GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Sachsenring, Germany

July 15, 2016

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:22.161, crash

2. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:22.381

3. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:22.775

4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:22.817

5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:22.930

6. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:22.953

7. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:23.015

8. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:23.053

9. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:23.061

10. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:23.123

11. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:23.400

12. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:23.460

13. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:23.485

14. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:23.534

15. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:23.740

16. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:23.824

17. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:23.958

18. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:24.116

19. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:24.746, crash

20. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:24.911, crash

21. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:25.049

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Miller close to top 10 at chilly and windy Sachsenring

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat battled cold and blustery conditions to make a positive start to the German MotoGP round at Sachsenring today.

Cool and damp conditions this morning restricted Dutch TT winner Miller and Rabat to just a handful of laps, with both opting for a safety first approach as track temperature peaked at just 15 degrees.

Conditions remained ominously cloudy but mainly dry for FP2, and despite a biting breeze still blowing around the 3.67km track, Miller and Rabat were able to carry out crucial work to gain experience of Michelin’s new asymmetric front tyre, which is part of the tyre allocation for the first time in 2016.

Miller adapted to the new front tyre option remarkably quickly and despite finishing 13th on the timesheets, the 21-year-old was extremely satisfied with his speed and progress in FP2.

His best lap time of 1.23.485 was just over 0.5s off the top six and using the confidence gained from his breakthrough first win in Assen three weeks ago, the Australia lapped faster than Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo on day one.

Michelin’s asymmetric front has been designed with a softer compound on the right side to help with initial warm-up performance and to maintain temperature, with Sachsenring dominated by 10 left turns in its 13-corner layout.

The impressive performance of the new asymmetric front still couldn’t prevent Rabat from being one of several crashers at the downhill turn 11, which is a fast right-hander taken in fifth gear with a blind approach.

The Spaniard was unhurt in the 200kph spill and a fastest time of 1.24.746 placed Rabat in 19th position on the combined leaderboard.

Jack Miller: 13th – 1’23.485

“I feel pretty good on the bike but it was a bit of a shame to miss most of this morning’s session because of the weather. Luckily enough we got some dry time this afternoon and I was able to put in some decent laps. I’ve got a bit of a strange feeling with the front at turn 11 and it can be quite scary at times. We’ve seen a few guys crash in that part of the track today and you’ve got to be pretty careful at that point. We’ve got the bike working pretty good and I’m really close in every sector apart from the second one. We’ve got some ideas to improve in that area so I’m really confident I can have another strong weekend. I like the track and the Honda is working well here again, so we’ve got an opportunity to be competitive again.”

Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’24.746

“Losing most of the session this morning, and the conditions being cold and windy for FP2, made today difficult for me because I need time on track to gain experience of riding a MotoGP bike here. It is difficult to get temperature in the front tyre, especially on the right side because turn 11 is the only fast right where you work the front hard. The conditions made it difficult but I was happy to improve on my last run but the crash at turn 11 caught me by surprise. I’d just clicked fifth gear and turned in when the front suddenly washed out. Fortunately I don’t have any pain, so I can return tomorrow motivated to give my maximum and improve my feeling.”

Chris Pike: Tito Rabat Chief Engineer

“Sachsenring is quite a unique circuit and it places a big demand on the front-end and Tito’s biggest problem today has been confidence with the front. You have to push hard to get the tyres up to working temperature but the air and track temperature is cold and there is a drizzle in the air, so it is not ideal conditions to push hard. It is not easy to build up momentum, so we’ll sit down tonight and try and come up with some solutions that give him more confidence in the front.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE AT THE GERMAN GP

ON THE SACHSENRING, WITH FALL WEATHER, THE APRILIAS RIDDEN BY BAUTISTA AND BRADL ARE TRYING TO FIND THE BEST SETTING FOR THE QUALIFYING TOMORROW

Typically fall weather, with temperatures between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius and a constant threat of rain, characterised the opening Friday of the German MotoGP Championship weekend.

The first session, partly due to the damp track that cause a lot of crashes, had the Aprilia riders sitting in the garage for most of the time available and it was not very helpful for fine tuning the bikes. Stefan Bradl also had a sliding crash that ended without any consequences for the rider. The afternoon session went better when Bautista and Bradl were able to lap with some consistency, obviously dropping their times significantly compared to the morning, as well as finding some good sensations and collecting a series of data that will be useful for finding the best setup for tomorrow, when the riders will be competing for the spots on the starting grid.

