Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Sachsenring, Germany

July 15, 2018

Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 30 laps, Total Race Time 41:05.019

2. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -2.196 seconds

3. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), -2.776

4. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), -3.376

5. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), -5.183

6. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), -5.780

7. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), -7.941

8. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -12.711

9. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), -14.428

10. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), -21.474

11. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), -25.809

12. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), -25.983

13. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), -29.040

14. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), -29.325

15. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), -34.123

16. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), -38.207

17. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), -49.369

18. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), -61.022

19. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), -76.692

20. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), -21 laps, DNF, crash

21. Takaaki Nakagama, Japan (Honda), -26 laps, DNF, crash

22. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), -30 laps, DNF, crash

23. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), -30 laps, DNF, crash

24. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 9 of 19 races):

1. Marquez, 165 points

2. Rossi, 119

3. Vinales, 109

4. TIE, Dovizioso/Zarco, 88

6. Lorenzo, 85

7. Petrucci, 84

8. Crutchlow, 79

9. Iannone, 75

10. Miller, 57

11. Rins, 53

12. Pedrosa, 49

13. Bautista, 44

14. Pol Espargaro, 32

15. Rabat, 30

16. Syahrin, 22

17. Franco Morbidelli, 19

18. Aleix Espargaro, 16

19. Smith, 13

20. Redding, 12

21. Nakagami, 10

22. Mika Kallio, 6

23. Abraham, 4

24. TIE, Luthi/Bradl/Simeon, 0

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

ALEIX ESPARGARO’ TO MISS THE GERMAN GP

Aleix Espargaró, victim of a violent crash at turn 4 during the Warm Up, will not start today’s German GP. After crashing on his fifth lap at the circuit of Sachsenring, the Spanish rider suffered a bad thoracic trauma in the left ribs area and was helicoptered to the nearby hospital of Chemnitz for further checks.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech3:

Zarco shows huge determination in Germany – Syahrin impressively reclaims rookie lead

Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco displayed a resolute race performance today for the eighth round of the MotoGP Championship season at the Sachsenring. Following a tough Qualifying the Frenchman had to start from 14thon the grid, but already made up two positions in the opening lap. With a hard fight Zarco eventually ended up in ninthto collect seven important points and goes into the summer break as the leading rider of the independent riders championship.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin showed a fantastic effort. Starting from the back of the fifth row, the Malaysian premier class newcomer caught one rider after another, bet all his fellow rookies to finish in eleventh and reclaim the provisional top spot of the Rookie of the Year standing. Now the entire paddock commences a short summer break before the second half of the 2018 season kicks off in 19 days’ time at the Brno circuit in Czech Republic.

Johann Zarco

Position: 9th – Championship: 5th – Points: 88

“I’m happy about the race. Ninth position is good for the difficult weekend I had. Although I’m happy about the result, I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t see the podium as my pace is just not good enough to be there. Together with my crew we work hard, but we didn’t find the right solution this weekend to be stronger. That’s the hardest task, that I hope we can solve after the summer break in order to have a better feeling and be fast again. Maybe we can find the way to set the bike up better. I cross my fingers for the second half of the season to find the pace for the podium again. Fifth in the championship, same like fourth, but it would be really fantastic to fight for the top 3 in the overall standings and I trust in it.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 11th – Championship: 16th – Points: 22

“First of all, I want to say thank you very much to my crew, because they made a really good job on my setting. We came back in FP4 after we went a bit in the wrong direction in FP3. I felt like in the beginning of the season and honestly, I think this track is really tricky, but I scored very strong points. I could stay with the group of Johann, but then suddenly the rear tyre had a big drop. I tried to understand and manage as good as possible, this is part of my learning experience. Eleventh was the best I could get at the moment. I tried to come back stronger after some difficult rounds and now we are best rookie again before the summer break. I try to keep my physical condition consistent, try to train hard in the break and don’t lose the focus, because I want the Rookie of the Year title.”

Hervé PONCHARAL

Team Manager

“We were not expecting to have an easy life in Germany, but honestly speaking, Friday and Saturday were very difficult, including the Qualifying. Warm Up was also quite tricky, so we started the race with not too high hopes. But again, I would like to say that both, Johann and Hafizh showed that they are racers when it comes down to race day and they showed that they try to overcome all the issues they are facing in practice and I think we finished the race in almost the best position we could have hoped for. Johann had a great fight with Dani Pedrosa and just gave up in the very last laps. Still he managed to end up in ninth position which makes equal on points with Andrea Dovizioso in fourth overall – a great achievement. We still have ten races to go, so everything is possible. On the other side, Hafizh showed a big fighting spirit and was clever. He was in ninth position in Barcelona a few laps to the end before he did a beginner mistake, so today he showed us that he has learned from that. He has been fighting with great names and the last guy he has been fighting with and whom he eventually beat on the line was Andrea Iannone, which is a full factory rider and a GP winner, so this is something that makes us proud. He is also taking back the lead in the rookies classification, which is our and his main target this year. We are happy with our two guys. Like everybody in the paddock they need a few days off. Johann will have certainly a few days of rest in the South of France, while Hafizh is flying back to Kuala Lumpur to meet the family. Have a good holiday to both of you, recover, recharge your batteries and of course this also applies to the whole crew. Thank you for your hard work and keep some straight because we have another ten to go. Bonne vacances!”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

BRILLIANT BAUTISTA TAKES FIFTH IN GERMANY

Ángel Nieto Team rider continues to improve and finishes as top non-factory Ducati at Sachsenring

Nine straight wins at any one circuit would be an astounding feat for any rider anywhere but that’s exactly what Marc Márquez achieved today at Sachsenring. The Spanish rider took a little longer than usual to make his way to the front, taking the lead on the thirteenth lap, but he managed the gap for the second half of the race to take the win with a two-second advantage. Team-mates Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales completed a podium that matches the top three in the championship, with Danilo Petrucci and Ángel Nieto Team rider Álvaro Bautista rounding out the top 5.

