Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi will be going home for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship as the  team heads to the Misano World Circuit in Italy for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix.

Capirossi originates from Castel San Pietro Terme, near Bologna, about 100kms from the Misano circuit. He will be looking to continue with the good run of form at the 4,226m Italian track that has seen him score two top-five finishes in the past three seasons. Capirossi is still in search of his 100th podium and would like nothing better than to secure that in front of his home crowd.

Álvaro Bautista will be heading to the Misano circuit for the first time in the MotoGP class. The Spaniard is going there on the back of an impressive ride last time out at Indianapolis that saw him secure eighth place. Bautista is in a confident mood as he travels to a circuit that he has enjoyed success at in recent seasons. The 25-year-old won at the Misano circuit in 2008 onboard a 250cc machine and followed that with a third place last year in the quarter litre class.

The Misano World Circuit was designed in 1969, with racing starting there three years later. The Italian venue has held 11 motorcycle Grands Prix since 1980, with MotoGP visiting there for the first time in 2007, when Rizla Suzuki riders took second and third places on the podium.

Rizla Suzuki takes to the track for the first free practice session on Friday afternoon, with the second free practice the following morning. Saturday afternoon will have an hour of qualifying to decide grid positions for Sunday's 28-lap race that is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

“It is always good to race at home and Misano is the closest track to where I am from. I am determined to put on a good performance there, because we have been working very hard all season and not getting the rewards that I think we deserve – so Misano will be the ideal place to start that happening and turn our season around. We still need to find the right solution to give us the best feeling from the GSV-R so will be trying to be as competitive as possible from the first day. We have to keep a strong mentality, we have seven more races to go this year and we have to keep fighting to get to the top.”

Álvaro Bautista:

“I have more confidence in myself and the bike after last weekend, so I will be trying as hard as I can right from the beginning at Misano to improve my performance on the bike. It was really important for me to finish the race at Indianapolis - as it seemed like a long time since that had happened. I still believe that we can fight with the top guys, so we need to make that the next target and keep improving for the rest of the season.”

Podiums across the board at sodden Silverstone

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha took a decent step towards the MX2 Maxxis British Championship when Zach Osborne won his fifth meeting of the domestic series at a wet Silverstone last weekend. The penultimate event of eight in the high-profile competition saw the ACU contest visit the MotoGP venue for the first time and the team had reason to cheer despite the freak August weather when Mel Pocock joined Osborne on the MX2 rostrum and Jason Dougan gained his first MX1 trophy.

Pocock set the pace in qualification with Pole Position and coming home first in the Superpole. Osborne had made a mistake and would take to the gate in eleventh. The 20 year old struggled to overcome main title-rival Jake Nicholls in the first moto he also had Pocock snapping at his heels; the British teenager would go 3-3-4 in the three 20 minute sprints for the bottom step of the overall podium.

Feeling a little more at home in the mud during the second and third motos, normal business was resumed for Osborne who returned emphatically to the winner’s circle. His last success of the day stretched his tally of chequered flags to thirteen from the twenty-one held so far.

In MX1 Jason Dougan was inspired to push up from his routine slot in the top five to trouble the leaders. The 23 year old enjoyed his best day of the season (his first full term on the YZ450F) to post three third positions and give the team excellent exposure in the final awards ceremony of both classes.

Osborne came into Silverstone with a 44 point lead and pulled the gap slightly wider with an additional 3 points. With just 75 left to win at Hawkstone Park at the final round on October 3rd the American could begin celebrations after the first moto.

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha will head to Lierop in Holland this week for the Grand Prix of Benelux and the penultimate round of the FIM Motocross World Championship where Osborne is currently fifth in the MX2 table.

Zach Osborne:
“The track was pretty wet and not easy. I rode tight in the first moto and didn’t really do myself any justice but I came out fighting in the next two and rode from mediocre starts to take the wins. I have already said that this title means a lot to me and it will be a big achievement to take it; especially with all the work the team have done in a long season. I can’t wait to get to Hawkstone Park now.”

Mel Pocock:
“That was a mega day and I had a good feeling on the track from the beginning. I thought a podium might be possible from the first sessions when I took Pole. Importantly I feel that I have increased my speed and the confidence from this will help a lot for a tough Grand Prix next week.”

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha’s Zach Osborne was unable to capitalise on his excellent pace through a soaked and muddy Loket circuit in practice on Saturday and finished 9th overall at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic in front of 21,000 spectators who defied ominous weather forecasts.