In fact, all of the work done today by the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini focused on an initial general setup for the RS-GP, which will be taking on the short and winding German circuit for the first time. At the end of the two sessions, Alvaro Bautista finished in 17th place (1’23.958), just ahead of teammate Stefan Bradl, 18th with 1’24.116.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“With the weather conditions today we certainly could not push to the limit, so we had a general initial contact with the Sachsenring. The feelings are not bad at all, although we didn’t force our hand. This is a track where you are in turns for a lot of the time, so traction is very important, especially at maximum lean angle. Today we tried to find as much as possible, especially using the electronics, but that is not enough. We will also need to find more mechanical grip and avoid exploiting the traction control too much. The other front we worked on was stability, which we need to improve. We have the potential to improve a lot for the qualifiers tomorrow”.

STEFAN BRADL

“This was an odd first day. The weather made things difficult, especially during FP1. I crashed as it began to rain on a turn where many others crashed. Fortunately, I was not hurt. In the afternoon the conditions improved a bit, but the setting we started with turned out not to be effective. We changed the rear of the bike in one direction, without finding any great benefits, and then toward the end of the session we went back to a configuration that we know better. The feeling was improving, but unfortunately the session was over by that time. Hopefully tomorrow the better weather will allow us to continue working in this direction which seems to be able to bring good results”.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

A good start for Octo Pramac Yakhnich at Sachsering: Petrux 8th, Scott 9th after FP2

The week end of Octo Pramac Yakhnich at Sachsering starts with a convincing double TOP 10 finish. A valuable result by virtue of the unstable weather conditions that could, in case of rain tomorrow, ensuring direct access to Q2 to Danilo Petrucci (8th) and Scott Redding (9th).

The first day of activities in the ninth round of the 2016 MotoGP season has been characterized by light rain that after a few minutes into the Fp1 forced riders to stop without having the chance to get back on track. Petrux managed to notch up the 3rd quickest lap-time, while a crash in the third lap prevented Scott to get back on the circuit.

In the afternoon, however, things went well for both Octo Pramac Yakhnich riders.

Petrux confirmed the good feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP finishing with the eighth fastest time (1’23.053) two tenths of a second from the hypothetical front row.

Scott has forgotten his morning mistake and managed to set the ninth fastest time (1’23.061), just 8 thousandths of a second behind his teammate, but with an ideal time that would have screened him in seventh position.

9th – Scott Redding

1’23.061

I made a mistake in FP1 because the tire was still cold as the tarmac temperature and in that condition I may have pushed too much. But in the afternoon we were able to do a good job. I found consistency even if the conditions were not the best. We have to see what the weather does tomorrow but I think we can still improve a lot and I’m very confident for the qualifying.

8th – Danilo Petrucci

1’23.053

I’m happy: we started the week end in a good way. We were fast since the morning. Unfortunately the weather did not help us with a very light rain which takes away confidence. Tomorrow we have room to improve and be closer to the front but this is already a positive day. Maybe we need a little more grip on the rear because I can not take advantage of the new tire. But at the same time I do not want to lose the confidence I feel on the front.

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

SLIPPERY START TO SACHSENRING WEEKEND FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo started the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland race weekend by placing 14th and 16th in cold and damp weather conditions.

Sachsenring (Germany), 15th July 2016

The GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland kicked off today under difficult track conditions. The morning practice was run on a fairly cold circuit, which became partly damp as rain began to fall half way through the session, while in the afternoon the riders had to cope with a drying track.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi had a cautious start to the race weekend, gradually building up speed to finish in 14th place. The morning session saw Jorge Lorenzo crash out going into turn eleven. The Mallorcan escaped relatively unscathed and was able to join the afternoon session, wrapping up in 16th place.

Valentino Rossi was quick to find a good rhythm at the challenging German circuit during the morning free practice session. He set the fourth fastest time, 0.577s from first, when spots of rain interrupted the proceedings. The change in track conditions saw the Italian sit out the second half of the session, as the wet surface meant there would be no opportunity for him to improve on his best time.

Rossi was the second rider to head out on a drying track in the afternoon session, which he used to find a set-up that suits the twisty Sachsenring circuit. He improved 0.725s on his time from the morning session, but just missed out on putting in a hot lap at the end of FP2 and wasn‘t able to climb in the rankings. He ended the first day of practice in fourteenth position overall, 1.373s from first.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a challenging start to the German Grand Prix. He was looking to move up from a provisional top ten position when he suffered a high-speed crash in turn eleven during FP1. The Mallorcan was quickly back on his feet, but had x-ray scans taken of his left hand at the Clinica Mobile as a precautionary measure. He was cleared of a fracture after the medical check but was unable to rejoin the session in time and finished in twelfth position in the morning time sheets.

