PREVIEW - GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING 16/07/2006

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PREVIEW - GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING 16/07/2006-----------------------------------------------------------------

MORE TWISTS EXPECTED AT ROLLER-COASTER SACHSENRING

A roller-coaster season continues for the Camel Yamaha Team this
weekend at the vertigo-inducing Sachsenring circuit in Germany, host to
the tenth round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. One of the
tightest and most undulating tracks in the world welcomes the most
unpredictable season in recent history, with Valentino Rossi and Colin
Edwards both having played their part in a dramatic campaign that has
seen five different race winners, nine different riders on the podium
and thirteen different front row starters.

Rossi added to his season-tally of three victories with a stunning
second place in the last round at Donington Park, where he rode through
the pain of hand and ankle injuries to put his YZR-M1 machine back on
the podium and cut the gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) to 35
points. That memorable performance at his talisman track was the 121st
time that Rossi had stood on a Grand Prix podium - the same number as
Phil Read and a figure bettered only by the legendary Giacomo Agostini
and Angel Nieto. Rossi has now also scored a total of 2977 points in
all classes and victory in Germany would make him the first rider in
history to pass the 3000 mark.

Sixth place for Colin Edwards at Donington was the 30th successive race
at which he has scored points, a record made all the more remarkable by
the drama of the previous round at Assen, when he crashed out of the
lead in the final corner only to remount and bravely struggle across
the line in thirteenth place. The only rider with a longer sequence of
successive point scoring finishes is Mick Doohan, who managed it for 37
races, but the more pressing issue for Edwards now is a return to the
form that saw him fighting for victory in that breathtaking Dutch TT
two weeks ago.

VALENTINO ROSSI: BACK TO FITNESS

Valentino Rossi arrives in Germany with the benefit of an extra weekend
to recover from the hand injuries he sustained in the middle of a Grand
Prix triple-header at Assen. After struggling through the discomfort to
score valuable points in Holland and Great Britain, he is now hoping to
be fit enough to fight for his fourth win of the season and his fourth
in all classes at the Sachsenring circuit.

?I am very confident that by Sachsenring my hand will be back to 100%,
or near enough,? says Rossi, who won the German Grand Prix for Yamaha
last year to add to previous MotoGP and 250cc successes in 2002 and
1999. ?I have been working hard with my physiotherapist Marco Montanari
and Dr Costa and hopefully it will continue to improve at this rate.
It?s really nice to have had time for a rest now after three very hard
weeks, even if it?s not so long. I spent some time in Italy and then a
few days at home in London, relaxing and seeing friends.

?The important thing for Sachsenring is that we come out of the box on
Friday morning ready to make the most of every available minute of
practice time. We can?t afford to lose time in practice with set-up
problems like we had in Donington, and I am sure that Yamaha has been
working at the maximum over the break so we will be ready to be
competitive from Friday morning. Sachsenring is quite a different
track, very tight and twisty, but last year our bike worked very well
there, we were able to win and hopefully that will be the case again
this year.?

COLIN EDWARDS: TO JAPAN AND BACK

Whilst his team-mate and most of their rivals have had time to rest
this week, the relentless pursuit of speed has continued unabated for
Colin Edwards, who has been out in Japan completing testing work for
Yamaha ahead of the Suzuka 8-Hour race. Edwards was at Suzuka for two
days as he prepares to compete in the prestigious event on 30th July
alongside Yamaha Superbike rider Noriyuki Haga, but he is already back
in Europe and gathering his strength for another important weekend of
MotoGP action.

"It was hard to go straight out to Japan after such a long run of races
but I'm quite excited about doing the 8-Hour again, especially as it?s
ten years since Nori and I won it together before,? reflected Edwards,
who will ride for the Yamaha Blue Racing Team aboard a specially
prepared YZF-R1 SP. ?Testing has gone quite well this week, just
getting used to being back on a Superbike again and getting
reacquainted with the track. We've got a competitive package so
hopefully we're going to be in a position to really go for it when we
go back for the race after Laguna.

?Obviously there?s a lot of work to do before then and the small matter
of two GPs in two weekends, including my home race! Sachsenring will be
really important because we had a lot of problems with the bike at
Donington that we didn?t solve and we can?t afford to lose any more
time. The track itself has two different parts ? one where it?s very
difficult to overtake and another which requires a massive physical
effort because it works the left-hand side of your body really hard The
tyres are under a lot of strain and it's vital to make the right choice
so they don't overheat on the left-side. Generally I get along pretty
well with the layout and there are always a lot of fans so it should be
a good weekend?.

VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION

Age: 27
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
GP victories: 82 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 166 (106 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 41
World Championships ? 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4
x MotoGP)

COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION

Age: 32
Lives: Conroe, Texas
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 58 x MotoGP
World Championships - 2 World Superbike


DAVIDE BRIVIO: STILL ENOUGH TIME

Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is hopeful that a fully fit
Valentino Rossi will appear at the Sachsenring on Thursday afternoon in
readiness for a renewed assault on the championship standings when the
action gets underway on Friday morning. Rossi?s recent progress has
been hampered by his injuries but with the benefit of a brief rest
behind him Brivio remains confident that the World Champion has enough
races to turn the situation around and successfully defend his title
for the fifth time.

?Now it?s funny because we almost consider a weekend off as a break!?
smiles Brivio. ?Anyway we are hoping that this week gives Valentino a
chance to recover and arrive at the Sachsenring with his injury
troubles behind him. We are expecting him to be fit from Friday morning
so we are hopeful of a ?normal? weekend for both him and Colin. The
situation with Valentino has delayed our recovery in the championship
over the past couple of rounds but there are eight races left and we
still have enough time.

?Our aim is to close the gap even further before the summer break so
this race and the next one at Laguna Seca are very important. As far as
the Sachsenring is concerned we had some problems with our bike there
the first season with Valentino but we found a good setting last season
and he was able to win the race. Sincerely I think the track suits the
characteristics of the 2006 version M1 but we will have to wait and see
on Friday morning. I hope so!?

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: SACHSENRING ACCORDING TO MIKE NORTON

Located in the heartland of the former East Germany?s once glorious
motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the
old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the
nearby Czech Republic. The current circuit could not be more different,
its ultra-modern nature showing in its relatively slow lap times, with
slow corners juxtaposed with some dazzlingly fast ones ? including a
super fast downhill right hander which was added in 2003. It is this
that provides the circuit?s biggest challenge, for riders and
technicians alike.

?The Sachsenring is a difficult track ? it?s quite short and it?s not
one of Valentino?s favourites,? explains Mike Norton, ?hlins Suspension
Technician for Valentino Rossi. ?It?s one of my busiest weekends
because the set-up of the bike is all about finding a compromise
between braking for that monstrous downhill section and handling
through the slow sections. It?s a bit of a trade-off really between
getting Valentino good through the slow part and good enough to stop
the bike at the bottom of the hill. Valentino often wins races on the
brakes so he?s a little bit different to most riders and you always
have to have some margin in the front fork.

