These just in:

ROSSI ROMPS TO VICTORY & ALL-TIME PODIUM RECORD, BUT LORENZO CRASHES OUT AT BRNO

Valentino Rossi put in a faultless display to claim his fifth win of the season at Brno today, 13 years almost to the day after he took the first of his 102 Grand Prix wins. The Italian's 160th career podium also moves him ahead of Giacomo Agostini to top the all-time podium list. It was a devastating day for his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, as the Spaniard crashed out with just five laps to go when sparring with Rossi at the front.

A stunning day in the Czech Republic saw 130,000 fans make the trip to watch what was expected to be another thrilling duel between the Yamaha pair. Rossi got a great start from pole position but Lorenzo, starting alongside him, dropped a couple of positions and had to battle back to take third first time around. On lap four the Mallorcan moved past Dani Pedrosa to claim second and he and Rossi gradually began to clear a gap from Pedrosa and the chasing pack.

The middle part of the race was largely uneventful, with Rossi retaining a more or less consistent gap of about half a second from his team-mate, but just after the half way point Lorenzo improved his rhythm and suddenly started to look threatening. The two were by now pushing each other hard, lapping nearly two seconds faster than the other riders and on lap 17 Lorenzo made his move, passing Rossi early on to claim the lead and set the fastest lap of the race. The crowd was gearing up for a tense finale but on the next lap Lorenzo made a mistake in braking, ran wide and lost the front, sliding into the gravel to leave Rossi 14 seconds clear at the front. All the 30-year-old had to do then was bring his M1 safely home which he duly did, easing up to cross the line 11.766 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, with Toni Elias back in third.

Another 25 points for Rossi and zero for Lorenzo means he is now 50 points clear at the top of the championship, whilst Lorenzo stays second, 12 points ahead of the absent Stoner and 27 ahead of Pedrosa. The next stop for the team is the Indianapolis Grand Prix in two weeks time.


Valentino Rossi

Position: 1st Time: 43'08.991

"This is a very important victory for us! Jorge had shown all weekend that he was very strong and, when we still weren't feeling perfect after the warm-up, we decided to make one more small modification to improve the feeling with the front and the result was brilliant; my Yamaha really flew today. I got a good start and I was able to ride exactly how I wanted, using all of the track to get the best lines. At the end, when Jorge passed me, I thought that the fight was starting and I was really ready for it, but then he made a mistake and crashed. Of course I'm sorry; it's really bad for him but I have to say that it's great for us because now we have an advantage of 50 points with six races to go. However it would be very stupid to relax now because Jorge is very strong and for sure we expect another hard fight with him in Indianapolis. Today I arrived at the top of the all-time podium list and I'm very proud of this, especially here at Brno where I took my first victory 13 years ago! Thanks to Yamaha and my team for today, it was a great win."

Jorge Lorenzo

Position: DNF Time:

"I got a bad start and had to get by some people, and then I just didn't have the same pace that I'd had all weekend. I was slower than in the practices and it really wasn't what I was expecting. Unfortunately for me Valentino was just as strong as he'd been all weekend and I had to push very, very hard to stay with him. Towards the end I began to close the gap and after I passed him I was doing everything to stay in front, but then I made a mistake and crashed. There's nothing more I can say except that I'm so sorry to the team and to Yamaha and I will do everything I can to make it up in America."

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Czech Republic GP - Race - 16/08/2009

ELIAS TAKES SENSATIONAL PODIUM AT BRNO

San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Toni Elias took an outstanding podium position in the Czech Republic Grand Prix today, holding off the attentions of factory Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso in a hot and intense race to seal third place.

Elias started well from fourth on the grid and led the chase to a breakaway group of three riders, which was reduced to two after Jorge Lorenzo crashed in front of Valentino Rossi as the race entered its final third. With Dani Pedrosa lapping alone in second, Elias fought tooth and nail to hold off a strong challenge from Donington race winner Dovizioso and return to the podium at Brno, where he celebrated second place last year.

