Grand Prix Germany

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INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM: Motorcycle Grand Prix Germany 2010

The first half of the season 2010 is almost over for the MotoGP world championship and both of the smaller classes will start their well earned summer break soon, only the premier class will have to do another stop in the USA. The summer closing will be at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany. The tradition of the Sachsenring circuit starts back in 1927 when the first ever motorcycle race took place on the old course. Until now the fans arrive from all parts of Germany and from all over the world to experience the unique atmosphere on the 3.7 km long track.


As the Interwetten Honda MotoGP pilot Hiroshi Aoyama still recovers from his crash at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, the San Marines Alex de Angelis will jump in as replacement rider and will ride the Honda RC212V 2010 version for the first time at the Sachsenring circuit this weekend. De Angelis already gained some experience with the MotoGP Honda last year and is happy that he will come back to the premier class after such a long time.


Alex de Angelis:

"This is a very good chance for me to continue in the MotoGP as replacement for Hiroshi Aoyama. I am very very happy that I am back on the MotoGP bike. Lyear at the Sachsenring circuit my result was not bad, I finished fifth. I hope I will be able to adapt to this new position very fast and give the team the best result for the coming race, as the Sachsenring GP is partly a home race for the team. I am looking forward to it for sure."


Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager:

"Alex didn't test the MotoGP bike of this year yet, it will be a leap in the dark for him. He didn't ride a MotoGP bike for quite a while, but I hope he can tie up with the results he had last year."


The race weekend of the Motorcycle Grand Prix Germany 2010 will start with the first free practice of the 125cc class on Friday, 16th of July and will end with the MotoGP race on Sunday, 18th of July.

 

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Rizla Suzuki ready for German challenge

Publish Date: Monday, July 12, 2010

Rizla Suzuki racers ?lvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi head to the next round of the MotoGP World Championship at Sachsenring in Germany buoyed by the performance of the Suzuki GSV-R last time out at Barcelona.

Bautista has a good record at the German circuit over the past couple of seasons in the 250cc class. In 2008 and 2009 he qualified on the second row and raced to the third step of the podium in both races. He is hoping to carry some of the ?home? form he showed at the last race in Spain ? where he finished an excellent fifth ? to Sachsenring and continue to improve on a MotoGP machine as his strength and confidence grows following his early season injury.

Capirossi will be looking to build on what he described as ?the first real result? of 2010 last time out in Spain. He finished seventh in Barcelona and is certain that the huge steps the team took there will benefit them at the 3,671m East German circuit.

Sachsenring is traditionally one of the biggest events of the season with more than 200,000 fans turning up over the weekend. It is also the shortest race of the year with only just over 110kms covered during the 30-laps. The first part of the track is as tight and twisty as any MotoGP circuit, followed by a sequence of six successive left-handers that really give the tyres a hard work-out before a blind right-hander leads to an epic downhill straight. It?s a track that?s all about grip rather than out-and-out speed and always a circuit that brings plenty of excitement.

Rizla Suzuki begins its preparations on Friday with an hour of free practice. This is followed by a further hour on Saturday morning with qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday?s 30-lap race is round eight of the season and the event gets going at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

?lvaro Bautista:

?The last race was the first time I have felt like I could ride the bike how I wanted to. I feel stronger now and I?m sure I will be 100% when we get to Germany. It is a quite a difficult track, but I have had a couple of good results there on a 250 so I hope that will help me on the MotoGP bike. We know we still have a lot of work to do, but as usual we will be working as hard as possible to get the bike right and trying for a good result.?

Loris Capirossi:

?We must continue to work how we did at Barcelona and find the best solution for the bike. We know that the bike can perform well and we need to keep the positions we got at Barcelona, this is where we should be and at some races we can be even higher. The team is still so focused and we know what we have to do. I think we can go well in Germany and the GSV-R will work there and we?ll get a good result.?

 

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STONER AND HAYDEN TAKING CONFIDENT STRIDES TOWARDS SACHSENRING

Sachsenring is an unusual circuit, extremely tight in places and for the most part slow, twisty and largely unsuitable for the characteristics of a MotoGP bike. However, it remains extremely popular amongst riders and fans alike, with one of the largest and most passionate crowds of the year set to descend on the German track this weekend.

Amongst its keenest admirers are the two Ducati Marlboro Team riders, who head into the German Grand Prix with confidence and motivation this weekend. Casey Stoner took the first podium of his career at Sachsenring in the 125cc race in 2003 and eventually followed up with MotoGP victory in 2008. Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, loves the anti-clockwise nature of the track and was on the podium here four times in a row between 2004 and 2007.

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team
?We have always had pretty good races at Sachsenring, I got my first-ever podium there and I?m definitely looking forward to it. We?re a little more confident with the bike, everything has worked well enough in the last three races and we just need to find a bit more speed - just a few tenths of a second. We have to try a few different things to get some grip without losing the good feeling we have with the bike at the moment. You definitely need good side grip at Sachsenring because through a lot of those long corners you need to keep the gas open as long as possible. Also when you come over the top at turn 12 the rear gets very light and wants to wriggle around, so you really need some traction over the top there. Anyway, I?m looking forward to the next race because if we can find a good set-up it can give us the opportunity to do well. I want to put some good results together and both myself and the team will be working hard and giving 100% to get them.?

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team
?It is a very short lap at Sachsenring and the first part of it is very tight and technical, with probably the slowest run of corners on the whole calendar. Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all in first gear ? it?s like a car park! The back section is really fast though, with one of the coolest corners in MotoGP, which we call the ?Waterfall? - you arrive in fifth gear and nosedive into a blind corner? you have to be decisive there or you can easily lose a few tenths. It is a track I like a lot and on paper it is one of the best on the calendar for me. I really like left-hand corners and this track is full of them, so it is also important that we have dual compound tyres here.?

VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager
?Anything is possible at Sachsenring because our team has the ability to do well there. Both our riders like the track and even though it is not one of the fastest it always seems to have favoured the characteristics of the Desmosedici. Nicky has been on the podium there four times in the past and it was at this circuit last year where he began to show signs of progress with an excellent qualifying result. Unfortunately he wasn?t able to repeat it in the race but I would like him to do that this Sunday and I think he has every chance. Casey has always been strong at this track, he won in 2008 and after a tough start to this season he now has a good feeling with the bike and is highly motivated to finish his time with Ducati at the level we have become accustomed to.?

