Moto GP Round 8

Moto GP Round 8

2013.07.14


eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

                            

Circuit info

Length: 3.671 m. / 2,281 miles

Width: 12m

Left corners: 10

Right corners: 3

Longest straight: 700 m. / 0,435 miles

Constructed: 1996

Modified: 2003

Last year winner 

Dani PEDROSA

SPA

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

Sachsenring: A happy Pedrosa hunting ground

If the last three German Grands Prix are anything to judge by, Dani Pedrosa should head to the Sachsenring with much confidence. However, as the 2008 race told the Spaniard, nothing is ever certain in motorcycle racing…

Many would be over the moon to finish fourth in a MotoGP™ race but, knowing major rival Jorge Lorenzo was injured and starting 12^th, Pedrosa naturally felt disappointed to have gained only a further two points over his Yamaha Factory Racing opponent. In fact, fourth for the Repsol Honda Team rider marked his equal worst result of 2013 to date and ended a run of five consecutive podium finishes – the longest string of top three results for anybody so far this year.

Now heading to Germany, Pedrosa can be comforted by the fact that he triumphed at the Sachsenring in 2010, 2011 and 2012, bringing his total of victories at the track up to six following two earlier successes in the intermediate class as well as the first MotoGP™ win of 2007. A year later, he would infamously lose control while dominating and violently bounce across the gravel trap.more

                                                                                                          

News

Lorenzo: ‘I have to stay realistic about injuries’

Following his accident in second free practice at Assen, the champion is carrying eight screws and a plate in his left collarbone. Despite having returned from an operation in Barcelona to finish fifth in the Dutch TT, notwithstanding the pain in his shoulder, the Mallorcan is staying completely pragmatic when it comes to Germany.

“Sachsenring is going to be a little tough for me after the crash at Assen,” Lorenzo begins. “It is true that in Holland we achieved a stunning result for me, the team and also the championship, but I have to be realistic and I still have a long way to go until my collarbone is recovered. I made a huge effort to race at Assen and could finally manage a really difficult weekend to get an astonishing fifth.” more

Dovizioso and Hayden under no illusions

The Assen race ended in dramatic fashion. As Dovizioso dived up the inside of the final corner, both he and Hayden ran wide which allowed Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith to seize ninth place. This capped off a highly frustrating weekend for Ducati, which had featured Dovizioso’s worst ever MotoGP™ qualifying result.

“I don’t know how the Sachsenring will be for us,” Italy’s Dovizioso begins ahead of the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. “As is the case at many tracks this year, this one will be new for me with the Ducati. It’s a small circuit, but it’s very complicated. I’m not crazy about it, but I’m curious to see how the Desmosedici will go there. We knew Assen wasn’t one of the easiest tracks for us, but we certainly didn’t ever expect all the problems we had. Still, we go to the Sachsenring as we always do: determined to get the best result possible.”

Then with Repsol Honda Team, Hayden clinched four consecutive Sachsenring podium finishes as he finished third on every occasion from 2004 to 2007.more

Bradl: Contract details to come very soon

Over recent weeks, talk in the paddock has pointed towards Bradl riding a ‘factory-supported Honda’ next season. At present, the German - who qualified on the front row at Assen - is unable to clarify his situation in full.

"We have a pre-contract which we signed last year, at the last race in Valencia," Bradl explains. "This will come very soon. We will sit down together in the next couple of weeks, but I don’t think it looks so bad for me. Also, when looking at our data, HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) knew we were struggling at the beginning of the season and now over the last races we have not done badly. They know exactly what is going on and I think they are quite happy with the progress we have made."

Having suffered three falls across the first four races of the season, Bradl admits that at times it is possible to be distracted by one’s impending future.

"This is always in the back of your mind because you also want to show HRC and all of the sponsors that you can do better than you are actually doing," continues the Moto2™ World Champion of 2011. "When you struggle at the beginning of the season, it is not easy to come back and solve the problem, but it doesn’t really make any difference in my life – especially after we sat down with Lucio (Cecchinello, CEO of LCR Honda MotoGP) and all of my team. more

Rossi: Longest-serving premier class winner

With his first top class win having come in the 500 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Donington Park in 2000, Rossi’s 2013 victory in the Dutch TT came 12 years and 355 days later. This beats the previous record held by Brazil’s Alex Barros (11 years and 204 days) and pushes Phil Read down to third place (11 years and 16 days).

