Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1277270
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 / AUGUST 7-9, 2020 AUTOMOTODROM BRNO / BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC P60 ROBERTS REVIVED! There was rarely a smile in the Ameri- can Racing Team box during either race weekend at Jerez. But after a pair of 17th places in the past two races, Californian Joe Roberts struck back at Brno to claim a stunning second pole position in four outings. The raised expectations after his strong showing in Qatar had weighed him down, he admitted. But having spent days in the hills outside Barcelona at the house of friend and fellow Moto2 competitor Edgar Pons before flying to the Czech Republic, Roberts had a chance ride trials bikes, unwind and shed some weight. He arrived here six pounds lighter. "I was hitting my head against the wall the whole two weekends," he said of Jerez. "I just didn't have a good feeling with the front. If the thing is trying to close or send me down the road, I just don't feel great. (Here) they put the bike exactly the same as Qa- tar. I think my riding style suits these fast and flowing tracks really well." DOVIZIOSO DAUNTED Marc Marquez's absence should have opened the door to an Andrea Dovizio- so title charge. But the continued im- passe regarding his contract for 2021 hasn't helped. The Italian admitted it is affecting him and the strained atmo- sphere in the garage. "The next races it will be important for the champion- ship because we're at a good track for us and the result always affects the future," he said on Thursday. But his issues from preseason and Jerez persisted here. The 34-year old was desperate on Saturday as he crawled to 18th place in qualifying. He is yet to adapt his bike and riding style to the 2020 rear Michelin tire construction, and he struggled to 12th. Briefly... Brno was battering for the Ducati GP20s of Andrea Dovizioso (04), Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller. They simply couldn't make the bike work like the GP19 of Zarco's, with Dovizioso especially missing a golden opportunity to gain some ground on Fabio Quartararo, who faded to seventh with tire problems. Dovi finished a despondent 11th, but it was better than Maverick Vinales. Aleix Espargaro (41) got a rocket start from fifth on the grid, moving up to second but gradually slipping back 10th at the flag. Quartararo (20) had a meeting of damage limitation, dealing with chronic rear tire issues for seventh. The big loser at Brno was Pol Espargaro (44). The KTM rider was on a mission, up to third and closing on the top two when he ran wide and was knocked off by Zarco at turn two. And to top it off, the four-year KTM veteran had to watch Binder give KTM their first win after just three races.