Sepang, 5 February: it was another busy day at Sepang with 26 riders adjusting their 2014 machinery through the eight hours of testing at the 5.540m race track. LCR racer’s Stefan Bradl pushed for quicker lap times today setting the 3rd fastest lap time of the pack (2’00.339) just three thousandths down on Pedrosa who qualified 2nd behind his team mate Marquez. The German completed 52 laps working on braking stability and front suspension to improve the bike turning and will return on track tomorrow for the final day of testing.

Stefan Bradl: “Today I am very happy: it’s good to be back up in the pack with Marc and Dani. We improved our lap time of one second and, thanks to adjustments in the front, I gain more confidence under braking. We knew that our potential on this bike was higher and today we have been consistent and fast. I hope that we can continue in the same way tomorrow: we plan to work on race distance to finish this 3-day test session with a good base for the future”.

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Sepang, 4 February: after a 2-month break the MotoGP riders and Teams descend on Sepang this week to kick off the first test session of 2014 season before the opening race in Qatar in March. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl has commenced three days of action today posting the 6th fastest lap time (2’01.320) riding his RC213V Factory Spec. in typical humid and hot conditions. Bradl took advantage of the ideal conditions lapping the circuit 61 times and getting vital data to fine-tune his 2014 machine.

Stefan Bradl: ”I always feel very excited to jump back on my bike after the winter break. The result of this first day is quite positive: I like the 2014 machine and we gained a lot of data to adjust the bike and to come up with the speed. The sixth place is not impressive but we focused in every single aspect of this new bike to improve in some areas like the traction control and the breaking stability. We have found the base set-up and now we start to fine-tune the bike to get a better pace”.

Lucio Cecchinello (LCR Team Manager): “It’s amazing to see that, after two months of break, all the MotoGP riders are lapping so fast and very close to the circuit lap record. One more time Honda has confirmed his high potential as Pedrosa, Bautista and Bradl are very close up in the standing (we all knew that Marquez would have been extremely competitive). Today we lapped on both bikes to get a first impression and, after the lunch break, we started to chase the best set-up. Personally I am very satisfied about Stefan and the crew’s job at the end of the first day”.

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Stefan: “When the season is over, it’s nice to be back home to rest but we (riders) can not loaf for long. We miss the speed and, as a professional MotoGP racer, it’s mandatory to train in the winter break to be at the top physical condition for the first testing session. Obviously I spent the Christmas period with my family in Germany, but I kept on training: first in the South of France with Yves where I enjoyed one week of motorcross, flat track, endurance etc.. it was demanding but I had fun. Then, I moved to Spain for a dedicated physical test at the CAR in Barcelona and afterward I jumped back on the bike trying the trial discipline for the first time ever. Now I am proceeding with gym, running, bicycle etc… here in Germany because the first test is just around the corner”.

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Valencia, 13 November: 2014 pre-season testing commenced on Monday afternoon at Ricardo Tormo race track with some riders swapping machinery, many tweaking set-ups and some joining new teams. Ideal conditions for most of the 3-day testing session gave LCR racer Stefan Bradl vital time on track to evaluate his Honda from this season completing 154 laps throughout the post-GP testing (4th overall). The premier class finale run out at the Spanish circuit today saw the 23-year-old taking the 4.005km track aboard the new Honda prototype in preparation for the 2014.

Free Practice 01: Bradl 3rd 1’31.751
Free Practice 02: Bradl 4th 1’30.990
Free Practice 03: Bradl 3rd 1’30.868

Bradl: “The result of these three days of work is quite good for me. We tested a lot of parts which allowed me to go faster including the new swingarm from Honda. Then we tested new parts from Öhlins and new electronic maps but it takes time to get the references and to gather the data. The most exciting part of this testing session was the new Honda prototype which I rode today. I could feel the difference in the engine power and the chassis configuration but it’s not that big and I had fun lapping on the new machine. At the end I can say I have a positive impression about the new bike…”

Valencia, 10 November: in the final SOLD-OUT race of the 2013 calendar in Valencia (more than 104.000 spectators), the Spanish racer Marc Marquez has been crowned the premier class World Champion whilst the LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl finished the 30-lap race in 6th position overcoming the unfortunate history which saw the German never completing a race at the 4.005Km circuit.
Stefan ends his second season in the premier class in 7th place with 156 points.

