ROSSI AND GIBERNAU PROMISE ANOTHER CLASSIC AS MOTOGP RETURNS AT BRNO
25 August 2005 - DORNA COMMUNICATIONS

The MotoGP World Championship paddock reconvened after a four-week break at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic this afternoon as the teams and riders prepared for an intense finale to the 2005 season, with seven races scheduled for the next eleven weekends.

As tales of summer frolics quickly subsided, attention turned to eleventh round of the MotoGP campaign, with the main protagonists of two stunning races over the past two years at this circuit promising more of the same on Sunday.

Valentino Rossi has returned refreshed from a brief holiday in his native Italy with his sights firmly focused on rounding off an incredible second season as a Yamaha rider with his fifth consecutive MotoGP title. After eight victories from the opening ten rounds the 26-year-old leads the series by 120 points and needs just two more wins to guarantee the title. If he needed any extra motivation for this weekend’s race he will take it from defeat here last season by 3.5 seconds from Sete Gibernau.

“Last year we had a good race but I arrived second so this time we will try to do better,” said Rossi, who beat Gibernau to take victory by less than half a second at the same event in 2003. “It has been nice to have a break and gather more power for the end of the season, also Yamaha have worked hard to get some new parts ready for the last few races so we are ready. This is the difficult part of the season, with a lot of flights and a lot of races in a short space of time but we have to keep working and hopefully our good form will continue.”

Gibernau has only won once since last season’s race here but, after losing out to Rossi on the final lap of the last round at Sachsenring, he has promised his fans a victory before the end of the season and sees no reason why it can’t come this Sunday. “I’m looking forward to having fun on the bike again, having good races and Brno is always a circuit I look forward to,” commented the Spaniard. “Last year we won in the Czech Republic and I remember it as one of the most enjoyable races of the season. That victory and the good sensations I left with from the last race in Germany mean that I’m returning to the championship feeling mentally strong. The holidays have been short but I managed to disconnect and I’m coming back to work with plenty of energy.”

John Hopkins was the most noteworthy visitor to the Clinica Mobile today as he prepares to race just four weeks after breaking his foot and damaging ligaments in a nasty crash at Sachsenring. The American has undergone an operation on the injuries during the summer break but Suzuki Team Manager Paul Denning says he is expecting gritty return from the youngster.

“John is now back to full fitness and I’m sure he will be going all out to get the results that his performances this year have deserved,” said Denning, who will also count on the services of experienced Japanese wildcard rider Nobuatsu Aoki this weekend. “We are looking forward to Suzuki running a three-man team and I know that Nobu will work hard as always. Race weekend experience and information is generally more relevant than pure testing and we hope that Nobu can show a good pace.”

250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa is expecting another tough weekend as he aims to extend his lead at the top of the standings over Casey Stoner. The Spaniard currently leads the Australian by 50 points and is looking forward to competing again after just two races in the last two months for the quarter-litre category. “We already had a few days off before Sachsenring because the 250s and 125s didn’t go to Laguna Seca but these were real holidays,” said Pedrosa. “I was able to rest and disconnect for a few days and even though I only took a week off it is always good to come back to the battle at full strength. I’m satisfied with what we have done during the first half of the championship but I hope to finish it even better.”

125cc World Championship leader Thomas Lüthi has never scored points at this circuit but the Swiss youngster will be counting on local support as he looks to defend a three-point lead over Mika Kallio this weekend. Lüthi rides for a Czech sponsored team and his logo is emblazoned on the grandstand hoardings that overlook the starting grid at the legendary circuit. “I had a lot of supporters at the last round in Germany so hopefully people will get behind me here too,” said Lüthi. “I have had bad luck at this circuit in the past so hopefully that will change on Sunday because it will be another tough race.”

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