Phillip Island, 18 October: the LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl has been declared unfit after a second medical check straight after he completed FP1. The 23-year-old from Germany took to the Australian race track this morning for the free session one and was only capable of riding his RC213V for 11 laps. The second medical exam carried out by Dr. Brent May (Chief Medical Officer of the Australian circuit) and Doctor Michele Macchiagodena (MotoGP Medical Director) revealed that Bradl needs more time to complete his full recovery. Stefan: “There was a very small chance for me to ride here and we knew it would have been much better in Japan but I wanted to try anyway. Of course it was painful and even the mobility of the ankle is not perfect yet: this is the reason why I have been declared unfit and I agree with them. I had injections and painkillers this morning but I was too slow on the track and this is too risky for me and also for the other riders. The Clinica Mobile staff made an excellent job and I could jump on the bike only five days after the surgery so I want to thank them because they are helping me to heal quickly. I am frustrated but I have done the impossible to be back here: now we will concentrate to be as close to 100% fit as we can for Japan”.

After the unlucky incident during the final free practice session of the Malaysian GP, which left LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl nursing a fractured right ankle, the German rider has undergone a successful surgical procedure at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre this Saturday evening. The injury was diagnosed as a transversal fracture of the right malleolus, and the operation involved inserting two screws to knit the bone together. The procedure was performed by both Dr. Low Tze Choong, (orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon), and Dr. Alberto Busilacchi, the Clinica Mobile’s orthopaedic surgeon. The surgery was supervised by the MotoGP™ Medical Team member Dr. Enric Caceres. Bradl will rest up in hospital overnight and will be able to leave the medical centre in the early afternoon tomorrow. Lucio Cecchinello, LCR Honda Team Manager: “We are happy about the results of this operation; Stefan is doing well and now it will be a case of starting the recovery process on Monday. He will work with the physiotherapists until we sit down once again with the MotoGP™ Medical Team on Thursday at Phillip Island, when we will be able to form a much clearer prognosis.”

Sepang, 12 October: LCR racer Stefan Bradl will miss tomorrow’s Malaysian GP because entering turn one in todays’ final practice, he crashed and suffered a transversal fracture of the right medial malleolus. The German, who rides the RC213V, will undergo an operation tonight at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre followed by Alberto Busilacchi (Mobil Clinic Orthopedic Surgeon) and Enric Caceres (Dorna Medical Team). Stefan: “I was quite confident in FP4 and we were on a new tyre to get ready for the QP2. So I started to push but for some reasons I felt a bit strange with the rear tyre because I could not get the proper grip quickly. Thus I tried to push on braking a bit too much for the first corner and I lost the front. Honestly it was not a heavy crash but I was unlucky. The handle bar of my bike immediately dug into the plastic grass and lifted a section of it up then unfortunately my right leg connected with it and got stuck. I immediately felt the pain and the x-ray exam revealed the fracture of the right malleolus”.

Aragón, 29 September: LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl raced amongst the protagonists once again in today’s 23-lap race at Aragón Motorland exciting his squad and his fans with a breath-taking last lap which saw him challenging Rossi and Bautista till the chequered flag. The German had realistic podium aspirations after his impressive pace throughout the weekend and today’s positive performance reflects a return to strong form for the 23-year-old. Stefan: “Probably it was an exciting race to watch and it was fun also for me. Overall we had a good weekend and a good race although I lost the last-lap battle with Rossi and Bautista but I am happy anyway. Of course I was dreaming about the podium as we were fast and consistent over the three days, but Alvaro was very strong in the last lap. After Silverstone and Brno tough weekends, our performance is getting stronger and stronger and I gained more confidence on the bike. I only need some more experience to manage the last laps and the drop of the tyres but we took the right direction”.

Misano, 15 September: LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl took a solid 5th place in today’s San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix challenging the British rider Cal Crutchlow on a exciting last lap ahead 60.000 spectators. The German started from the head of row three after two difficult days but, once again, he demonstrated his determination conducting a strong 28-lap race. Stefan and his squad will be back on track tomorrow for one day of testing before moving to Aragon in 2 weeks. Stefan: “Definitely it was the best day of the weekend for us. We improved the bike from Friday to Saturday but today the Team made a great job. I suffered a big crash on Friday and they had to work even harder to give me a competitive bike for the race. In the beginning of the race I was not so confident because, in the warm up lap, I was not sure about the rear tyre performance. But after few laps I could set my pace easily and I followed Cal for the whole race. He was a good reference for me and I was able to see where I was stronger than him so in the last lap I made my maneuver in turn seven. I had fun and I am happy now because I made a strong race after such a tough week end”.