Stefan: “First of all I want to thank my Team for their excellent job during the season and, for the first time in my career, I could finished the race in Valencia so I am happy to keep working with this crew in 2014. The race itself was quite tough as we expected because we have been struggling with front-end issues for the whole weekend. Actually it was not a bad race but we lost a bit of time in certain areas so we will focus on those points from tomorrow during the testing days. My best moment of the season was Laguna Seca podium because we did an incredible job the whole weekend whilst the worst moment was the injury in Malaysia but I can say that, even in that case, Lucio and the guys were incredibly professional making my recovery easy and fast. The 2013 season is over but we will start working on 2014 in less than 24 hours…”.

Valencia, 7 November: the 2013 MotoGP World Championship concludes this weekend with the traditional season finale in Valencia at Ricardo Tormo circuit which will determine the premier class World Champion between Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo. The LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista will enjoy their own duel on Sunday – to be the next best-placed Honda rider in the final standings. German Bradl had been ahead of his Spanish rival until an unlucky injury sustained during the Malaysian GP. Bradl missed the Malaysian and subsequent Australian races and arrives at Valencia 14 points behind Bautista. Bradl had also been showing excellent performance until that spill at Sepang. His highlight of the year so far is his first MotoGP podium at Laguna Seca, where he made history as the first German to start a premier-class race from pole position.

Stefan: “I am heading to Valencia with extra motivation after this tough period. In Japan I felt a little bit of pain during the race, when my right leg was kind of pumping the muscle, so fifth place was an extraordinary result, considering my conditions. The mobility of my ankle is better now but not yet at 100 per cent. I have continued my standard training programme since returning to Germany because I aim to finish the season with another positive result. Missing two races cost me a lot, including sixth position in the points standings. By the way, I think we have done a pretty good season, including my first podium at Laguna Seca”

Motegi, 27 October: in today’s sunny and crowded Japanese Grand Prix, LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl managed to finish the 24-lap penultimate round of the season with a brave 5th place overcoming the pain of the recently fractured ankle. After the disruption of Friday and Saturday, the MotoGP paddock finally enjoyed dry conditions taking to the Japanese circuit for an extra 45-min morning free session which saw the German in first place. Bradl’s determination and the intensive physiotherapy programme gave him the chance to race today scoring 11 points.

Stefan: “It has been a “crazy” weekend for everybody but, at the end, we had a dry race and I am happy about my result. I was more cautious compared to the other guys but I took a good start from the third row. At some point during the race Bautista caught me but I could feel some pain in my ankle due to the movement of the bike. Actually my ankle is at 85% and for me it was a long and tough race so we must be pleased with this 5th place”.

Motegi, 24 October: LCR racer Stefan Bradl and his crew hit Motegi circuit this weekend for the last of the three flyaway races and, after today’s medical check carried by Doctor Tsuyoshi Karasawa (Chief Medical Officer) and Doctor Michele Macchiagodena (MotoGP Medical Director), the 23-year-old has been declared fit for the Japanese round. Bradl broke his ankle in practice in Malaysia, when an innocuous spill went bad as he caught his foot in the trackside Astroturf. The 2011 Moto2 champion underwent immediate surgery, and bravely attempted to race at the next weekend’s Australian round, but was ruled out after struggling in the first practice. Since then, he has been undergoing twice-daily physiotherapy sessions, and while he will not be at 100 percent, he hopes to be strong enough to give a good account of himself at Motegi.

Stefan: “Of course I am happy to be back racing especially on this track which is very important for Honda. On Friday in Australia I was ruled unfit and after that I have been having two physio sessions each day with the Clinica Mobile staff. I am off crutches now and the ankle is getting a lot better. I must thank the Clinica Mobile staff for their superb job. Compared with Phillip Island Motegi has a lot of hard braking and slower corners, so I know it will be a tough race but I am keen to jump back on my RCV.”

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.”