The American was quickest in the first practice session that took place in the third day of rain covering the western region of the Czech Republic. He was again a pace-setter on his way to the 4th best lap in the Timed Practice that replaced the Heat race as the schedule was cut to preserve the flooded track.

Sunday dawned bright and dry and the hillside track – with its quick, natural layout – lost it slippery hard-pack to be replaced by a bumpy and rutty terrain that dried throughout the day and formed one effective line. Passing was difficult and starts all-too vital. Osborne did not enjoy particularly prosperous exits from the gate. He ran inside the top ten during the first moto before losing momentum and dropping to 11th. The 20 year old picked himself up for the second race and his 8th place marked an all-round improvement.

Team-mate Mel Pocock was unlucky to leave Loket empty-handed. The teenager was lively from the start line on both occasions. He misjudged a jump and badly winded himself and forcing his retirement from a top ten position in the formative stages of Moto1. The Briton’s efforts were halted fairly early in Moto2 with a broken rear brake.

Osborne is still firmly in the mix for a top five position in the 2010 FIM Motocross World Championship with twelve of the fifteen rounds now chalked off the board. He holds 6th but needs 16 points over Shaun Simpson ahead and counts on a thin cushion of 11 points over Jeremy Van Horebeek. Pocock is 20th and can realistically aim for another slot ahead of him.

The racing season rumbles on for Bike it Cosworth Yamaha with the sixth round of the British Championship occurring next weekend in the hallowed confines of the Farleigh Castle circuit near Bath before the lengthy hike to Brazil for the thirteenth Grand Prix of the campaign.

Zach Osborne:
“I struggled today. I seemed to have about fifteen good minutes in me and then I felt like I was going through the motions. I think the concussion still has a bit of an effect and I should have had myself evaluated after that but I guess I didn’t want to know because I’m fighting for a top five slot in the world. To go from that crash to the hardest GP of the year at Lommel, well, I don’t think I accepted totally how it would affect me. I think the track got the better of me a little bit today. It was very single line out there and that make it harder. I’ll be back in the UK on Tuesday and want to get sorted before we have to go to Farleigh Castle. I’m trying to do the very best I can, but I think it will take a couple of weeks to get back to full form.”

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP is eager to get back in to action this coming weekend as the MotoGP season re-commences at Brno in the Czech Republic after its mid-season break.

Álvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi are both looking forward to getting to grips with the 5,403m Czech circuit, as it is a track that the pair have both enjoyed success at in recent seasons. Bautista won at Brno in the 125cc class in 2006 and finished second and third in 2008 and 2009 respectively in the 250cc category. He will certainly be aiming to put the memories of the last two MotoGPs behind him, where he was eliminated in both races by other riders.

Capirossi has tasted success in the Czech Republic on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, as he raced the machine to third place in 2008. The experienced Italian also scored a second place at Brno in a MotoGP event in 2005 and topped the podium in 2006.

The Automotodrom Brno is situated in the area of Kyvalka, about 16kms from Brno city centre. The present Brno Grand Prix circuit was built in 1987 and is located in woodland near to the old street circuit which previously staged the event. It is one of the highest attended races of the year, with a crowd of over a quarter-of-a-million possible during the weekend.

Rizla Suzuki gets the weekend underway with the first free practice session on Friday afternoon. The final practice will be on Saturday morning, with qualifying held in the afternoon. The 22-lap race gets going at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 15^th August.

Álvaro Bautista:

“I am very fired up for Brno; I need to get back on the bike and racing again. I feel as fit as I have done all season and want to use this race as the ‘new start’ of the year. I don’t really like the Brno circuit, but it is a lot like Barcelona so I feel confident that I can go well there. I still have a lot to learn, but I hope this will be the start of a good run-in to the end of the season and we can get some good results and keep improving with every race. The whole Rizla Suzuki team has been fantastic since I joined and has made me very welcome and been very professional and patient with me even while I was injured, so it is now time for me to start giving them something back and Brno will be a good place to start.”

Loris Capirossi:

“Brno will be a very important race for us, we know the GSV-R can go well there and it is a track I know well and like to race at so we will be looking to be competitive right from the start of the weekend. We also have an important test planned for the Monday after the race, so going into that in a positive frame of mind will be very good for the whole team so we will be hoping that the results are positive and we’ll be giving everything to make sure they are.”