Last year's race in Brno proved to be a challenging one for current Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard opted to run on the soft tyre, which made it difficult for him to keep a competitive pace and it resulted in a fourth place finish.
The Mallorcan has a strong record at the Brno circuit with a 125cc victory, two 250cc victories and a MotoGP win two years ago. He leads the Championship in front of his fellow compatriot, Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who is 18 points behind.
Lorenzo's American team mate, Ben Spies, also considers Brno one of his favourite circuits having recorded fourth two years ago after being denied pole position by a mere 0.338 seconds for his rookie year. Last year the Texan finished in fifth position just 1.5 seconds behind Lorenzo.
Jorge Lorenzo
After very little rest we are back in Europe at Brno, a track I really like and where I got a great victory in 2010 on my way to the title. Our tyre choice last year made it difficult to fight for the podium but think this year with the 1000cc we can definitely fight at the front."
Ben Spies
"It was really cool to be back home in the US for a while and see family and friends but unfortunately the two US races were a disaster for me and completely out of my control. I’m looking forward to getting straight back on the bike here at one of my favourite tracks to see if we can finally have a good weekend with no issues."
Press release courtesy of Yamaha Factory Racing.