Álvaro Bautista and the Ángel Nieto Team have continually raised the bar this season with fifth place here outdoing the previous best of eighth at Jerez, as the Spanish rider crossed the line as the top non-factory Ducati. Bautista started from ninth on the grid but gradually edged closer to the front and finished just five seconds shy of the race winner. Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo were all caught and passed by Bautista, who claimed eleven points and lies thirteenth in the championship. The Ángel Nieto Team rider even improved on his excellent result of sixth here last season Karel Abraham gave his best in this ninth round of the season and was able to hang in with the chasing group before finally crossing the line in eighteenth position. The Czech rider struggled with rear grip and could not maintain fifteenth position after a great start.

5th Álvaro Bautista: “I think first of all, to finish five seconds behind the winner, is not easy. At Assen it was seven seconds and here we have closed the gap. I can’t say it feels like a win because I can’t taste the champagne but it is an important result because we have been on an upward curve since Jerez and it has put us on the right lines. Preseason wasn’t very long, we missed a couple of tests and we struggled a little at the start of the season to find the right way forward. In the race I felt stronger than Dovizioso and Petrucci but it was difficult to pass them. I lost three or four laps there that could have been very valuable. At the end of the race the rear tyre was starting to say ‘enough’ but I could see that Lorenzo was having problems and I was able to pass him. I am happy with the progress we have made, I feel motivated and I think we can do even better.”

23rd Karel Abraham 1:22.159: “I got a great start and the first two laps were really nice but then I started to lose touch with the group. I was fighting with rear grip problems and also lacking acceleration out of the final corner. It was frustrating because I wanted to fight with Miller but he was pulling thirty metres on me on the straight and it was impossible to recover that gap. That was the best I could do today. On the final five laps I was on the limit. The good thing is that now we have a couple of weeks to rest and then it’s my home Grand Prix at Brno”.

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Rabat scores two points at the German Grand Prix

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

The German Grand Prix didn’t bring the desired results for Reale Avintia Racing Team, with their riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon finishing in 13th and 19th position.

For Rabat, the race was like a lottery, because after struggling with grip problems throughout the weekend, he came up with a completely new set-up on Sunday. The change was for the better and he was able to fight within the point rankings for the whole race, after starting from 19th place of the grid.

Xavi Simeon hoped to have the pace to fight with Lüthi, Abraham and the riders who were right in front of him on the grid. On the first laps he did so, but after only five laps he lost contact and was left riding alone. The Belgian hopes to turn the situation around in the next races to come.

Reale Avintia Racing team will now travel to Misano to attend the WDW (World Ducati Weekend) where they will meet thousands of ‘Ducatisti’ in an incredible weekend. Afterwards, they will take a week off before heading to Brno, stage of the Czech Republic GP from August 3 to 5.

Tito Rabat | P13

“I had a complicated weekend, with many problems with the grip of the tyres. We changed the bike at the last minute for the race, in which we have done well and picked up a couple of points. Now I’m going to ‘relax’ a bit in the WDW and then rest a bit to recharge my batteries for the next race”.

Xavier Simeon | P19

“It has been a difficult weekend. I expected to do much better, but lately, we didn’t find the right way. Today in the race there was no way to fight with those who were ahead of me and I don’t understand why. Now we are going to have a small break, where we will reset in order to get stronger for the rest of the championship”.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

SCOTT REDDING IN THE POINTS AT THE GP OF GERMANY

AFTER HIS CRASH IN WARM UP, ESPARGARÓ REMAINS UNDER OBSERVATION AT THE CHEMNITZ HOSPITAL

Scott Redding finished 15th in the GP of Germany, the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship season. It was a comeback ride from the twentieth spot on the starting grid, but in the first part of the race, an even better result seemed likely. Scott started well from the seventh row, finishing the first lap in thirteenth place, just behind the group which would then battle for a spot in the top ten. Scott held the position for two thirds of the race but then a significant drop in rear tyre performance forced him to settle for his final position.

Aleix Espargaró was not on the starting grid due to the injury suffered in a crash during the morning warm up. Aleix, who does not have any fractures, remains under observation in the Chemnitz hospital after suffering a bad thoracic trauma in the left rib area.

SCOTT REDDING

“I started rather well, making up positions. In the last few race weekends, it has always been the session where I felt the best and again today, I have to say that I was rather confident. Unfortunately, about 5-6 laps from the end, I had an abrupt drop in rear tyre performance. I tried to conserve it throughout the race, staying behind Rabat and thinking that I would launch an attack in the finale, but the total lack of grip forced me to settle for fifteenth. I am a bit disappointed because of the good feeling, but on this track, losing grip on the left side with all the corners on that side means losing a lot of time.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

#GermanGP Race. Super Petrux fights for the podium. Great come back for Jack after clash on lap 1

In the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, Danilo Petrucci is the protagonist of a fantastic race as he finishes in fourth place after a great battle for the podium. Jack Miller was involved in Pol Espargaro’s crash on lap 1 but he managed to get back on track and get two precious points after a great comeback.

