17.08.09Ninth for Toseland in Brno

PBRA-supported MotoGP star James Toseland followed up his impressive sixth place finish at Donington Park with a typically determined ride in the Czech Republic this weekend. Having qualified in 14th position, the double World Superbike champion rode valiantly to finish the Brno GP in ninth place.

Front end issues dominated Toselands weekend, but the Yamaha Tech 3 rider gained two places on the first lap of the race to nullify a disappointing qualifying performance. As the race progressed, Toseland gained in confidence and overcame the technical issues that dogged him throughout the weekend. The 28-year-old eventually crossed the line in ninth place, just 1.5 seconds behind Alex De Angelis in eighth having profited from Mika Kallio and Marco Melandris heavy tumble on lap 21.

The British rider is now 13th in the MotoGP standings with six races left on the 2009 calendar.

Toseland said: It has been a tough weekend and I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit fortunate to get into the top ten. I rode as hard as I could every lap and never gave up but at the moment I'm struggling with a problem with the front for the first half of the race. I get a hopping sensation on the front and it really hurts my corner speed. We've been struggling with it for a while now but after half distance, how the feeling comes better is unbelievable. It's almost like somebody is tweaking my bike while I'm riding because it improves so much.

On lap 20 I did a 58.4, which is only one tenth off my qualifying time, so it shows how good the bike eventually feels. But I lose so much in the first half of the race that it really costs me. My pace in the second half of the race should be getting me in the top six. If we can solve this front-end issue then I know I can be running much higher up the field, which is where the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team deserves to be.