Last round before the MotoGP summer break. After a four-season absence, the Czech Republic GP returns to the calendar.
In 2020, however, due to the pandemic, spectators were not allowed at the circuit.
A real shame, considering that from 2007 to 2015, weekend attendance consistently exceeded 210,000, with peaks close to 250,000. A target that could well be hit again this year.
The GP data
According to Brembo technicians who work closely with all MotoGP riders, the 5.403 km-long Automotodrom Brno is considered a highly demanding circuit for the braking system.
On a difficulty scale from 1 to 6, it scores a 4, as brakes are used 10 times per lap for a total of 31.5 seconds.
Four braking zones fall into the High category, three into the Medium category, and three more into the Light category.
The toughest corner
The most demanding corner for the braking system at Automotodrom Brno is Turn 3: MotoGP bikes decelerate from 297 km/h to 104 km/h in 4.4 seconds, covering 228 meters, while riders apply 4.9 kg of force on the brake lever. Deceleration peaks at 1.5 g, Brembo brake fluid pressure reaches 10.4 bar, and carbon disc temperature climbs to 570 °C.
Mike the bike's hat-trick
Brno hosted the World Championship for the first time in 1965: four different winners were crowned across the four classes, an anomaly for the era.
The following year, Mike Hailwood swept the 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc races for Honda.
The last rider to clinch two victories in a single edition was Jorge Martinez in 1988, taking the top step in both the 80cc and 125cc classes with Derbi.
The last manufacturer to score a clean sweep was Honda in 1997, with Noboru Ueda winning the 125cc, Max Biaggi the 250cc, and Mick Doohan the 500cc.
Scare for Max
With seven victories at Brno, Max Biaggi shares the record with Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi.
Biaggi took five consecutive wins from 1994 to 1998: the first four in 250cc, the last in 500cc, his debut year in the premier class with Team Kanemoto.
At the finish line, he pulled a wheelie with his Honda, but a gust of wind nearly tipped the bike vertically. With a tap on the Brembo rear brake, Biaggi managed to bring the NSR500 back down on two wheels, though he cracked the windscreen and bent a rim in the process.
Ending the drought
The 2016 Czech Republic GP saw Cal Crutchlow triumph, 7 seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi.
A British rider hadn’t won in the premier class for 35 years, the last was Barry Sheene in 1981 in Sweden with Suzuki, back when Brembo brakes were still relatively uncommon.
Crutchlow thus became the first Brit to win a GP equipped with Brembo calipers and discs. In 2016, aluminum-lithium alloys were banned, so Crutchlow used pure aluminum calipers, alternating between light duty and heavy duty setups depending on the requirements.