Honda riders ready for second half of the season

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2007-08-14 Honda riders ready for second half of the season
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Dani Pedrosa ready for Brno after Laguna Seca

This MotoGP season has so far delivered high-octane entertainment on track and a steady increase in off-track tension as new talent in the premier class upsets the old order. With seven rounds of this 18-race series still to run, the first of these ‘second half’ races of the season here at Brno this weekend, there is plenty of action and intrigue still to come.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) currently lies third overall in the World Championship points standings, 66 points adrift of series leader Casey Stoner (Ducati) and just 27 points shy of current second-place holder Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). But the 21-year-old Spaniard, in only his second season of MotoGP, has by no means abandoned a Championship challenge.

He has seen first hand the pressure a points leader can feel as a season draws to its conclusion – during his 125 and 250 days, and then witnessing his team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) fend off Rossi’s late challenge for the title last year. He will be watching with interest as Stoner faces the same threat as Hayden this year.

But if Dani is to capitalise on any errors made by either Stoner or Rossi, he knows he has to put together a better end of season run than he did at the end of 2006. After posting two wins in the first half of last season Dani could only manage two third places in the last six rounds (one of those coming here at Brno). He needs nothing less than wins from here on if he is to stand a chance of reeling in Stoner and Rossi.

His team-mate Nicky, the defending World Champion, has endured a difficult season, but the American has bounced back from adversity with two third places from his last three starts. A rested and refreshed Hayden will be a force as the season reaches a conclusion.

For Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) these next seven races represent an opportunity for the Italian ace to build on his third place at Laguna last month while his team-mate Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) makes a brave return from injury after breaking a leg at Assen in late June.

The likes of Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V), Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) and Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) have struggled to get on terms with the new 800cc machines this season and Brno will not make things any easier for them – but a raft of new HRC parts should lighten their loads.

Brno is a track where no rider can afford to make a mistake at this stage of the season. This imposing circuit lies 200km south-east of Prague and the area is steeped in the rich history of Grand Prix racing. Races were run on a fearsome closed roads course before the dedicated circuit was built in 1987. The 5.403km track is a spectacular environment for motorcycle racing and its plunging turns and a power-sapping climb demand a maximum from riders and machines.

The track drops 74m from its highest to its lowest point and this gradient is felt chiefly by way of downhill corner entries that make huge demands on the front tyre. Some of these tricky entries are compounded by negative camber that further increases the need for dependable front-end grip. And from turn four to turn 11 – it’s all downhill.

There are fast chicanes requiring a chassis set up for rapid changes of direction. Precise steering is a must here even though the track is exceptionally wide at 15m. Without accurate turn-in at the high sustained speeds achieved here, not even this super-wide circuit can accommodate wayward exits resulting from inaccurate turn-in.

Another factor is the huge, enthusiastic crowd, The Czechs love their motorcycle racing and tens of thousands flock to Brno where the viewing facilities are excellent. The event won’t quite attract the crowds of 250,000 who used to watch in the 1970s, but Brno, like the best tracks, always has a charged atmosphere.

Dani Pedrosa:
I’m really looking forward to Brno because I feel in good condition and ready to go for it again. I’ve taken some holiday on the beach and spent time relaxing both the mind and the body, and then I got back into training as normal. I hope that we can find a strong package for Brno and that everything is correct and we can do a good job. I’m not thinking about the Championship really because our priority is to make sure we have a competitive package at every race and can challenge at the front. Only then could I be thinking about the Championship.

Nicky Hayden:
Well, it’s time to pack the bags back up and hit the road again which is good news for me. It’s been a nice few weeks off and maybe just what I needed, but the truth is I’m glad the holidays are over because I’m definitely ready to get back on the bike. Brno is a track I quite like – I think most of the guys do because it’s pretty exciting with climbs and downhill sections, and even though the surface is getting pretty used it’s still got good grip. It’s also a track where horsepower is your friend with some big uphill sections and pretty long straights. So it will be exciting to see what HRC brings back to the party this weekend.

Marco Melandri:
After further medical tests we found a fracture to my left ankle, I have some pain there but it’s better than in Laguna so I will do my best again in Brno. The bike is working really well and after that podium in Laguna I’m really motivated for this second part of the Championship.

Toni Elias:
When I crashed at Assen my target was to be back for Brno and I’m really happy to be able to be here. I won’t be 100% fit, maybe only 60% – but I’m very motivated. The recovery was very painful but I think it was worth it.

Carlos Checa:
Now it’s time to face the rest of the season and I like Brno even if it’s very fast and we’re still a bit short on engine power. Anyway HRC will support us with some new exhaust pipes and a new state of tune for the engine. Those changes should be good for the engine set-up because Melandri and the other Honda riders already tried them with positive results. We have to work hard on the tyres because Bridgestone is very competitive now.

Shinya Nakano:
Before the summer break we were making some steady improvements in a number of areas so that’s a base from which we can move forward. I’ve enjoyed some rest back home in Japan so now I’m looking forward to the next race here in the Czech Republic. It’s a track I enjoy very much despite my previous results there not being my best. We should also have some new parts which makes the second part of the season very exciting for us.

For Kurtis Roberts, Brno represents another chance to get the KR chassis further dialled in after its Laguna debut.
The new chassis is definitely the right way to go. We were more competitive from the go at Laguna and it felt better too. We’ll do a back-to-back test with the old chassis and then move on from there here in Brno and continue to close the gap on the others.

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