Danilo started well from the front row and maintained his second position. Between the fifth and sixth laps, he was attacked by Marquez and Rossi but the race pace was good and allowed him to stay with the leading group. Six laps from the end the rider from Terni overtook Lorenzo for P3 but he lost a few tenths that allow Vinales to approach and overcome him two laps from the end. Danilo celebrates in the Parc Ferme as first Independent rider.

Jack’s race was immediately complicated by the crash of Pol Espargaro who took him off the track with Alex Rins. The Australian rider is good at staying on the bike and starts a great comeback that allows him to end in 14th position to take two points that contribute to the fourth position of Alma Pramac Racing in the team standings behind Yamaha, Honda and Ducati.

P4 – Danilo Petrucci

“It’s a shame I couldn’t get to the podium but I’m very satisfied for this weekend. We have done a great job both in terms of set-up and electronics and I would like to thank the whole team. We go on holiday with a smile”.

P14 – Jack Miller

“If I am to be honest, I am pleased to have been able to stay in the race after the clash with Espargaro. The race pace was good and I could have done the Top 10. I’m still in the Top 10 of the standings and I can’t wait to be in Brno to do a great race”.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR CRUTCHLOW IN GERMANY

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow endured late frustration at the German Grand Prix as he crashed out when battling for the podium places. Starting from seventh spot on the grid at the Sachsenring, the Briton made a fine start and ensured he was part of the lead group who pulled away after a couple of impressive early passes.

But, having looked well placed to make a push for the top three spots, Crutchlow saw his chances evaporate nine laps from the finish as he lost the front end when lapping in fifth. It was a huge blow for the 32-year-old who had looked good throughout and he was left to rue an opportunity missed when reflecting on the race afterwards.

Cal Crutchlow – DNF

“When we crash with the front of the Honda we don’t seem to understand why, because three laps before I went in deeper than that and faster than that and had no problem. I felt good, I felt nice in that group and had made the split that had gone. It’s easy to say that I should have managed the situation better, I felt I was managing that well there, but in the end I lost the front at turn 12 and that’s always a risk when you’re sitting in a group like that. Our team and our bike are working very well, obviously I’m disappointed to crash before the summer break but we’ll have to try again in Brno and see if we can improve there”.

“Again, it’s good to be up there and competitive, but also disappointing because I was ahead of (Maverick) Vinales, who finished on the podium, at that time and who had the soft rear tyre. But that’s the way it goes, sometimes you have good races and sometimes you have bad ones.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

LATE MISTAKE COSTS TAKA IN GERMANY

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami saw his hopes of a positive result at the German Grand Prix disappear after a late crash at the Sachsenring. After impressing in qualifying, the Japanese talent started from 12th on the grid and battled hard throughout as he looked to get back amongst the points after a disappointing run of results.

Nakagami spent much of the race competing with Frenchman Johan Zarco and looked poised to fight it out for a top 10 place. However, a mistake a few laps from home cost him dear as he lost the front end of his Honda and slid out. It was a frustrating end to a weekend that had promised much for Taka.

Takaaki Nakagami – DNF

“I’m very disappointed about today’s race. It was tricky on the first lap because in between turn three and four there was an incident in front of me and I was really close to hitting them. But that was ok and then I was fighting with Johan (Zarco) and each corner we were battling. I tried to follow him but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner and braked too much. I lost the front grip and that was it, I crashed and it was my mistake”.

“It’s easy to say after the race, but if I had finished I could have been maybe ninth or tenth. But I’m very sorry to the team because this had been a good weekend and I’m very disappointed it ended up like this. Now we must think about the next race.”

More, from a press release issued by KTM:

TOP 10 FOR SMITH, ESPARGARO TOP IN WARM-UP & BINDER WITH FIRST MOTO2 WIN IN GERMANY

RACE 9th Rd. MotoGP 2018, Sachsenring (GER)

The ninth round of 2018 MotoGP at Sachsenring in Germany was a memorable one for KTM across the Grand Prix classes. Bradley Smith finished 10th while Pol Espargaro took the RC16 to the number one slot in Sunday morning warm-up; a first for the Red Bull KTM project in just its second year. Brad Binder ran to a maiden triumph in the Moto2 division for the Ajo team’s second success of 2018.

MotoGP

Pol Espargaro gave the team a boost by setting the quickest lap-time to head the classification in morning warm-up and with generous German sunshine nudging temperatures up and around twenty degrees. A tricky Qualification Practice meant that the Spaniard and teammate Bradley Smith set off for the 30 lap MotoGP race from the fifth and sixth rows of the grid.

Both #44 and #38 pushed for the best possible start on the twisty layout and to gain the most positions once the red light went out. Sadly Pol’s race latest only a matter of seconds after he tagged Andrea Iannone entering Turn 3 and crashed, taking Alex Rins with him into the gravel. Smith was the sole KTM RC16 pilot and entering the second half of the race was holding 10th place, around 20 seconds down on leader Marc Marquez. Smith made sure of his top ten ranking, collected 6 points and toasted his best result of 2018 to-date. Espargaro is 14th in the championship standings at the midway mark of the season with points in 7 of 9 rounds so far, Smith is 19th.

