Brno MotoGP: Valentino Rossi’s mechanic recovering from swine flu

One of Valentino Rossi’s longest serving mechanics has been forced to miss this weekend’s Czech Republic MotoGP race in Brno having been struck by swine flu.
Australian Alex ‘Axel’ Briggs is expected to return to working on Rossi’s factory YZR-M1 at the next race in Indianapolis at the end of August having recovered from a bout of swine flu that he fell ill with during the summer break.
Briggs has been a leading mechanic in MotoGP since 1993 and started his long association with legendary Aussie crew chief Jerry Burgess in 1994, working with Mick Doohan at Repsol Honda.
Like Burgess, Briggs moved from Honda to Yamaha when Rossi sensationally quit HRC at the end of 2003.