Alex de Angelis was confident of a top ten finish today and he made sure of that by setting a fast early pace that had him ninth place for much of the race. However, a butterfly became trapped inside his helmet five laps from the end, forcing him to lose positions and lose touch with the group he was fighting in, only to be lifted up the order as several riders crashed ahead of him in the closing stages.

Toni Elias (3rd 43'29"747): "This is a fantastic result for me. The team have done a great job all weekend - from the first session on Friday right up to the end of qualifying yesterday we have been improving the bike and we were able to put ourselves in the position to capitalise on Jorge's crash. It was like a present to me because we never expected to be able to break up the top three riders today - they have been at a different level all weekend - but we know anything can happen in racing. Everybody knows my future is unclear at the moment but I hope this sends out the right message. I am a rider who finishes on the podium year in year out and I will keep pushing to show my worth at Indianapolis. I know my team will back me up because they have worked so hard for me so far and I want to thank them for that. We want to keep this going until the end of the season."

Alex De Angelis (8th 43'43"100): "I set a target of a top eight today so I am satisfied to achieve that but it could have been so much better. I was comfortable running with Edwards, Hayden and the others until I suddenly got a butterfly trapped in my helmet. It was flapping around in front of my eyes and I couldn't see a thing! When it finally settled down I was able to focus again but my chance had gone. At the moment I'm not feeling too well and I have some pain in my back so I am heading straight to the Clinica Mobile but I'm sure I'll be fine for the next race, where I hope we can continue to show our potential."

Fausto Gresini - Team Manager: "I'm so happy - it was really important for us to get back on the podium and it gives us great satisfaction to do so today. Toni has done a great job all weekend and he showed his race-craft today in a great battle with Dovizioso. For him to be back on the podium here having done so last year is a great personal achievement and the whole team are delighted for him because we all hold him high regard and have a lot of affection for him. This is a great feeling - we've not experienced it for a while so I want to thank the whole team for their efforts, which made it possible. Alex didn't do badly today it was just a shame about the butterfly. Other than that he had a good race and he showed his potential - I hope he can do that again in the next race."

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ENCOURAGING SIXTH PLACE FOR NICKY HAYDEN AT BRNO AS MIKA KALLIO CRASHES OUT OF EIGHTH

Nicky Hayden recorded his second best result of the season so far at Brno today, where he crossed the line in sixth place following a weekend of hard work and continual progress with his team. The American didn't get the best of starts and was boxed in by the group around him but he fought back to regain positions and kept pace with the riders ahead of him to take the chequered flag less than four seconds behind the final podium finisher.

Mika Kallio, making his debut for the Ducati Marlboro Team in place of Casey Stoner, produced a competitive pace but was unable to make it to the end of his first race with the team following a misunderstanding with Marco Melandri, the two riders colliding and crashing out of their battle for eighth place. However, it was a satisfying weekend for the Finn, a rookie in the MotoGP class, who has set competitive lap times all weekend.

NICKY HAYDEN - (Ducati Marlboro Team) (6th)

"We have higher goals than this but sixth place is my second best result of the season so I have to be satisfied for today. After the disaster at Donington this has been a respectable weekend for us. The team did a great job all weekend getting the front working better for me so we've made progress and that is the most important thing. The race certainly wasn't easy - I lost a couple of positions off the line but had a good first lap and was able to get into that second group. To be honest from that point I was holding on, going as fast as I had all weekend and when we got up behind Colin I was able to make another pass. I could see the group ahead of me and as they made a couple of mistakes I could have maybe got there. I just pushed too hard and ran wide in a couple of places and had to do my best to hold my position. They were breathing all over me during those last couple of laps but I hung on and got sixth. We were only less than four seconds off the podium so we're obviously making some headway. I want to thank the team because it's not been an easy time recently but today we have something to be proud of."