?You also spend a lot of time on the edge of the tyre at Sachsenring,
right on the angle, and again that causes us an imbalance in the bike
compared to normal. But Valentino?s feedback is very good compared to
other riders I?ve worked with. You can give him a change and be miles
off centre but he?ll ride around it and you?ll either see a good lap
time or a bad one, which then gives us an idea of where to go. From
that point of view he?s very good to work with and he always gives you
100%.?

CIRCUIT INFORMATION

Pole position left
Lenght: 3671 m
Width: 10 m
Right corners: 4
Left corners: 10
Constructed in: 1996
Last modified: 2003

Sachsenring Lap Record: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1?23.705
Sachsenring Best Lap: Max Biaggi (Honda) 2004, 1?22.756

2005 German Grand Prix Results:
1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, 35?04.434
2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Honda, +0.685
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, +885

8. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +14.849

 

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PREVIEW GERMAN GP

WELCOME BACK TONI

Cautious return for Toni Elias at Sachsenring dopo after three weeks out with a fracture to his left shoulder. Marco Melandri is looking forward to the event and hoping for a repeat of his Donington performance despite the latest tests showing a fracture to his right collarbone.


After his brilliant podium at Donington Park on July 2, Marco Melandri arrives in Germany in good spirits and improving physical shape.
A week-long break following three straight races has given him crucial time to rest and recover strength but also to undergo further tests on the injuries he sustained in that horrific crash at Barcelona. In particular, Marco underwent important examination at the clinic run by Dottor Porcellini, the orthopaedic shoulder specialist that operated on his collarbone and shoulder in 2003. The results have shown up a compound fracture to the right collarbone next to the sternoclavicular joint. Three weeks on from the incident Marco is recovering and is over the most critical phase but the pain continues and the Italian must try top move his right arm as little as possible, avoiding closing it across his front.
His team-mate Toni Elias will have a more cautious approach, meanwhile, as he returns to the track after himself being injured in a practice crash at Assen, which left him with a fractured left shoulder. After being forced to miss out on the Dutch and British rounds, the Spaniard is still suffering but will try to return to action on the RC211V.

MARCO MELANDRI:

?It was nice to be back on the podium just two weeks after the accident. Donington was a real achievement for me and I pleased because Barcelona hasn?t affected me ? I still have the desire to fight and my racing spirit is still intact. Now we have to race at two very interesting tracks. The Germany-United States double will be tough but I hope to be able to tackle it at my best. Sachsenring is a peculiar circuit but i like it because it is technical. The setting of the bike has to be perfect at this track and as far as riding technique is concerned you have to be very careful to control the throttle without being too aggressive. The week break has given me chance to recover but also to find out more about why I?m in so much pain with my right shoulder. The examination I underwent (X-ray, CAT and magnetic resonance) have shown up a fracture to the right collarbone next to the sternoclavicular joint. That explains the intense pain I was in at Assen and Donington. I?ve already spoken with both Doctor Porcellini, the specialist who operated on my collarbone in 2003, and Doctor Costa about continuing the physiotherapy. The worst is over but I still have to try to move my right arm as little as possible.?

TONI ELIAS:

?I?m happy to come back after a forced three-week break at home. It?s been a tough period because the shoulder has been really painful. It hurts every time I move my arm and I can?t even rest properly because it is even painful when I lay down. I?ve tried to recover as quickly as possible by having two sessions with the physiotherapist each day. I want to race even though I am aware it will be very difficult and painful. I don?t know how the shoulder will react to the demands of the bike at a circuit like Sachsenring, which has a lot of left corners ? the injured side. I feel motivated ? crashes and the recovery period always make you stronger and that is the way I feel.?

THE TRACK

MARCO MELANDRI: ?The secret is to control the gas without being too aggressive.?

TONI ELIAS: ?Sachsenring is a slow and tortuous track. I?m still suffering from the effects of the fracture on my shoulder. For sure the amount of left corners ? ten to be precise ? will put my condition to the test.?

Located around 100km south of Dresden, in the former East Germany, Sachsenring has hosted racing on the surrounding street circuits since the 1920s. The final 500cc Grand Prix on the long 8.6km track took place in 1972 and was won by Giacomo Agostini.
In 1996 a new track was built near the town of Chemnitz and it has been modified slightly over the years in an attempt to make it a little faster. The latest changes were made in 2003 but the German circuit remains one of the slowest on the calendar.
Throttle control is crucial at Sachsenring given that the MotoGP bikes can only use full power for 10-15% of the lap. The bike has to be agile in order to cope with the demands of the first half of the track, which is slow and tortuous.

Sachsenring
Constructed:1996
Latest modification:2003
Length:3.671 m
Width: 10 m
Pole: Left
Right corners: 4
Left corners: 10
Longest straight: 780 m
MotoGP race: 30 laps ? 110.130 km

RECORD:
Circuit record: 2005 Gibernau (Honda) 1?23?705
Pole position: 2005 Hayden (Honda) 1?22?785
Race 2005: 1st Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Gibernau (Honda) 3rd Hayden (Honda)


THE OTHER RACE: 25,000km during the season with an office in the truck

The chequered flag waves and Marco Melandri crosses the finish line at Donington Park. On the podium he celebrates third place - his team below, having just had time to share a hug with their rider and reflect briefly on the excitement of the race. Then it?s back to work - the World Championship circus is back on the road. It takes around three hours to dismantle the pit box structure thanks to the help of all the team members, fifteen in total. On Sunday evening the two trucks that contain the offices, as well as Marco Melandri and Toni Elias? bikes, tools and other equipment, depart. This time their destination is Sachsenring, in Germany, where the race will take place on the 16th July. ?We usually try and drive for three or four hours, enough to get a little closer to the finish line,? explains Renzo Pini, Melandri?s truck driver and mechanic, a man who has spent his life involved with motorsport ? firstly as a car mechanic and then in bikes with Fausto Gresini since 2002.
The office trucks steam ahead whilst the three hospitality units stay behind, taking several more hours to dismantle. Throughout the journey the Fortuna Honda drivers remain in touch with each other and even drivers from other teams via CB radio, a crucial means of communication. ?We usually arrive at our destination on a Tuesday evening. We spend Wednesday setting the box up. On Thursday morning it is taken over by the mechanics.?
?Passion is fundamental to be able to do this job. I was a truck mechanic before starting in racing and I?m still happy to do it. On average we cover 25,000km during the season, thanks also to the fact that we don?t always return to the workshop but head directly towards the next circuit. This allows us to save around 5,000km a year. For example from Donington we went straight to Germany, a journey of 1300km, parked the trucks up at Sachsnering and returned to Italy by plane,? explains Guglielmo Andreini, whose passion for racing can be barely equalled. His track record as an enduro racer includes three European titles in the 500 class (?79, ?80 and ?82), one in the four-stroke 500 category in ?84, as well as victory in the Six Days and three participations in the Paris-Dakar (one by motorcycle, two by truck). Guglielmo is also a mechanic for Toni Elias.

The numbers

25 / 30,000 - kilometres covered by a truck including races and tests.
11,500 - litres of fuel used by each truck in a season.
2,400 - kilometres covered by a trip to Jerez de la Frontera (southern Spain) or Estoril (Portugal), the longest in Europe.
1,300 ? kilometres covered to reach Sachsenring from Donington Park

 

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Rizla Suzuki MotoGP ready for Sachsenring?s twists and turns

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP arrives in Germany this weekend for round 10 of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, with both its riders eager to continue their recent run of good form.


