MotoGP: Czech GP Preview: Czeching in to Central Europe

Having recently been to the Czech Republic, I can safely say that it is indeed as pretty as people say it is, as well as pretty much architecturally perfect, having survived WW2 devastation and undergone a peaceful split from Slovakia. Brno, a city in the south of the country, is often overlooked by Prague – the capital – but it is just as beautiful. And when you get the fastest motorcycle racers in the world on one of the most beautiful circuits in the world, it’s hard to think why more people do not flock there. A circuit that used to run through the streets of Brno is now confined to a picturesque forest setting but in reality, none of that matters, because all eyes are on the championship and whether or not Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi are going to go head-to-head in the second half of this season.

Marc Marquez has won the last two Grand Prix at Assen and the Sachsenring but I’m not feeling the Marquez vibe this weekend. He only took his second win at the Brno circuit last year in tricky conditions and prior to that, he’d not looked like a race winner in any Czech GP before, besides his rookie year. However, you can’t rule him out. Brno could well see the championship elect pull clear and extend that lead to over two races worth – something that would be devastating with just nine races to go. Similarly, if Marc pushes on too much and crashes and also injures himself, he risks missing the next race at the Red Bull Ring. The Czech GP has many permutations for the series leader and he will be weighing them up. This championship is far from over just yet.

Valentino Rossi loves Brno; it is a circuit where he almost always has good results at. Since his return to Yamaha, ‘The Doctor’ has been no lower than 4th and has had three podiums. His last win however came in 2009 on the Fiat Yamaha and he will be looking to rekindle those memories – and I think he might. Yamaha have obviously found something in their electronics package; 2nd at the Sachsenring for Rossi was his best result on paper but also his best race in terms of lap times, something that can only mean positives for him coming to Brno. The Yamaha likes the fast S-bends that make Brno so beautifully majestic and we know Valentino Rossi likes them too. Write him off at your peril but I think that come Sunday, Rossi may well be in with a shout of victory.

Maverick Vinales, imagine if he could qualify well and start a bike; he’d give himself a chance in the closing stages of the race. It has become a trait that we have found way too familiar but it does make the bronze medalist from 2017 an exciting prospect in the late race stages. Vinales is always going to be a podium threat but Yamaha will be itching to take a win at Brno – whoever it turns out to be. Vinales is, like Rossi, in this championship chase but the two of them have to work together if they want to be in with a chance of making it to the top by the end of the year. At the moment, Rossi hasn’t got anyone to back him up because Vinales is struggling in the early race and Vinales can’t fight his way through quickly enough – instead allowing the bike to come to him. Kevin Schwantz was famed for his terrible starts back in 1990 and 28 years later, Maverick Vinales is doing the same.

Andrea Dovizioso has had a tricky year trying to live up to the heights of 2017. The Ducati ace has only two podiums and Brno doesn’t hold the best of memories for him either. A best result of just 6th on the Ducati and one podium coming back in 2011 on the Repsol Honda, I get the feeling we may be seeing the end of a Dovizioso championship challenge before it has really started. Ducati’s last win at the circuit came in 2007 with Casey Stoner and their last podium was in 2010 with Stoner in 3rd. Far from ideal but that is the situation going into the remainder of the season. It really is win or bust for Dovi.

Johann Zarco has had a down turn in form since the French Grand Prix and hasn’t looked like his old self since that crash. Having said that, he has been in the top ten in every race since and was a race leader last year at Brno. He goes well at the circuit, having been in the top ten in all but one Moto2 race, with a win coming in 2015. So far this season, he has scored four more points at this point of the year than 2017 so it is more positive but, we know and he knows that he can do better. Time for a return to the top five please Mr Zarco.

Jorge Lorenzo makes it two Ducatis inside the top six, with just three points separating him from Zarco. The Spaniard loves Brno and has been a winner on five occasions across all classes and two in the premier class. He hasn’t had a top ten at the circuit since 2015 however, when he was clear winner and last year’s race at Brno on the Ducati was a disastrous 15th. Lorenzo has been on a good run of form since Le Mans with all results being in the top ten and having not been on the podium since his Catalan GP victory, Lorenzo will be eager to get back to rostrum ways at the Czech GP. He isn’t really in the title hunt but, he still has to put himself in the position to take advantage should the opportunity present itself to him. Anything can happen in motorcycle racing, as Jorge reminded us at Mugello and Catalunya…

Dani Pedrosa languishes in 12th in the championship, having taken an 8th place at the Sachsenring. It was the first time the diminutive Spaniard had finished three consecutive races in the points since the last three races of last season. Pedrosa goes well at Brno, with his most recent win coming in 2014 and of course, his most famous win coming in 2012, beating Jorge Lorenzo in a last lap scrap. Could he get his first podium of the year, or maybe even his first win?