MIKA KALLIO (Ducati Marlboro Team) (crashed)

"My start was typical of this year - not good but not bad - and I pretty much held my grid position into the first turn. After that the bike was similar to how it's been all weekend - there is still something missing with the front feeling and even though I could stay with the second group I couldn't pass anybody because I don't have that front-end confidence you need to brake late or take a more risky line. The proof of that was when De Angelis had his problem and slowed down, I was able to pass him and improve my lap times by half a second to catch Nicky and Edwards. Then came the crash with Melandri, who tried to pass me where it was impossible to, so that finally our lines crossed! Anyway, it has been an interesting weekend and I think if we can find something that gives me more feel with the front we can make a big step forward."

LIVIO SUPPO - MotoGP Project Director

"We knew it would be more difficult for us without Casey but all in all I think it has been a reasonably satisfying weekend for us. Both Hayden and Kallio were able to maintain a decent pace throughout the race, which allowed Nicky to finish just a few seconds off the podium and Mika wasn't far behind him until the crash on the penultimate lap. We have a day of testing tomorrow that will be useful to continue our set-up work with the GP9."

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August 16 - 2009
UNLUCKY FABRIZIO IN HIS DEBUT WITH THE PRAMAC RACING. CANEPA TWELFTH

Unlucky race for the Pramac Racing debutant Michel Fabrizio who after Friday contusion at the right shoulder during free practice has today torn his right shoulder muscle. This didn't allow him to conclude the Czech Republic Grand Prix as he retired after five laps. His teammate, Niccolò Canepa, made it to conclude in twelfth place not the most exciting race. Niccolò has tried to remain with the other riders in the first part of the race, but in the second half due to the high temperatures the rear tyre didn't allow him to continue to maintain the same rhythm and he decided to end the race without taking too many risks. The Italian rider will have the chance to do better in two weeks time in the United States of America for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, twelfth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

Marco Rigamonti - Niccolò Canepa Track Engineer

"On Friday and Saturday things seems to go in the right direction, but during today's race we have obtained the worst results of the weekend. It's a pity because Niccolò was doing a great job. In the second half of the race, due to the high temperatures, Niccolò has lost a bit of feeling with the rear and this has limited his performances. We are really sorry about this as we were doing a good race. We hope that his physical condition are not so bad and that he will be able to continue his championship without complications."

Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing rider - 12th in the race - 16th in the Championship

"I was ready to have a good race but today nothing went in the right direction for us. After Friday and Saturday's sessions I was trustful and concentrated to have a good race but in the second part of the race I lost some grip with the rear. It was a bit warmer compare to yesterday and this has caused us some problems. We believe to be able to do much better in Indianapolis in fourteen days on a track that I really like."

Michel Fabrizio - Pramac Racing rider - DNF

"There isn't much to say today. After some laps I felt more and more pain on the right shoulder injured on Friday and I couldn't almost use the brake anymore. I had to stop otherwise I would have risk to fall. I torn the right shoulder muscle and it seem to have a golf ball under the skin. I am sorry for the Pramac Racing that gave me this opportunity."

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HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Czech Grand Prix, Brno
Race day, Sunday August 16 2009

Weather: sunny.
Temperature: Air 29 degrees, ground 45.
Humidity: 33%.
Crowd: 138,096

PEDROSA AND ELIAS ON BRNO PODIUM

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) scored a solid
second-place finish at Brno this afternoon, the
Spaniard joined in the top three by compatriot
Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) who visited
the podium for the first time this season.

The two RC212V riders had very different races,
Pedrosa alone for most of the 22 laps, Elias
fighting all the way to beat British GP winner
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Loris
Capirossi (Suzuki). For the second race in a row,
there were three Hondas in the top four. The 11th
round of the 2009 series was won by Valentino
Rossi (Yamaha) whose team-mate Jorge Lorenzo slid
off while just ahead of the reigning World Champion.