Smith: “It was nice to be able to get the result that we knew was there and we’ve had that potential all season. For some reason or another Sundays have been the disappointing days, particularly in Assen two weeks ago where I felt I could have done a similar job as today. We have to be happy and we worked hard all weekend. I was able to hold with (Dani) Pedrosa and (Johann) Zarco for a long time and regrouped after a small mistake. I could then pull away from Hafizh and bring home some good points; six in fact after only scoring seven all season. Finally a good finish and we were able to show where the KTM can be.”

Espargaro: “I don’t want to say I was unlucky because I generated everything. I was on the outside of the second corner and I was pushed a little wide, which is normal, but I could not avoid Iannone who was on the inside of the third corner and locking the bike a lot. I crashed and I was so, so sorry for Alex (Rins). It was really unfortunate that it happened there on the first lap and we didn’t get to show what we had in the pocket today. From the first practice we were trying new things and new stuff and I was not focussed on the bike that we know until this morning. We had a very good rhythm and feeling and I was ready to do a good race. It was the worst moment of the season because I think we could have shown something very interesting here at Sachsenring.”

Mike Leitner (Team Manager): “We again showed that we are making progress. Being fastest in warm-up is not just a gift from the others. We went into the race very confident because of Pol’s speed and Bradley’s race pace from FP4 so it was a shame we lost Pol on the first lap because we were expecting the top ten with him. In the end we were very happy that Bradley achieved the goal; this is a great result for him, the team and the factory. We should take the positives from this race and we’ll think during the summer break how we can improve for the second half of the season.”

Moto2

Brad Binder rode superbly on his KTM Moto2 machine to win his very first Grand Prix in the Moto2 category as well as becoming the first South African to walk the highest plinth of the podium. The former Moto3 World Champion judged his pace and tyres perfectly to defeat Joan Mir and Luca Marini to set a new career milestone. Miguel Oliveira needed to push through from a difficult Qualification Practice on Saturday and 15th place on the grid. The Portuguese managed a fighting 4th to close the gap at the top of the Moto2 standings to just 7 points behind leader Francesco Bagnaia. Swiss Innovative Investors Sam Lowes had shown top five speed throughout the weekend and the Briton finished 5th.

Binder: “I tried not to do anything crazy at the start, because I knew our rivals would be a little faster than us, and everything went perfectly. I was able to overtake most of the riders on the first laps and then, seeing that I had enough pace, I went after the lead. At the end of the race I had to be careful, because my rear tyre was practically worn out and I suffered a lot on the final laps. I controlled the lead but it was very tough, as even on the last lap I almost had a highside at Turn 1. It was amazing to get the victory, and I can’t thank my team enough for their help. Honestly, I still can’t believe it – it doesn’t seem real to me. This year we have been suffering a lot and now we have a victory to our name. We couldn’t have finished this first half of the championship any better.”

Moto3

The long train of athletes battling for Moto3 glory eventually narrowed to just three with Redox PruestelGP’s Marco Bezzecchi at the heart of the action on his KTM RC250 GP and the position-swapping separated by mere inches. The chequered flag was eventually shown to Jorge Martin, with the Italian taking second place after surviving a late attack by John McPhee. Raul Fernandez, who replaced injured Darryn Binder in the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, showed a great race finising also in the top ten at nith place.

Aki Ajo (Team Manager Moto3): “It’s been a very good weekend for Raul (Fernandez). On Friday he made a great start and we saw how focused he was, showing great maturity when working in practice. Saturday was not easy, as he put too much pressure on himself, but again he showed consistency and a very good preparation for the race, something rare to see from such a young rider. In the race a rival drove him off track, something that usually happens in Germany, but he was able to make an incredible comeback. We are very happy with his performance and we have to congratulate him on that.”

MotoGP enters a small summer break with two free weekends before the series gathers together again at Brno for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic on the first weekend of August.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marc Marquez once again rules at the ’Ring

Marc Marquez perfectly mastered a tactical race to take a stellar ninth straight win at the Sachsenring, after starting from pole position.

The reigning World Champion saved his tyres while following Danilo Petrucci and Jorge Lorenzo in the early phases, took the lead on lap 13 when he decided it was time to try and pull a gap and—in the latter stages of the race, when tyre consumption increased—managed his advantage.

Looking strictly at the numbers, today Marc took a second consecutive win from pole, his fifth victory this season, his 40th MotoGP success, and his 66th across three classes, extending his Championship lead over Valentino Rossi to 46 points with 10 races remaining. In addition, his ninth win at Sachsenring came after nine consecutive poles here, and in his 99th MotoGP race, at the season’s ninth round.

Never really comfortable with his bike’s setup during the weekend, Dani Pedrosa could only improve upon his starting-grid spot by two positions, ending the race in eighth place.

Now the Repsol Honda Team will enjoy a two-week break before heading to Brno for the Czech GP on 5 August.

