Injured Honda men aim for Brno

From Repsol Honda

Repsol Honda RC212V riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden roar back into action at Brno this weekend following MotoGP’s traditional three-weekend summer break.

The Czech Grand Prix commences the crucial second part of the MotoGP season, with just seven of 18 races remaining, three in Europe and four outside Europe.

The sport’s 25-day recess between the US and Czech GPs is no real holiday for the riders – Pedrosa, Hayden and their rivals have all been working through much of the break.

Pedrosa has been recuperating from the fractured left wrist and fractured left index finger he suffered at last month’s German GP which prevented him from competing in the US GP.

“The holiday period gave me a good chance to relax and recover, so I hope I will be fine for Brno," Pedrosa said. "When I returned from Laguna Seca my doctor told me I needed a week and a half of complete rest. I couldn't train so I spent an enjoyable few days in Mallorca, disconnecting from everything and resting both my hand and foot. I had the stitches removed from my hand in Barcelona and then I started rehabilitation.

"The hand still hurts but the wrist has good mobility and the fingers are no longer swollen. The foot is still taped, just to avoid rough movements. I started training last week, mostly on my bicycle.”

Hayden meanwhile has been training back home in Kentucky, working to keep in prime physical condition.

The 2006 MotoGP champ also took part in the Supermoto event at the X Games in Los Angeles. Hayden hurt his right heel when he made a heavy landing during practice for the event on Aug. 1 but is hopeful the injury won’t prevent him from riding at Brno. Further details will be released as soon as they are available.

“Hopefully I’ll be fit for Brno," Hayden said. "I didn’t crash, I just landed wrong. I’m not sure if my foot came off the peg or what, but it feels pretty fragile. I’m pretty bummed out about it because I want to get out there and finish this season strong.

"Also, I can’t wait to try out the new surface at Brno. The last couple of years the surface has gotten quite old, not really bumpy but just so abrasive and cracked, so I think with a brand new surface the track is going to be awesome. I heard they didn’t just reseal it, or just put something on top, they did it the right way and started over."

Brno has been part of the World Championship calendar since the mid 1960s, when the nation’s grand prix was staged around a 10.92km/6.785 mile street circuit on the outskirts of the city. Mike Hailwood won the 1966 and 1967 500 GPs there on his Honda RC181 four, but eventually the circuit was deemed too dangerous and hosted its last premier-class GP in 1977.

It took a decade before the current Brno circuit was completed. Honda has enjoyed great success at this fast, undulating circuit, which features many tricky downhill corners that require a perfect chassis set-up. Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan, Tadayuki Okada, Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau have all won races with Honda at the modern Brno venue.

The Repsol Honda Team will remain at Brno for crucial post-race tests, during which Pedrosa is likely to try the pneumatic-valve RC212V engine that Hayden been using since June’s British GP.