Ecstar Suzuki team boss Davide Brivio is guarded about his expectations for this weekend’s Brno MotoGP round, saying that on paper at least, it’s not a good track for the GSX-RR.

Alex Rins has won a race this season while rookie Joan Mir is edging closer towards a top-five finish. Brivio is positive about the race weekend to come and says it is important to get a decent results to take team morale forward.

“We’ve already shown that we are competitive, and our target now is to continue to prove this potential. Alex is able to fight among the top positions in every race, while Joan is steadily getting closer to the top,” said Brivio.

The circuit of Brno is a fascinating track - maybe on paper it’s not one of our best tracks, but the progress we’ve made so far in terms of performance give us positivity for this weekend.

“It will be an important race for morale as well, because it will kick off of the second half of the championship and we want to go to Austria in good spirits too.”

Mir’s crew chief Frankie Carchedi likens Brno to Mugello - but without the long straight - as a setup reference and says aero is not so important at the Czech track.

“Brno is a very flowing track - it’s similar to Mugello but without the really long straight. There are a lot of changes of direction, which makes it really important to have an ‘easy’ and well-balanced bike that handles well,” he said.

“The majority of the corners are second gear, so it’s also crucial to have good engine braking and the gearing exactly right. The middle sector suits our bike well and the track is quite wide, which allows for fast and sweeping lines.

“Aerodynamics don’t come into play so much here, but power and torque are useful - especially in the final sector. The weather can vary here; and when it’s hot it can be slippery, but in the wet it’s really grippy.”