Marc Marquez 93

WINNER

“Of course I’m very happy, as nine wins in a row here is incredible! But every year the pressure increases, because beginning on Thursday, everyone starts asking about winning on Sunday! Anyway, we have the experience to handle that as well. Today I expected the race to have different phases, with the first tyre drop happening after around nine laps and a final one seven to five laps from the end. I was prepared to manage the different situations, but in the beginning it wasn’t easy because my start wasn’t perfect. I expected that Lorenzo might pass me but not Petrucci. I lost two positions and then overtaking them wasn’t easy. When I did it, I started to push in order to pull a gap but without being ‘crazy’ so that I could manage the tyre consumption until the end of the race. But then they signalled me that Valentino was closing in very fast, and when I saw 0.6 in the board I understood that I had to push again and completely use my tyres for two or three laps, so I did my fastest lap of the race. I was able to open a gap again and then manage it. Then, when I was celebrating I saw a marshal with a No. 26 cap, so I took it and went to celebrate in front of the fans because I think this weekend Dani was the protagonist, and we’ll miss him. We and Honda are working very well and we need to continue like this in the second part of the Championship with the same feeling we’ve had so far.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

8TH

“It was a disappointing race because this is a track where I’ve always been faster, but we’ve been struggling all weekend with the bike setup. We managed to improve here and there a little bit but I never felt really comfortable. I did more or less the same lap times for the entire race, but not fast enough. We can’t do anything else but continue working to try to improve the setting and feeling on the bike.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso finish sixth and seventh in the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring

Jorge Lorenzo came home in sixth place in the German Grand Prix, which was held today at the Sachsenring circuit. The Spanish rider, who powered away from the front row after setting the third quickest time in qualifying, led the race for 12 laps but was passed by Marquez and then by Rossi, and gradually lost ground to finish the ninth round of the season in sixth place.

Seventh place went to Andrea Dovizioso, who started from the seond row. The Italian rider managed to make his way up to fifth place by the half-way point but was then passed by Bautista and Viñales and he took the chequered flag in seventh place.

Thanks to today’s results, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo move up to fourth and sixth place in the championship standings, with 88 and 84 points respectively.

The MotoGP World Championship will be back on track again from 3rd to 5th August at the Brno circuit for the Czech Grand Prix, while all the Ducati riders will meet their fans next week at the WDW (World Ducati Week), which will be held at the Misano Adriatico circuit from 20th to 22nd July.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 6th

“I made a great start again today and led the race for a number of laps, but right from the start I noticed that the track didn’t have much grip. I was leading but I realized that I was unable to shake off the riders behind me and when the rear tyre began to lose grip it was impossible to keep up the pace. Overall we made progress throughout the weekend, but we weren’t able to confirm the good job we did with a positive result. Maybe we went in the wrong direction with the setting of the bike: we focussed too much on trying to get a lot of grip at the front and we probably neglected the rear a bit, which in the end compromised our race and made it impossible to fight for the podium. Now the WDW awaits us at Misano and then, after a few days rest, we’ll concentrate on Brno where I’m convinced we’ll be back stronger than ever.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th

“It was a difficult race, but at least this time we were amongst the leading group at a circuit where, in the past, we had never obtained any good results. We had a good pace at the start of the race, but I wasn’t able to ride smoothly and so I couldn’t keep up the same pace until the end. Until half-way through the race I was lapping with the same times as the leaders, but then the rear tyre dropped off and I was no longer able to ride in a smooth way and make the bike flow through the middle of the corners. Pity, but we’ll also take stock of this experience to get a better idea of which direction to follow.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

GERMAN GP ENDS AT TURN 3 FOR LUCKLESS SUZUKI TEAM

Andrea Iannone: 12th (+ 25.963)

Alex Rins: DNF (Lap 1)

•Alex Rins taken down on third corner.

•Andrea Iannone hit and forced wide in the same accident.

•Team look ahead to the second half of the season.

Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins were keen and ready to make up positions from their 8th and 11th grid positions respectively, and as the lights went out they hoped to bring the strong and promising race pace shown throughout the weekend in Germany. But at Turn 3 on Lap 1 Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders were victims of a very costly error by another rider; Iannone was struck and forced wide, and Rins taken down and into the gravel trap. The race was over for a bitterly disappointed Alex, who was thankfully uninjured, while Andrea was able to keep going despite considerable damage sustained to the rear of his GSX-RR. The Italian worked his way up from the back of the field to take 12th place and valuable championship points.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“Today for us, after the first lap, everything was already finished. The accident caused by another rider included both our riders and it ended Alex’s race and made it very hard for Andrea. It was key that Andrea didn’t give up, and he tried to recover as many positions as possible, but we all know how difficult the Sachsenring is for overtaking. It was a real pity because we had very good race pace and we expected a better day. After this two week break we will come back stronger.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s sad when the day is negative and it’s not your fault. Unfortunately there was the accident at Turns 2 and 3, which took both Alex and Andrea in one shot the first crashed and the latter had to continue from very far back, and our race from that moment was extremely compromised. Andrea tried to recover as much as he could and he got to 12th position, which was good in a race where it was not easy to recover due to tyre management. Anyway, everything that happened today was of a consequence of this early incident, it’s sad and shouldn’t really happen at track like Sachsenring where everybody knows it’s very tight.”

Andrea Iannone

“The race was over for me at Turn 3. I think Pol Espargarò should have thought a bit more about what he was doing, because there isn’t space at that corner and he was completely on the kerb – there wasn’t a line there. I heard the bike behind me and I started to pick my bike up a bit because I expected there could be contact, that manoeuvre prevented me from crashing but my bike was damaged and I lost more than 10 places. I tried my best but it was difficult to make up positions. My lap time was not bad, I could have been in the top 5 to top 8 places. I understand that everyone wants to push hard in the early laps, but it’s more dangerous than ever in MotoGP now and people must be careful. I have shown good pace in the last few races and I’m waiting to continue this good form in Brno.”