John Hopkins heads to the technical German track on the back of four consecutive top-10 finishes, looking to improve on his current 10th position in the Championship table. Chris Vermeulen secured his best dry qualifying position last time out at Donington and was looking for a strong finish, until a racing incident with Colin Edwards ended his challenge. The rookie Australian will be visiting Sachsenring for the first time and is hoping to learn the tricky circuit quickly, and to challenge for a high placed finish.


Sachsenring is the shortest European track on the MotoGP calendar at only 3,671m long. Its tight and twisty nature means that outright speed is not so much a contributory factor to a good result, but smooth power delivery and correct tyre choice will be vital on this technical anti-clockwise track. Sachsenring is situated 100km from Dresden and will attract another huge crowd, with over 200,000 people expected to attend over the race weekend.


Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to the track on Friday for two free practice sessions, followed by a further free session on Saturday morning and qualifying in the afternoon. The 30-lap betandwin.com Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland will get underway at the earlier time of 12.30hrs local time (10.30GMT) on Sunday 16th July.


Paul Denning ? Team Manager:


?We are heading to Sachsenring in a positive spirit and look forward to turning our recent excellent qualifying performances into good finishes. It has been great to see the Rizla Suzukis running near the front and we need to continue to work hard on maintaining tyre durability in order to improve the results further. Bridgestone are fully committed to success, and this track has been kind to them in the past, so we are optimistic. The nature of the track should also suit the GSV-R?s excellent handling characteristics.


?John is determined to get a good result here despite very bad memories of last year?s big crashes. We are expecting him to rise to the challenge ? the best riders are fast at all the circuits and John is now firmly in that group!


?Chris has never seen Sachsenring before but hopefully he?ll gel with the track layout early on and get into a quick rhythm as soon as possible. Both riders will be working hard to do their best and put on a good show for Suzuki Deutschland and its many guests.?

 

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FREE PRACTICE ? GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING 14/07/2006
---------------------------------------------

ROSSI AND EDWARDS BEGIN TOUGH SET-UP JOB AT SACHSENRING

The Camel Yamaha Team began their preparations for the German Grand
Prix at the Sachsenring today with riders Valentino Rossi and Colin
Edwards working hard to adjust their YZR-M1 machines to the tortuous
demands of the MotoGP World Championship?s shortest and slowest
circuit. The first day of free practice was held in cloudy yet warm
conditions of around 20?C, with the threat of storms hanging ominously
over the circuit throughout the day but thankfully not progressing
beyond a couple of spells of light rainfall as the riders squeezed
every available minute out of the two hour-long sessions.

Both Rossi and Edwards admitted running into difficulties as they
adjusted the base setting of the bike, which so far hasn?t proven as
well suited to this circuit as it has to faster tracks such as
Donington, Assen, Mugello and Catalunya in recent weeks. The Italian
ran sixth fastest in the morning session, with the American ninth, but
they were both unable to match the progress made by their rivals in the
afternoon and they slid marginally down the time sheets at the end of
the day ? Rossi ending up seventh with Edwards in eleventh. Both riders
face a crucial day of set-up work tomorrow as they prepare for the
tenth round of the season on Sunday.

VALENTINO ROSSI (7th ? 1?23.871; 43 laps)?We knew before we came here that this was not one of my favourite
circuits and that it was always going to be a big effort from the first
day. Unfortunately that is proving to be the case and I have not got
comfortable with the bike or the track today. We are trying a whole
?sack? of things to make the bike better but we keep running into
problems and haven?t found the best way to work yet. Luckily we still
have two hours tomorrow to do this so we hope the weather stays dry
because we need all that track time to work on the bike. Anyway I am
still confident because Jerry and the engineers have shown in the past
few races when I have been injured that they have a great ability to
set the bike up using a minimal amount of data. Tomorrow we will have
to stay concentrated and see what we can do. It already looks like it
will be a tough battle on Sunday but the tough ones are always the most
fun!?

COLIN EDWARDS (11th ? 1?24.100; 33 laps)
?We?re struggling. The bike feels a bit rough in a few sections and we
need to make some drastic changes tomorrow to get it working how we
want. The bike and I are not getting along with the circuit at the
moment and I?m losing around half a second in the second section alone,
which is clearly not good enough. We have to work on that and generally
improve the speed through the corner in all the other sections ? it?s
not carrying enough pace and no matter what I tried it just wasn?t
happening today. We know we?ve still got a lot of work to do but that?s
what we?re here for and I?m looking forward to tomorrow.?

DAVIDE BRIVIO ? CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR?Clearly we still have plenty of work to do tomorrow because we are not
where we want to be on the first day. We need to improve the pace of
both riders, who are struggling with different kinds of problems. As
always they are working together for the good of the team and the
engineers will use their feedback to try and come up with some better
settings tomorrow. This is a very particular track because it is so
tight and twisty, unlike any other circuit in the world, so we have to
look for something particular with the setting. That is not as easy as
it sounds but we will keep going!?

 

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Promising first day for Hopkins in Germany

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins was pleased with his first day?s work at the betandwin.com Motorrad GP Deutschland as he set about erasing last year?s memories by posting some fast times today.

Hopkins (P6, 1?23.693, 48 laps) suffered a massive crash at Sachsenring last year and was determined to put it firmly behind him and attack the technical German track with his usual vigour. He topped the leaderboard a number of times during the rain interrupted morning session and was constantly in touch with the fastest times throughout the afternoon. The hard charging Anglo-American is confident he can improve on things tomorrow and is looking forward to Sunday?s race with high hopes.



Chris Vermeulen (1?25.293) was again visiting a track he has never seen before and the rookie Australian showed his determination to learn the twisty and technical circuit by completing the most laps in the morning session. Vermeulen continued his learning process in the afternoon and ended the day with the 17th quickest time and the second highest number of laps under his belt by recording a total of 55.
Today?s practice was held in overcast conditions and a small rainstorm before this morning?s session cost some valuable track time. The fastest time was set by Marco Melandri.
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has another free practice session tomorrow morning and that is followed by qualifying in the afternoon. Round 10 of the MotoGP World Championship gets underway at 12.30hrs local time (10.30hrs GMT) on Sunday 16th July.

John Hopkins:
?It?s been a good day for us. I haven?t had much luck here in the past and previous machines that we?ve had here have not made the track much fun. The new Suzuki and the improved Bridgestones have really made the track come together for me. I am learning my lines and working on getting the best tyre solution for Sunday. It will be a tough day tomorrow as we have got to get through a lot of laps to make sure we have the best tyre and to make more improvements. I am looking forward to it and hopefully we will get a good qualifying position tomorrow and I think we will be ready come race day.?