Silverstone, 1 September: the twelfth round of the season was held in dry and warm conditions today at Silverstone circuit with the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl ending the 20-lap race in 6th place. The 23-year-old made another strong start from the 4th spot on the grid thanks to his impressive achievement in yesterday’s qualifying. After some laps up in the pack, Bradl could not take advantage of the battle in the front for the remaining laps as he was struggling with edge grip like happened in Brno. Stefan: “I feel like we had the same race of Brno last week because we were facing the same problems. We struggled on the edge of the tyre and no drive out of the corners and this is a bit disappointing for me because I am really strong on braking. We have to analyze why we can do a better speed in the practices on used tyres and not in the race. Of course we expected a better placement today but there’s no time to complain now: we must work harder to find a solution ahead Misano GP”.

Brno, 25 August: the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl rode his Honda RC213V to a positive sixth place in today’s 22-lap Czech GP at Brno race track scoring further important points which saw him holding the 6th place in the world classification. The German rider, who was the fastest on the first day of qualifying, failed to reproduce that form in the frenetic 15-minute QP2 reporting some front-end issues which relegated him 8th on the grid. Bradl leaves Brno circuit with some disappointment and the will to bounce back at Silverstone in few days. Stefan: “The sixth position is not that bad considering the whole weekend but I really wanted to be faster. We could not improve the bike as I would like because I had many problems with the edge grip on right and left sides of the rear tyre. I had to fight to pick up the bike to get a little bit of drive out of the corner to accelerate. I tried many things to save the rear tyre during the race but here, with these long corners, you have to carry the corner speed and, at the beginning, I was behind Rossi and Smith and I saw they could carry more corner speed. We wanted to stay with Rossi and Bautista but I was not capable to keep that speed. Let’s move to Silverstone to keep working”.

Indianapolis, 18 August: the tenth round of the season at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a mixed-feelings round for LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl who managed to finish the 27-lap race in 7th position. Bradl, who was consistently fast in all free sessions, crashed twice yesterday and lacked some confidence during the race which was also particularly physically demanding for the German rider. Stefan: “Honestly I am a bit disappointed about this result and I had mixed feelings in this weekend. At the beginning we were very strong but after 3 crashes in the practices I lost a bit of confidence. We have tried to adjust the bike but, during the race, those changes made the bike too heavy to ride for me. I could not keep the same speed for the whole race because I was too tired so I lost the guys in front of me. Now I just want to move on to Brno and try to be back in the pack”.

LCR Honda Team is pleased to announce that Stefan Bradl has confirmed the agreement with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to line up as a Honda “factory supported” rider competing for the LCR Team in the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. The former Moto2 World Champion (currently 6th in the premier class world classification), with direct support from HRC, will continue the productive collaboration with Lucio Cecchinello’s Team which began in 2012 and saw Bradl taking the “Rookie of the Year” Award and his first MotoGP Pole Position and podium this year at Laguna Seca race track. Shuhei Nakamoto (HRC Vice President): “HRC is happy to continue working with Stefan in the LCR team in 2014. He is showing the performance we expected and he is working very well with Lucio’s team. We believe in them and we look forward to seeing Stefan on the podium again soon and many times in the future!” Lucio Cecchinello – Team Manager: “Being a part of HRC’s program and continuing our sport project with Stefan through to 2014 make us very happy and very proud. Stefan has amazed everybody at his debut in 2012 and is now showing his progress in the MotoGP class. His first MotoGP podium was a great result for him and for the whole Team so, from our side, we will do our best to support Stefan in 2014”. Stefan Bradl: “HRC’s support was extremely important for me in my first season in the premier class and, with their direct cooperation, I achieved my first podium in the top class this year. I am happy to continue with Lucio’s Team because we know each other very well now and we have built a professional and friendly atmosphere in the Team which allows me to be at 100% every race”.

Monterey, 21 July: LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl celebrates his first premier class podium today at Laguna Seca race track after yesterday’s massive pole position. The 2011 Moto2 World Champion led the 32-lap race for 19 laps and when his rival Marquez overtook him, the German aboard the RC213V comfortably managed a two-second gap back to Rossi to clinch his maiden premier class podium, improving on his previous best of fourth – achieved on three occasions. Stefan: “It’s a great result for us. We did a good job all across the weekend. Of course expectations were high after I had pole yesterday, but I knew I had good speed and that I could be fast from the beginning. I tried to push from the start and I think I did that very well. I struggled a little bit. I thought the race speed would be a little quicker but, with the full tank of fuel, I had a few problems with the front. When Marc caught me I saw that he had some more edge grip on the tyre and that he was able to open up a gap. I just tried to manage the gap to Valentino (Rossi), which was not easy, and it was a long and tough race. Sure I want to thank Lucio, the whole Team and all the fans and I am happy to have my dad here with me to celebrate this important result together!”