Alex Rins

“I was on my line, and it was very strange because when I changed direction to enter Turn 3 I found Pol was on the inside line, on the kerb. He touched Andrea and then he crashed and I went with him because there was no space to avoid it. I’m really sad because we worked very hard with the team all weekend and it’s disappointing to finish like this. This season has been going very well, despite the crashes in the early part of the year. We’ve been fighting a lot with the lead group and it’s nice for me and for all the team. We’re looking forward to coming back after the summer break.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP PULL OFF SUPERB DOUBLE PODIUM AT THE SACHSENRING

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales had completely opposite races today, with Rossi showing fast race pace in the early stages and Viñales making a great comeback towards the end of the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. However, both riders were successful. The pair secured second and third place respectively – the team‘s first double podium of the season.

Sachsenring (Germany), 15th July 2018

Today Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales celebrated on the Sachsenring rostrum together after a stellar performance from the two Movistar Yamaha MotoGP men. They secured second and third place respectively in this afternoon‘s Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, the team‘s first double podium of the season.

Rossi had a great start from sixth on the grid, as he slipped past his teammate and Andrea Dovizioso to slot into fourth position after the first corner. He got down to business right from the early stages of the race. Not wanting to let the two front-runners escape, he was putting continuous pressure on Danilo Petrucci in third place. At the start of lap 9 the Doctor made a classic Sachsenring overtake going into turn 1.

With a margin of less than a second to Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, the nine-time World Champion put his head down. As the two front men got into a battle, the Yamaha rider closed the gap with 17 laps to go.

Three laps later he stormed past Lorenzo when the Spaniard made a mistake in turn 10. Lorenzo tried to retaliate, but was unsuccessful, giving Rossi a chance to break away. He set a provisional fastest race lap of 1‘21.776s and was closing up on Marquez, but the fight with Lorenzo had cost him too much valuable time. He finished the race in second place, 2.196s from first.

Viñales got off to a good start at the Sachsenring circuit, but his teammate had a better one and pushed him back to fifth place. It took the youngster a while to get into the groove and he had to let Cal Crutchlow and Dovizioso pass him in the opening five laps. He lost another place to Álvaro Bautista, but soon moved back up to seventh as Crutchlow crashed out of the race with 20 laps to go.

Three laps later the Spaniard started dropping into the 1‘21s and it took him little time to latch onto the back of the three riders fighting for fourth place. He was looking for a way through on Dovizioso and with eight laps to go he made his move. Shortly after, also Bautista had to relinquish his position, followed by Lorenzo.

Viñales was now in fourth and setting personal best sectors as he chased Petrucci and a place on the podium. He was on a charge and made the overtake for third place look effortless, two laps before the end. He kept pushing and took the chequered flag 2.776s behind the leader.

Rossi‘s second place keeps him in second position in the championship standings with 119 points, 10 points ahead of teammate Viñales, who remains in third position. Yamaha climbed up to second place in the Constructor Championship, with a 40-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team remain in first position in the team standings and now have a 14-point gap to the second team.

MotoGP will be taking a short summer break after this weekend. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action in three weeks’ time at the Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceské republiky, held at the Automotodrom Brno from August 3rd – 5th.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

This double podium is a great result for the team! It has been a really good weekend because we‘ve been able to improve and optimize the bike step by step. Considering that Sachsenring is always a difficult track for us, second and third are great results. Vale had a good start and was able to stay with the two front riders at the beginning, and together with them he could pull away from the second group, managing his tyres very well throughout the race. I think his tyre change to medium on the grid was key to today‘s performance as well. Maverick started in a good position but dropped back in the early stages. However, he managed to recover, doing amazing overtaking manoeuvres, which is not easy at this circuit, especially towards the end of the race. After this double podium we deserve a small break, so we can start the second half of the season with refreshed energy.

VALENTINO ROSSI

Usually Sachsenring is a difficult track for the M1, but today we were able to get a double podium, so we’re very happy, also about the work of the team. I‘m so happy because I did a fantastic race from the beginning, I never made a mistake. Last week, I rewatched the race from last year and I said to myself “Folger was good with the Yamaha, so we have to do the same!” In the end I got the same position as he did, so I‘m happy and it‘s a great way to start the holiday.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

It was a tough race, honestly, but I feel happy because I think we worked well throughout the whole weekend and I think we did a good job. With the team we worked hard on the last ten laps of the race, which were the most important. I think we were one of the strongest at the end of the race, but there are still things for us to improve, also on myself. It’s good to have a break right now, to give us some time to work hard and try to improve the bike. It was almost impossible to overtake today. I tried, but I was going wide everywhere. Outside, inside, I tried everything! When the tyres started to drop I was overtaking everyone in corner 8, closing my eyes, going downhill, full gas. I gave everything, and the bike was working well. I was doing some 1’21.8s or 1’21.9s and this was the race pace that I was expecting. Honestly, congratulations to the team. We’re making the steps little by little and we just have to keep working.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

King of the Ring: Marquez takes ninth Sachsenring win in style

A tactical masterclass saw the number 93 able to pull clear to take an incredible ninth German GP win in a row – from his ninth pole

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has re-written another piece of history in the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, storming the Sachsenring from a ninth pole in a row to take his ninth win in a row across all classes. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoG) took second and maintains his second place in the standings after an impressive bounce back after a tough Friday at the track, with the podium completed by teammate Maverick Viñales.