‘The Doctor’ could still set the same record when considering all categories. Rossi’s current win span is 16 years and 345 days; if he wins at Sepang this year, he will beat Loris Capirossi’s 17 years and 49 days. Rossi’s first ever win came in the 125 Czech Grand Prix at Brno in 1996.

12 July 2013Friday

The Sachsenring weekend has begun in difficult fashion for Andrea Dovizioso, who lost control at Turn 11 less than ten minutes into the opening practice session. 

 Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Sachsenring FP1

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Sachsenring FP1

Lorenzo tops crash-strewn first practice

Despite a broken collarbone, Jorge Lorenzo was quickest in Friday’s opening practice for the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Yamaha Factory Racing rider led championship leader Dani Pedrosa and Assen winner Valentino Rossi as Andrea Dovizioso, Andrea Iannone and Cal Crutchlow all suffered sizeable accidents.

Pedrosa to make decision on Sunday morning

Pedrosa injured his left collarbone by crashing in Free Practice 3 on Saturday; the Spaniard lost control on the exit of Turn 1, suffering a hard impact with the tarmac after flying into the air. Lorenzo’s accident had come on Friday, bending the plate attached to his already injured left collarbone.

Following initial checks at the circuit, Pedrosa was airlifted to Chemnitz Hospital for closer examination. A further x-ray was carried out as well as a CT scan, which revealed that the 27-year-old Catalan had picked up a ‘minor fracture’ to the left collarbone. He later returned to the Sachsenring by road, not taking part in qualifying but electing to rest.

“Dani is now relaxing back in his room,” Rhys Edwards, Communication & Marketing Manager for Repsol Honda Team, explained to motogp.com.

“He had a CAT scan at hospital just to check there was no further damage, after the initial check in the Medical Centre and the Clinica Mobile here at the Sachsenring. It showed there was a slight crack and fracture in the collarbone, but not a break, so that is a big relief to Dani and all in the team.

“Now it is up to Dani to see how he feels tonight. If he feels able and fit enough, then he will do a medical check at 8:20am on Sunday morning; then if he feels up to it, he will attempt to race, but only he knows whether he will be able to do that.”

Should he wish to compete in the race and is positively revaluated by medical staff on Sunday morning, Pedrosa will start from 12th on the grid by virtue of his lap times from combined practice which submitted him to the Q2 shootout. more

Race Day

MotoGP Sachsenring RAC

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Sachsenring RAC 

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP, Sachsenring RAC

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Sachsenring RAC 

Cal crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Monster Yamaha TEch 3, Yamaha Factory Racing, Sachsenring RAC 

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Sachsenring RAC 

Valentino Rossi, Yamaha FActory Racing, Sachsenring RAC 

 Crutchlow, Marquez, Rossi, Monster YAmaha Tech 3, Repsol Honda Team, Yamaha Factory Racing, Sachsenring RAC

Results

Pos.	Points	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time/Gap
1	25	93	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	160.2	41'14.653
2	20	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	160.1	+1.559
3	16	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	159.5	+9.620
4	13	6	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	159.3	+13.992
5	11	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	Honda	158.8	+21.775
6	10	38	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	158.6	+25.080
7	9	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	158.2	+30.027
8	8	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	158.2	+30.324
9	7	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	157.3	+45.355
10	6	51	Michele PIRRO	ITA	Ignite Pramac Racing	Ducati	157.2	+47.142
11	5	8	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Avintia Blusens	FTR	157.1	+47.824
12	4	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	157.1	+48.523
13	3	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	FTR Kawasaki	156.7	+54.428
14	2	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Came IodaRacing Project	Ioda-Suter	156.3	+1'00.323
15	1	71	Claudio CORTI	ITA	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	FTR Kawasaki	156.0	+1'05.530
16		70	Michael LAVERTY	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM	155.8	+1'09.153
17		7	Hiroshi AOYAMA	JPN	Avintia Blusens	FTR	155.4	+1'15.601
18		17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	ART	155.2	+1'19.683
19		52	Lukas PESEK	CZE	Came IodaRacing Project	Ioda-Suter	153.4	1 Lap
Not Classified
		67	Bryan STARING	AUS	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	FTR Honda	154.1	3 Laps
		68	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Paul Bird Motorsport	ART	149.5	29 Laps

