In the bizarre world of MotoGP logistics, it seemingly makes perfect sense to have a race in the United States followed by a race in Eastern Europe and then go back to the United States. Presumably the championship is sponsored, at least in part, by an airfrieght specialist. Or an aviation fuel supplier. Anyway, Brno, in the Czech Republic, hosts the second leg of this globetrotting exercise. It is, without a doubt, one of the best circuits in the world. It genuinely does offer absolutely everything - fast, full power straights, tight technical sections, long sweeping turns and more gradient changes than you can shake a stick at. It's definitely a circuit that rewards power, but it rewards handling as well - certainly a fast ill mannered bike would struggle round here, I think, while an underpowered one would simply get left behind on some of the long hard uphill drags.

Anyway. Free practice here can be a bit of a lottery as people have in the past been known to throw expensive motorbikes into the plentiful scenery around the circuit on a regular basis. The first session saw Marco Simoncelli slip off unhurt shortly after posting the fastest time. he didn't get to hold onto that honour, either, as both Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner went faster as the session went on. The second session remained as subdued and sensible as the first, with just Randy de Puniet having a gentle departure from the Pramac Ducati while happily managing not to aggravate his existing injuries. The timesheets changed, of course, but the positions didn't - Pedrosa from Stoner from Simoncelli with Lorenzo fourth.

Saturday saw the rain, which had been threatening all the previous day, arrive in force. Casey Stoner stepped off at the beginning of the session on cold tyres, though he was able to rejoin on his spare bike. Not only that but he was able to maintain a good pace, too. Good enough, in fact, to top the timesheets ahead of Lorenzo, the Spaniard having been on top himself until the last few minutes. And in third place, Valentino Rossi powered the Ducati through in an excellent demonstration of just what it can do in the right conditions. Those being when there's limited grip and sheer rider talent has the opportunity to shine over outright power and handling. Unfortunatley, the downside of a lack of absolute grip is the higher probability of a crash. And while normally wet weather crashes are slower and therefore less painful, this time John Hopkins' erstwhile very impressive one-off performance on the Suzuki came to an abrupt end. The Kentucky Kid broke a couple of bones in his hand which ruled him out of the rest of the weekend. Hope he can get fully fit in time for the BSB round at Cadwell in a couple of weeks...

Just to keep everyone on their toes, by the time qualifying came around the track had dried again. Which guaranteed a few things, not least that Rossi and the Ducati would be back down the field. Toni Elias knocked Marco Simoncelli off the top, being almost immediately deposed by Rossi. Then the usual players came along, took their ball and wouldn't let anyone join in. Stoner took pole, was pipped by Simoncelli and then Lorenzo before Pedrosa took a turn, putting in three fastest laps before Stoner got back on top again. Stoner then beat himself before Pedrosa had another crack, himself being passed by Lorenzo and then getitng back in front again, beating his own time again just to make sure.

So the grid was Pedrosa on pole from Lorenzo and Stoner. Ben Spies headed row two, with Simoncelli and Rossi in a season-best sixth. Crikey, I never thought I'd write that. Row three had Dovizioso ahead of Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden, while Hiroshi Aoyama rounded out the top ten ahead of Cal Crutchlow and Toni Elias. Karel Abraham brought up the rear of the grid in seventeenth after a pretty torrid time at his local round.

Race day. Dry and warm. Not hot, but warm. Warmup saw Pedrosa fastest from Lorenzo, Spies and Simoncelli, with Stoner, Dovizioso and Bautista in the hunt as well. Bautista had a dreadful qualifying but certainly has the pace to run with the big boys when he gets going.

Lining up on the grid, and as the lights went out it was Lorenzo who got the holeshot for a change, with Pedrosa ending up second after a brief tussle with Dovizioso who in turn ended up ahead of Stoner. Then we had Spies ahead of Simoncelli, while Rossi made an epic start but got a little hung out to dry on turn one and dropped back to eighth behind Hayden. Turn one of the second lap saw Stoner politely but firmly elbow his way past Dovizioso while at the same time Lorenzo clipped the inside kerb and had a monster slide that nearly saw him in the gravel and made Pedrosa redouble his efforts at getting past. One lap later and the diminutive Honda rider got his wish, slipping by neatly to take the lead and immediately open a few metres gap. Which was probably a Good Thing because it meant that when he fell off two corners later, losing the front in a gentle lowside, neithe rhe nor the bike got clobbered by anyone else. It didn't get him back into the race as the bike was down and out but at least nobody got hurt. It must have shaken Lorenzo up a bit though, because Stoner came straight by him and took the race by the scruff of the neck like a terrier.

Further back and Rossi repassed Hayden after a brief and pretty intense battle with Simoncelli who had also got a dreadful start before getting a move on slightly before his countryman. And Bautista had worked his way up from the back of the grid to eighth behind the Ducatis. And further back still, Cal Crutchlow was steadily getting quicker as he warmed up before losing the front and sliding out, again unhurt but with a bike in several pieces. He wouldn't be the last. Karel Abraham made his home race one to forget as he also crashed out from the back of the field while Alvaro Bautista rode the wheels off the Suzuki, passed Hayden and was threatening Rossi when he too lost the front and slid out of seventh place.

Up at the front, as is so often the case, things settled down rather. Stoner was running inch perfect laps and Lorenzo couldn't do anything about it - the Yamaha just isn't fast enough and his suspect choice of a soft front tyre was clearly woring against him and stopping him from exploiting the Yamaha's only advantage - its handling. Behind Lorenzo there was a race of sorts as Dovizioso and Simoncelli fought for places while behind them Ben Spies' race got gradually lonelier as he pulled ahead of the pursuing Ducatis of Rossi and Hayden but dropped back from the Honda pair ahead. Lorenzo, too, was dropping back as the poor tyre choice hampered him and on lap twelve both Simoncelli and Dovizioso blasted past, the factory Honda leading the privateer by a short margin.

And so it stayed. Other than Bautista's departure from seventh on lap fifteen the top ten positions didn't change. Sometimes that can be deceiving, and in fairness a race almost developed between Lorenzo and Spies, but it wasn't to be. Stoner took a win, deserved because he rode immaculately but gofted through Pedrosa's mistake. Dovizioso came in second, six and a half seconds behind, with Simoncelli taking his first MotoGP podium, at last, a second further back. Another second saw Lorenzo crossing the line with Spies a second and a half later and Rossi another second and a half back. Tp put that into perspective, at Laguna Seca Rossi was over thirty seconds behind the winner. This time he was just twelve seconds off. Something is working better. Anyway, Hayden came in next, ahead of Colin Edwards as usual, with Hiroshi Aoyama making a last lap charge to take ninth from Hector Barbera.

Not a classic race, though interesting in several ways. The next round is back across the pond in Indianapolis. Maybe it'll be more exciting, though the championship is all but decided now...

Result

1 Casey Stoner (Honda)
2 Andrea Dovizioso (Honda)
3 Marco Simoncelli (Honda)
4 Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha)
5 Ben Spies (Yamaha)
6 Valentino Rossi (Ducati)
7 Nicky Hayden (Ducati)
8 Colin Edwards (Yamaha)
9 Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
10 Hector Barbera (Ducati)

Championship Standing after eleven rounds:

1 Casey Stoner 218
2 Jorge Lorenzo 186
3 Andrea Dovizioso 163
4 Valentino Rossi 118
5 Dani Pedrosa 110
6 Ben Spies 109
7 Nicky Hayden 103
8 Marco Simoncelli 76
9 Colin Edwards 75
10 Hiroshi Aoyama 70

SB