At lights out it was Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) who got the holeshot from pole, moving from third into the lead as Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) slotted into second – with Marquez shuffled back into third. Rossi made a good start from sixth to move into fourth ahead of teammate Viñales, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) the key man to lose out from fifth.

Once at the front, Lorenzo set about putting the hammer down, making it the sixth race in succession the Mallorcan has led. It didn’t take too long for Marquez to make his way through to be the man behind his compatriot, however, and a game of cat and mouse began at the front as Marquez reeled in the rhythm ahead of him.

Meanwhile Rossi attacked Petrucci for third and moved through, as Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) then crashed out at Turn 12, the Brit’s say in the podium fight over early. Lorenzo was holding firm at the front, but Marquez then chose his moment and struck – taking over in the lead and leaving Lorenzo to be reeled in by Rossi.

That the Italian did, and the rider from Tavullia got his own hammer down once past to try and claw back some time to Marquez, but it wasn’t to be. The number 93 pulled the pin with perfect timing, with enough grip left to see him make a gap and keep it until crossing the line for stunning ninth win in a row at the Sachsenring – and all from pole.

Rossi was then safe in second for another podium finish, but teammate Viñales left it late to complete the rostrum. First Petrucci was the man pushing to pass a Lorenzo struggling with grip, before Viñales arrived on the scene and attacked the Mallorcan and then the Italian to take third and a second successive podium.

That made Petrucci top Independent Team rider in a well-fought fourth, just ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team)’s stunning ride to fifth. Bautista was the fastest man on track for a good number of laps and kept that incredible form to the end, the final man able to muscle past Lorenzo by the flag.

Lorenzo took P6 ahead of a tough day for teammate Andrea Dovizioso, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) putting in a solid ride to eighth. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) improved from his worst qualifying of the season so far to take ninth despite the difficult weekend, with an incredible ride from Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) putting the Brit in tenth to take KTM’s first top ten of the season.

Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was top rookie in eleventh and takes over at the top of the Rookie of the Year standings, ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who was caught in an early incident that saw Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) make contact with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and both go down; also affecting Iannone and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing). Miller finished P14, with Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) between him and Iannone. Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completed the points.

Now summer awaits but it’s not too long until we’re back at Brno for the Czech GP – where the second half of the Championship will hit top gear straightaway as the pressure starts to ramp up towards the season finale…

Brilliant Binder takes maiden Moto2™ win

The South African took an immaculate victory as the Championship takes another twist in an unpredictable race

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed the first South African intermediate class win since 1980 at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland after a sublime ride, beating Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to victory as the Spaniard claimed his best Moto2™ result in second, with Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) claiming his first Grand Prix podium in third.

The opening stages of the Moto2™ race where chaotic. First, Miguel Oliveria (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a moment on the last corner of the opening lap, luckily staying on after getting out of shape – making contact with the helpless Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) as he tried to pass. Then a lap later, Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed out of P2 at the same corner, with Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) having to take avoiding action, running into the gravel and dropping down to 26th. The drama wasn’t over, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) highsiding out of contention at T2 on lap three, leaving Marini, Mir and Binder at the front.

The Italian held station at the front, before Mir went up the inside at Turn 1 to take the lead of the race. Five laps later, Binder then made his move, first getting past Marini at Turn 1 before slicing his way through on race leader Mir at the bottom of the Ralf Waldmann corner. The South African wasn’t able to create a gap, but his lap 10 move proved to be the race winning overtake, with Binder looking like he was on rails around the Sachsenring as he eventually claimed victory by 0.779 seconds, with 0.154 splitting Mir and Marini in P2 and P3.

Further back, Oliveira had re-grouped and got himself up to fourth after passing Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) and home rider Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP). The Portuguese rider couldn’t bridge the gap to the front three though and settled for P4, with Lowes getting the better of Schroetter on the last lap to claim his best result of the season in fifth – the German sixth at his home Grand Prix.

After his tangle with Oliveira, Vierge crossed the line P7, with Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) and Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) rounding out the top 10.

Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing) produced a gritty ride as he continues his return from two broken legs, with Bagnaia brilliantly salvaging P12 – his Championship lead now cut to seven points though. 13th was Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) after his heavy Saturday crash, with Dominique Aegerter 14th (Kiefer Racing) and Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) earning another point scoring ride in 15th.

So, it was a magnificent maiden Moto2™ victory for Binder, while the Championship pendulum swings again with Oliveira cutting the gap to Bagnaia as the paddock heads for the summer break.

Martin pulls the pin to perfection as the standings shuffle

It’s another day of shuffling cards in the Championship but the leader emerges on top after another stunning win

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took a perfectly-timed win in the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, fighting at the front throughout before pulling the pin to perfection in the latter stages to escape the chasing pack. It was Championship rival Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) who crossed the line second in some solid damage limitation to keep close in the standings, with John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) putting some recent disappointments to bed as he got back on the podium with an impressive third.