THE TRACK
The history of MotoGP World Championship racing at Sachsenring began in 1961, when it was one of the fastest and most popular races on the calendar. However, it was also one of the most dangerous and as a result it was removed from the schedule in 1972. It returned in 1998 as one of the slowest tracks, with an average speed of just 143km/h, but modifications introduced in 2000 brought that speed up to over 150km/h and further adjustments in 2001 increased it to around 159km/h. However, the circuit, which runs anti-clockwise, remains tortuous and twisting - especially in the first sector, and requires good mid-range engine performance. Later in the lap a faster series of left-handers that lead into an incredible blind right require good side grip from the tyres.


SACHSENRING CIRCUIT FACTS

Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2009), 1?22.126? 160.918 Km/h
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?21.067 ? 163.020 Km/h
Circuit Length: 3,671 km
MotoGP Race 2010: 30 laps (110.130 km)
MotoGP Schedule 2010: 14.00 Local Time
Number of laps: 30
Total race distance: 110.130

PODIUM 2009 : 1st Valentino Rossi, 2nd Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd Dani Pedrosa
POLE 2009: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha ? 2008) 1?32.520 - 142.840 km/h

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM BEST RESULTS AT SACHSENRING
2009: 4th (Stoner)
2008: 1st (Stoner)
2007: 2nd (Capirossi)
2006: 5th (Capirossi)
2005: 6th (Capirossi)
2004: -
2003: 3rd (Bayliss)

CASEY STONER
Age: 24 (Born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia)
Residency: Switzerland
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 133 (72xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP Victories: 27 (20xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Great Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 22 (18xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007)

Stoner?s MotoGP track record at Sachsenring:
2009: Grid: 3rd. Race: 4th
2008: Grid: 1st. Race: 1st
2007: Grid: 1st. Race: 5th
2006: Grid: 8th. Race: DNS

NICKY HAYDEN
Age: 28 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA)
Residency: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 123 (123xMotoGP)
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
Number of victories: 3 (3xMotoGP)
First GP victory: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP)
First Pole: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006)

Hayden?s MotoGP track record at Sachsenring:
2009: Grid: 4th. Race: 8th
2008: Grid: 8th. Race: 13th
2007: Grid: 14th. Race: 3rd
2006: Grid: 3rd. Race: 3rd
2005: Grid: 1st. Race: 3rd
2004: Grid: 9th. Race: 3rd
2003: Grid: 15th. Race: 5th

 

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Honda's MotoGP aces all set for Sachsenring challenge

The battle for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship approaches its halfway point this weekend with the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Honda MotoGP riders go into this eighth race of 18 events holding three of the top five positions in the points chase, though with plenty more to do to challenge for the top prize.

Repsol Honda team-mates Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) are currently second and third overall, while impressive privateer Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) is running fifth, ahead of several factory rivals. Current World Championship leader is Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who has won the last three races.

Pedrosa aims to score a hat-trick of podium finishes at the Sachsenring on Sunday. The winner of last month’s Italian GP comes to Germany fresh from second-place finishes at Assen and Catalunya, knowing that Honda’s challenge is growing with every race. Pedrosa has good form at the Sachsenring, with three victories at the track: MotoGP in 2007 and 250s in 2004 and 2005. And, of course, he will have an extra spring in his step this weekend following’s Spain’s first-ever success in the football World Cup!

Already four times on the podium this year, Dovizioso is currently enjoying his best-ever season in MotoGP. Two weeks ago at Catalunya he duelled with Lorenzo for his first win of the year, only to slide off. Dovizioso bravely remounted to finish 14th, but his earlier pace proved that the Italian is very close to being able to run race-winning speed aboard his RC212V.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) has been the talk of the last few races with a series of stunning performances aboard his satellite-spec RC212V. The hard-riding Frenchman has started the last three races from the front row of the grid and at Catalunya rode to a fourth-place finish, his best result of the year so far. At Catalunya HRC rewarded de Puniet’s brilliant commitment with upgraded chassis parts.

Team-mates Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) go into this race tied for ninth place in the world championship. The two Italians have had an up-and-down time at the last few GPs, Melandri missing the Assen race after dislocating his left shoulder in practice and rookie Simoncelli sliding off at Catalunya while battling for a best-ever top-six finish. Melandri’s ninth-place result at Catalunya was a remarkable performance, considering the nasty injury he had suffered just a week earlier. Simoncelli is in good spirits despite his fall, especially since he loves the Sachsenring, having won the German 250 GP on his last two visits.

While Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) continues on the long road to recovery from the back injury he suffered during British GP warm-up, his place in the Interwetten Honda MotoGP squad has now been taken by Alex de Angelis. At the last two races Aoyama’s place was filled by HRC test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi, but experienced MotoGP racer de Angelis will take over from this weekend until Aoyama is ready to return. De Angelis contested the 2008 and 2009 MotoGP seasons for Fausto Gresini’s squad, finishing eighth overall last year and scoring his first premier-class podium finish at the Indianapolis GP.

The German GP will always hold a special place in Honda’s memory, because it was on German tarmac that the marque scored its maiden premier-class victory at Hockenheim in May 1966. The German GP is now staged at the Sachsenring in an area of Germany that has a strong tradition of motorcycle design and manufacture going back to the early days of the 20th century. This year one of the region’s most famous motorcycling names makes a return to GP racing after an absence of more than three decades. MZ (Motorradwerk Zschopau) was based in nearby Zschopau and was famous for its smaller-capacity two-strokes in the 1960s and 1970s, but later pulled out of racing. This year the recently reborn company has returned to GP racing to contest Moto2 with Australian rider Anthony West.

Honda’s first premier-class victory at Hockenheim was won by Jim Redman. The Rhodesian raced the factory’s RC181 inline four to that success in the bike’s debut race, defeating Giacomo Agostini’s MV Agusta by almost half a minute. The East German GP on the original Sachsenring street circuit was one of the few events never conquered by Honda’s 500cc four-strokes during the 1960s. In more recent years, Honda has won 11 premier-class German GPs since the first ‘reunified’ event of 1991; that’s more than any other manufacturer.

The current purpose-built Sachsenring circuit was constructed in the mid-1990s, in the early days after reunification. The track hosted its first GP event in 1998. At that time the short circuit was the slowest in GP racing, with a lap speed of just 143km/h (89mph). Revisions for 2000 upped the pace to 150km/h (93mph) and the addition of an extra loop in 2001 (which left out the sole remaining section of the old street circuit) increased lap speeds to the current 160km/h (95mph). Initially deemed too slow for MotoGP, the Sachsenring is now a popular venue with riders. The first few corners are indeed very slow, but then things speed up with a dizzying rush of high-speed left-handers that make up the challenging middle part of the circuit. The last two left-handers – ideal for last-lap passes – follow an awe-inspiringly quick right-hander that is both blind and off-camber.





HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES


Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:
“It’s been nice to have some rest after three races in a row, but I’m already looking forward to facing the last two races before the summer break. The race at Catalunya was very positive for us, for me personally because I was able to give my friends and fans a good result, and for my team because they worked very hard again and we ended up with a second place - another podium after the one we got in Assen. I want to maintain this momentum and keep moving forward, and fight for the victory in the two next races. In addition, the three races on consecutive weekends we’ve just had helped me to achieve a very good physical condition and I feel really confident now. Sachsenring is a circuit where I enjoy racing and we’ve normally had a good performance there; even in 2008 when I crashed I was leading the race with a good gap, so it makes me feel that we can do well again this weekend. I want to be totally concentrated on not making any mistakes and be to ready to fight for the win. Finally, I want to congratulate the Spanish national football team for winning the World Cup. I watched the match on TV and it was very emotional!”

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says:
“I’m look forward to racing in Germany again and I believe we can get a strong result this weekend. In Barcelona we had a very good race pace that allowed us to stay with the leader for two thirds of the race - and this was really positive. At every race this season we are improving - we take one step forward at a time - and now we have to take the final step and really challenge for the win. At the last race in Catalunya we had the pace to fight for the top position and, even though the final result was not good, we can say that we improved a lot and proved that we are almost where we need to be. So, we will continue working towards being able to fight for the win, starting this weekend in Germany. The Sachsenring racetrack is quite short, with a very slow first section followed by a very fast second half. Usually there are so many spectators all the way through the weekend. They are truly passionate about motorsport and the atmosphere is really good."


LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says:
“We hope to continue our good work of the recent few races. Things are going well at the moment; it’s a great feeling to fight with the factory bikes and riders. And it’s good to see that HRC believe in us and are giving us some parts which can make a real difference. We will have to wait and see how things go at the Sachsenring. It is not an easy track on a MotoGP bike, so we will have to work very carefully on Friday and Saturday to make the bike as good as it can be for full race distance.”


San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri says:
“After the satisfaction of finishing the race in ninth place at Barcelona I went through the worst three days since suffering my injury. I have been in so much pain and it has made me realise that the decision not to get back on the bike immediately at Assen was the right one because it would have seriously hindered my recovery. Now I am feeling better and I go to Sachsenring feeling confident and hopeful of improving on that ninth place from Barcelona and getting back to the positions near the front, where I was running before the injury. I like the track – there isn’t a lot of braking so that is a good thing for my current condition, although on the other hand there are a lot of left-handers. It is still one of my favourite circuits, where I have several victories and should have one more from the 125cc race in 1998, when I crashed out of the lead. I won the following year and also took my first 250 win there too. In MotoGP in 2006 I had a great race with Rossi, Hayden and Pedrosa, finishing second just a few thousandths of a second behind Valentino.”


San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli says:
“At Barcelona I was just a small step away from a great result, which was a shame because it would have been another injection of confidence following up our recent progress. There was frustration after the crash but not disappointment because in any case I was able to see that I can be on the pace near the front. At Sachsenring, a circuit I like, I will try to confirm our recent progress and demonstrate it on track. I have won in Germany for the past two years in 250 and I always seem to get the best out of myself there so I hope I can have another good race and finish it with the result that eluded me in Barcelona.”



Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis says:
“This is a very good chance for me to continue in MotoGP as replacement for Hiroshi Aoyama. I am very, very happy to be getting back on a MotoGP bike. My result last year at Sachsenring was not bad, I finished fifth. I hope I will be able to adapt to this new position very fast and give the team the best result for the coming race as the Sachsenring GP is partly a home race for the team. I am looking forward to it for sure.”

 

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LORENZO AND ROSSI REUNITED IN GERMANY

The Fiat Yamaha Team is reunited at the Sachsenring this weekend, when runaway championship-leader Jorge Lorenzo will be joined by Valentino Rossi after the latter's six-week absence. Rossi's recovery from his broken leg in Mugello has gone so well that the reigning World Champion is hoping to return to action earlier than expected, although he will have to receive full approval from the Chief Medical Officer at the circuit tomorrow before he can confirm if he will ride. Wataru Yoshikawa will once again be present and will ride the second M1 if Rossi is unable to.

The undulating wooded hills of the Sachsenring brought about another neck-and-neck Fiat Yamaha battle last year, with Lorenzo missing out by the skin of his teeth to his team-mate. This year however Lorenzo comes to the German track as the man-of-the-moment, having won three races on the bounce and an incredible five in total from seven rounds this season. The 23-year-old Mallorcan has only one Sachsenring podium to his name. but he will be planning to add another this weekend as he looks to extend a championship lead that already stands at 52 points.

Rossi has missed four races over his injury and currently sits seventh in the championship standings. The 31-year-old has been recovering at home in Italy and has undergone an intensive rehabilitation programme, which has resulted in him being back on a bike earlier than expected. The nine-time champion has produced some masterful displays at the Sachsenring over the years, including a superb race in 2006 when he won from tenth position and he has a total of five wins at the track. The evergreen Italian has had two successful tests on a Yamaha R1 in the last week and has been given the all-clear by his doctors, he just has to await the decision of the event Chief Medical Officer tomorrow before he can be sure of riding.

Wataru Yoshikawa stood in for Rossi at the last round in Catalunya and the Japanese test rider will be present in Germany this weekend and ready to ride if needed. "Though only one month has passed since Mugello, Valentino is back and I am amazed at the marvellous recovery he has made." Said the 41-year-old. "I respect his decision to try to ride, and it seems from the R1 test he did that he is still very fast! I am ready to ride if I need to, but it will be good if Valentino is back in his rightful place. I have learnt a lot riding the M1 in a racing environment and I think it will be useful in my future development work."

Jorge Llorenzo "A NICE CHALLENGE"


"Sachsenring is a track that I like, but I've never won there. It's the same for Laguna so I'm excited about these two nice challenges before the holidays! Sachsenring is quite a difficult track, with a lot of ups and downs, and it's also one of the shortest tracks in MotoGP. We don't know about the weather, it can be very hot there but it would be better than rain. I'm happy Valentino is back, welcome to him!"

Valentino Rossi "LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING BACK"

"I'm really excited that my doctors think I can ride this weekend. Tomorrow I will see the medical officer and then we will have the final decision. I felt good on the R1 but I know my M1 at the track is a different thing and it will be hard for me, but I miss my bike and my team and I want to try. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and being back in the paddock; I was tired of being at home! Wataru will be there as well so if there is a problem he will ride my bike again."

