Monster Energy Grand Prix České republiky
Sunday Race Day Guide
The 21-lap race starts tonight at 2200 AEST
Andrea Dovizioso starts his 100th Grand Prix race with Ducati from pole position. This is his 6th pole position in the premier class, his first since Sepang back in 2016 and his first in dry weather conditions since Qatar in 2015.
Andrea Dovizioso’s pole position is his fifth with Ducati and the 39th for the Italian manufacturer in the MotoGP class since 2002. From his five previous appearances on a Ducati at Brno, Dovizioso has never finished higher than sixth.
Valentino Rossi, who won his first ever Grand Prix race in Brno back in 1996, starts from second on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole position at his home round in Mugello earlier this year.
Valentino Rossi (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc and 4 x MotoGP) is the most successful rider of the current grid at the Brno circuit with 7 wins. He will be aiming to finish inside the top ten to become the first rider in history to reach the milestone of 6000 points scored in Grand Prix racing.
Yamaha riders have not won since Assen last year with Valentino Rossi (19 successive races). The last time Yamaha had a winless streak of more than 19 races was the 22-race sequence including the 15 races of 1997 and the opening seven races of 1998.
The winner last year at the Czech GP, Marc Márquez completes the front row of the grid. It’s the 78th time he has qualified inside the top three on what is his 100th Grand Prix race in the premier class.
Heading the second row on the grid is Jorge Lorenzo who will be aiming to win for the third time at the Czech GP in the premier class after 2010 and 2015, which was also the last victory for a Yamaha rider at this track.
Cal Crutchlow, who won his first Grand Prix race in 2016 at Brno from tenth on the grid, has qualified in fifth as the highest-placed Independent Team rider, which is his best qualifying result since he was second at the Dutch TT earlier this year.
Danilo Petrucci starts from sixth, which is the sixth time this year he has qualified on the first two rows on the grid.
Johann Zarco, who won the Moto2 race at the Czech GP in 2015, heads the third row on the grid as the third Independent Team rider, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole at the French GP earlier this year.
Andrea Iannone has qualified in eighth for the second successive time, which is the best qualifying result for Suzuki at Brno since Aleix Espargaró was fourth in 2016. He will be aiming to become the first Suzuki rider to stand on the podium at the track since Loris Capirossi back in 2008.
Dani Pedrosa, who won in both 2012 and 2014 in MotoGP at the Brno circuit, starts from tenth on the grid for the second successive time.
Maverick Viñales, who crossed the line in third last year in Brno, has qualified in 12th, equalling his worst qualifying result this year so far along with Qatar.
Alvaro Bautista, who makes his 150th Grand Prix start in the premier class, starts from 14th on the grid. He will be aiming for top five finish in back-to-back races for the first time since 2013.
Jack Miller finished tenth in the MotoGP World Championship last season, his best result since joining the ranks of MotoGP. He is currently tenth in the championship standings on 57-points. Last year he scored a season total of 82 points thus at this halfway point of the season he is well on his way to passing the century total for the first time.
MotoGP 2018 – Round Ten – Brno
Qualifying Times
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 1’54.689
- ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha 0.267
- MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.272
- LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team 0.349
- CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 0.366
- PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Alma Pramac Racing 0.514
- ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.532
- IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.581
- RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.742
- PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.785
- RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 0.997
- VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Movistar Yamaha 1.134
- MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA EG Marc VDS 1’56.029
- BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Angel Nieto Team 0.493
- SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Red Bull KTM 0.680
- SYAHRIN Hafizh 55 MAL Monster Yamaha Tech3 0.747
- MILLER Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing 0.778
- BRADL Stefan 6 GER Team HRC 0.792
- ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM 0.815
- NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda 0.974
- GUINTOLI Sylvain 50 FRA Suzuki Ecstar 1.499
- LUTHI Tom 12 SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1.670
- ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Angel Nieto Team 1.679
- ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing 1.712
- REDDING Scott 45 GBR Aprilia Racing 1.900
- SIMEON Xavier 10 BEL Reale Avintia 2.510