Martin took the holeshot from pole, getting a perfect start as Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai) moved up into second and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) suffered off the line to fall back. Ramirez’ teammate Jaume Masia shot past the Italian to take third, with Bezzecchi pouncing early to move up and begin his attack.

From seventh on the grid the Italian was soon on the tail of Martin and the Spaniard was unable to escape in the early stages. But it was a huge train of riders fighting it out at the front, with the group stretching back outside the points and even the top twenty.

With 16 laps to go, Martin’s first little lightning bolt of drama hit as he headed wide into Turn 1 and dropped back to fourth, before another few laps later there was more drama in the same place as teammate Fabio DiGiannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) crashed and was incredibly close to collecting Martin out the lead – but the Spaniard held on and just headed a little wide.

With seven to go Martin made a break for it, pulling the pin and timing it to perfection as Bezzecchi struggled to hold on to the Honda man ahead of him. Half a second then six tenths then over a second, the gap kept growing – and McPhee hunted down Bezzecchi. Martin crossed the line for the win as Bezzecchi and McPhee dragged it out – and the Italian took it by just half a tenth.

Marcos Ramirez took fourth as he beat Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) by less than a tenth, with Masia completing his impressive weekend – despite a huge highside on Saturday – to complete the top six. Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) took seventh ahead of an improved weekend for Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) in P8, with Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completing the top ten.

Fernandez was a victim of another key moment of drama in the race, with the Spaniard suffering contact with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) and forced wide across the gravel. Getting back on track well outside the top twenty, the Spaniard’s ride back to the top ten was an incredible achievement as he stands in for the injured Darryn Binder.

Dalla Porta’s teammate Enea Bastianini was also protagonist of some drama as the Italian crashed in the latter laps and was collected by Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), making it a 0 in the title fight for the Italian just ahead of the summer break.

Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team), Dalla Porta after a penalty, Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) and rookie Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) completed the points.

Now it’s time for a couple of weekends off before we reconvene at Brno – and it’s Martin heading into the break with momentum, but Bezzecchi’s very much in touch.

More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

MICHELIN AND MARQUEZ MASTER A SIZZLING SACHSENRING

Michelin saw high temperatures try to play their part at Sachsenring in Germany today as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) gave an accomplished performance to take victory during the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as the Michelin tyres produced a durable and consistent race to conquer the German track.

This weekend’s event at the 3,671m Sachsenring circuit has witnessed high track temperatures which culminated in the asphalt hitting 46°C as today’s 30-lap race got underway. These unexpected highs put the full range of MICHELIN Power Slick tyres under intense scrutiny as the rubber had to cope with conditions which were not anticipated when the Michelin team had to choose this weekend’s allocation before the season started, but with the knowledge and data secured from last year’s event the team produced a compound selection that was suitable for all.

As today’s race began, five of the six slick tyres were in use in various pairings, with only the hard rear being unused. Marquez lined up with a hard front and soft rear compound tyre at the front of the grid, after he set pole position yesterday as he recorded the fastest-ever two-wheel lap of Sachsenring. As the lights changed to signal go, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) got off the line quickly and led for the first lap, the Spaniard had a soft front and medium rear and tried to push hard at the start to make a break, He maintained his lead for 12-laps with Marquez in close proximity, but on lap-13 the reigning World Champion made his move and took first place, a position he never relinquished and took the chequered flag to secure his ninth successive victory at Sachsenring and record the fastest lap of the race in the process on lap-22.

The battle for the remaining podium places excited the 89,242 fans at trackside as Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) came from sixth on the grid to take second using a pairing of medium front and rear tyres, whilst his team-mate Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took third with a medium front and soft rear, again the podium demonstrated the different combination of MICHELIN Power Slicks which can be used by different riders to give them optimum performance. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) was fourth and also took the position of First Independent Rider. Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) produced his best result of the season so far to secure fifth, with Lorenzo crossing the line in sixth. Seventh was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and eighth went to Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who earlier this weekend announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. Ninth was Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), with Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also taking his best result so far this year as he rounded out the top-ten.

Michelin and the whole paddock now takes a mid-season break to recharge in readiness for this year’s 10 remaining races, with the Brno Grand Prix in the Czech Republic restarting the championship on Sunday 5th August.

Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team:

“The race was very good here today, you can say ok it was another victory in Sachsenring, but it was not just another victory. This year we suffered a little bit because all weekend we had good weather and every rider and every team were able to work with all the tyres to make the best set-up and best compromise and as we saw in the race there were many different options of the front and the rear. I think we chose the best ones for us because I felt really good with the hard front and the soft rear and honestly speaking the tyres were more consistent in the race than I expected, because here it is very demanding, especially on the left side. The tyres worked very good, very consistent and I was able to make the fastest lap on lap-22, so that was even better than I expected.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“It has been a very demanding weekend for all the tyres as it has been so much hotter here at Sachsenring than we had planned for. Nearly every session was twice the temperature it had been last season, but the selection we brought coped very well with these extremes and during all the practice and qualifying sessions the top rider produced a time faster in each session than we had in corresponding years. Marc also produced the fastest-ever lap of Sachsenring on Saturday in qualifying, so this was very pleasing. There was again a mixed selection between the riders during the race, with all of the podium having a different combination on their bikes. We have had some difficult conditions to contend with in the first part of the season and are now looking forward to a short break so we can go into the second half refreshed. We return at Brno, where there will also be a post-race test where we have some new tyres to assess in readiness for 2019.”