Wilco Zeelenberg "WE CAN AFFORD TO BE CAREFUL"


"Sachsenring is an interesting track and it's not one that I know, but it seems Yamaha has a good record there. Jorge has never won, in fact he only has one podium, and I don't think it's one of his favourites but he is in great form so we have to feel confident of a good weekend. We have won three in a row and I don't think we can win every time so as usual our target will be to get onto the podium. We have a 52-point lead in the standings so we can afford to be careful and not to take too many risks."

Davide Brivio "HAPPY TO HAVE HIM BACK"

"Valentino has made big effort to be ready to race in Sachsenring this weekend. He really wanted to be back riding his M1 as soon as he could and so he's worked hard to make his recovery as quick as possible. We expect him to take a couple of races to be up to speed and competitive at the top after his injury, but it's very nice to see him back with us."




Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 230 (169 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 30 (9 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 134 (39 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 37 (11 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Sachsenring: Record Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2009, 1'22.126

Sachsenring: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'21.067

Grand Prix Results: Sachsenring 2009

1. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 41'21.769

2. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.099

3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +2.899

 

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Ben Spies stuns at scorching hot Sachsenring

Ben SpiesBen Spies powered his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine to a magnificent fourth place on the MotoGP practice timesheets at a scorching hot Sachsenring circuit in Germany this afternoon.

The Texan once again demonstrated his prowess at learning new tracks in ultra-quick time with a best lap of 1.23.189 securing him the fourth quickest time.

The Sachsenring is the sixth track out of the first eight races that Spies has had to learn from scratch and the reigning World Superbike champion spent most of the session learning the tight and twisty layout using a hard compound Bridgestone rear tyre.

But once he switched to the softer option he is likely to select for Sunday?s 30-lap race as track temperature hit a sizzling 55 degrees, he was immediately able to surge up the leaderboard and catapult himself into contention for a top five.

Just five minutes remained when Spies clocked his best time and it was only a late attack from fellow American Nicky Hayden that denied the 25-year-old a stunning top three position.

Colin Edwards started round eight of the 2010 MotoGP world championship opting to run a radically different set-up on his YZR-M1 machine.

The experienced Texan?s new direction saw his crew move more weight to the rear of his bike, while Edwards also modified his own style to change his body position to help turning performance.

Edwards was immediately able to ride at a comfortable and consistently fast pace with the revised setting and found himself in third place at one stage in a closely fought session.

Edwards declared himself satisfied with the outcome of the changes and he?s confident with more time to fine-tune the new set-up that he has the potential to be much higher up the timesheets during tomorrow?s qualifying session.

He finished with the 13th best time after posting a 1.23.440, but was less than three-tenths away from Spies in fourth.

Ben Spies 4th 1.23.189 ? 34 laps

?I?m really happy to be so high up after the first session and I think I figured out this track pretty quickly. It is good to start the weekend in the top five and that gives us a platform to build on. This circuit is pretty tight and twisty and there are a lot of left-hand corners but I like it because there is quite a lot of elevation that makes it fun. It felt like being out on a dirt track bike and I see Nicky is right up there too. If the weather isn?t as good tomorrow I?m really glad that I got going today and was able to get a feel for the track but also put in some fast lap times. I went out on the hard tyre, which I don?t think I?m going to race on, just to learn the track and when I put the softer tyre on I was able to go quite a bit faster. There are a couple of places where I can improve like the left-handers before the fast right downhill section but it was a decent start. I?m pretty sure already that I?ll race the soft tyre. I?m sure I can do the times on the hard tyre but we?ll see what the conditions are like. It's a positive start and that's all I can ask for."

Colin Edwards 13th 1.23.440 ? 31 laps

?The nature of this track means the times are always close and I?m not even a second off the best time but I?m down in 13th. I?m only around three-tenths behind Ben but he?s nine places further up than me. I?ve completely changed the setting of the bike here and that?s meant putting way more weight on the rear than I?ve ever done. My riding style is typically all over the front-end but with the results not being what I?ve wanted or expected so far this season, it was time to change something. So I?ve just got to trust the front and work on the rear. I?m putting more of my body weight on the rear and with the setting of the bike, we?ve shifted a lot of weight back on the rear and it works really good so far and it feels easier to make the lap time. I ran the soft tyre for most of the session and used the hard one at the end just to get some information. I did my fastest time on the hard tyre but I?d say I?ll race the soft one. There is not a lot of difference in performance between the two and I did my best time on the hard one at the end when I was feeling more comfortable and used to the new setting. But I think with the softer tyre I can definitely go faster.?

 

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STONER AND HAYDEN ON PACE AT SUNNY SACHSENRING

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden battled hard to overcome the intense heat and tortuously tight layout of the Sachsenring circuit today, setting the second and third fastest times in the opening free practice for the German Grand Prix.

After visiting three fast and flowing circuits in the last three rounds the pair worked hard to adapt the set-up of their machines to the slower circuit and both riders made their most significant progress on their final outing.

Stoner put a string of three sub-1?23 laps together to challenge for top spot, only losing out to the overall fastest time in T4, where he will look to improve tomorrow. Hayden, meanwhile, put the best aspects of the base set-up of his two machines together for a final run that saw him improve by 0.8 seconds and charge up to third place.


CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd (1?22.795)
?In general the bike felt pretty good for most of the session today but we need to make a few improvements. As usual we seem to have one part of the bike working very well at the start and then when we try to improve in other areas we make the good part worse and struggle for a compromise. We tried both sets of tyres today ? the harder compound and the softer ? and did our fastest time on the hardest but without really finding out which is the more suitable for the race. The softer front was working well but we had some issues when we switched to the harder one, in particular it was wanting to tuck at the bottom of the hill, so that?s another area we need to improve. In general, like I say, we?re pretty happy with the bike - it?s working well but we have work to do if we?re going to get to where we want to be.?

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd (1?22.983)
?All in all not a bad first day for us. It was really important to get as much information as we could today, to try all the tyres and a couple of different set-ups because it looks like there?s a good chance of rain tomorrow. We started out struggling quite a bit - right in the beginning it wasn?t too good but I switched bikes and immediately got a better feeling. Actually one bike was better on the front, one bike was better on the rear so it was a case of finding a compromise. There are a couple of parts on the track where I am quite fast but a few sections where I?m losing a lot and every tenth counts around here ? I mean, a lot of tracks you look for tenths but around here literally half a tenth can make a big difference. But it?s a cool track, I like it, that fast corner out the back is a lot of fun. We?ll just try to keep rolling.?

Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2009), 1?22.126? 160.918 Km/h
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?21.067 ? 163.020 Km/h

 

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BOTH PRAMAC RACING TEAM RIDERS NEAR THE TOP TEN IN THE FIRST FREE PRACTISE OF ENI GERMAN GRAND PRIX.

An above average temperature today has accompanied the first free practice of the eni Grand Prix of Germany that will take place Sunday on Sachsenring's circuit. The thermometer has exceeded 36 degrees, unusual temperature for the German climate. Pramac Racing Team riders, Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargar?, have a good start to approach the race weekend, finishing in eleventh and in twelfth position respectively with less than a second gap behind the first position rider, Dani Pedrosa. Thanks to the technical and to the information given by the riders there were made some improvements on the bike. This had allowed both riders to reduce their lap times and reduce the gap from the fastest riders. Good feeling for the tomorrow's qualifying where both riders will aim to gain a prominent place on the starting grid of the eni German Grand Prix.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director

"During the free practice we have worked to solve some problems encountered during the last race in Barcelona. In particular on Aleix bike we have identified some changes to allow him to have more grip on the front wheel. Too bad he had failed to take advantage in his final exit from the pits. We're still very happy with the pace that he had today, he had turned almost constantly under 1'23. Regarding Mika's bike, we had worked intensely on the suspensions impact to allow him to have a stiffer bike for the corners entry. The distance accused from the firsts gives me good hope for the second free practice and for tomorrow's qualifying session where we will push to allow both riders to gain a good position."

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing Team - 11th best time in 1'23 .422

"We have partially solved the problem we had on Barcelona's track during the last Grand Prix. We have worked on the suspension to let my bike have more rigidity in the corners entry. We are very close to the top of the standings. Tomorrow I will give my best to achieve a good position on the starting grid."

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team - 12th best time in 1'23 .430

"Unfortunately I was unable to repeat the good results of the last Grand Prix, where during the first free practice I was always very fast. As in Barcelona we had a little grip problem on the front wheel, but thanks to my engineers we have identified some changes to the settings of the bike to make it more stable. The gap from the others is still very small and this gives me good feeling for tomorrow's qualifying session."

 

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INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM - First roll out for De Angelis

Alex de Angelis, who had his first roll out today for the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team and who replaces the injured Hiroshi Aoyama until he is back in his seat, used the first free practice of the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany today to get used to the 800cc of the Honda RC212V again. The first free practice went well for rider and team and better results can be expected.


De Angelis says that the Sachsenring circuit is his favourite track and when the bike will be changed to his needs it looks good that the lap time will be even better before the race on Sunday.


Alex de Angelis, 15 - 1'24.101:

"I am really happy, as I am not far away from the other riders. If we adapt the bike a little bit better to my quite aggressive riding style I think I can get even closer to the others. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but I am confident to improve further."


Daniel Epp, Team Manager:

"I am quite satisfied with the result. Alex is getting faster each time and we only miss 1.5 seconds to the Top. Many changes were made on the bike to adapt it to his riding style. The team did a good job in the right direction. For the first free practice this really is a good result."

 

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LORENZO SIXTH ON DAY ONE IN SACHSENRING; ROSSI MAKES STRONG RETURN

Jorge Lorenzo finished sixth in the opening German practice session today, slightly struggling to find front end grip at the twisty Sachsenring track. Valentino Rossi meanwhile made an unexpectedly strong return to action after his six-week injury break, finishing just 0.020 off his Fiat Yamaha team-mate in seventh.

Lorenzo has won three races in a row at high-speed tracks but the conflicting nature of the Sachsenring landed him in difficulties today as he lacked confidence in the front end of his M1 and lost time in the slower corners. The Mallorcan is hopeful that close study of the data and a slight alteration to his riding style will help him improve and he is looking to jump up the order tomorrow.

After his early return to action Rossi was fully expected to be taking it gently today but he felt very comfortable to be back on his M1 and was soon looking like he'd never been away, sitting in the top four for most of the session. He dropped down the order a little at the end but was more than happy to be just 0.723 seconds off Dani Pedrosa's pace. After the session he applied ice to his leg but he has no more pain than is to be expected and is looking forward to making more improvements tomorrow.

Jorge Lorenzo Position: 6th Time: 1'23.224 Laps: 30


"Today wasn't a good session for me and I didn't feel so good on the bike. This isn't one of my favourite tracks and it's very different to the ones where I've won lately, so I think I need to make some changes to the way I'm riding the bike. I was fast at the start but then we didn't improve from the middle to the end and everyone else did. We have some work to do and our goal is to be competitive by Sunday."

Valentino Rossi Position: 7th Time: 1'23.244 Laps: 29



"I am really happy today, especially because I am a lot more agile on the bike than I was in the tests. I feel good and this track is helping me because a lot of it turns to the left. I am feeling quite confident on the bike and also my shoulder is good and not giving me problems. Now I have some pain in the leg and ankle but it's not too bad, I was able to do some laps in a row and I was quite fast so things seem okay. Now we will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how the leg is and whether it has swelled overnight or developed any problems."

Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager


"It wasn't a great start for us, Jorge is struggling for feel and he can't turn so well, compared to 2009 here he's not in such good shape. We need to compare the data and find out the differences, which are only small, but small differences always matter at this track because it's quite short. Hopefully if we can improve confidence in the front end Jorge will be much quicker, especially on the slow corners of which there are many here."

Davide Brivio Team Manager


"Once again Valentino has surprised everyone! After missing four races and not being completely fit this can be considered a very good session. From a team point of view it was like he had never been away, working on the suspension and searching for the best set-up. His physical condition isn't too bad, a bit more difficult in the right hand corners and okay on the left, but overall it is a lot better than we expected. We're very happy and now we'll see where we can get to tomorrow."




Combined Free Practice Times



1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'22.521
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'22.795
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'22.983
4. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'23.189
5. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'23.204
6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'23.224
7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'23.244
8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP1'23.260
9. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'23.290
10. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'23.400
11. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'23.422
12. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'23.430
13. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 31'23.440
14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'23.589
15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'23.599
16. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'24.020
17. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1'24.101

 

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Solid first day for Rizla Suzuki at a sunny Sachsenring

Rizla Suzuki racer Loris Capirossi finished the first day of practice for the German Grand Prix within touching distance of the front group at a scorching Sachsenring today.

Capirossi (1?23.589, 26 laps) was only six tenths-of-a-second from a provisional front row start today, despite only recording 14th place on the classification. His performance through the first and fourth sectors of the circuit saw the Italian record the fifth and second quickest times respectively, and if Capirossi can improve in the middle sections of the 3,671m circuit tomorrow he should be close to the leading group come race day.