Chris Vermeulen:
?Again another new track and again the weather wasn?t kind to us early on with a bit of rain. That meant a little less track time. I quite enjoy the circuit and I did as many laps as I could today. We changed the bike setting and Bridgestone brought a lot of new tyres - we think we have found one that is heading in the right direction. For me it was about learning the track and hopefully I?ll get a good night?s sleep and go quite a bit quicker tomorrow.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:
?It?s been a relatively successful day at Sachsenring for Rizla Suzuki. The 2006 version of the GSV-R is, as we expected, a far more competitive proposition for this type of track. John?s previous experiences here haven?t affected his work-rate today and his very competitive showing. We still have some things to find to try and improve the bike?s performance. Fingers crossed those improvements, and more improvements that John recognises can come from him, will see us move forward another step tomorrow.

?Chris has spent the day learning the circuit and has done a sensible job of getting a lot of miles under his belt. It?s a very difficult and technical track and quite hard to go quick on straight away, especially with so many blind corners and elevation changes. I think Chris was a bit frustrated at the end of the day but I?m sure he?ll be able to approach the track with a bit more experience tomorrow and take a big step forward.?

 

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Free practice / PROVISIONAL POLE FOR MARCO MELANDRI AT THE SACHSENRING

Toni El?as returns after an enforced absence of three weeks The tenth round of the World Championship could not have started in better fashion for FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri as the Italian took provisional pole at the German Grand Prix. Marco, (who has already won before at the Sachsenring in 1999 in the 125s and 2001 and 2002 in the 250 class), performed superbly throughout the day. His best time of 1'23.145 bettered the circuit's lap record by some six tenths of a seconds - the previous mark having been set by Sete Gibernau in 2005. Despite the fracture to his right shoulder blade, the Italian was a model of consistency on his Honda RC211V. Following his fall at Assen, which saw him miss two races, Melandri's team-mate Toni Elias made his return to the track. The Spaniard is still suffering from pain and the difficult tenth corner at the Sachsenring really tested the physical condition of the brave Spaniard who ended the day in 15th position.


MARCO MELANDRI (Provisional pole, 1?23"145):

"We have been working from the set-up which helped me get on the podium at Donington Park. We have made a few small technical changes which have helped improve the bike's performance. I am satisfied as I have felt good on the bike right from the start. Michelin have done a good job and today I tried a few compounds which were well suited to the German circuit. I like the Sachsenring a lot, it's very enjoyable. Today was the best result of the season in the first qualifying session for me."

TONI ELIAS (15th, 1?24"626):

"I am happy to be riding again after an enforced three week absence at home. It's been a very difficult period for me as the fracture is very painful, athough I have to remember how well the recuperation has gone as just one week ago I could not lift my arm. I am now at about 50 or 60 percent of my normal fitness, but the important thing is getting back on the bike. Because of the pain I could not complete too many laps, in the morning I did 15 whilst in the afternoon 25. Considering my physical condition I think I can be happy with my first day's work. The first day with my new technician has been very productive."

 

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MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
14 JULY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KAWASAKI SEEK ELUSIVE SACHSENRING SET-UP

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet remain confident that Sachsenring is a circuit that suits the characteristics of their Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machines, despite the fact that set-up problems during today's free practice sessions left both Kawasaki pilots further down the timesheet than expected.

Nakano finished this afternoon's free practice session thirteenth fastest, while his Kawasaki teammate, de Puniet, was one place further back in fourteenth.

While yesterday's pre-event promotions were blessed with sunshine and 30-degree temperatures, overcast conditions and sporadic rain showers greeted Nakano and De Puniet as they arrived at the Sachsenring circuit this morning for the opening day of practice ahead of Sunday's 30-lap race.

With track temperatures lower than predicted, Nakano and de Puniet struggled to find a set-up to suit the conditions during today's two practice sessions, with both riders complaining of a lack of rear traction that stopped them from carrying the high corner speed necessary for a fast lap of the tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit.

Both riders will revisit their chassis and engine management settings together with their respective crews tonight, but Kawasaki's Technical Manager, Naoya Kaneko, is confident that small changes to set-up will pay dividends tomorrow, when the track temperature is again expected to rise.

Shinya Nakano: 13th - 1'24.190
"We were expecting a lot better from today, but we've had a few problems that we weren't really expecting and we've ended up a lot lower down the timesheet than we were hoping for. We need to sit down tonight and look at changing both our chassis balance and also our engine settings to improve our situation. At the moment the power comes in a little bit too aggressively and this makes the bike a little bit nervous and causes some pumping from the rear going into the turns, which nearly caused me to highside a couple of times today. We have some options on tyre choice, as well as some ideas on how to improve the chassis set-up, and I'm confident that we will see an improvement tomorrow. I think some small changes will make a big difference, which, in turn, will give me the confidence in the bike that you need here at Sachsenring - especially for the downhill corners like the right-hander at turn eight."

Randy de Puniet: 14th - 1'24.582
"At the start of this afternoon's session I immediately saw a one second improvement in my lap time, but then when I started to push for further improvements that's when I started to struggle with the bike. Halfway through the session I made a mistake and crashed at turn one without injury, but when I got back on track with my number two bike I just didn't feel confident exiting the turns because the rear tyre would spin up as soon as I touched the throttle. Through the slower turns I just didn't have the confidence to open the throttle when I wanted to, as again, the rear would just spin up straight away. As a result, I was losing time through every turn, which is why we finished today only fourteenth fastest. Overall today hasn't been such a good start, but we will look at our set-up overnight to see if we can find a solution and I'm confident that we will see an improvement tomorrow."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Today both riders were struggling with the feeling and the level of grip from the rear of the bike, which meant that they were unable to carry corner speed, nor get on the gas as early and as hard as they would have liked out of the turn. Tonight and tomorrow we need to focus on finding a good combination of rear tyre and suspension settings for this track, in order to instil more confidence in both riders. At a track like Sachsenring, where the bike spends a lot of time banked over on part throttle, even a small improvement in this area can lead to a big improvement in lap times."

FREE PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda 1'23.145; 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.341; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.345; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.380; 5. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.531; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.548; 7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.726; 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.744; 9. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.877; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Honda +0.885; 13. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.045; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.437

 

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MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
15 JULY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TRANSFORMATION PUTS NAKANO ON SECOND ROW AT SACHSENRING

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano will head up the second row of the grid for tomorrow's 30-lap German Grand Prix, after overcoming the set-up problems that had plagued him throughout free practice to qualify his Ninja ZX-RR in fourth place during this afternoon's 60 minute timed session.

Having struggled all day yesterday to overcome rear traction problems on his Ninja ZX-RR, Nakano continued to chase a workable set-up during this morning's free practice session, with little success.

The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider was lucky to escape injury when he was highsided from his Ninja ZX-RR at the right-hand turn three halfway through the morning session.

Nakano's crew made significant changes to the rear suspension settings ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session and this, together with a switch to a different Bridgestone rear tyre, transformed the Japanese star's Ninja ZX-RR.

The Kawasaki pilot jumped to the top of the timesheet halfway through this afternoon's qualifying session, holding onto pole position until the final 15 minutes, when a hard charging Casey Stoner knocked him from the top spot.

Nakano retook pole with his next flying lap - bettering Max Biaggi's pole position record by half-a-second - but was knocked once again from the top spot with just three minutes left to run, this time by the man who will start tomorrow's race from pole position, Dani Pedrosa.