MotoGp Standings

As of German Grand Prix		+/-	Points	Behind	Wins
1	Marc Marquez- Repsol Honda Team	+2	138	‒	2
2	Dani Pedrosa- Repsol Honda Team	-1	136	2	2
3	Jorge Lorenzo- Yamaha Factory Racing	-1	127	11	3
4	Cal Crutchlow- Monster Yamaha Tech 3	–	107	31	0
5	Valentino Rossi- Yamaha Factory Racing	–	101	37	1
6	Andrea Dovizioso- Ducati Team	–	74	64	0
7	Stefan Bradl- LCR Honda MotoGP	–	64	74	0
8	Alvaro Bautista- Go&Fun Honda Gresini	+1	58	80	0
9	Nicky Hayden- Ducati Team	-1	57	81	0
10	Aleix Espargaro- Power Electronics Aspar	–	52	86	0
11	Bradley Smith- Monster Yamaha Tech 3	–	51	87	0
12	Michele Pirro- Pramac Racing Team	–	36	102	0
13	Andrea Iannone- Pramac Racing Team	–	24	114	0
14	Randy de Puniet- Power Electronics Aspar	–	19	119	0
15	Hector Barbera- Avintia Blusens	–	18	120	0
16	Danilo Petrucci- Came IodaRacing Project	–	15	123	0
17	Colin Edwards- NGM Mobile Forward Racing	–	13	125	0
18	Ben Spies- Pramac Racing Team	–	9	129	0
19	Yonny Hernandez- Paul Bird Motorsport	–	6	132	0
20	Claudio Corti- NGM Mobile Forward Racing	–	5	133	0

Video

Sachsenring 2013 - MotoGP - RACE - Highlights 

News

Marquez aware Laguna Seca could be different

Next weekend, California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will host the second leg of back-to-back races which bring closure over the first half of the 2013 campaign. As the lower classes do not feature at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, 20-year-old Marquez is yet to visit the undulating, anti-clockwise circuit.

“I am very happy with this victory,” Marquez said at the Sachsenring on Sunday afternoon. “It was important to have a good race under the circumstances this weekend, without Dani and Jorge on-track. I wish them a speedy recovery, because winning is important but without them the triumph isn't quite the same.

“Even so, it is a good result, since we have taken the maximum points available and ridden a completely different race to those that we've had before. We led the race and maintained the gap to second place. It was good experience, although I perhaps prefer races that are a little more of a battle! We should be happy and we have also held up well, physically, at a circuit where there is no time to rest on the bike.

“We'll see how it goes at Laguna Seca, which will be a hard Grand Prix for me because I've never ridden there. We'll take it step-by-step and remain calm whilst we get up to speed.”

Marquez has now won four races consecutively at the Sachsenring; prior to this year, he triumphed in the 125 race of 2010 before winning in Moto2™ in 2011 and 2012.  more

Drained Crutchlow notes podium consistency

The English rider suffered two heavy crashes in free practice at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland and sustained significant abrasions and contusions on his arms and legs, before qualifying second on the grid; an early tangle with eventual race winner Marc Marquez meant the Tech 3 man had to make up several places from sixth on the first lap.

Despite his physical condition at the intricate Sachsenring track, where overtaking opportunities are notoriously scarce, Crutchlow came through on the likes of Aleix Espargaro, Stefan Bradl and Valentino Rossi for another solid second place.

“I tried my best and I got as close to Marc as I could,” Crutchlow explained. “I initially got a good start and then Marc came across but and I rolled off and was into sixth position and I had to make some passes. But I’m pleased with this results and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have done a fantastic job here. We are now consistently challenging towards the front in MotoGP.”

The Isle of Man-based competitor added: “It’s good to be up here and it is good to be back on the podium. I’m physically drained after this weekend in which I’ve had two bad crashes. I want to say thanks to my fans. I never gave up and hopefully we can see more of that in Laguna Seca.”

Crutchlow’s mid-race overtake on Rossi puts him above the Italian by six points in fourth place in the standings, 20 points behind third-placed Jorge Lorenzo and 31 points adrift of new leader Marquez.