Pedrosa made his customary stunning start,
roaring past Rossi into the first turn but
conceding first place two corners later. When
Lorenzo too came past three laps later Pedrosa
gradually slipped back to run his own race in
third. Then five laps from the chequered flag
Lorenzo fell, shortly after taking the lead from
Rossi, putting Pedrosa back into second place.
Pedrosa was happy that he finished the race in
good physical shape - only recently has he been
able to undertake his full training regime
following injuries sustained earlier in the year.

Pedrosa and team-mate Dovizioso test at Brno
tomorrow, along with the rest of the MotoGP pack,
and they know the one-day session will be crucial
to help them improve their pace for the final six
races of 2009. The factory RC212V certainly has
brilliant top-end performance, Pedrosa heading
the top-speed charts this weekend at 302.6km/h.

Lorenzo's crash added an extra surge of
excitement to the entertaining contest between
Elias, Dovizioso and Capirossi who were now
fighting for the final slot on the podium.
Dovizioso tried everything he could to get past
Elias and he did get ahead for a lap in the
closing stages, then surviving a major slide that
had his left foot off the footpeg. The following
lap Elias slipped past the Italian once again and
held his advantage to the flag.

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) spent
the first half of the race battling for sixth
place with Colin Edwards (Yamaha), Nicky Hayden
(Ducati) and Mika Kallio (Ducati, subbing for the
absent Casey Stoner), but things got complicated
for the San Marino rider when a butterfly flew
inside his helmet, causing him vision problems
and losing him several places. De Angelis crossed
the line in eighth place after Kallio and Marco
Melandri (Kawasaki) collided and crashed on the last corner of the race.

Tenth place went to Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda),
the Frenchman riding a hero's race just one week
after breaking his left ankle in a motocross
fall. De Puniet's ankle is fixed with six screws
and when he's not on his bike he's using crutches
to get about. His race was the toughest of his
career and remarkable too - 11th on the first
lap, he was in the thick of the pack chasing
seventh place until the injury really took its
toll. Unable to put the kind of pressure through
his left footpeg to steer his RC212V as he
normally would, de Puniet had to use more upper
body strength to get through the corners.

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) enjoyed a busy first
few laps, overtaking several rivals, but his pace
dropped when he began to run short of rear grip.
Talma and his crew will focus on this issue during tomorrow's tests.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) maintained his 250
World Championship lead with a determined ride to
fourth place. Aoyama always knew that Brno would
be a challenging race, but the Japanese star rode
superbly as ever to finish a close fourth, just
behind main title rival Alvaro Bautista
(Aprilia). The pair are now separated by 12
points with six races remaining. Today's race was
won by reigning World Champion Marco Simoncelli
(Gilera) who lies third in the title chase, 32 points behind Aoyama.

Aoyama did briefly lead the 20 lap event, getting
ahead on lap three, but he didn't quite have the
straight-line speed to stay out front and thus lost places as the race went on.

Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) impressed once
again with a great ride to sixth place, his third
finish inside the top six in his rookie 250
season. The Italian came through from tenth on
lap one to chase down the second group. He spent
the final laps locked in a duel with former 125
World Champion Roberto Locatelli (Gilera), just
losing out to the veteran performer. De Rosa rates the result as his best yet.

Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) and
Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) both
rode excellent races. The Spaniard and the Thai
ace were together for much of the 20 laps,
chasing Jules Cluzel (Aprilia) for an
eighth-place finish. But both men suffered from a
lack of speed, Faubel demoted to tenth place
three laps from the flag and Wilairot ending the
afternoon 11th, just over a tenth behind his team-mate.