Fast laps by Nicky Hayden and Kenny Roberts in the dying moments saw Nakano eventually pushed off the front row and back to position four on tomorrow's starting grid.

Randy de Puniet also saw big improvements in the performance of his Ninja ZX-RR on race tyres after making changes to the rear suspension settings, but the 25-year-old was unable to get the best from his qualifying tyres this afternoon and, as a result, finished today's timed session down in thirteenth place and facing a fifth row start in tomorrow's race.

The 25-year-old Frenchman knows that he's made his job tomorrow a whole lot harder by not qualifying closer to the front of the grid, but remains confident that further fine-tuning of his race set-up during morning warm-up will still allow him to put in a strong performance for Kawasaki in tomorrow's 30-lap race.

Shinya Nakano: 4th - 1'22.273
"The struggle we had to find a good set-up yesterday continued this morning, but then we switched tyres and made some changes to the rear suspension settings ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session and the bike was transformed. It's still not 100 percent there, but I was up with the leaders on race tyres this afternoon, and I'm confident that some more fine-tuning during warm-up tomorrow will produce even more of an improvement. Sachsenring is a difficult circuit to pass at, so qualifying near the front of the grid is critical. We were aiming for the front two rows this afternoon, so I'm happy enough to be starting from fourth on the grid. I also have to say a special thanks to all the Kawasaki supporters at turn four, who were passionate in their support every time I came past on a fast lap. It was really motivating, and I reckon all that waving was worth an extra three tenths of a second each lap at least! I hope they will be as enthusiastic with their support during tomorrow's race, and that we can give them a result to really cheer about."

Randy de Puniet: 13th - 1'22.974
"Obviously I'm not so happy to only qualify down in 13th place for tomorrow's race, but I just didn't seem to be able to get the best from the qualifying tyres today. We made numerous changes to the bike during practice and qualifying, with positive results, and my confidence on race tyres has increased with every track session. I'm still missing some time through the first section of the track, so this is an area I will focus on during warm-up tomorrow. We will also try a few further small changes to the set-up of the bike during warm-up, but our biggest problem for the race tomorrow is the fact that I'll be starting from the fifth row of the grid and Sachsenring doesn't have so many obvious passing places. Despite this, I think that with a little luck it's still possible to secure a good result tomorrow, and that's exactly what I'll be aiming for."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"We've made quite a few changes to the rear suspension settings of both riders' bikes and this, together with the increase in track temperature today, has had positive results in terms of the level of grip available. But we know that there are further improvements to be had. Shinya's performance on qualifying tyres this afternoon shows that our set-up is right when rear grip is there, but we still have a problem with rear traction on race tyres, so we will look at this again tomorrow during warm-up. Randy went well on race tyres this afternoon, but was unable to match Shinya's performance on qualifying tyres. This is down solely to experience; a qualifying tyre is difficult to get the best from on this circuit because of the long periods where the bike is banked over on part throttle, and this is Randy's first time here on the MotoGP bike."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE- FINAL TIMES
1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'21.815; 2. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.092; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.268; 4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.458; 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.514; 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +0.605; 7. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.654; 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.762; 9. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.886; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Honda +1.051; 11. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +1.053; 12. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +1.149; 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.159

 

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QUALIFYING PRACTICE ? GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING 15/07/2006
---------------------------------------------

CAMEL YAMAHA RIDERS IN A SPIN AT SACHSENRING

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards both face an
uphill battle in tomorrow?s German Grand Prix after struggling to come
to terms with the undulating demands of the Sachsenring circuit in the
final free practice and qualifying session today. Neither rider was
able to find an adequate setting for the YZR-M1 in yesterday?s opening
sessions and despite making progress today they did not take the
necessary steps forward required to make a challenge for the front row
of the grid, which is headed by Dani Pedrosa (Honda) for the second
successive race.

As the action got underway below clear blue skies and pleasant summer
temperatures of 22?C, Rossi?s main difficulty was balancing the intense
force exerted on the front end of the bike at this circuit, a problem
exacerbated by the extra rear grip offered by the softer qualifying
tyres. Whilst the Italian is hopeful of working on a solution with his
team overnight, Edwards is less optimistic having been unable to
exactly pinpoint the root of his problems and leaving only tomorrow?s
20-minute warm-up to clarify an adequate set-up and tyre choice for the
race.

Rossi will aim to make as much progress as possible early in the race
as he starts from the fourth row in eleventh spot whilst Edwards has an
even bigger challenge ahead as he looks to remount from a row further
back in fifteenth.

VALENTINO ROSSI (11th ? 1?22.868; 32 laps)
?The race setting is not so bad but things were very different on the
qualifying tyre. We are getting too much weight onto the front end of
the bike and when the rear qualifying tyre grips so much this pushes
the front even harder and I almost crashed a couple of times. My hand
is still a bit sore but to be honest when I am riding I don?t even
think about it and this is not what is troubling us today. It looks
like tomorrow will be tough because Dani Pedrosa has a very fast pace
but I am starting from a long way back. Unfortunately I can?t say that
we are down in eleventh because I was unlucky; today we deserve to be
in eleventh and we have a lot of work to do. It?s difficult to overtake
at this track and you need a good setting to make up positions in the
race. At the moment our bike is not quite ready and this situation is
not limited to today ? it seems we have struggled in practice all year.
Once again I need another great job from my mechanics tonight so that I
can try and chase the lead group tomorrow.?

COLIN EDWARDS (15th ? 1?23.087; 29 laps)
?I?m feeling disappointed and frustrated tonight because we?ve tried
everything ? changed the steering head column, the rear links, the
swingarm links ? but not got anywhere. The bike is a little better than
yesterday but it is still not fast enough and when I?m following other
guys around it seems as though they are running at a different track.
Honestly, I think the team has worked harder here than at any other
circuit this year but it?s just not happening for us and we need a
miracle now. The bike is a bit of a handful at the moment and the
worrying thing is that I don?t know exactly where we can find the
improvement in time for tomorrow?s race. Anyway, we?ll keep working and
see if we can come up with something in the morning.?

DAVIDE BRIVIO ? CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
?Again it will be a difficult start to the race for us, with Valentino
and Colin on the fourth and fifth rows. We are struggling with the
qualifying tyre, even though Valentino?s race pace is not so bad ? very
similar to Pedrosa and Hayden. The problem for him now is his position
on the grid because it is a big disadvantage at such a tight circuit
like this. We will do our best to make the right changes for him in the
morning and hopefully we can come up with something for Colin too. We
need a big effort from the whole team over the next 24 hours and I?m
sure our riders will do their bit to perform.?

Confidence inspiring qualifying session for Tech 3 Yamaha Team
Under the blazing German sunshine the solitary qualifying session for
the MotoGP class was a confidence inspiring occasion for the Tech 3
Yamaha Team as lead rider, Carlos Checa qualified in 12th fastest position,
just 1.1 seconds off pole position taken by Dani Pedrosa (Honda). In
the final moments of the session, Carlos was denied the rare experience
of being the leading Yamaha rider as world champion, Valentino Rossi
relegated the experienced Spaniard one place on the grid by just 0.096
second. Teammate, James Ellison improved his time to move up the grid
slightly but is nonetheless, disappointed that he ran out of time to
improve his 18th place on the grid.