Lorenzo returned to the track during the FP2 session after waiting for the rain to stop and the track to dry. With action resuming, the Spaniard mainly focused on improving the balance of his bike and he managed to better his morning time by 1‘529, to eventually finish sixteenth in the combined times, 1.663 from the front.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

We weren‘t expecting such a difficult start and the weather conditions made it more complicated, which didn‘t help us. Luckily Jorge was cleared for any fractures in his left hand after this morning‘s crash and was able to take part in FP2 as usual. It was a pity that Vale got stuck in traffic and missed the opportunity to put in a hot lap by just three seconds in the afternoon. We still have a lot of work to do in both sides of the garage to improve the bike set-up. It looks like the weather forecast for tomorrow should be good and we have to exploit these circumstances and drastically improve our speed in order to directly promote to Q2.

VALENTINO ROSSI

This was a difficult day for all the Yamaha riders, especially because we were struggling to find the right feeling with the front and the right temperature with the front tyre. Also the softer option is a bit too hard and we don‘t have the feeling or enough confidence to push to the fullest. This afternoon I also had another problem: I was stuck in traffic and wasn‘t able to do the lap at 100% and in fact I‘m very far behind, so we hope for tomorrow and Sunday to have a better temperature and a little bit more sun, that can help us a lot.

JORGE LORENZO

It looks like these are very cold and slippery conditions and you have to be very careful with the tyres. This morning I had a crash going downhill so to be honest I didn‘t get good confidence in any of the corners of the track and I felt really slow. All the Yamahas are struggling at the moment in these conditions and I‘m the slowest one, so let‘s see if we can improve our speed. My physical condition after the crash is OK and will not be a problem for Sunday.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Tech3 duo dodge the rain on day one at Sachsenring

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro kicked off his German GP campaign by finishing the opening day of action in Saxony in 11th. The young Spaniard jumped into action when the first session commenced as clouds hovered above the undulating circuit and he completed 8 laps before the rain began to fall, and thus, he concluded the practice in 6th. In the afternoon, he carried on from where he left off and the rain did not return as he powered onwards whilst continuing his set-up work in preparation for Sunday’s race. He eventually completed 24 laps, which was more than any other MotoGP rider and his fastest time was set on the 18th lap, that puts him less than half of a second back from the top five. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion will look to take another step forward tomorrow and clinch a solid grid position for the 9th round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 pit box, Bradley Smith battled the physically demanding circuit and he finished day one right behind his teammate as he prepares to fight for the top independent position on Sunday. The young Briton got straight to work when the opening session commenced, and he took the first steps in adjusting the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 to suit the twisting circuit. The track time was cut short due to the mixed conditions, yet Smith optimistically looked on to the afternoon. Here, he gradually built up his pace, before speeding to a personal best, which leaves him only 0.060 behind his teammate. With better weather expected tomorrow, Smith confidently focuses on seizing a top tier qualifying position for the 30-lap sprint on Sunday.

Pol Espargaro

Position: 11th Time: 1’23.400 Laps: 32

“The weather has clearly influenced the opening day here in Germany, because neither myself, Michelin nor anybody else expected Germany to be like this in July. Therefore, I suffered but especially with the front. Altogether I would say, that the compounds that we have available seem to be a bit too hard, and it’s not at all easy to bring them up to the right temperature. Anyway, we were able to get out on track and try a few setup solutions, but we can say now that the bike is working well overall so I’m confident for the rest of the weekend. I believe that today’s results can’t be taken into account too much as a lot of riders changed tyres at the end of the session, and we didn’t do this, but nevertheless I am sure that we can make a big improvement on new rubber. We decided to finish on the same compounds that we used all day in order to have a higher number left for FP3 and the qualifying session because the allocation here is quite tight. Now we look forward to better weather for tomorrow.”

Bradley Smith

Position: 12th Time: 1’23.460 Laps: 27

“Obviously, conditions like these always make it difficult here in Sachsenring because it’s a track that only has three right corners. You expect the circuit temperature to be around 30 degrees as it’s July, but I don’t think it was even above 20 today which of course, makes the job more difficult for Michelin. We saw the usual crashes that we unfortunately expect at turn eleven and hopefully all the riders who fell are ok, but there are always a few falls on the first day, as we begin to adjust the setting and our riding style for the remainder of the weekend. On the track I felt good, especially this afternoon and we kept the tyres from this morning so in the end, after doing four runs, we did full race distance by the end of FP2. In addition, I did my best lap on my last which means we are looking quite strong in terms of endurance. Yet, I am disappointed to be outside of the top ten, but we are not too far away from that target and my teammate is only a small step in front. It looks like we have room for improvement tomorrow so we’ll make some minor changes and wait for better track conditions, then hopefully, with a bit more temperature, the front tyre and rear will work better, but overall, I am pleased with our start.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager:

