de Puniet, Espargaro ready to renew top CRT battle

The final eight rounds of the first MotoGP season to feature CRT machines will begin with Aspar team-mates Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaro tied for top privateer honours.

Both have scored 33 points heading into this weekend's Indianapolis round, with de Puniet ranked ahead only due to his top CRT result of eighth at Assen.

The Frenchman was one of a number of grand prix riders to spend time at Colin Edwards' Boot Camp during the summer break.

"After Laguna Seca I spent a few days at Colin Edwards' house and had a lot of fun," said de Puniet. "We rode some dirt bikes and motocross bikes and then after that I went to stay with some friends in the Bahamas.

"It has been a nice holiday with plenty of opportunity to relax but I have also been doing sport every day. Now it is time to turn our minds back to racing. It is two weeks since the USGP so I am looking forward to getting back on the bike.

"Indianapolis is not one of my favourite circuits, it is very tricky because of the track surface, but our objective is the same as always, which is to finish as the top CRT."

Espargaro has also used the two weekend break to recharge his batteries.

"The break came at a good time for me. I needed to switch off and the time has flown by but I was able to spend it at home with family and friends and relax on the beach," he said. "I have also kept up to my daily training plan to make sure that I am fit and full of motivation for Indianapolis.

"The championship is long and tough. Luckily for us things have gone well in the first half of the season but we need to keep working hard to keep it going. My team-mate is a very strong rival and we are currently tied on points so we can't afford to lose concentration for one moment because every race promises to be a constant battle.

"I quite like Indianapolis. I struggled with the Moto2 bike last year because it was sliding around a lot but it is a different kind of track and I love the straight because you get to ride part of the famous oval."

The next best CRT rider, Gresini's Michele Pirro, is currently 17 points behind the Aspar riders.