Carlos Checa (12th, 1'22.964, 33 laps)
"Of course for us personally this is good as we are quite close to
Valentino and at this moment he is the best rider even if here his position
is not his usual. This weekend we have worked quite well heading in the
right direction and making advances with the Dunlop race tyres but we
still have some limitations especially with the qualifying tyres. We are
ready for tomorrow with a pretty good setup and hopefully we can build
on what we have been doing in the recent races. We cannot be perfectly
satisfied with this situation because it is clear that all riders on
Yamaha are struggling around here. "Anyway for the race I am more
confident than I am with qualifying. We have a good tyre and I think the
setting we have chosen for the race we will have a good pace but hopefully
even though warmup is early tomorrow there will be enough heat in the
track to do some more final testing to make sure we have made the right
decisions. I must get a good start as if we are too far back in the
first corner with how close the lap times are it will be very difficult to
move up many positions as it is also very hard to overtake around here.

James Ellison (18th 1'24.464, 28 laps)
"I'm not happy as although I dropped my times, yesterday's sessions
were a loss. With the setup we had on Friday you kind of lose your
confidence because we had so many problems it takes time to build up
confidence again. If you arrive at a circuit and the bike works it's awesome
because you can build on it all weekend but when you start bad like it's
very difficult to get your head up to speed again. We've been chipping
away and slowly building to the times we wanted to get but we really
wanted to get into the 23 second bracket. We made a couple of mistakes
with the last qualifier so I'm very disappointed with that to be honest.
We had another tyre lined up but we just ran out of time. We might've
gone quicker, we might've gone slower - who knows - it would've just been
nice to try it. I'm not happy at all as I have only qualified
five-tenths faster than I did last year and I'm on a bike way more capable than
what I had. That's the result, so I have to live with it and try and
get a good start to get away with them and hopefully move up a few
places."

Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
"It was another positive day for us as in the morning and afternoon
Carlos was right up there with everybody else. For the majority of both
sessions Carlos was the first Yamaha and it was only in the last seconds
that Valentino got him but we are on the same row and in front of Colin
Edwards. This makes us very happy - not to see Valentino and Colin so
far back - but shows us the improvements that keep continuing with the
Dunlop tyres. We are confident we can do a good first part of the race
but because of the rain on Friday morning and all the setting changes we
had to make, we didn't manage to do a full race distance in hot
conditions as yesterday was a lot cooler on track. Tomorrow's forecast is a
lot hotter than today, so we are a little bit concerned about the last 10
laps of the race because 30 laps around here on a high temperature
track is very demanding on tyres - this is our main worry to see how those
10 laps unfold but I guess we have to wait and see. We have improved on
our qualifying tyres but unfortunately the last run of Carlos for some
reason we couldn't improve. If we had dropped another tenth of a second
we could be a row closer because the lap times are so close but our
main concern is durability and race distance more than grid position. It
was also quite a good improvement from James. Yesterday he was nowhere
and today he is running low to mid 1'24 second laps, which for MotoGP is
a fairly decent lap time. Let's hope he can run at that pace for the
entire race because there are guys in front of him that he can stay with
and hopefully pass during the race.""

 

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GERMAN GP FORTUNA HONDA

Qualifying practice / MARCO MELANDRI ON THE SECOND ROW IN GERMANY

Marco Melandri will start Sunday's German GP on the second row of the grid, whilst team-mate Toni Elias - still bothered by pain in his left shoulder after his fall at Assen - could not improve his position from yesterday and will start in 16th position. The Italian rider lapped at a good pace which enabled him to remain amongst the leading riders aving taken provisional pole on Friday. However, he could not take full advantage of his qualifying tyres and ultimately had to settle for sixth place. Team-mate Toni Elias faces a difficult physical test tomorrow. With ten left-hand corners on the circuit and Sunday's race scheduled for 30 laps the Spaniard's fitness after the injury to his right shoulder-blade will be truly tested.


MARCO MELANDRI (6th, 1?22"420?):
"I am very pleased with our work in qualifying for this race, the bike is working well and the Michelin tyres have given us some very good results. It will be important to make a good start tomorrow and stay with the lead group as there are not a lot of places to overtake on this circuit. The objective for today was to claim a place on one of the front two rows and although I did that, I could not take full advantage of the qualifying tyre to get on the front row. Tomorrow it will be a very long race so am pleased that my physical condition has improved a lot from the last race. My right shoulder should not be too badly affected as there are so many left-hand corners."

TONI ELIAS (16th, 1?23"660):
"I suffered a lot in the qualifying session because of my back. It really began to hurt after yesterday's session and felt even worse today. Right now I am very tired and hurting a lot. The left-hand corners are not helping me at all and so it will be a tough race tmorrow. I am happy to have made it on to the grid and my objective is just to finish the race

 

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MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
16 JULY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SIXTH AT SACHSENRING FOR KAWASAKI'S NAKANO

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano took a hard fought sixth place in today's German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, to move up to eighth place in the World Championship standings.

But while Nakano celebrated achieving his aim of a top six finish today, his Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, was left disappointed after a mechanical problem forced him to retire his Ninja ZX-RR from the 30-lap race just short of the halfway point.

Nakano got a good start from fourth place on the grid, but the Kawasaki pilot was forced wide at the first corner and found himself pushed back to ninth place as a large group of riders managed to squeeze through on the inside of the turn.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider quickly got the better of John Hopkins to move up to eighth place, from where he was able to see the seven-way battle for the lead being played out in front of him.

Nakano was pushing hard to catch the leading group when he was elevated to sixth position on lap eleven, after Kenny Roberts crashed out of the battle for the lead at the last turn, taking the luckless Makoto Tamada into the gravel trap with him.

During the closing stages of the race Nakano managed to close the gap to Loris Capirossi to just three tenths-of-a-second, but was unable to pass the Italian for fifth place on the final lap, and was forced to settle for sixth, and ten vital championship points, at the line.

Starting from the fourth row of the grid, Randy de Puniet knew he was facing a tough challenge in today's race, but the 25-year-old Frenchman made the job even harder with a less than perfect start that left him down in 15th position at the end of the opening lap.

The Kawasaki rider fought his way through into 11th place with some aggressive overtaking manoeuvres, and was chasing down Sete Gibernau for tenth when a mechanical problem with his Ninja ZX-RR left him with no other option but to retire from the race.

Shinya Nakano: 6th
"I was on the outside going into the first turn, and I could see everyone pushing up the inside, so I decided to stay wide to avoid any chance of a first corner crash. I tried to follow the leading riders through the turn, but I couldn't get back inside and I lost positions. At the start of the race I was having some problems carrying speed through the right-hand corners, which lost me time and meant I wasn't able to match the pace of the leading group. By the middle of the race I could still see the battle for the lead, but they were too far in front for me to close the gap, despite me setting my fastest lap while chasing them. At the end I thought I would be able to catch Loris for fifth place, but by the time I was close enough to think about a pass the race was over. After the problems we had with set-up during free practice I'm pretty happy with today's result, and it's good to be back in the top ten of the championship standings."

