Ducati Team at Brno with Rossi, Hayden’s return postponed

The Ducati Team will take to the track at Brno with Valentino Rossi only, as Nicky Hayden, who injured his right hand in a qualifying crash at the Indianapolis GP, is staying in the United States to recover. The American, who is expected to return at Misano, will not be replaced in the Czech Republic.

The circuit, which was built in the mid-’80s, features a large variety of corner types and elevation changes. It is fast, flowing, and very wide. Rossi has collected four podium finishes there in addition to his seven wins across all classes.

“Laguna and Indy were two very difficult races, so I’m happy that we race again in just a few days, at Brno. The next two weeks will be very important for the rest of the season. I expect to do better in the Czech Republic, as it’s a track that I like and that is more ‘normal.’ I had a pretty good dry race there last year with Ducati, also in terms of the gap to the front. Then next week we’ll have two days of testing at Misano, where we’ll have some new things to try that I hope will help us to be faster in the last part of the season.”

“It’s tough to miss another race. I don’t have big problems, but my hand is still very swollen and I don’t have much strength, and of course right-hand injuries are worse for motorcycle racers. I would have been at far less than 100 per cent, and if I used too much force or crashed again, I could displace the breaks and possibly be in big trouble. Obviously, the head is even more important, and with the amount of time I was unconscious, I’m still dealing with a headache. The main thing is all the doctors told me racing was a really bad idea and not smart, and everybody on my team agreed. As much as the racer in me doesn’t like staying at home and missing track time and points, I need to listen to the experts and try to heal up and get ready for Misano. That’s an important race for me and for Ducati, and I’ll be doing all the rehab to come back as fit as possible. I don’t like it, but it’s the right thing to do.”

“Following the last checks that Nicky underwent to his hand, we agreed together that the best solution was to skip this race as well. I know that’s very difficult for him, but it was also the advice of all the doctors that he saw. He’ll try again in the coming races. We won’t replace him in the Czech Republic, and we expect him to return for Misano. With Valentino we’ll work to recover after two very challenging races. He likes Brno, he has won many races there, and last year he had a decent race.”

Circuit Record: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2009), 1:56.670 – 166.716 km/h (103.592 mph)

Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2009), 1:56.145 – 167.469 km/h (104.060 mph)

Circuit length: 5.403 km (3.357 mi)

2012 MotoGP race: 22 laps (118.866 km/73.860 mi)

2012 MotoGP schedule: 2:00 p.m. local time

2011 PODIUM: 1st Casey Stoner, 2nd Andrea Dovizioso, 3rd Marco Simoncelli

2011 POLE: Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1:56.591 – 166.829 km/h (103.663 mph)

2011: 6th (Rossi)

2010: 3rd (Stoner)

2009: 6th (Hayden)

2008: 7th (Melandri)

2007: 1st (Stoner)

2006: 1st (Capirossi)

2005: 2nd (Capirossi)

2004: 5th (Capirossi)

2003: 3rd (Bayliss)

Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12

Race number: 46

Age: 33 (born in Pesaro 16 February 1979)

Residence: Tavullia (Pesaro, Italy)

GPs: 269 (209 x MotoGP, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

First GP: Malaysian GP, 1996 (125cc)

Number of wins: 105 (79 x MotoGP, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)

First GP win: Czech Republic GP, 1996 (125cc)

Poles: 59 (49 x MotoGP, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)

First Pole: Czech Republic GP, 1996 (125cc)

World Titles: 9 (6 x MotoGP, 1 x 500cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)

Rossi’s MotoGP track record at Brno

2011: Grid, 6th; Race, 6th

2010: Grid, 5th; Race, 5th

2009: Grid, 1st; Race, 1st

2008: Grid, 2nd; Race, 1st

2007: Grid, 6th; Race, 7th

2006: Grid, 1st; Race, 2nd

2005: Grid, 4th; Race, 1st

2004: Grid, 3rd; Race, 2nd

2003: Grid, 1st; Race, 1st

2002: Grid, 3rd; Race, DNF

2001: Grid, 2nd; Race, 1st

2000: Grid, 5th; Race, 2nd

Rossi’s 250 track record at Brno

1999: Grid, 3rd; Race, 1st

1998: Grid, 2nd; Race, DNF

Rossi’s 125 track record at Brno

1997: Grid, 3rd; Race, 3rd

1996: Grid, 1st; Race, 1st

Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12

Race number: 69

Age: 31 (born 30 July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA)

Residence: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA

Number of GPs: 162 (162 x MotoGP)

First GP: Japanese GP, 2003 (MotoGP)

Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP)

First GP win: USA GP, 2005 (MotoGP)

Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP)

First Pole: USA GP, 2005 (MotoGP)

World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006)

Hayden MotoGP track record at Brno

2011: Grid, 9th; Race, 7th

2010: Grid, 8th; Race, 6th

2009: Grid, 8th; Race, 6th

2008: Grid, DNS; Race, DNS

2007: Grid, 2nd; Race, 3rd

2006: Grid, 4th; Race, 9th

2005: Grid, 2nd; Race, 5th

2004: Grid, 7th; Race, DNF

2003: Grid, 7th; Race, 6th