Today was a great day for Team CIP Honda, the
French outfit getting both its riders in the
points for the first time, Shoya Tomizawa (Team
CIP Honda) in 13th and Valentin Debise (Team CIP
Honda) in 15th. Tomizawa showed his talent once
more with a spirited ride for his third
consecutive points score. The Brno first-timer
only had two and a half hours of practice here
after losing time yesterday morning following a
crash. He made a steady start, slightly unnerved
by a first corner crash involving Thomas Luthi
(Aprilia) and Karel Abraham (Aprilia).

Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda) scored the last
point in 15th place after overcoming Axel Pons
(Aprilia) on the final lap. Like Tomizawa, this
was Debise's first race at Brno. The Frenchman
also fell yesterday and struggled in the early
stages of the race before getting into a good
rhythm. This was his third World Championship score of the season.

Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) was
in the hunt for his second points score when he
crashed out with eight laps to go. Chesaux had
been battling with Debise when the rear let go.
He suffered a gashed finger on his right hand.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), second-place
finisher, said: "At the start of the race I
pushed really hard to stay with the leaders and
for the first few laps I was with them. Then they
kept getting faster on every lap and, though I
was pushing to the maximum, I couldn't maintain
that sort of pace today. So for the rest of the
race I just had to concentrate on not making a
mistake because there was a big gap in front of
me and also behind me. Second place is a good
result for me and the team, though obviously we
would have wanted to be closer to front-running
pace. It's great to finish a race on the podium
and feel in good physical condition after the
problems I had in the first part of the season -
especially because it was very hot out there
today and this is a demanding track. We have a
test tomorrow and it is going to be really
important for us to work on the areas we still
have to improve so that we can challenge for wins again."

Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini), third-place
finisher, said: "This is a fantastic result for
me. The team have done a great job all weekend -
from the first session on Friday right up to the
end of qualifying yesterday we have been
improving the bike and we were able to put
ourselves in the position to capitalise on
Jorge's crash. It was like a present to me
because we never expected to be able to break up
the top three riders today - they have been at a
different level all weekend - but we know
anything can happen in racing. Everybody knows my
future is unclear at the moment but I hope this
sends out the right message. I am a rider who
finishes on the podium year in year out and I
will keep pushing to show my worth at
Indianapolis. I know my team will back me up
because they have worked so hard for me so far
and I want to thank them for that. We want to
keep this going until the end of the season."

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), fourth-place
finisher, said: "I was riding really hard out
there and I had a tough battle for third place in
the last few laps. From the start I tried to stay
with Dani and the leaders but it wasn't possible.
The gap to Elias was always small and my pace was
very similar to his which made it very difficult
to overtake him. I tried really hard in the
middle of the race without any success and then
in the last few laps the grip dropped off a
little and to overtake Toni I had to take some
risks. I really wanted that podium finish so I
was pushing very hard, and also I had Capirossi
behind who was putting a lot of pressure on too.
Fourth is not a bad result but I can't say that
I'm satisfied with the result today. Still, there
is a day of testing tomorrow and this will give
us a chance to make improvements to our machine
package and prepare for the next races."

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini),
eighth-place finisher, said: "I set a target of a
top eight today so I am satisfied to achieve that
but it could have been so much better. I was
comfortable running with Edwards, Hayden and the
others until I suddenly got a butterfly trapped
in my helmet. It was flapping around in front of
my eyes and I couldn't see a thing! When it
finally settled down I was able to focus again
but my chance had gone. At the moment I'm not
feeling too well and I have some pain in my back
so I am heading straight to the Clinica Mobile
but I'm sure I'll be fine for the next race,
where I hope we can continue to show our potential."

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), tenth-place
finisher, said: "It's a like a miracle! Fourteen
days ago I was in hospital having surgery and now
I am seventh in the championship! This has been
the hardest race of my life and I want to thank
the doctor who made the surgery in my left ankle,
the Clinical Mobile Staff and my squad. Honestly,
I think nobody could do better than this with six
screws in the ankle. At the end of the race I
could not breathe anymore and was not able to
come back to the garage but I battled with my
injury throughout the weekend and we all deserve
this unbelievable result. Obviously I won't stay
for the test tomorrow as I will proceed with my
rehabilitation programme in readiness for the Indy GP."

