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Speed racer

Risky driving brings Lukáš Pešek to the brink of Moto GP glory

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 13th, 2007 issue

ČTK
Pešek (No. 52) finished second at the Moto GP race in Le Mans May 20, extending his lead in the overall standings to nine points.
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For much of his career, Lukáš Pešek’s aggressive racing style has brought him grief — and crashes — as often as success.
The 21-year-old motorcyclist had a slow start in his most recent race June 10 in Barcelona, part of the world’s most prestigious road-racing motorcycle series, the Moto GP. However, he soon began closing the gap between his bike and the leading pack.
“I knew it was only a matter of time before I reached them,” Pešek said after the race. “I wanted to fight for the podium again.”
For decades, seeing a Czech biker among the leaders of Moto GP seemed an idea out of science fiction. However, thanks to a sensational start to the season, Pešek is making history.
In early May, he became the first Czech motorcyclist in 41 years to triumph in a World Championship race after winning the fourth circuit of the Moto GP series in Shanghai — this despite suffering a mild concussion in the race’s qualifier. The win lifted him to the top of the overall standings in the 125cc category.
Thanks to his aggressiveness, Pešek has finished well more often than not this season, but not without incident.
With only four laps remaining in Barcelona, Pešek attacked, storming into a curve behind Spaniard Hector Faubel, who had supplanted Pešek as the leader of the 125cc category. Riding in too fast on Faubel’s bike, Pešek leaned on the breaks to avoid a collision, only to discover that his brakes were shot. Unable to slow down, Pešek glanced off of Faubel and both riders fell.
While Faubel was unable to continue because of damage to his motorcycle, Pešek hopped back on his bike and finished the race in 13th place.
“It’s good, every point can count at the end of the day,” Pešek said.
After the Barcelona race, he now ranks third in the overall standings.
Rise and fall
The race in Spain mirrors the difficulties Pešek has experienced throughout his career. It started young: At the age of 3, Pešek’s father made him a miniature bicycle. Lukáš soon fell off it and broke both his arms.
Much later on, the talented biker entered the international circuit in 2002, when he began competing in the European Championship. In the series’ first race, he suffered a bad fall and took several weeks to recover. Still, he managed to finish third overall that season.
After that first season, Pešek found himself struggling with technical problems on his bikes. He rarely finished a race.
“The problems were persistent, and it looked like I’d hardly ever be able to shake them off,” he said.
But he did, and last year he finished for the first time on the podium in a Moto GP race, taking second in Jerez, Spain. Despite a series of falls that followed throughout the season, Pešek finished in an impressive sixth place overall.
Pešek’s stock continued to rise this season, when this May he became the first Czech biker ever to lead Moto GP’s standings.
The win in Shanghai was followed by falls in his last two races, which have dropped him back down. But falls happen, Pešek said.
“When you wish to succeed, you have to take every risk, and you can hardly avoid falls,” Pešek said.
Asked about his immediate goals, Pešek said he wants to finish strongly at the Moto GP race in Brno, south Moravia, Aug. 19.
“I can’t imagine what will happen if I finish on the podium in Brno,” he said.
However, his long-term goal remains a place among the elite riders in the Moto GP’s fastest division, the 500cc.
“If I finish in the 125cc’s top three this season, it could lift me to the 250cc category,” he said. “And, from there, it would be only one more step to the fastest racing possible.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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