?lvaro Bautista (P16, 1?24.020, 30 laps) tried both his Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs with different settings during today?s test to give him the right direction for the rest of the weekend. He certainly favoured one over the other at this tight, twisty and very demanding track and will be looking to make the correct improvements to that set-up tomorrow, as he aims to continue with the strong form he showed at the last race.

Today?s practice was held in very warm conditions with bright sunshine raising air temperatures to 36?C and ground temperatures to 55?C. Dani Pedrosa recorded the fastest time of the day on his factory Honda.

Rizla Suzuki has one practice session tomorrow morning, with qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday?s 30-lap race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?Our position today is not as bad as our place on the time-sheet. 14th is no good, but with an extra few tenths we would be at the front because everybody is so close here. We tried to make some changes to the bike ? it is basically the same as the Barcelona setting ? so during the session we tried to make many stops to change things and see how they would work. I think in the end we have some idea for something to try to improve the front and help us when we enter the corners. On the faster corners - and the one we go in without the front brake - we are struggling a little bit for feeling, so for tomorrow we have an idea to fix that. I?ve already spoken with Stuart and I?m really positive because the bike feels good on this track.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?We did some tests with the two bikes set-up very differently today. We tried one similar to the bike at Barcelona and another with some different engine characteristics. I preferred one because it was easier to enter the corners. I felt the front was a bit difficult today as I could feel every bump and I was not able to enter how I wanted to, so we need to work on that. We improved during the session, but at the finish I tried the hard rear tyre and I couldn?t get the grip I wanted and I didn?t have enough time to go back to the softer compound. For tomorrow we must work a little bit more and I feel that I can push myself more. We have a good base setting and we just need to get a few more reference points around here and we?ll improve a lot. We will work mostly with one bike tomorrow and not make too many changes, but the changes we do make we must make sure they are the right ones.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?The positions don?t reflect it, but the session went quite well and the base package is not too far away. Loris needs a half-second to be third or fourth, it?s incredibly close and if we can improve the bike through the long corners in the second sector then the lap-times will come a lot more easily for both the guys. We hope the weather holds - and the threatened rain doesn?t appear ? and that we can build on today?s potential.?

eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Free Practice Classification:

1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1?22.521: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.274: 3. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) +0.462: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.668: 5. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +0.683: 14. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.068: 16. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.499:

 

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UNLUCKY RACE FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM RIDERS IN THE ENI GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY.

Very unlucky day for the Pramac Racing Team riders who failed to finish the eni Grand Prix of Germany. The race was stopped and made restart after that the riders had completed nine laps due to an accident triggered by De Puniet that have involved Bautista and the young Spaniard Espargar?. Real misfortune for the Spaniard who, after having made a good start, was fighting to recover some positions. His pace lap was consistently lower than the riders ahead of him, during the ninth lap, he was in twelfth position close to the group of the riders that where fighting for the eighth position. Unfortunately the very low gap did not allow him to avoid De Puniet's bike who had stayed on the track after his fall. After Aleix fall he has paining returned to the box but with the strong intension to get back on track for the second stint. Unfortunately, the regulation did not allowed riders to return to the race if they don't return to the box with their bike in five minutes, but Aleix's bike was unfortunately destroyed in the front. The rider has reported a strong contusion on his right wrist and in his neck. From the X-ray made by the mobile clinic doctors nothing seems to be broken. The fall has also brought him a small cut to his left knee on which were placed two stitches. In the afternoon the rider was taken to Chemnitz's hospital where the doctors have diagnosed a possible fracture of the vertebra C7. In the evening the scan will be sent to the rider personal doctor to see if this fracture is new or if is a old one. Developments will be expected for the next days to check the possibility that the rider can take part in the upcoming U.S. Grand Prix. He went now in Chemnitz's hospital, where he will make a check-up to make unsure his physical condition. Contusion that should not prevent him from giving up next week on Laguna Seca's track where he will race the U.S. Grand Prix. Bad luck for Mika Kallio, who finished his race soon after the second stint start at the first corner. Unfortunately he lost the rear tyre, that was perhaps in not perfect temperature, in the first corner. Also for him nothing more to do. During the first stint, Mika had not made a good start, it had lost three positions after the first sector. But thanks to a good comeback he had climbed in thirteenth position in one lap, just behind his teammate, his slight disadvantage allowed him to avoid the accident and take part to the second stint, that unfortunately lasted only few meters. Riders will soon have a good chance to have good result in the U.S. race next Grand Prix.


Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Technical Director

"What to say, it was an unlucky race for both riders. We aim to get away from the Sachsenring with a good haul of points, but unfortunately for us we have to hurry forget this race. During the first race we had a good pace with both riders despite a bad start, the riders had a good comeback and have recovered some positions. Unfortunately Aleix was involved in the accident and although he really want to get back in the saddle, by regulation they did not allowed him to take part to the second race. Mika has instead taken part in the second race, unfortunately he has arrived too fast in the first corner and his tyres where still too cold and he have lose the rear grip when he have reopened gas. Shame because we noticed a significant improvement in his times throughout all the weekend and we had great confidence in him for a good result. We have to quickly forget this race and start thinking about next weekend where both riders will be able to redeem themselves on Laguna Seca's track. "

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing Team - DNF in race - 16th in the world championship

"This is not the right way! Cold tyres have betrayed me just few meters from the second start. With the second start I wanted to immediately comeback some positions, but unfortunately as soon as I entered the first turn, I lost the rear tyre and my bike slipped away. Too bad because I had a good pace during the first 9 laps, despite a bad start, I had recovered three positions and I was very close to the riders ahead of me and that were fighting for the eighth position. Luckily I avoided the bikes that were on the track after the accident, but unfortunately my race ended at the first corner of the second start. I very regret not being able to give a good result to my technicians. I hope to be competitive throughout next weekend during the U.S. Grand Prix. "

Aleix Espargar? - Pramac Racing Team - DNF in the race - 14th in the world championship

"What a unlucky race for me today. I was reducing the gap from the riders ahead of me and I could easily fight with them for the eighth position. Unfortunately I found De Puniet's bike that was lying on the track in front of me and I could not avoid it. My bike has brought too much damage in the accident and I was not able to bring it back to the box again. I had a big pain in my right wrist and in my neck, I wanted to make the warm up lap of the second round to see my physical condition and if I was able to ride for the second race. Too bad because I could gain a good position. I just made X-rays in the mobile clinic and fortunately nothing is broken, while in Chemnitz's hospital, where I was took to have further checks, they have found that my vertebra C7 is broken. Tonight we will send the x-ray to Spain so that my doctor can see them and check if it is new or old fracture. I am confident and I hope to attend the upcoming U.S. Grand Prix."

