Brno gears up for Czech MotoGP 2009

This weekend sees the Czech Republic’s second city Brno host one of the country’s biggest annual sporting events, the Czech MotoGP. Up to 200,000 motorcycle fans are expected to descend upon Brno for the big race on Sunday. Perhaps the brightest Czech hope in this weekend’s 250cc competition is 23-year-old Lukáš Pešek. We met up with him ahead of the grand prix to ask him about his ambitions for the race.

Lukáš Pešek, photo: CTK

Lukáš Pešek is no stranger to the Masarykův Okruh where this weekend’s competition will be held. He made his grand prix debut on the circuit with a wild card back in 2002. Seven years - and 428 MotoGP points - later he is glad to be racing on the circuit again. Indeed, he says it’s his favourite track:

“It’s mostly because of the home support and the crowds of people who come to cheer me on. I’m a bit nervous ahead of the start of the race but that’s normal. And the weekend will be great fun. You go from the racecourse to the hotel and you see your fans in your t-shirts who are going wild for you. They are really enjoying themselves and that is what it is about. This is why we are doing what we are doing; for these people. When 5,000, 10,000 people come to see you – what more could you ask for?”

Valentino Rossi, photo: CTK

Pešek’s aim is to finish in the top ten at this weekend’s grand prix. This sounds modest when you consider that two years ago, during his best season to date, he took the bronze at the Czech MotoGP:

“Four of us went into that last lap, and one of us dropped out in that last lap. I made my move something like three bends before the finish. And I said to myself ‘thank god’. Afterwards, the euphoria I felt was just unbelievable. I almost can’t remember it. I was just totally out of it.”

Dozens of the world’s best riders will be in action in Brno over the weekend, including the current MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi. For Pešek, it is still an honour to be racing alongside the 30-year-old Italian:

“I consider Valentino Rossi to be a role model, he’s an example for all boys riding bikes. My own personal model was Loris Capirossi, and still is. Valentino Rossi is ahead of the pack, he manages to do just about everything a year before everyone else. And Loris Capirossi is just such an aggressive rider. He won the 250cc title in a really aggressive way and loads of people hated him for it. But I liked it, that he treated it as a contact sport.”

Veteran rider Loris Capirossi will also be racing in this weekend’s competition. For more information on the grand prix go to the MotoGP official website, which is www.motogp.com.