After a hectic June and July, the
MotoGP traveling show of around 1500 personnel has enjoyed a welcome break before starting the final third of the season, in which all three riders' world championship titles will be decided.
The first of the six remaining stops is this weekend's Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno, which Repsol Honda's
Nicky Hayden will start with an impressive 34 point MotoGP championship lead over his rookie team-mate
Dani Pedrosa. Hayden signed off before his holiday with a magnificent home win at the US Grand Prix - it was the 25 year old’s second win of the season and, with world champion
Valentino Rossi scoring no points after retiring with mechanical problems, could well have been the pivotal moment in the 2006 campaign.
Hayden’s best finish at Brno was a fifth place last year while Pedrosa, who has also won two grands prix this season, has a good record at the undulating track, winning the 125 in 2003 and the 250s last year, both times en route to world championship success. Another former 250cc World Champion,
Marco Melandri, moved into third place in the championship after a third place in America for Fortuna Honda. He trails Pedrosa by just ten points after also winning two grands prix and has also tasted success at Brno winning the 250cc race four years ago and the 125s in both 1998 and 1999.
Meanwhile, Rossi arrives at a circuit where he won his first grand prix ten years ago, trailing his former team-mate Hayden by 51 points following his demise in America. The Italian Camel Yamaha rider has won four more times in Brno including the MotoGP race last year. It is an enormous points deficit between himself and Hayden to pull back in six races, but Rossi will exert pressure both on and off the track. The world champion is fully aware he must win on Sunday to increase that pressure.
Loris Capirossi hopes to be 100 per cent fit following the break. The Ducati Marlboro rider had never completely recovered from the injuries he sustained in the first bend crash in Barcelona when he started the Grand Prix of Catalunya as joint championship leader with Hayden. The former 125 and 250cc World Champion has since dropped to fifth place fighting for fitness, but will be looking for a repeat of the form that tok him to victory in
Jerez this year and second place at Brno last year.