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda), 13th-place finisher,
said: "The first laps were not bad - I was able
to overtake three riders and I enjoyed a good
fight. But when the bike began to slide I decided
to keep the best possible rhythm to the end. It
is still the same problem: we do not possess good
rear grip, so that keeping the line out of the
corners is not easy. I'm certain we can find a
solution - we all are working hard to get that target."

**************

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup - Brno Race2 - August 16th
Kornfeil takes win and Cup after 5 man fight.

Jakub Kornfeil got the best on an intense 5 man battle to take his 3rd race victory of the season and the 2009 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup by 2 points. The 16 year old Czech had to fight all the way with arch rival Sturla Fagerhaug but when the 17 year old Norwegian came together with 15 year old Japanese Daijiro Hiura with three corners to go his chance of battling with Kornfeil across the line disappeared.

The 13 lap race closed out the Cardion AB Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno. Fagerhaug picked up second place both in the race and the Cup and Californian 15 year old Jake Gagne an excellent third in the race and 6th in the Cup. Hiura crossed the line 4th to hold on to his 3rd in the points table.

While the rest talked about what might have been Kornfeil enjoyed his win. "I knew that Sturla was behind me all the way, I looked back and saw it was four riders not 10 like yesterday so I was happy about that. I just rode as hard as I could and even at the last corner I expected Sturla to come past but I guess he wasn't as close as I thought and I crossed the line on my own."

"It was a hard weekend, there were so many interviews and things to do leading up to yesterdays race that I was feeling the pressure and I found yesterday's race very tough. Today it seemed easier, less interviews, less friends pushing me and so less pressure. I could ride my race today and I am just so happy to take the Rookies Cup, so happy."
An obviously terribly disappointed Fagerhaug summed it all up. "It was a great race and congratulations to Jakub, he rode very well. I was hit in the third to last corner so I didn't have the chance to pass him at the line. I thought I was going to be able to win before that happened. I have to blame myself though I had such a big lead in the points half way through and made some mistakes. It's been a great year though and I still have a couple of GP wild-card rides to look forward too."

Gagne had done his share of leading during the race but admitted that the Cup battle played a part in his thinking on the final lap. "It was a great race, a lot of fun and I sure wanted to win it if I could but they were all going fast and there wasn't the chance on the last lap. I knew those guys were battling for the Cup and I wasn't going to do something stupid."

The new lap record went to Hiura but he was 4th across the
line. "I enjoyed the race but I'm disappointed not to be on the podium. It all happened on the last lap and I was so fixed on passing the riders in front I was a bit too aggressive and that wasn't good. I have to congratulate Jakub on his great race today. He was ready to win it and so determined. When I passed him he would pass me straight back at the next corner he had the win in his heart."

A fine ride to 5th by 16 year old South African Mathew Scholtz who had thoughts of a higher place finish. "I was on the back of the group, at times I was having to work hard to stay there but sometimes it was easier and I was looking after my tyres planning to make a move on the last lap. What spoilt was the tight chicane at the bottom of the final climb on the second to last lap. I lost the front and that really messed up my drive up the hill so I started the last lap just too far behind them to do anything about it."
Saturday's 16 year old winner Florian Marino was disappointed with his 7th place behind fellow Frenchman Nelson Major. I got a good start but after that I just couldn't find the rhythm and the guys got away from me. I just wasn't riding as well as yesterday, I could feel that my throttle control just wasn't quite right and I wasn't getting the drive off the corners."

Nico Thöni and Alejandro Pardo had a nasty crash on lap one and while the 14 year old Austrian immediately walked away, Pardo, who had been a brilliant 3rd on Saturday took some time before he too emerged uninjured. Hayden Gillim's bike was damaged in the incident and though he continued he was later forced to retire with broken seat. Alex Kristiansson fell unhurt and Taylor Mackenzie stopped with technical problems.

