Brno, Czech Republic: MotoGP Post-Race Report

 

Cal Crutchlow and I repeat the LCR Honda MotoGP rider has won the 2016 Brno Grand Prix event after the rain blitzed the track from the morning warm up sessions right up until the end of the Moto2 race. It was a chaotic race in both the Moto3 and Moto2 classes as race favourites and championship leaders crashed out and underperformed. However, the rain did not impact the riders in the MotoGP premier class although wet tyres were required as the track temperatures were not hot enough to dry the circuit out. It was a risky gamble that Cal took in order to win by putting both the hard option front and rear Michelin tyres on. He is the first British rider to win since Barry Sheene. The long awaited 35-year curse is over!

 

On the grid before the race started, there were mechanics running everywhere as riders and chief engineers were deciding on what tyre set up and brakes to run with. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo chose a soft front tyre with a hard rear whilst others went for the soft front and soft rear option. Towards the end of the race, the soft front tyres were demolished! Talk about shredding rubber quicker than expected. This allowed Crutchlow to push harder and pump in lap times that the commentators and fans loved as he passed the entire front half of the grid. It was a superb display of confidence by the LCR Honda rider plus some serious arrogance to get the win. At the end of the race, Crutchlow called his fellow athletes all wimps, which demonstrates his ability to overshadow his success with unsportsmanlike comments. This is Cal Crutchlow and he will not change for anyone as we have seen in the past. 

 

 

With that aside, his bike was performing at an optimum level and his confidence in wet conditions very strong. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for Jorge Lorenzo who finished in last place after a terrible start to the Brno Grand Prix. His fellow teammate Valentino Rossi recovered to finish in second place after going backwards at the start. Rossi managed to put some serious heat into his rear Michelin tyre that propelled him forward. This was the opposite of Lorenzo who came in to switch bikes twice. Lorenzo claims that his front tyre was shredded and there was some miscommunication that led him to finishing in a disastrous position and even a lap down. Talk about bad luck! 

 

Most of the riders in the paddock were preparing for a flag to flag race but that never happened. Marc Marquez admits that he chose the wrong strategy. He went out to push hard on the tyres he chose and then eventually jump in the air within pit lane to his second bike. This plan of attack never came to life, as the track did not dry out as expected. Marc rode as a Champion and with a smart plan to recover points, which he did and this allowed him to finish on the podium in third place. He only lost four points to Valentino Rossi who moves into second on the Championship ladder whilst Lorenzo dips back further behind the two of them. It was a solid ride by Hector Barber, Loris Baz and Eugene Laverty to all finish within the top ten as Jack Miller watched on and only wished that he could take part in the race. There are thoughts that Jack could have given everyone a run for their money in those conditions! Overall, it was a solid race with another new winner taking the cake of glory in 2016. 

 

 

In the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, we had Jonas Folger winning and John McPhee winning his first ever Moto3 race as a Scotsman. The victory was long overdue for John who has had such a tough year with bad luck and a lack of confidence. This has now changed with his performance speaking loudly to the crowd as Brad Binder the title leader crashed out and Pawi the rainmaker crashing in the same corner. McPhee was calculated and almost high sided with his guts getting shaken up as the laps counted down. The team threw their hands into the air to tell him to slow down and the message was understood. The Scottish rider made it home with the chequered flag and a victory that will be remembered for a long time to come!