After a busy two months, the Repsol Honda team of Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, and Casey Stoner, got a chance to relax for a few weeks during the mid-season break. But racing action returns this weekend in the Czech Republic, and the Repsol Honda team is ready for a successful second half of the 2011 MotoGP season.
Stoner, who currently leads the series, is coming off of a race win at Laguna Seca. Stoner has five wins this season and could find one more this weekend. Stoner took the win at BRNO in 2007 and found the podium last year.
"I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season," Stoner said. "I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there.
"I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno. The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamaha's in the past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him. We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important Championship points."
Andrea Dovizoso is currently third in the championship standings, 40 points behind his teammate and 20 points behind Jorge Lorenzo. Dovizioso has earned a few podiums at BRNO, but never in the MotoGP class. Dovizioso will also be looking for his first win of the 2011 MotoGP season this weekend.
"We arrive in Brno very motivated as we want to redeem the disappointing result of Laguna," Dovizioso said. "Brno is a fast track, the curves have a long range so the speed in the mid corner is high. I'm confident that we can be competitive there, the Honda machine is working very well and the characteristics of the track suit my riding style too. It's similar to Mugello and we look for a good result. Casey, Dani and Jorge will be strong rivals, but I'm confident that we will be able to fight with them. We are determined to return on the podium. This is our target."
Dani Pedrosa probably benefited the most from the mid-season break. Pedrosa broke his collarbone earlier in the season, but returned to action after just three races. Pedrosa is currently fourth in the overall standings, and has proven that he is a threat to the podium even if he is not at 100%. Now that the Repsol Honda rider has had more time to recover, he should be fighting for a race win this weekend.
"The truth is that I needed this break," Pedrosa said. "First of all to rest after the last few races that were physically hard for me but also to disconnect a little and to train, to get back my physical strength and be fit again. My holidays have been a combination of all.
"When I got back from Laguna I spent some days doing nothing just to relax the whole area of the neck, arms and back. After this I've been combining physical training with relaxation exercises to avoid over stressing the area. Now I'm looking forward to competing again and enjoying the races until the end of the season. The bike is working very well this year so I hope we can get good results and win races in this second half of the Championship. Brno is a track I like, I've won there in 125 and 250, and I've had some podiums also in MotoGP so to fight for the victory is a challenge for me and I'm very motivated. I'm also looking forward to the test at Brno with the 1000cc. bike. I missed the first one in Jerez due to the injury and I'm excited to see to see how the new bike works."
