BRADL TAKES 6TH PLACE AT 65TH DUTCH TT GRAND PRIX

Assen

Assen, 29 June: typical Assen weather has bedeviled both days of practice, with intermittent light showers, but today’s 26-lap race was run in the dry ahead of 90.000 spectators who celebrated the incredible victory of Rossi on Yamaha. LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl started from the front row for the first time in his MotoGP career with the aim to continue his progression aboard the RCV and finished 6th scoring 10 points.

Bradl: “Honestly we are not completely happy because we were expecting a better result after our first front row. The sixth position is still okay but we miss something to catch the guys in the front. Actually we could not repeat yesterday’s lap times and I felt the bike was more heavy to turn and this cost us a lot of time in corner entries. Some riders passed me in the beginning on the brake because I was not able to fix my braking point and I struggled to find my references. I was not able to put the things together and reduce the gap to the front. Now we move to Argentina for a 2-day test session and then my home race at Sachsenring: I am really looking forward to race in front of my local fans.”

STRONG 5TH PLACE FOR BRADL AT SCORCHING CATALUNYA GP

Catalunya

Montmeló, 16 June: the field got underway in stifling conditions today for the 25-lap race at Montmeló race track with LCR racer Stefan Bradl enjoying a second consecutive top five finish. During the first three practice sessions Bradl was in impressive form and despite the tenth place of yesterday’s qualifying, the German produced another positive race wisely managing the life of his tyres.

Stefan: “Honestly we thought it would have been tough to get such a good result so we are very happy about this P5. It has been a very tough race in these hot conditions and I had to be very clever to save the tyres in every single lap. Some riders crashed in the first part of the race so I decided to be less aggressive in the beginning. I am quite satisfied about my performance because I was capable to adapt to these difficult conditions. This strategy gave me a lot of confidence and a big gap to the guys behind me. Tomorrow we will be back on track for a half-day test here and then 2-day testing in Aragon

BRADL HITS THE CAMP NOU STADIUM AHEAD OF THE CATALUNYA GP

CampNou

Montmeló, 12 June: the LCR racer Stefan Bradl had a strong race in Mugello equalling his best personal result in the premier class finishing in 4th place. Bradl returns to Spain this weekend for the Gran Premi de Catalunya where the warm atmosphere and the positive result obtained in Italy 2 weeks ago, give the german extra motivation to perform. In 2012 Bradl finished eighth showing brilliant fighting spirit while battling with much more experienced rivals.

Before taking the Catalan race track on Friday morning, Bradl and his colleagues enjoyed a friendly football match at the majestic Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona looking to emulate the style and the feats of the FC Barcelona talented players.

Stefan: “I really enjoyed the Mugello GP and the battle with Dovizioso into the last corner. I arrive in Spain with the aim to improve last year’s result on the RCV because I know the circuit very well and I have the poise of a veteran now. The Spanish fans are very warm and they love motorbike races and football. The FC Barcelona is the best football Team in the world but this year my Team (Bayern Munchen) won the Champions League beating them so I was so excited to play football at the famous Camp Nou. I used to play football when I was a kid and I can say I am not that bad”.

BRADL REPEATS HIS STRONG PERFORMANCE GETTING THE 4TH PLACE AT MUGELLO

Mugello, 2 June: Stefan Bradl aMugellond his Team enjoyed another special weekend at the crowded Mugello circuit thanks to the excellent 23-lap race conducted by the German riding the RC213V. Bradl’s ride was simply astonishing as he made a good start from the second row and kept the vastly experienced Andrea Dovizioso behind him, lap after lap.

Stefan: Repeating the 4th place of last year is is a very special feeling for me and the Team. Actually I am happy about the job we have done throughout the whole weekend but the race was a bit tough. Honestly I did not take a brilliant start losing some positions and after that I had to overtake the Ducati guys. It was not easy to relegate them behind me and I knew that Dovi would have tried to pass me in the last lap. He is a strong rider and I really enjoyed the battle with him. I must thank the whole Team and our partners and fans for their excellent job and support because I know this a special race for Lucio and his collaborators.

DETERMINED BRADL TAKES 10TH PLACE AT LE MANS GP DESPITE A CRASH

bradl_leman

Le Mans, 19 May: in a demanding 28-lap race affected by some light rain in the first part, the LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl managed to finish the Grand Prix de France in 10th position although he slid out of the treacherous track at 11 laps to go when he was steadily holding the 6th position. His fifth place on the grid was a reward for all the hard work he has done with the Team to solve a front-end issue and without his slide, the German would have had a good chance to repeat his result from last year when he finished 5th.

Stefan: “My start was pretty good and I think that our pace was not so bad because we were able to race with the top group. Then during the race I could not see properly and had to open the visor many times. So for me it was a bit tough to do the perfect line and I crashed because I touched the white line. After that I was lucky because I was able to push the engine back to riding with acceptable lap times. We are actually back on our speed but we have had some bad luck. In any case we are fast in the dry and in the wet so I am looking forward to Mugello which is one of my favourite race tracks”.