Randy de Puniet: DNF
"I lost some places at the start, but a bit of aggressive overtaking during the opening laps put me just behind Sete Gibernau and the battle for seventh place. I felt comfortable on the bike and I was starting to close the gap on the group in front of me, but then the bike just stopped and I had to retire. It's disappointing because I know a top ten finish was a possibility, but on a more positive note, I gained a lot of confidence in the bike today and this will stand me in good stead next week at Laguna Seca. Again, we need to put this behind us now and focus on the next race, which is just seven days away."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"We came to Sachsenring expecting better than sixth place in the race, and with conditions better suited to our bike today, and Shinya starting from fourth place on the grid, there was no reason for us to lower our expectations ahead of the race. But then both riders got a bad start, and places lost at the start are difficult to make up at Sachsenring, because there are not so many places to pass at this track. I think this is the main reason why we didn't meet our expectations today."

MOTOGP RACE RESULT
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 41'59.248; 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +0.145; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.266; 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.307; 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +8.764; 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +9.147; 7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +16.608; 8. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +16.648; 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +17.097; 10. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +17.786; DNF. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +18 Laps

 

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The race / MARCO MELANDRI IMPRESSES IN GERMANY AS HE MAKES THE PODIUM AGAIN

FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri, still suffering from physical discomfort caused by his crash in Catalunya, finished second at the German GP on Sunday in one of the most exciting races of the season. The Italian, who was a model of consistency throughout qualifying all weekend, made a strong start and managed to maintain his excellent pace throughout the 30-lap race. His battles, first with Pedrosa and then with Rossi, turned the race into a spectacular feast of overtaking manoeuvres as the riders battled to make the podium at the Sachsenring. Team-mate Toni Elias, who bravely finished the race despite his own injury problems, came home in the points in 11th.


MARCO MELANDRI: 2nd, 41?59.393
Championship: 4th with 134 points
"It was an incredible battle. At Donington the fight was for first place, but here in Germany it was for first position all the way through. I had a great battle with Pedrosa at first and then later with Valentino. I believe the fans will have enjoyed it as much as I did, it was a lot of fun. I tried to overtake Rossi lots of times on that final lap but he closed the door every time. In the recent races we have been right up there at the front and I believe that is a good sign. We must keep up our good work as the team are doing a great job."

TONI ELIAS: 11th, 42?26.673
Championship: 12th with 58 points

"Our objective was to finish the race and I think I can be satisfied with my performance given my physical condition. From lap eight I really began to feel the pain and the only way to cope was to ride hard in bursts. To race in these conditions is really hard, especially at such a demanding circuit. It was the first race with my new technician and we understood each other very well, but there is still a lot of work to do. Laguna Seca is another very demanding circuit and I hope to be able to get some rest in before then."

 

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RACE REPORT ? GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING 16/07/2006---------------------------------------------

ITALY CELEBRATE IN GERMANY AGAIN AS ROSSI TAKES SENSATIONAL WIN

Just seven days after Italy won the football World Cup with a dramatic
victory against France in Berlin, Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino
Rossi produced an equally stunning performance to seal another success
for his country on German soil thanks to a remarkable MotoGP win at the
Sachsenring circuit near Dresden. Starting from tenth place on the grid
after struggling to find the right set-up for his YZR-M1 machine in
practice, the odds were stacked heavily against Rossi as he aimed to
close the gap on series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) with another win.
However, the reigning World Champion again confounded all the
predictions with his superb skill and dogged determination.

Already shifted up one place on the grid from his qualifying position
of eleventh after Casey Stoner (Honda) was ruled out of the race
through injury, Rossi continued to make his way forward as soon as the
red lights were out, passing four riders by the end of the first lap to
immediately get in contact with the lead group. After carefully picking
off Kenny Roberts (Team KR) and Makoto Tamada (Honda), Rossi set about
the lead group of Hayden, Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Marco Melandri
(Honda) and by lap 13 of 30 he was in front. The Italian held on to a
slim lead for all but one of the remaining laps, when Melandri made one
of his many attacks stick, and held off a barrage of attacks from all
three rivals in a dramatic final corner to seal his fourth win of the
season.

Whilst Rossi was able to rescue a dismal situation in practice,
unfortunately the same could not be said for his team-mate Colin
Edwards, who was unable to make any further progress with his bike
setting in the morning warm-up and struggled to eleventh place.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st; 41?49.248)
?That was an unbelievable race for me and my team. The first thing I
have to say is ?sorry? to my M1 because last night was the first time
in our relationship that I ever doubted her! But she was true to me
once again and for this I owe a huge thank you to Jeremy and all my
mechanics and engineers. Last night I didn?t think I could win this
race but we made a change in the morning warm-up and then again before
the race in the afternoon and today my M1 flew. In some parts of the
track it was very, very fast. We also did a great job together with
Michelin and at the start I realised that my rhythm was good enough to
battle for the win. Once I got to the front I knew I was probably two
or three tenths faster than the other guys but it wasn?t enough to
escape and I had to battle with Dani, Nicky and Marco ? each one was a
great fight. Marco was so strong at the end of the race and I have to
give my big congratulations to him, but thankfully I got the right line
in the last corner and was able to win. Italy became World Champions in
the football last weekend and I won today; Germany is a good country
for us!?

COLIN EDWARDS (11th; + 29.308)
?What can I say? I guess I?m just slow around here. The guys worked
their butts off all weekend trying to give me something but we simply
couldn?t get the bike working and I never had the pace. It looked like
Valentino was in the same situation but today he pulled out something
like his 700th miracle and you can only take your hat off to a great
champion. We changed some things for the warm-up this morning but I
wasn?t comfortable so we went back to the setting from yesterday, which
we knew wasn?t ideal either. The first few laps were okay but I
struggled to pass Toni Elias and by the time I got past him we were way
back. From there on it was just a battle to keep the bike on the track
and there wasn?t much more I could do but bring it home.?

DAVIDE BRIVIO ? CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
?Valentino was unbelievable today, fantastic. This was a very important
victory for the championship because we?ve collected a lot of points
but more than that it is a big psychological boost to win a fight in
this way. This victory is a fruit of the hard work from the engineers,
the team and Valentino ? we have a great group of people here and they
never give up. We always try to win races and today Valentino made it
possible. Colin wasn?t able to recover a difficult situation but now he
has seven days before getting a big chance to turn things around in his
home Grand Prix.?

 

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Sachsenring provides huge step forward for Tech 3 Yamaha Racing Team

With another top 10 finish and a result that saw Carlos Checa finish
closer to the leaders that at any other race of the 2006 season, the
German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring circuit provided a huge step forward
for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team and the performance of the team's Dunlop
tyres. Checa was involved in a tense battle throughout the race to miss out
on seventh place by just 0.389 of a second to eventually finish ninth
in an enthralling race won by fellow Yamaha rider and defending world
champion, Valentino Rossi. Carlos was only 17 seconds in arrears after
the 30-lap battle. In another positive result, Checa's best lap of
1'23.097 was just 0.424 of a second off the fastest lap of the race.
Englishman, James Ellison had to overcome handling problems in his quest to
finish 13th, picking up some valuable points for himself and the team.