*****************

Double top ten for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Brno

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team scored a double top ten finish in today's Czech Republic MotoGP race in front of nearly 140,000 sun drenched fans at the Brno circuit.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Edwards posed a persistent threat for the top six throughout a gruelling 22-lap race that saw temperatures that nudged 30 degrees. Chasing a group in front battling for fourth that included Toni Elias, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi, Edwards lapped nearly a second faster on lap seven to get to within 0.7s of the intense battle.

Unable to remain in close contact with the battle ahead, Edwards was left to fend off the determin ed challenge of fellow American Nicky Hayden. Still less than 100 per cent fit after an illness earlier in the weekend, the 35-year-old produced a superb performance, holding Hayden at bay until lap 18. He tried to mount a late counter attack on Hayden to secure his fifth top six finish of the season, but he had to settle for seventh, losing out to Hayden by just 0.1s.

British rider James Toseland produced a typically determined ride, the 28-year-old making up two places on the first lap as he set about mounting a top ten challenge from 14th on the grid. Growing in confidence after some early front-end issues, Toseland settled into a consistent pace and he eventually finished in a respectable ninth place, just over 1.5s away from Alex de Angelis in eighth.

Colin Edwards 7th - 112 points

"That was a pretty tough race. Right from the start of the weekend I said I thought my engine felt a bit flat and today I couldn't do anything. I was getting passed easily and I couldn't stay in the slipstream at all. I could do the lap time but I couldn't race them. I couldn't get within ten bike lengths at the end of the straight but then I'd nearly be running into the back of them at the exit of the corner because I was trying to make up all the time on the brakes and on corner speed. I lost the group with Toni, Andrea and Loris for a bit early on but I only came back at them for a while because I was pushing the front so hard. I got the right side of the front tyre way too hot and after that I kept losing the front. I was nearly running into them in the middle of the corner but I couldn't get close enough to pass them on the brakes going in. At the end I was locked in a battle with Nicky but I think I could have been behind him all day and not be able to pass him. I got another load of points and I was close to the top six, but I've been beating those guys in front of me consistently all year and that's a pity because maybe I could have got another podium today. I'm back home again for Indianapolis next time out and I'll be looking for a much better weekend."

James Toseland 9th - 62 points

"It has been a tough weekend and I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit fortunate to get into the top ten. I rode as hard as I could every lap and never gave up but at the moment I'm struggling with a problem with the front for the first half of the race. I get a hopping sensation on the front and it really hurts my corner speed. We've been struggling with it for a while now but after half distance, how the feeling comes better is unbelievable. It's almost like somebody is tweaking my bike while I'm riding because it improves so much. On lap 20 I did a 58.4, which is only one tenth off my qualifying time, so it shows how good the bike eventually feels. But I lose so much in the first half of the race that it really costs me. My pace in the second half of the race should be getting me in the top six. If we can solve this front-end issue then I know I can be running much higher up the field, which is where the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team deserves to be."

Herve Poncharal - Team Manager

"You can't be disappointed when both Colin and James finish inside the top ten having given their maximum again in what was a demanding race. But it was a little bit disappointing, particularly for Colin who was doing very well all weekend. I don't think he was 100 per cent still after his illness but it was another strong result for him. James again was much better in the race than he was in practice and I'm pleased that he put in a lot of effort in the second half of the race. If he can sol ve some of the problems he's experiencing I'm convinced we will see him achieving much better results. Now we move to Indianapolis which is an important race for Colin, for Yamaha and for our sponsor Monster, so hopefully we can be fighting back closer to the top five. I'd like to congratulate Valentino because he again proved he is the master. Yamaha was unbelievably strong again today and it was just a shame Jorge crashed because everybody was looking forward to a strong fight for the world championship to the end."

