The top three finishers in the Czech Republic Grand Prix, from left: Toni Elias, second; Valentino Rossi, winner; Loris Capirossi, third

Czech Republic GP Race Report

By Paul Kelly
redbullindianapolisgp.com

Sunday, August 17, 2008

RESULTS 

BRNO, Czech Republic - Results of the 22-lap Grand Prix of Czech Republic MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle/tire, time behind winner:

Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:57.199, Lap 5

Pole lap: Stoner, 2:11.657

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POINTS 

Riders: Rossi 237, Stoner 187, Pedrosa 172, Lorenzo 120, Dovizioso 110, Edwards 102, Vermeulen 99, Nicky Hayden 84, Nakano 83, Capirossi 77, Toseland 75, Elias 66, de Angelis 49, Guintoli 42, Melandri 41, de Puniet 40, Hopkins 37, West 33, Ben Spies 10, Jamie Hacking 5, Tadayuki Okada 2.

Manufacturers: Yamaha 266, Ducati 212, Honda 210, Suzuki 128, Kawasaki 63.

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PODIUM QUOTES 

VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, winner): "I was confident today because my bike was fast from Friday practice, and with (chief mechanic) Jeremy (Burgess) we made a small modification to the front after warm-up to allow me to be a bit faster in some sections, and it worked very well. I lost about half a second getting past Hopkins at the start and Casey was incredibly fast at that stage, like he'd already done 10 laps! For a short time I was worried, but then, after two laps, I understood that my bike was working very well and that I was fast enough to try to catch him. I had closed a little bit already and gradually the red bike was becoming a bit bigger in front of me, and I think this is when he started to push harder and made his mistake. I was anticipating a very hard battle if I did catch him, so when I saw the red bike slide out I could hardly believe it - this made things a lot easier for me! After that I just enjoyed riding my bike; my Bridgestone tires worked very well until the end, and my M1 felt very good. Of course, I can't count this as a complete victory because Casey fell, and I am sorry for him, but this is racing and I have to be happy with this result. We are 50 points clear, which is a lot, and I am very excited to be going to Misano in this situation. However, we know that 50 points is still not always enough when you have someone as strong as Casey, and so we won't relax. Now we have two days of testing, and we will try some new electronics in order to help me open the throttle earlier and also, of course, test some Bridgestone tires." 

TONI ELIAS (Alice Team Ducati/Bridgestone, second): "I am very happy by my performance. Since Germany, we have improved a lot. Also thanks to the new technical material received by Ducati. I also thought I could have done a podium in Laguna Seca, but I committed a mistake and I couldn't make it. Today everything went in the right direction. I am sure that we can maintain the same level for the rest of the season. I heard rumors that wanted me in Superbike next season: I never spoke to anybody in Superbike, and I want to remain in MotoGP for many more years. I am happy to work in the Alice Team and with the Pramac Racing structure. If things will go well in this final part of the season, I don't see why I should change team." 

LORIS CAPIROSSI (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone, third): "I want to say what a fantastic day this is for me today! After the injury in Barcelona I have not had the opportunity to go quick due to my condition, but all the people around me - including the whole team and Suzuki - stayed really close to me and gave me great support, so I am really happy to pay them back with this podium. It actually feels more like a win for me because it means so much! After the break following Laguna, I was able to get some rest and start training again to get myself back in the best condition, and although I am still not 100 percent, I am nearly there, and I was able to challenge all weekend. My dream this weekend was to fight for a podium. After Friday, I felt I could do that and today I started with a good focus to do my best. This result is for all the team and everybody working with me, because when we make a great result I am really happy, and today I am certainly really happy!"

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AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES

JOHN HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone, 11^th): "It's obviously disappointing to finish the race in 11^th place, especially after feeling so confident and strong early on. We took a gamble with our tire choice today and used a rear tire that nobody else had in their selection. I got a great start to the race, and I sat behind the Suzuki riders while they battled things out for third. Unfortunately, the tire began to drop off, and at the end of the race, the left side just didn't have any grip. Usually I can ride around a problem like this, but with the knee injury I'm carrying, I couldn't prop the bike up to compensate for this lack of traction. The positive thing is that we were strong while the tire was working well, and we achieved a front-row start, so we have a goal to aim for in testing over the next few days. During the next two days of testing, I'm looking forward to catching up on a lot of the riding I've missed through injury, improving the bike further and finding a solution to the problem we had today. I'd also like to congratulate Anthony (West); it's great to see him riding like that again, and he really deserved the result he achieved." 

COLIN EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin, 14^th): "I could see straightaway behind James that he was having some issues with the front tire, which we expected. I still thought I could put a good pace together, but it never happened. I just didn't have the confidence I needed to push harder with the tires, and the more I pushed, I didn't seem to go much faster. James was able to leave me pretty easily as my issues started to get worse, but I wanted to stay out there and try my best for my guys at Tech 3 and Yamaha, who, as always, have been working like crazy to help me this weekend. I thank them for that, but there was nothing else I could do. Toward the end, I just decided to take a few more risks and I went a bit quicker, but there was no way I was going to catch anybody. I've had a bad run lately, but I'm still in contention for fourth in the championship, and I'll keep fighting. But we need big improvements from Michelin. The good start we had to the season seems like a long way away now, and we have to work with Michelin to try and solve some of the issues because I didn't enjoy today at all."

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MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 

250cc: Alex Debon, Spain, Lotus Aprilia

125cc: Stefan Bradl, Germany, Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing Aprilia. American Stevie Bonsey placed 33^rd due to a broken muffler and is 13^th in series points.

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NEXT RACE

Grand Prix of San Marino, Misano, Italy, Aug. 31. Round 13 of 18.

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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.

Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16^th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.

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