Carlos Checa (9th, +17.097 secs Fastest lap 1'23.779)
This has been a very good result for us and I am very happy. The gap to
the winner was the closest we have ever been this year, so that is
another positive step considering that we had some chatter and after 17
laps something went wrong with the engine. This is no excuse of course
but, basically overall our consistency and speed is good. The first race
of the year we were 59 seconds behind the winner, now we are 17 seconds
and also we were with other riders fighting for positions so this has
been a very big improvement. I'm quite satisfied. We started with the
tyre we knew from practice and overall we are working quite well. Now I
hope that Yamaha will help us with the chatter and maybe the engine a
little bit. On the chassis side, the tyres are getting better and better
but we need to work on the chassis as we can see the official team is
struggling as well. I think it is a general problem with the Yamaha we
must work together and even us with different tyres we are finding this
problem but we will continue to work hard and hopefully we can continue
to progress and improve the way we have done in the last four races. ".

James Ellison (13th +1'02.029 Fastest lap 1'25.634)
"I wish I could say I was happy but that would be far from the truth. I
had very bad chattering for most of the race. The whole balance of the
bike was really good but I couldn't run it into turns very fast because
of the chatter so I had to pull back and I couldn't run the speed I
wanted to. The tyres were working well but I couldn't get the times I
wanted. At the start I could see Colin and the rest of the boys and I kept
them close for 10 laps or so but then the chatter starting getting
worse and worse and it started happening in more areas of the track. I just
had to bring it home so I'm happy I did that and got some more points
for myself and the team but that's about all I'm happy about as I'm
pretty disappointed. I've had a chat to Carlos about the chatter as he has
dealt with things like that for years. He told me that if you try to
carry the speed going into the corner it just gets worse so you have to
brake as hard as you can and then throw it in because he knows it's
going to chatter. I've just got to change my riding to adapt to it because,
it takes a while as if a bike is chattering the last thing your brain
is telling you is to just throw it in because you think you will crash.
I've just got to get on with it and see what I can do. I really hope
the next race at Laguna Seca is different because this year has become
extremely frustrating. I can't tell you how much I want to improve and
get up to a pace I know I can run at."

Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
"Altogether, a very good weekend and the very best weekend for us so
far this season. We were only 17 seconds behind the winner at the end so
for sure this is by far the best result we have had. We were a bit
worried about the second part of the race but the tyre was really stable
and we have definitely gained on performance and durability of the Dunlop
tyres. At the end of the race we were in front of Hopkins on the Suzuki
and on Bridgestones. We were catching Vermeulen but just a bit too late
to pass him - another lap and we would have! We could've been seventh,
that's no big deal but clearly we are happy we improving. To be 12
seconds in front of Edwards was another positive sign for us. We are not
talking about Valentino because he is on another planet after what he has
done today. To be the second Yamaha in the race, second Yamaha on the
grid and fastest Yamaha in morning warm-up was extremely satisfying for
everyone so it confirms that the Yamaha/Dunlop combination worked very
well here at Sachsenring and the improvements are getting bigger and
improving all the time. We have another race before the summer break so
we hope to continue at this same pace and to be able to fight again for
a top 10 finish. James rode a steady race as he didn't finish that far
from Colin which is ok. Both our riders were in the points. In the
team's championship we move up, Carlos is gaining some more points so we
are happy.

Race classification MotoGP
Round: 10 - 2006 MotoGP Sachsenring
Circuit: Sachsenring
Circuit Length: 3671
Lap Record: 1' 23.355 (Daniel Pedrosa, 2006)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 23.355 (Daniel Pedrosa, 2006)

Race: 30 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 41' 59.248
2 M. Melandri Honda ITA +0.145
3 N. Hayden Honda USA +0.266
4 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP +0.307
5 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA +8.764
6 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +9.147
7 C. Vermeulen Suzuki AUS +16.608
8 S. Gibernau Ducati ESP +16.648
9 C. Checa Yamaha ESP +17.097
10 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA +17.786
11 T. Elias Honda ESP +27.425
12 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +29.308
13 J. Ellison Yamaha GBR +1' 2.029
14 J. Cardoso Ducati ESP +1' 19.997

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 D. Pedrosa Honda ESP 1' 23.355

Championship standings MotoGP
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 169
2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 143
3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 140
4 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 134
5 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 118
6 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 91
7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 77
8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 67
9 Kenny Roberts Team Roberts KR USA 66
10 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 64
11 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 59
12 Toni Elias Honda ESP 58
13 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 52
14 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 46
15 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 44
17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 17

Manufacturers standings MotoGP
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Honda 221
2 Yamaha 172
3 Ducati 127
4 Suzuki 81
5 Kawasaki 71
6 Team Roberts KR 66

Team standings MotoGP
Pos. Team Points
1 Repsol Honda Team 309
2 Camel Yamaha Team 220
3 Fortuna Honda Team 192
4 Ducati Marlboro Team 177
5 Rizla Suzuki 110
6 Honda LCR 91
7 Kawasaki Racing Team 84
8 Team Roberts KR 66
9 Tech3 Yamaha 61
10 Konica Minolta Honda 59
11 Pramac D'Antin 20

Race classification GP250
Round: 10 - 2006 GP250 Sachsenring
Circuit: Sachsenring
Circuit Length: 3671
Lap Record: 1' 25.118 (Sebastian Porto, 2004)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 24.618 (Alex de Angelis, 2005)

Race: 29 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 Y. Takahashi Honda JPN 41' 30.350
2 A. de Angelis Aprilia SMR +0.058
3 J. Lorenzo Aprilia ESP +1.013
4 A. Dovizioso Honda ITA +4.021
5 H. Barbera Aprilia ESP +9.384
6 R. Locatelli Aprilia ITA +19.242
7 A. West Aprilia AUS +26.457
8 H. Aoyama KTM JPN +26.607
9 S. Aoyama Honda JPN +26.741
10 S. Guintoli Aprilia FRA +30.621
11 A. Baldolini Aprilia ITA +44.754
12 F. Battiani Aprilia ITA +45.063
13 M. Poggiali KTM SMR +48.793
14 J. Smrz Aprilia CZE +52.317
15 A. Espargaro Honda ESP +52.369

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. de Angelis Aprilia SMR 1' 25.284

Championship standings GP250
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Jorge Lorenzo Aprilia ESP 174
2 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 172
3 Yuki Takahashi Honda JPN 133
4 Alex de Angelis Aprilia SMR 131
5 Hiroshi Aoyama KTM JPN 116
6 Roberto Locatelli Aprilia ITA 114
7 Hector Barbera Aprilia ESP 100
8 Sylvain Guintoli Aprilia FRA 65
9 Anthony West Aprilia AUS 58
10 Marco Simoncelli Gilera ITA 55
11 Shuhei Aoyama Honda JPN 48
12 Alex Debon Aprilia ESP 35
13 Jakub Smrz Aprilia CZE 34
14 Manuel Poggiali KTM SMR 31
15 Martin Cardenas Honda COL 28


Manufacturers standings GP250
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Aprilia 221
2 Honda 189
3 KTM 120
4 Gilera 55