Czech Republic Grand Prix - MotoGP

MotoGP restarts at Brno

From the shortest, tightest and twistiest circuit on the World Championship
calendar, the MotoGP riders move on to one of the longest, widest and
fast-flowing tracks around, with a twenty-five day rest period behind them. On
Friday morning the MotoGP group will have to forget about their recent holidays
and get straight on the pace at the Brno circuit, the eleventh round of the
championship. The Camel Honda team's duo of riders are both full of motivation
to get a good result in the Czech Republic, a track where Alex Barros knows how
to go quick - he holds the official lap record - but where he will want to get
rid of the demons that have haunted him since he crashed out of second place,
seven laps from the end of last year's race. Equally impressive in Brno is his
team-mate Troy Bayliss, who took a podium finish there in 2003 and has a great
desire to get out of his run of bad luck, and show the progress he has made on
board the Honda over the last few months.

Sito Pons - Camel Honda

"These few weeks of vacation have allowed us to recharge the batteries after a
really hard first-half of the championship and before a frenetic second-half,
which kicks off with Brno, and then sees six races in two months. I'm delighted
to be going back to the Czech Republic, a track and a country which I both
really like and I am confident that our two riders can do a good race there.
Before the break, and ignoring Troy's bad luck I the races, both of them showed
they are riding quick and working well with the team, so I hope that this can be
translated into success in the Czech Republic."

Alex Barros #4:

"I spent the holidays in Brazil with my family, but now I'm ready to get back on
the bike. In the last three races before the break we always got the bike well
prepared for the race, and managed to be fast and competitive, so even though I
might not have the best memories from Brno, I'm confident that I can go well
there and I will travel there with that aim in mind. It's the sort of track you
have to ride clean, be fast in the corners and where the engine power delivery
is very important. Normally the tyres aren't worked as hard as at Sachsenring as
long as it's not too hot, but that is something you really have to bear in mind.
I'm not worried though because I'm sure that whatever happens, Michelin are
perfectly equipped to deal with any eventuality."

Troy Bayliss #12:

"Three weeks off is not enough to get back to Australia with the whole family,
so we all stayed on in Monaco with a  few friends over. It has been a relaxing
period, and gave me the chance to forget about the last couple off races. I
really like Brno, and got on the podium in my first ever race there, but I'm not
expecting a good result just because of that. In the last races we haven't
demonstrated the steps forward we have made with the bike, but it doesn't mean
we haven't been making them. With a little bit of luck we can do well in the
next few races, beginning with Brno."