Suzuki are having a tough time, coming off the back of a bad German GP after both bikes were effectively wiped out of contention on lap one. Alex Rins will be hopeful of returning to the podium at Brno, having had his last top three at Assen. Andrea Iannone won an enthralling Moto2 race at the circuit in 2012 and had a fantastic scrap with Marc Marquez in 2014. Suzuki are looking to take their first win at Brno since Kevin Schwantz in 1989, something that may well happen.

Aprilia had a mixed Sachsenring, with Scott Redding getting points but Aleix Espargaro copping a grid penalty and then an unfortunate injury, putting him out of the race. The bike was 8th last year at Brno in Aleix’s hands and the Italian manufacturer will be looking for a return to the top ten this weekend, as they’ve been without one since Le Mans. Scott Redding will be looking to do anything for a top ten, as he has gone without one since Misano last year.

KTM will almost certainly be knocking on the door of the top ten, with Bradley Smith getting the team’s second one of the season last time out (first one by a full-time rider). Smith’s best result at Brno is 7th in 2015, also the last time he finished the Czech GP. Pol Espargaro also suffered his first DNF since Losail at the German GP and will look to put the KTM in the top ten, something he did very well at the Czech GP last year, with a 9th in dodgy conditions.

Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci is flying high in 7th in the championship and is fresh off the back of a 4th place finish at the Sachsenring. One point behind Lorenzo and four behind Dovi, he could leave Brno as the leading Ducati rider. Teammate Jack Miller has been stuck in a bad rut for the last four races and Brno isn’t the best circuit for him, with him scoring just two points at the circuit since moving up. He needs a good result and fast.

The LCR Honda outfit of Cal Crutchlow and Takaaki Nakagami head to Brno in hope of points, as both crashed out of the German GP. Crutchlow loves Brno, getting his first podium at the track in 2012, his second pole of his career a year later at the circuit and his first win in 2016. Keep an eye out for him come race day as he’s always a podium threat. Nakagami hasn’t had a top ten at the circuit since he was 2nd in the 2013 Moto2 race, but that is about as positive as the Czech GP has been for the Japanese rookie.

The Angel Nieto Ducati team are revelling in Alvaro Bautista’s sensational form coming into the Czech GP. Bautista is riding for his MotoGP career and got his best result in over a year at the German GP with a 5th. He’s been on the podium at Brno before back in the 250cc class and won the 2006 125cc race so he may well be a spoiler on race day – dare we even mention a podium possibility. Teammate Karel Abraham is the home hero for the crowd to cheer on, with a best result of 9th at the circuit, back in 2012.

Avintia Ducati were back in the points last time out, with 2014 Moto2 champion Tito Rabat taking a 13th place. 15th in the championship for Rabat, who will be looking to make a return to the top ten for the first time since COTA back in April. Xavier Simeon is still chasing his first points of the year, as rumours about his deal for 2019 start to surface. The Belgian may well be on his way out of MotoGP.

Hafizh Syahrin is 16th in the championship and the second Tech 3 machine, also being the leading rookie thus far. Syahrin was 11th at the Sachsenring and has a best result of 6th at the Brno venue. He will look to be returning to the top ten to put himself in a good position for the Rookie of the Year award.

Finally, the Marc VDS team are still struggling away with Franco Morbidelli returning from injury. Morbidelli’s track record at Brno suggests that this may not be his favourite circuit, with three 8th-place finishes and a 10th. Teammate Tom Luthi won the Moto2 race last year and will be eager to get his first premier class points, having been 17th at the Sachsenring.

Two wildcards to keep an eye on include Stefan Bradl; the German has been nothing short of impressive in testing and may well spring a surprise come Sunday. His best result at the circuit comes from 2012 when he was 5th and the good news is that Bradl has finished in the points in every race he has started at Brno. The other rider is Suzuki test rider Sylvain Guintoli, who makes a welcome return to MotoGP. The Frenchman has been to the Brno circuit many times before, sporting a best result of 12th in GP, a whole decade ago.