In the first practice session, Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner achieved the fifth and seventh fastest times, respectively, and they believe there’s room for improvement before qualifying on Saturday.
Riders Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner of the Ducati MotoGP Team worked on adjusting their bikes to meet the unique challenges of Brno, a circuit quite different from those they have raced on in recent weeks during the opening session of the Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic.
Their progress was hindered by a light rain shower that occurred 15 minutes before the hour concluded, which affected Hayden’s ability to try out the softer tyre compound. Nonetheless, the pair plans to push forward with their efforts tomorrow to secure good qualifying positions for Sunday’s round ten race.
Nicky Hayden – 5th
“Being back on the bike today was really nice, and it felt quite good right from the start. The two weeks off allowed me to reflect on some aspects, and the team also took this opportunity to brainstorm ideas that seemed to pay off. Thanks to the team for their efforts today – every adjustment we made during the session improved both comfort and lap times, so they did an excellent job. The only frustrating part is the possibility of rain tomorrow; we were ready to test the soft tyre in the last ten minutes, but the damp track hindered that. Despite this, I set my best time on the hard tyre just as the light rain began to fall – I can’t speak for others, but I feel we’re not far off from where we need to be after this first session. I’m hopeful this marks the beginning of positive developments!”
Casey Stoner – 7th
“The session didn’t unfold quite as I had hoped. From the beginning, I struggled to find comfort with the bike, particularly in improving its performance through the middle of the turns. We made some adjustments that yielded a small reduction in lap times by a few tenths, but it wasn’t enough. Additionally, we faced challenges with rear grip. We opted to use the softer tyre throughout the session, anticipating a dirty track, but we never quite reached the pace we needed. We attempted several adjustments to smooth out the ride over the bumps, but still couldn’t achieve the grip we were seeking out of the corners. The last two sectors seemed decent, so our focus will be on enhancing the first half of the lap tomorrow. There remains much to improve, but if we can gain ground in that area, I’ll be satisfied.”