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The loungers and sun cream are packed away, as it's now time to get out the leathers and helmets in preparation for the first GP of the second half of the season, about to get underway at Brno. Marquez and Pedrosa will start with a small advantage, having carried out a two-day test in mid July.
Right now, every detail can make a difference and Marc will have to defend his position at the top of the standings with several rivals hot on this heels. With Vinales, Dovizioso and Rossi all within 10 points, this is a chasing group that anyone would fear.
The Czech track hasn't been the best for Marquez in the past, with the Spaniard having only won once in MotoGP, in 2013, as well as a Moto2 win the year before that.
“I enjoyed having time to rest and go to the sea with some friends, but I also used this long summer break to train for the second part of the Championship. Such a close season is exciting but also very demanding, meaning that you have to always keep your concentration high and try to constantly be at the best level possible, adapting to every situation."
In this sense it was better not to fully switch off.
"It was good to go testing at Brno during the summer break because it allowed us to work on the bike and stay focused on the job - he underlines - Brno is a nice track but one of the most demanding, with many changes of direction and uphill and downhill sections. We’ll try to make the best of the work we’ve done during the test and to prepare to fight for the podium on Sunday.”
PEDROSA: USEFUL TEST DURING THE BREAK - Pedrosa gets on particularly well at Brno, having won 4 races across the various classes. Dani is also still in with a shot at the title, just 26 points behind his team-mate.
“We've had four weeks without racing but not entirely without action as we had a positive test in Brno in mid-July which was very useful for working on the setup of our bike. The weather was good and we could fully exploit both days" he reminds us.
Now he needs to put that data to good use.
“I've been training in anticipation for second half of the season but I also had time for some holidays, which was good to disconnect a bit and recharge the batteries. Now I'm looking forward to jumping on my bike again at Brno which is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. I have some very good memories there and together with my team I’ll do my utmost to get another good result next Sunday” he promises.