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Capirossi and Rizla Suzuki narrowly miss Brno podium
Capirossi and Rizla Suzuki narrowly miss Brno podium
16/08/2009 15:53pm
Capirossi and Rizla Suzuki narrowly miss Brno podium

Rizla Suzuki racer Loris Capirossi missed a podium position at today's Czech Republic Grand Prix by less than a second as he battled to the line to try and repeat his third place from last year.

Capirossi had a fantastic first lap that saw him storm into sixth place from ninth on the grid. He stuck with Toni Elias and Andrea Dovizioso for the whole race and although he made a couple of attempts to get past them he never found the opportunity to make an overtaking manoeuvre stick. When Jorge Lorenzo crashed whilst leading, the trio of riders knew a podium was up for grabs and they all fought to take that third place. On the last lap Capirossi used his wealth of experience to try and get through, but narrowly missed out on the line, bringing his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R home in fifth to equal his best result of the season.

Team-mate Chris Vermeulen didn't have such an eventful race. After getting blocked on the first lap and losing a lot of places, he found himself relegated to 15th after starting from 11th. He fought his way past a couple of riders and also benefitted from a crash between two other riders, to bring his bike home in 11th place and score some much needed championship points.

Today's race was held in hot and sunny conditions with temperatures reaching 29ºC. A huge crowd of over 138,000 people baked in the sun as World Champion Valentino Rossi coolly took his fifth win of the season to strengthen his lead in the title race.

Rizla Suzuki will now stay in Brno for a day of testing tomorrow, before it heads over the Atlantic to the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday 30th August.

Loris Capirossi:

"Overall it has been a good day for us, because we have been able to fight the whole weekend and were nearly rewarded with a podium. We had a big problem with chatter and we managed to resolve that for the race. We made the right choice of tyre today, but a couple of times I nearly lost the front which meant I didn't quite have the right feeling and that caused me to lose a bit of time. I managed to clean off the tyre by riding a bit less aggressive and then I was able to push again right till the end of the race. I lost out a bit to the other guys in front of me on acceleration and it was then difficult to overtake on the brakes because I was never quite close enough - even though I was faster through the corners. I really want to say a huge thank-you to the whole team because their effort this weekend was fantastic. I also want to thank Suzuki for giving us the chance to comeback with a better package; this is a really good thing and will help us for the rest of the season."

Chris Vermeulen:

"I got quite a good start, but on turn one I got blocked and was then passed by a few people - that's what you get I suppose when you start from the fourth row of the grid! I then got pushed very wide on the first lap and lost a few more places. Everybody was going very quickly and it took me quite a few laps to get past the guys in front that I had more speed than and by then the main pack was well away in front. I am a bit disappointed with my own performance, I couldn't get down to the lap-times I expected to do. I kept pushing till the end and gave it 100% and caught up to De Puniet and Toseland near the end, but there was not enough laps left to get past. We got some points from today, but it hasn't been a great weekend again for us. We have made a significant step with the bike and I am looking forward to the test tomorrow and then getting to some good tracks for me and Suzuki."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"We'd hoped that the changes that Suzuki introduced here in Brno would help our performance - and despite a difficult weekend with a number of problems - it was certainly the case for Loris. We have managed to get back to a more competitive situation and that is a positive to take away from here. The gap in pace to the factory Yamahas was far too big, but aside from that Loris's speed was quite competitive and the result was helped by an awesome first lap by him to force his way into the top-six. The podium was in sight and Loris was apologetic to the team and frustrated that he couldn't get there, but we now need to keep concentrating on the performance of the GSV-R on this 22-lap run, because it gives us some great data for the rest of the season.

"Chris had a difficult race, as he has been unable to find a comfortable rhythm all weekend. The team is now really glad that we have a test tomorrow where Chris and Loris will run through a significant test programme, but more importantly we need to boost Chris's confidence and give him a positive outlook for the next few races."

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