Rossi to break eight-year Brno trend?

If MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi wins the upcoming Czech Republic Grand Prix, on August 20, it will mark the end of an alternating eight-year lose-win trend at Brno.

Rossi took his first ever grand prix victory in the 1996 125cc Czech Republic Grand Prix (lower picture), then finished third at the 1997 edition of the event. Amazingly, if those two results had been reversed, Rossi's entire ten-year Brno career would have seen the Italian legend lose, then win, then lose, then win...

Nevertheless, from his 250cc Brno debut in 1998 onwards, that is exactly the pattern of The Doctor's Czech Republic results:

Rossi failed to finish in 1998, won in 1999, finished second to Max Biaggi on his 500cc debut in 2000, won in 2001, failed to finish after tyre problems on his RCV debut in 2002 (middle picture), won in 2003, was beaten by Sete Gibernau in 2004 and then clinched victory in 2005 (top picture).

Unfortunately for Rossi, even if he does take his first back-to-back victory in Brno, he will need a DNF for world championship leader Nicky Hayden to revive his slim 2006 title hopes.

Valentino Rossi's Brno results: 1998 - 2005:

2005: MotoGP - Rossi wins.
2004: MotoGP - Gibernau wins, Rossi second.
2003: MotoGP - Rossi wins.
2002: MotoGP - Biaggi wins, Rossi DNF.
2001: 500 - Rossi wins.
2000: 500 - Biaggi wins, Rossi second.
1999: 250 - Rossi wins.
1998: 250 - Harada wins, Rossi DNF.