Gresini pair set to push on

After three weeks in which to continue the recovery of his injured shoulder San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri is hoping that his improved physical condition at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic will lead to a solid result at Brno.

“I expected to do better at Laguna Seca but unfortunately I was forced to accept that physically I wasn’t up to it,” said Melandri, who finished eighth in the previous round. “My shoulder wasn’t painful during the race but after ten laps I was exhausted. I had no feeling on the way into the corners and I couldn’t ride as fast as I’d hoped.”

“Since then I’ve taken a short holiday near the sea but I’ve continued with constant physiotherapy in the hope that I can be back to full fitness for Brno. I like the circuit and if I have recovered as well as I hope and I can stay strong over race distance then I should be fighting near the front. I am not happy with the current situation because I don’t like to be making up the numbers in MotoGP!"

Rookie team-mate Marco Simoncelli is targeting a return to points scoring after a fall at Laguna Seca, and is aiming to replicate his 250cc form there of the past two seasons.

"The crash at Laguna left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Whenever that happens you head home with your tail between your legs but I took a short break in Sardinia and then began to prepare myself for this weekend because it is going to be a very important Grand Prix for me,” he said.

“Brno is a circuit I like a lot and I have always had good races there especially the last two years, finishing third in 2008 and winning last year. The Czech Republic has been kind to me in the past so I hope I can be strong again this weekend,” he added, before commenting on an update to his machine.

“We have more confidence now with the electronics package given to us by Honda in America so we should get more performance out of the bike.”