Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo will be able to count on a bigger cheer than normal around a MotoGP circuit this weekend when the championship resumes for the eleventh round of eighteen at the wide and technical Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. The Spaniard, who has won 2 GPs and collected 8 podiums this season in all the races he has finished (currently 2nd in the standings), will find it hard to miss the 150m-squared banner that will be unfurled by his official fan club in the principal stand and also the display of 200 poster-signs with his distinctive ‘Por Fuera’ logo. In an extra element of theatre the large contingent will be dressed up with a Spartan theme, the girls as queens and the men as warriors! The club insist that the initiative at Brno is merely a ‘warm-up’ for what will be massive party and celebration at Valencia for the final round in November. Brno will also see the application of the new engine rule that permits riders to use only five motors for the rest of the season (seven races). Each unit will be marked by the MotoGP Technical Director and new engines must be registered before use as well as the rule-upholders needing to be advised when a fresh power-plant is to be slotted into the motorcycle. Riders cannot interchange engines within a team but components with regards to electronics – that do not involve dismantling an engine – are permitted. The new rule places extra stress on the teams and riders to make sure they remain competitive until the end of the season. The calendar visits some diverse climates in the months to follow; from Indianapolis to the coast of Portugal to Phillip Island on the southern tip of Australian and the heat of Malaysia.