 

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Spies storms to battling eighth in Sachsenring

[Ben Spies] Ben Spies continued his fantastic charge towards the top five in the MotoGP world championship standings this afternoon after a richly deserved eighth place in a restarted German MotoGP race.

Facing a difficult challenge after starting in a lowly 13th position following an incident-packed qualifying session, Spies was in hot pursuit of a top eight finish when the scheduled 30-lap race was red flagged on lap ten after a three-rider incident.

The race was restarted over 21-laps and Spies lost contact with the group in front of him when Mika Kallio crashed at the first corner.

The 26-year-old sat in tenth position for the opening seven laps before he managed to expertly guide his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine by Marco Melandri on lap nine having already disposed of Hector Barbera.

At that stage Spies was over five seconds behind compatriot Nicky Hayden, but the reigning World Superbike champion was able to embark on a stunning charge in front of 98,477 fans.

His lap times were only bettered by the leading quartet at one stage and Spies was able to lap over a second faster than the group contending fifth spot in front of him. By the end he?d closed to within two seconds of Hayden and Spies was delighted with his pace, confident had he not started so far down the field that he would been able to seriously threaten for a place in the top five.

A difficult weekend for Colin Edwards ended in disappointing fashion.

Despite numerous changes to the set-up of his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1 machine throughout the weekend, Edwards was unable to discover a setting that allowed him to push at the fast pace he is capable of.

And his hopes of maintaining his proud record of scoring points in every race were ended when he crashed out of 16th position shortly before the race was red flagged.

Spies and Edwards now turn their attention to the all-important American MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. It is the eagerly anticipated home race for the Texan duo and both are determined to deliver strong results for an expectant and partisan crowd.

Ben Spies 8th ? 67 points

?Eighth place does not reflect what happened on track today and it was quite clear that I could have been much higher. I had the misfortune in qualifying yesterday that was nobody?s fault, but starting that far back hurt me today. It wasn?t easy to pass Melandri because his bike accelerates really well but once I got by and could run my own race, I was really happy with how I performed. Dovizioso, Simoncelli and Nicky were five seconds clear at that point but I got to just over a second away from them. I was pretty much the fifth fastest guy on the track and I definitely had a fifth place result in me today, but I just had bad luck with the qualifying crash. But I leave with a top eight result and I?m not that far away from fourth in the championship now. Now I?m really looking forward to going home and racing at Laguna Seca. I love the circuit and I will have a lot of support and I genuinely believe I can run in the top five."

Colin Edwards DNF ? 39-points

?I got pushed around a bit at the start and lost a bit of time and I was just pushing because what I would lose on acceleration I would try and catch it all up on the brakes. It was my mistake. I ran into the last corner wide and was probably a metre off line and when I tried to pull it back I lost the front. This wasn?t the result I wanted going into my home race next week at Laguna Seca but I?m more motivated than ever to get back on track and recover from a pretty difficult period in the season for me. I love Laguna and the atmosphere created by the fans and rest assured I?ll be aiming to get myself much closer to the front where I know I belong in front of my home crowd.?

Herve Poncharal ? Team Manager

?Ben was once again very impressive this weekend and he showed that he is an expert at learning new tracks. Unfortunately his race was dictated by his qualifying position and being so far down through no fault of his own was difficult. It was a pity because we saw that he had the pace to run in the group battling for fifth. He was catching them a lot and as always he was very fast at the end of the race. He finished the weekend on a high note and he is really fired up for Laguna Seca next week now. It was a shame that Colin crashed in the first part of the race and unfortunately he has not been able to reach the level of performance we know he can this weekend. He?s never given up and worked really hard with his crew but thankfully he wasn?t hurt in the crash and I know he is incredibly motivated to perform better at Laguna Seca. The whole Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is looking forward to Laguna Seca because the support for Ben and Colin will be incredible.?

 

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Capirossi eleventh as unlucky Bautista forced to retire

Rizla Suzuki racer Loris Capirossi brought his Suzuki GSV-R home in 11th place during today?s German Grand Prix, whilst team-mate ?lvaro Bautista was forced to miss the second half of a two-part race following a red flag incident.

Capirossi and Bautista were both battling for top-10 finishes during the first part of the race and the latter had just posted his fastest lap, before Randy de Puniet crashed on lap 10. Capirossi was in close vicinity to the accident but missed the falling rider, however Bautista was not so fortunate and had to take evasive action to avoid de Puniet, but couldn?t avoid the stricken Honda. The race was immediately red flagged due to de Puniet?s injuries and the three crashed motorcycles on the track ? Aleix Espargaro was also involved in the incident. Sadly for Bautista and Espargaro they were unable to join the re-start, due to the regulations, and had to sit out the second part of the race.

Capirossi began part two of the race ? which had now been reduced to 21-laps ? from 11th on the grid, but he was unable to find any grip from the tyre he used for the re-start and wasn?t able to make any advances through the field.

Today?s incident filled race at Sachsenring was watched by 98,477 fans in warm but overcast conditions. They saw Spaniard Dani Pedrosa win from World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Rizla Suzuki now immediately embarks on a transatlantic journey to Laguna Seca in California for the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship to be held next Sunday.

?lvaro Bautista:

?It has been a bit of a disaster today. I didn?t start that well and I couldn?t get enough warmth in the right-side of the tyre early on. After the first few laps I managed to get a good rhythm and was able to stay with the group for top-10 positions. After nine laps Randy crashed and I had some riders in front of me and I couldn?t see where his bike was on the track, but when the other riders disappeared I saw the bike in front of me and I couldn?t do anything to avoid it, so I crashed. I then couldn?t get to the box with my bike, so I couldn?t start again. The regulation is the regulation, but in this case maybe there could?ve been an exception because I crashed because of Randy not for something I had done. We must continue learning, like we have done this weekend, because at the moment this is the most important thing.?

Loris Capirossi:

?Overall we worked quite hard this weekend to find the best setting and we wanted to make a modification today for the race in warm-up, but unfortunately it was wet so we couldn?t try it. We decided to try a different setting in the race and some electronic modifications and in the first part of the race it worked really well. It was the best the bike had been all weekend and I had a good feeling and was sure I could get past some of the guys in front of me. After the red flag we decided to change to a used tyre from yesterday because there were no new ones left, and it just didn?t work and I had no feeling at all from the beginning until the end ? zero grip! I ended up fighting with de Angelis to keep my place. This result is a bad position for us, but overall we have learned a lot of things today. I think without the stop in the race our result today would?ve been much better.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?We knew that the potential had at least improved following Barcelona, but today was massively frustrating. In the first part of the race both the guys found a good rhythm and were able to race with the group from sixth place backwards. ?lvaro had just set his fastest lap when the accident happened and whilst we respect the rule book completely, I would imagine there will be some careful discussion for the future, because with only 17 bikes on the grid it is definitely a problem for the show to have fit riders and good bikes sat in the pit after an incident like that when they should be out there racing.