The result also saw Crutchlow become the first British rider to have four or more podium finishes in a single season in the premier class since Barry Sheene in 1982.  more

Second successive podium pleases Rossi

It was the Italian’s first podium result in Germany since he won the race there in 2009 and the Round 8 performance by the nine-time World Champion continued his recent resurgence in form. Starting from third on the grid, the Italian took the hole shot into Turn 1 and led local rider Stefan Bradl on the first lap. As Rossi struggled to find grip from the rear tyre, Bradl was able to pass at Turn 12.

Pole man Marc Marquez came through for the lead, but Rossi was able to pick up the pace again with 22 laps to go, retaking Bradl for second. Tyre wear later came into play and Rossi was passed by Cal Crutchlow, meaning it was a second successive podium finish but not quite enough to challenge for another victory.

“It's a good result,” Rossi began. “To be on the podium is always a good result, but I expected something more and to have a better race. The first ten laps were not so bad but later I started to have problems and it was too difficult to turn the bike; especially on the left I was sliding too much.

“We have to work to try and make another step to stay with the top guys. Next we will have Laguna, a very special track, and we will try to have better results there. We are five very fast riders and we are closer now because unfortunately Dani (Pedrosa) and Jorge (Lorenzo) are injured and we have another race next week.

“If I want to fight for the championship, I have to go faster and I have to be constantly faster, so I have to make another step.”

The result puts Rossi on 101 championship points, six behind Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow in fourth. His teammate Jorge Lorenzo now sits in third position in the championship on 127 points, having missed the race through injury.  more

More Lorenzo surgery, could return at Laguna

Lorenzo broke the collarbone in Thursday practice for the Dutch TT just over two weeks ago, returning to Barcelona where the plate was attached with eight screws. In Germany on Friday, the plate was damaged after the Yamaha Factory Racing rider highsided on the exit of Turn 10.

Having been ruled out of this weekend’s race, he underwent surgery at the Hospital General de Catalunya on Saturday morning.

“As a result of the trauma suffered in the crash yesterday, the original fracture suffered a little movement that required a new surgery to close the space and reduce the fracture by the osteosynthesis method and with a new plate,” explains Dr. Joaquin Rodriguez, surgeon who carried out the procedure.

“The new plate needed ten screws plus one inter fragmentary screw. We then needed to take out some bone substance from the pelvis that was mixed with dried bone. We placed this implant into the collarbone to stimulate the creation of the callus and help speed up the consolidation of the bone.

“The Surgical team involved at the Hospital General de Catalunya, Sant Cugat del Vallés were Doctors Joaquin Rodriguez, Marc Cots and Anna Carreras, anesthetists Doctors Angela Verde and Eric Alvarez and instrumentalists Cristina Gil and Laia Torrens. The operation lasted for two hours.”

On Saturday evening, the Yamaha Factory Racing team rider announced on Twitter that he is planning to make his comeback after the summer break, at Indianapolis, for the tenth round of the season: 'To the people asking me about Laguna, I would like to say that I don't want to take more risk and (instead) have a good recovery. See you in Indy!'

However, on Sunday Yamaha Factory Racing released a statement explaining that no decision has yet be made with regards to whether or not Lorenzo will be contesting the Laguna Seca round, staged next weekend. His crew will travel to California and set up as per usual, should the rider decide to attempt an early comeback.  more

Paddock Girls 

MotoGP: Suzuki will return to action in 2015

Suzuki will return to MotoGP in 2015 after three years out of the sport.

The Japanese team, who raced for 37 years before they left at the end of 2011 for financial reasons, are testing their new bike in Spain this week.

It had been hoped they would race in 2014but they confirmed:  "Suzuki will participate again in MotoGP racing from 2015."

Suzuki rider Nobuatsu Aoki added: "The test we did at [Japanese track] Motegi got us some good lap times."

Speaking to motogp.com, he continued:  "We have brought the new 1,000cc prototype and will try it on the circuit [in Barcelona] tomorrow - and we're excited about that.

"I cannot say too much more, but I believe we can be optimistic."

Suzuki will join Honda, Yamaha and Ducati as the other manufacturers in the sport.

Suzuki first competed in the top class of grand prix racing in 1974, and saw British legend Barry Sheene take two world championships in the 1970s.

Kenny Roberts Jr was the last Suzuki world champion, winning the 500cc title in 2000.

In Suzuki's last season in 2011, lone rider Alvaro Bautista finish 13th in the championship.