BRADL SQUEEZES INTO THE 2ND ROW BEFORE THE RAIN COMES

18.05Le Mans, 18 May: premier class teams expected rainfall for qualifying at Le Mans circuit, but the weather has been kind to the riders and the Q2 remained dry. Stefan Bradl was more in a confident mood following yesterday’s positive opening day at the legendary venue and he recorded the fifth quickest lap time on soft tyres (1’33.634) sharing tomorrow’s second row with Crutchlow (4th) and Pedrosa (6th).

Stefan: “Finally we have done a good job in the qualifying as the gap from the third to the sixth in the classification is very narrow. It’s nice to be back after the difficult weekend in Jerez and I knew I was enough fast to get the P5 which is our usual placement. I want to thank the Team for their efforts because they have done a good job to adjust the front-end working on suspensions, electronics and mapping. Now I can ride the bike with more confidence and no matter what the weather will be tomorrow because I am confident we can race in the front”.

BRADL HAPPY WITH HIS BIKE PACKAGE AT LE MANS GP ON DAY ONE

17.05Le Mans, 17 May: in dry but cool conditions, MotoGP riders headed out for the first day of practices of the Grand Prix de France with Stefan Bradl lapping in 1’34.299 at the iconic “24 Heures circuit du Mans”. His fastest time, just 0.2s off today’s pace setter Pedrosa, secured him a positive fifth position. The German riding the LCR Honda RC213V has had a disappointing start to his second MotoGP season (with two crashes at the first three races) but a working-well adjustment of his braking system, allowed him to get back to his standard pace.

Stefan: “This morning we have tried an updated braking system compared to the past because we think that the front tyre issue we had in Jerez is due to the braking system. Actually we made a big comparison this morning and, even in the afternoon, we lapped with this new system which gave me a good feeling immediately. We could improve our lap time and I had my standard bike back: this is the bike I like to ride and I am very happy about that. Now we have to work on the tyre life for the race because we are abusing the tyre a bit too much but so far it has been a good opening day for me and the Team”.

BRADL KEEN TO RIDE AT THE LEGENDARY LE MANS RACE TRACK

16.05Le Mans, 16 May: MotoGP ascends to Le Mans this weekend for the Grand Prix de France at the legendary “Circuit des 24 Heures” which holds one of the longest traditions of Grand Prix racing on the current MotoGP schedule. At this week’s event LCR Honda MotoGP Team is pleased to announce that Elf will act as Title Sponsor branding Stefan Bradl’s Honda motorbikes ahead the fourth round of the season.

Elf is a brand of TOTAL, one of the largest major integrated oil and gas companies in the world, with activities in more than 130 countries. Elf, since the 70’s, never ended its commitment on the various prestigious motor sport platforms developing year after year the most advanced chemical technologies for producing top performing racing fuels, engine lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids including all kinds of industrial and automotive grease products.

Stefan: “We arrive at Le Mans with two DNFs from three rounds and some issues with the front-end that we partially solved in the Jerez test session. Le Mans is another good circuit which I like and in my debut year in the premier class I finished 5th. This increases my motivation and my will to be back at the front with the other guys. However, we are conscious of our set-up problems which affect my corner entries and my riding style. We collected further data in Jerez to begin the Le Mans weekend with a good base set-up and, session after session, we will try to adjust the package.”

BRADL RESUMES TEST ROUTINE AT JEREZ

6.05Jerez, 6 May: LCR racer Stefan Bradl was back on track today in Jerez for one day of testing after yesterday’s race which saw the German ending a very tough weekend with a DNF. The 23-year-old, riding the RC213V no. 6, began his intended test programme in sunny conditions working on front-end adjustments and Bridgestone tyres. At the end of the day Bradl finished 9th fastest with 1’39.894 (71 laps).

Stefan: “Today was a very intense day for us. We worked on various aspects of the set-up trying to find a solution for our front-end issues. We did not focus on the quickest lap time but still we have to improve the bike as we lose too much time entering the corners. However I am optimistic that, in Le Mans, we can go back to our normal speed

BRADL SLID OUT OF THE GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN

5.05Jerez, 5 May: LCR racer Stefan Bradl endured a tough weekend at Jerez de la Frontera circuit crashing out of the Grand Prix of Spain on the third lap of 27. During practice the German had struggled with lack of front-end feeling, but by yesterday evening he seemed to have partially solved the issue which then returned for the race. Bradl was racing in seventh when he lost the front at turn nine. He walked away from the crash unharmed but hugely disappointed.

Stefan: “Basically we were not able to fix our problems throughout the weekend and even today I could not ride the bike in a smooth way. I early crashed because, since the beginning of the race, I could not push in the front and this overall package did not suit my riding style. This tough weekend ended with a crash and I feel sorry for everybody. We must forget this race and go ahead working hard for Le Mans GP”.