture, will be aiming to take a step forward too. The Spaniard took a hard-grafted tenth place last time out, but after Suzuki’s incredible pre-season showing he’ll want to recover more ground and score as quickly as possible. The good news for Suzuki in the second race in Jerez though was Joan Mir, with the number 36 putting a crash in the season opener behind him to take fifth and get some reward for his speed. He’ll be even more keen to conquer Brno too, as the Czech track was the scene of his huge crash in testing last season that sidelined him for two races.
Finally, there’s also the fight for Rookie of the Year to keep an eye on. Quartararo has Independent Team rider standings sewn up so far, but the Rookie fight is closer than the points would have us believe. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) put in an impressive ride to eighth in the Andalucia GP and has avoided mistakes on race day, but Brad Binder – he of the aforementioned stunning pace – will be looking to fight back after losing out on a bigger points haul, and Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) will want in. Brno is a good track for Alex Marquez though, so the Spaniard will be keen to keep that nice nine-point cushion accrued on home turf…
Fast, undulating corners cut through the forested hillsides the Automotodrom Brno calls home, and they are ready to host the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1700 | Moto3 | FP1 |
| 1755 | MotoGP | FP1 |
| 1855 | Moto2 | FP1 |
| 2115 | Moto3 | FP2 |
| 2210 | MotoGP | FP2 |
| 2310 | Moto2 | FP2 |
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1700 | Moto3 | FP3 |
| 1755 | MotoGP | FP3 |
| 1855 | Moto2 | FP3 |
| 2035 | Moto3 | Q1 |
| 2100 | Moto3 | Q2 |
| 2130 | MotoGP | FP4 |
| 2210 | MotoGP | Q1 |
| 2235 | MotoGP | Q2 |
| 2310 | Moto2 | Q1 |
| 2335 | Moto2 | Q2 |
| Time | Class | Session |
| 1640 | Moto3 | WUP |
| 1710 | Moto2 | WUP |
| 1740 | MotoGP | WUP |
| 1900 | Moto3 | RACE |
| 2020 | Moto2 | RACE |
| 2200 | MotoGP | RACE |
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 50 |
| 2 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 40 |
| 3 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati | 26 |
| 4 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 19 |
| 5 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 19 |
| 6 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 16 |
| 7 | Jack MILLER | Ducati | 13 |
| 8 | Alex MARQUEZ | Honda | 12 |
| 9 | Johann ZARCO | Ducati | 12 |
| 10 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 11 |
| 11 | Joan MIR | Suzuki | 11 |
| 12 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Ducati | 9 |
| 13 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 8 |
| 14 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 7 |
| 15 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 7 |
| 16 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 6 |
| 17 | Bradley SMITH | Aprilia | 5 |
| 18 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 3 |
| 19 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | Honda | 3 |
| 20 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia | 0 |
| 21 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 0 |
| 22 | Marc MARQUEZ | Honda | 0 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
After a somewhat heroic return just four days after surgery in Jerez, that others might say was silly, Marc Marquez will miss the Brno race. Stefan Bradl will join the Repsol Honda Team alongside Alex Marquez.
After undergoing a second operation on his injured right arm, Marc Marquez and HRC have decided that the World Champion will not ride in the Czech Republic in order for him to recover more. In his place, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl will mount the Honda RC213V. In 2019 the former Moto2 World Champion competed in four MotoGP races with a best finish of 10th at the German GP. Bradl has claimed three top ten finishes at Brno from his seven starts in the MotoGP class and only once missed out on points.
“First of all I want to wish Marc a speedy recovery, what he did in Jerez was incredible and he showed that he has the true spirit of a champion. I am looking forward to riding the Honda RC213V again, due to the global pandemic we have not been able to test as we would normally so it will take some time to adjust to the bike and MotoGP again but I have ridden the superbike a few times so I know my fitness is good. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to, competing with the Repsol Honda Team is always a great honour and I am pleased to help Honda. Let’s see how the weekend goes.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Winner of last year’s Moto2™ race, Alex Marquez is eager to get to the Automotodrom Brno, a circuit he ranks as one of his favourites on the calendar with only one visit finishing outside the top five since he became a full-time Grand Prix rider in 2013. Having made constant progress, especially over race distance, the MotoGP rookie arrives with boosted confidence to try his Honda RC213V around the Czechia circuit with its flowing layout. The objective is again to reduce the distance to the front and fight for top rookie honours.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
So who do we expect to see in the fight? Charlie Farrer (Victoria House Academy/Mortimer Racing) was second quickest at Silverstone and he showed some good form in the previous era of the Cup too, so he’s one to keep an eye on. The likes of Eddie O’Shea, Corey Tinker (GR Motosport Brent Gladwin), Bailey Stuart Campbell (151S S-C Racing), Evan Belford (Fab Racing) and Harvey Claridge (Nova/SP125 Racing) are other key names who have shuffled around in the upper echelons of the top ten as well, and could likely prove the riders battling it out for the podium.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Mick finally returned for the penultimate round at Interlagos in Brazil. He was a shadow of the rider who had so dominated proceedings before Assen. Gaunt and grey after seven weeks of hell. His legs were spindly remnants of what they used to be, and his right calf was still encased in a light cast, but nothing was going to stop him defending that precious 22-point lead he still held over Rainey. I have never seen anybody give so much with absolutely no reward. After 28 laps, 121.044 kms of excruciating pain the Australian finished with no points in 12th place in the race won by Rainey, but he was back and ready for the final showdown at Kyalami in South Africa just two weeks later. He was hanging onto the Championship lead by two precious points.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here