McCoy has combined relaxation and training during the traditional holiday period in anticipation of better results during the seven-race "second half" of the MotoGP season at the impressively fast 5.4km Brno track.

McCoy's early season campaign was blighted by a long recovery, including two operations, from a double fracture to his right leg suffered in pre-season testing.

Now fully recovered from those injuries, McCoy has been recently indulged in his much-loved high-altitude trials riding workouts in the Pyrenees Alps of his Andorran home base, on the border of Spain and France.

In the 10 days leading up to this Sunday's Brno race, the 10th round of the MotoGP world championship, McCoy has also returned to a specialist training centre near Mondsee in Austria for daily cycling and gym workouts.

"I'm feeling strong and fit after pushing to new levels in the training sessions - the gym assessments show I've really climbed the ladder in terms of fitness," McCoy said.

"And the trials riding has been a good test for my ankle and leg.

"I can now put pressure on it and push off the rocks and there have been no problems.

"It was first time I was able to do some strength stuff with my leg while riding."

The trials adventures have been a family affair with McCoy accompanied by his father, David, a former speedway rider from Sydney who introduced his son to bike riding at the age of four.

"I've got a couple of trials bikes in the garage in Andorra so Dad and I have been up in the mountains doing a lot of riding together - it's been great," McCoy said.

"My parents are over from Australia and are driving my motorhome to the European races (Brno and Estoril in Portugal) before we start the flyaways to Brazil, Japan, Malaysia and then to Phillip Island (for the SKYY VODKA Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on October 18-20).

"It's been relaxing just to go riding and do some more training, but now I'm really looking forward to getting back to racing on the GP bike."

Earlier McCoy started the five-week holiday break with an intensive test day following the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in the final week of July.

He completed 85 laps - the equivalent of two and half GP race distances - as he evaluated a new generation of Dunlop tyres and engine and chassis settings on his factory Yamaha YZR500.

"It was good to do that test as I probably needed the time on the bike after missing three races with my injuries in the first half of the season," McCoy said.

"The test confirmed some of the options for bike settings and I got to run some of the Dunlop tyres that were developed while I was away.

"The Dunlop guys are working hard and I'm sure we are going to have even more tyre progress for the final races of the season."

However, McCoy continues to believe it is going to be hard work for a traditional 500cc two-stroke bike like his Yamaha to win a race against the might of the new-era 990cc four-strokes from Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki.

"The four-strokes have got an advantage, we can see that especially with the Honda V5 ridden by Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa and I expect they will show that again at Brno," McCoy said.

"A top five finish will be a good result on a 500 two-stroke and, depending on the track, the podium might be a chance.

"I'll be trying flat out as always, but the new four-strokes are the way to go for the future."

While McCoy has signed again with the Red Bull WCM team for 2003, his bike is yet to be confirmed - with increasing speculation that he will be aboard a Moriwaki-Honda V5, powered by the same motor that has taken Rossi to a dominant position in MotoGP.

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