After a brief pause for breath, the reshuffled 2020 MotoGP season resumes with the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno.
Reigning world champion Marc Marquez has already been ruled out of action for Repsol Honda having undergone a second surgery on his broken right arm, which sees HRC test rider Stefan Bradl stepping in.
But the fight at the front remains just as competitive, with Jerez double winner Fabio Quartararo looking to make history by becoming the first Yamaha rider to win the opening three races of a season since Kenny Roberts in 1980.
Quartararo is likely to face stiff competition from fellow Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales, Valentino Rossi and Petronas SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli, but concerns over Yamaha’s engine reliability remain after suffering failures across the two Jerez races.
Ducati will be looking to strike back in Brno, with Andrea Dovizioso claiming victory at the Czech Republic track in 2018, which hosts the first in a triple-header of races which on paper appear favourable to the Italian manufacturer.
The 2020 MotoGP race calendar is sticking in Europe with its confirmed dates, and after the Czech Republic GP the paddock heads to the Red Bull Ring (double-header), Misano (double-header), Catalunya, Le Mans, Aragon (double-header) and Valencia (double-header).
The Argentina, Thailand and Malaysia rounds have all been cancelled for 2020 amid the COVID-19 situation, but a Portuguese round at the Algarve circuit looks set to bolster the calendar.
2020 Czech Republic MotoGP session timings
MotoGP will run its traditional schedule of two free practice sessions lasting 45 minutes each on Friday, with another 45-minute practice session on Saturday morning. The top 10 on the combined FP1-2-3 timesheet will automatically enter into Q2 of qualifying. A final 30-minute FP4 session is held on Saturday afternoon ahead of qualifying.
Q1 of qualifying sees all riders who did not finish in the top 10 of the combined practice times take part with the top two finishers progressing into Q2 alongside the top 10 who gained an automatic spot via their practice times.
Q2 is the pole position shootout which decides the order of the front four rows, with the rest of the grid organised on Q1 times, for the 20-lap Czech Republic GP on Sunday.
Moto2 and Moto3 are also in action during the Czech Republic GP.
Friday 7th August 2020
Free Practice 1: 8:55am-9:40am BST (9:55am-10:40pm local)
Free Practice 2: 1:10pm-1:55pm BST (2:10pm-2:55pm local)
Saturday 8th August 2020
Free Practice 3: 8:55am-9:40am BST (9:55am-10:40am local)
Free Practice 4: 12:30pm-1:00pm BST (1:30pm-2:00pm local)
Qualifying: 1:10pm-1:50pm BST (2:10pm-2:50pm local)
Sunday 9th August 2020
Warm Up: 8:40am-9:00am BST (9:20am-9:40am local)
Race: 1:00pm BST (2:00pm local)
Q&A: MotoGP legend Wayne Rainey on the 2020 season
How can I watch the Czech Republic MotoGP?
• Channel: BT Sport 2
• Channel numbers – Sky: 414 (BT Sport 2)
• Channel numbers – Virgin Media: 528 (BT Sport)
BT Sport’s live coverage of Sunday’s action starts with the warm-up sessions at 07:30am, taking it from the world feed, before switching to its own broadcast at 09:15am for the pre-race show ahead of the Moto3 race.
The build-up to the MotoGP race starts from 12:30pm, or when the Moto2 race finishes, ahead of lights out at 1:00pm.
Can I stream the Czech Republic MotoGP?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can also stream the Czech Republic GP by purchasing a video pass from MotoGP.com. A one-off video pass, which lasts until the first race of the 2021 season, costs £179.87p, or it can be paid for in four instalments each costing £44.96p.
The video pass gives access to every live session, qualifying and race, plus world feed content and the chance to watch previous races.
When can I watch the highlights?
• Channel: Quest TV
• Start time: TBC
Quest TV is set to broadcast free-to-air highlights of the 2020 season, usually on a Monday evening after each race weekend, with further details about specific timings and highlight packages set to be confirmed.
Weather forecast for the Czech Republic MotoGP
Brno is set to be bathed in sunshine all weekend during the Czech Republic GP, with highs of 30 degrees Celsius on race day.