?The second part of the race was a disaster for Loris from the very first lap, he used a tyre that had done a few laps yesterday, but he just couldn?t get any grip at all and that stayed the same for the full race distance, He toughed it out and brought the bike home, but all-in-all it was a disappointing end, given the potential the two riders showed in the first part of the race.?

eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Race Classification:

1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 28?50.476: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +3.355: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +5.257: 4. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +5.623: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +17.158: 11. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +45.042: NOT CLASSIFIED. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP):

World Championship Classification:

1. Lorenzo 185: 2. Pedrosa 138: 3. Dovizioso 102: 4. Stoner 83: 5. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 78: 13. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 30: 15. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 25:

 

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LORENZO KEEPS PODIUM RECORD INTACT WHILE ROSSI SEALS REMARKABLE FOURTH PLACE

The German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring today provided a thrilling afternoon's racing, with Jorge Lorenzo finishing second and his resurgent Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi rounding off a remarkable return from injury to finish fourth by a mere whisker. A red flag after nine laps meant the race was restarted, with Dani Pedrosa eventually taking the win after a 21-lap ?second' race.

Starting from pole for the fourth race in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to Pedrosa at the start but retook the lead on the first lap and led the way by a couple of tenths for the first nine laps. Rossi meanwhile, back racing just six weeks after breaking his leg, had dropped two places on his grid position to seventh. On the second lap he passed Hector Barbera and then loomed up behind Marco Simoncelli, passing his fellow Italian to take fifth on lap four. The World Champion had more than a second's gap to Andrea Dovizioso but he quickly started to close down on him and was in range on the ninth lap, passing him on the tenth. By then however an incident involving three riders had caused the race to be red-flagged and, with positions then taken from the end of the ninth lap, that left the top five in almost their original grid order of Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso and Rossi.

Thirteen riders restarted the race and it was the same story all over again, with Pedrosa passing Lorenzo into turn one but the championship-leader getting back through before the end of the first lap. The next few laps saw the two Spanish riders in some superb wheel-to-wheel action as Lorenzo tried and failed to shake Pedrosa off, the pair maintaining a nail-biting distance of about a tenth for several laps. After three wins in a row however Lorenzo finally succumbed today and on lap nine he was unable to hold his compatriot off any longer, sensibly deciding to bring his M1 home in second place for 20 points. The 23-year-old has now finished in first or second place at every one of the eight rounds this season.

The restart saw Rossi again lose some ground but he passed Hayden second time around to retake fifth and set off in pursuit of the leaders. On the sixth lap he got by Dovizioso but with a near two-second gap to Stoner it looked unlikely that the Italian would make much headway on the Australian. Rossi is always one to amaze however and he was soon lapping at the same pace as the leaders to bring himself within striking distance of Stoner with a third of the race remaining. The final six laps saw some superb action between the two rivals, with Rossi looking as if he had never been away and several brilliant overtaking manoeuvres from both riders. On the penultimate lap Rossi took the lead in what looked like a decisive move but on the final corner Stoner somehow found a way back through and the nine-time Champion was forced to settle for fourth, albeit probably the most impressive fourth position of his career.

Lorenzo's championship lead now stands at 47 points from Pedrosa, whilst Rossi moves up one place to sixth. The paddock now heads directly to Laguna Seca in California for the US Grand Prix in one weeks time.





Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: +3.355



"It's always difficult when a race is split like this and I think I didn't ride quite as well in the second race as I felt I had been doing in the first. Dani was very, very strong and I was on the limit trying to stay ahead. When he passed me I tried briefly to stay with him but he was much faster than me today and I was going to have to take a lot of risks to stay with him; the safest thing for me to do was finish second and take 20 points for the championship. I am happy because I never really liked this track and now I've been second here two years in a row. Now we go to Laguna and I am very excited about racing there again."


Valentino Rossi Position: 4th Time: +5.623



"I didn't expect this! I thought it was maybe possible to make fourth or fifth place but I thought it would be very difficult. In the end I was fourth but I had a great battle with Casey and I was so close to the podium, so this is a fantastic result after missing four races. I need some more kilometres to really recover the feeling and feel completely okay with the bike again, but I think I did a great job and this was a very good comeback, better than we could wish for. I felt a bit of pain in my shoulder but more in the leg when changing direction, but at the end the battle with Casey was such fun that I didn't think about it. Unfortunately though he just got the better of me on the last corner! Thanks to all my team for helping me come back and be competitive like this, we will try to do even better in Laguna."


Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager



"I said before this weekend that we can't win them all and today Jorge rode another very sensible race to finish second and bring home 20 valuable points for the championship. It's a pity about the restart because the final third of the race is generally Jorge's strongest and with the shortened race he didn't have that bonus, but he rode a great race nonetheless and tried his best to stay with Pedrosa, who was a bit faster than us today. This hasn't been one of his best tracks in the past and he had some problems the first day so this is a good result for us all."

Davide Brivio Team Manager



"In the end this race was something completely unexpected; one week ago we didn't know if we'd be able to ride here at all and then day by day our targets changed. We would have been happy whatever with a top five today but finally we were really competitive and so close to the podium. It's unbelievable and even more so because we were lapping at the same pace as the leaders. We've never been so excited by a battle for third position! It was very positive; Valentino worked so hard to be here and he made it in style, so now we will continue our plan in Laguna next weekend."




Results



1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 28'50.476
2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 3.355
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team + 5.257
4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 5.623
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team + 17.158
6. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 17.757
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team + 17.935
8. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 20.957
9. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team + 22.000
10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 35.217
11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 45.042
12. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP + 45.204

NOT CLASSIFIED

Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 21 Lap

NOT STARTING

Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP
Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team


Championship Standings



1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 185
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 138
3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 102
4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 83
5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 78
6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 74
7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 69
8. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 67
9. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 49
10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 45
11. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 41
12. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 39
13. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 30
14. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 28
15. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 25
16. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 24
17. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 18
18. Alex de Angelis (ITA) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 4
19. Kousuke Akiyoshi (JPN) Interwetten Honda MotoGP 4
20. Wataru Yoshikawa (JPN) Fiat Yamaha Team 1