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Hold on tight, there’s a long way to go…
Hold on tight, there’s a long way to go…
As MotoGP™ heads to the fearsome Brno circuit, find out all you need to know before the Czech-quered flag falls
As MotoGP™ heads to the fearsome Brno circuit, find out all you need to know before the Czech-quered flag falls
Though half of the season may be done and dusted, there are still plenty of points up for grabs as MotoGP™ heads to the Czech Republic
MotoGP™ Grand Prix Of The Czech Republic, Sunday 5 August, 12.30pm, BT Sport 2/HD (CH 532/528)
The tight and twisting Brno circuit plays host to what is sure to be another weekend of blistering action. Having won five of this season’s nine races so far, reigning four-time champion Marc Márquez is also on track to take his fifth crown overall and third in succession.
However, with some of season’s toughest tracks yet to come, nothing is set in stone. And with six-time champion Valentino Rossi leading a trio of Yamahas chasing Márquez down, there’s every chance the Spaniard’s increasingly commanding lead at the top of the standings could come crashing down with a few poor finishes.
But before the fearless riders line up on the grid and fix their eyes on the row of red lights, here are the main talking points going into this weekend’s race, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the nail-biting action in all its shrieking, front wheel-raising glory.
Spanish dominance
Following Jorge Lorenzo’s win in Brno in 2010, there have been a further six Spanish wins in the seven races since; Lorenzo adding another trophy to his collection in 2015, and both Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez each winning two apiece. Though his form this season has blown hot and cold, Britain’s Cal Crutchlow could well repeat his maiden MotoGP™ win from 2016, while Valentino Rossi will be hoping to end his nine year wait for another Czech victory.
A circuit steeped in history
While the current layout may look fairly straightforward by today’s standards, but back in the 1930s the track originally consisted of a sprawling, 18-mile, anticlockwise stretch of public roads. It underwent a number of redesigns, before organisers finally settled on the current complex of long, sweeping corners and short, bursting straights in 1987.
Márquez remains the man to beat
The four-time champion arrives in Brno having won five of the nine races this season, and with a commanding 46-point lead at the top of the standings. As such, it’s safe to say that Márquez is definitely a man in form. The question going into the second half of the season is whether or not Rossi, at 39, has the legs to overhaul Márquez’s substantial lead and win a long awaited tenth title. Despite the Spaniard’s rampant start to the season, with so many races left to go and Rossi’s legendary talent hot on his tail, there’s not doubt there will be plenty of twists and turns yet to come – and we don’t just mean on the tracks!
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