Team Suzuki Press Office – August 17
First of two back-to-back races in the second-half of the MotoGP™ World Championship sees Brno in the Czech Republic host the 11th of the season this weekend.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró approach the HJC Helmets Grand Prix Ceské republiky race with different feelings: While Viñales will try to repeat – and hopefully improve upon – his 2015 performance where he fought very close to a podium position, Espargaró will have to overcome the injuries suffered last Friday at the Red Bull Ring race in Austria, where he fractured his left hand.
Overall, the previous race was a positive one for the team; although Espargaró’s crash worried everyone, the improvements showed by both riders gave the Suzuki engineers added enthusiasm and more valuable data to work on.
Brno’s challenges include a number of elevation changes through forested hillsides as well as fast and slow corners, which test the rider’s skills and also engineering technology to the limit. The track has a length of 5.4 km (3.36 miles) with six left and eight right-hand corners.
Sunday's MotoGP race will take place over 22 laps for a total distance of 118.9 km (73.9 miles).