CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX. PREVIEW

20th – 22nd August.

Brno Circuit

OFFICIAL GRAND PRIX PREVIEW PRESS RELEASE

DATE OF RELEASE: Tuesday 17^th August

BRNO SIGNALS THE PATH TOWARDS THE TITLE

Sete Gibernau has returned from Switzerland, after also spending a few days sailing in the waters of Ibiza, with his batteries fully charged; Colin Edwards has spent time with his family and friends back home in Texas; Dani Pedrosa took time out on the beaches of the Costa Brava and Hiroshi Aoyama has relaxed in his native Japan. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda riders have enjoyed the brief summer break without losing sight of their main objective – to come back even stronger to a World Championship in which they have shone throughout the first half of the season.

The path to glory continues at Brno, a wonderfully picturesque venue which combines a modern track with historic surroundings – streets which are still lined by the walls which once served as the markers of a breathtaking road circuit. The competition has moved to a natural valley, surrounded by hills which offer panoramic views of the track itself. Technical and fast, Brno still maintains the essence and challenge of an authentic racetrack – mixing fast corners and slopes which put the riders and machines to the test.

Sete Gibernau returns to the scene of one of his finest battles and one of his favourite circuits. In 2003 the Spaniard finished second to Valentino Rossi in an exciting finish which saw the pair separated by just 0.042 seconds. With two victories and seven podiums already under his belt this season, Sete is ready for the biggest challenge in his career with renewed ambition, as he looks to challenge for a title which will be decided over the final seven races. Himself, Rossi and Biaggi, who is always strong in the second half of the season, are all in with a serious chance.

HRC did not close over the holiday period and the results are sure to be seen. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP rider is hoping for another push from the factory and an investment in the experience he has gathered over the first half of the season, when he has been their top performer. Colin Edwards hopes to be up there with him again after stepping onto the MotoGP podium for the first time at Donington, setting a new lap record and leaving behind a problematic opening to the season.

Dani Pedrosa has spent the holidays as the most dominant rider in all three classes thanks to a stunning level of consistency in a season when he was only expected to learn and progress. Dani, with four victories and four second places, returns to his hoard of 180 points, 34 more than Randy De Puniet and 52 over Sebastián Porto, his former team-mate who helped celebrate the 125cc title last year.

Pedrosa has 43 points more than at the same stage last season, when he also won at Brno with almost four seconds over nearest challenger Stefano Perugini.

THE RIDERS’ OPINION

SETE GIBERNAU (15)

“I am desperate to get to Brno and carry on with the fight for the title – it will be an exciting end to the season, I’m sure of that. Brno is a track which I have always liked for various reasons – it is technical, with good grip and not many bumps. I feel comfortable riding there and last year I had one of the best races of my season, even though I just missed out on victory. From now on every race will be decisive and I think we are ready to give our best. The team has grown a lot over the opening half of the championship and the best of me is yet to come. The podium at Donington was like a victory for me – we came back from two bad results at Rio and Germany and I was satisfied with the tests we did in England after the race. We are ready for Brno”.

COLIN EDWARDS (45)

“You can’t imagine how keen I am to get back to racing. At last I felt comfortable at Donington and the feeling of being back on the podium after such a long time was pretty exciting. I don’t think it was an isolated result and in the second half of the season I want the people to see the real Colin Edwards. We had a really tough start to the season with all the changes we had to make to the bike so that I could feel comfortable despite the chattering, but now I know where the limit is. I want to get involved in some good races from now to the end of the season and enjoy myself riding because that is the only way to get the best out of yourself.”

DANI PEDROSA (26)

“The holidays have flown by, although I only took one week off to do nothing. But it was nice and I’m ready to go back to the racetrack. I am enjoying myself this season because I learn something new every time I go out on the track and that is very stimulating. We have had a good first half to the season, better than we expected, but the end will be very tough and we have to be ready. I’m glad we’re starting off in Brno because it is a circuit which always went well for me with the 125. There are only two races left in Europe, other than the last round at Valencia, and the ‘flyaways’ will be stressful, with a circuit that we don’t know thrown in there at Qatar. I’m very motivated and I’m looking forward to getting back on track.”

HIROSHI AOYAMA (73)

“I was looking forward to going home to Japan after so long away, although I am very happy in Barcelona. The holidays were really nice, I was able to relax and recharge the batteries for the rest of the season. At the start of this year everything was new for me but now I feel more and more at home in the category and in the competition, although every Grand Prix represents a new adventure for me. I think I have had some good races, although I still need a little extra. I have been close to the podium on two occasions and I would like to be up there before the end of the season.”

THE 2004 SEASON SO FAR FOR THE TELEFÓNICA MOVISTAR RIDERS

CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX IN DETAIL. CIRCUIT DATA

10th World Championship round of 16.

Circuit: Brno

Grand Prix: Gauloises Czech Republic Grand Prix

Inauguration: 1987

Latest modification: 1996

Length: 5.403 m.

Width: 15 m.

Right corners: 6

Left corners: 8

Main straight: 636 m.

TIMETABLE

Friday

09.00h.-09.45h. free practice 125 cc

10.00h.-11.00h. free practice MotoGP

11.15h.-12.15h. free practice 250 cc.

13.15h.-13.45h. official practice 125 cc.

14.00h.-15.00h. official practice MotoGP

15.15h.-16.00h. official practice 250 cc.

Saturday

09.00h.-09.45h. free practice 125 cc

10.00h.-11.00h. free practice MotoGP

11.15h.-12.15h. free practice 250 cc.

13.15h.-13.45h. official practice 125 cc.

14.00h.-15.00h. official practice MotoGP

15.15h.-16.00h. official practice 250 cc.

Sunday

09.00h.-09.20h. warm up 125 cc.

09.30h.-09.50h. warm up 250 cc.

10.00h.-10.20h. warm up MotoGP

11.15 h. Race 125 cc.

12.30h. Race 250 cc.

14.00h. Race MotoGP.

LAST YEAR

MOTOGP