“Today should have been a very positive day, as it started with the announcement of the Dorna Independent Team’s agreement, but it actually turned out to be sad and a day of mourning. As we know, last night in France there was an atrocity at the Bastille Day Celebrations where people were on holiday and enjoying life at this time of the summer on the Côte d’Azur. A lot of people lost their lives for no reason. As a Frenchman and also a team representative for the MotoGP community, I want to express my great sadness and I would like to tell the world that we are with all those who have been affected.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Positive start to the weekend for Marquez; Pedrosa looks to improve

Decidedly un-summer-like temperatures (max air 16° C, ground 19°) made the opening day of the German GP quite demanding for the riders today. The Sachsenring Circuit is already tough on tyres due to majority of left-hand corners that make it difficult to keep effective operational heat in the right-side rubber, prompting Michelin to bring an asymmetrical front tyre spec for the first time this season.

Weather in the morning’s FP1 session was even colder before a light rain forced everyone back to the pit after just a couple of exits, rendering the session almost useless. In the afternoon, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa worked hard on their RC213V setups, and while Marc was quite comfortable on his bike at the end of the day, pleased with posting the third-best lap time, Dani recognizes that he needs more time to make the most of the particular conditions.

Marc Marquez

3RD 1’22.775

“Today was a good day, although the way that it began was a little strange. In the first session we were only able to do a few laps because it started to rain slightly, but it wasn’t heavy enough to put on wet tyres. The second session was more-or-less normal, although there were low temperatures and a very cold track. We had to dial things back a little, especially at turn 11, where many riders crashed. Nevertheless, I felt quite comfortable with the bike. We want to improve on some points and have to keep working, because the forecast for tomorrow is that temperatures will improve slightly. It will be an interesting Grand Prix because of the weather, and the prediction is that on Sunday we’ll have a situation like today, when rain could fall at any time.”

Dani Pedrosa

15TH 1’23.740

“Today was a very tough day because the track temperature was very low. I was riding on the limit and I saw several riders crash, especially in turn 11. Riding fast wasn’t possible, so we decided against taking risks under the circumstances. Hopefully tomorrow the weather improves, and we’ll continue working to recover our pace and try to place high up on the timesheets.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Times drop in MotoGP™ as the field chase flying Viñales

Rain holds off and sees rider increase the pace, the top ten devoid of Yamaha riders on Friday.

It was another slow start to practice at the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland for the MotoGP™ World Championship as Free Practice 2 began. Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was the first rider out on track, followed five minutes later by Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). The two started the trend and the rest of the field soon joined in.

Friday was an important day for the premier class, riders and teams attempting to understand how the new electronics and tyres change the behaviour of their bikes around the 3.7km Sachsenring. Times continued to edge closer and closer to the records of 2015, Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) recovering from a brutal fall at Turn 11 to lead the day with a 1’22.161. Since finishing on the podium in France the Spaniard has struggled to challenge for the top three, but that could all change in Germany.

Having topped FP1, Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) kept his pace high to end as the only rider within half a second of Viñales. The Italian was able to cut over 1.3 seconds off his time from the first session, weather playing less of a role in the second session of the day. Ducati enter the weekend looking for their 100th premier class podium and a second victory at the German circuit.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) is going to have to work hard to keep his King of Sachsenring title, the Spaniard’s 1’22.775 0.614s off Viñales’ time. His time also made it three different manufacturers in the top three, suggesting that Honda’s grip on the German circuit beginning to loosen. In 2016 Marquez is looking for his seventh straight win at the Sachsenring. As in Assen, Marquez may not be breaking records but his pace is significantly better than that of his title rivals.

Fourth was Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), fresh off a private test in Sepang. He’s had an up and down season, but there’s no denying the Brit still has his speed from previous years. 0.113s back from Crutchlow was his twice-former teammate Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), 0.679s off the overall leader. Ducati were again the only team to have both of their bikes in the top five.

Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) and Yonny Hernandez (Pull & Bear Aspar Ducati Team) completed the top ten.

Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was the leading Yamaha rider in 11th, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) in 14th with Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a disastrous 16th place. There’s a significant amount of work to do for all the M1 riders, they’ll need to make the most of any dry track time on Saturday to avoid an unwanted trip to Q1.

Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) was 21st on his return from injury.

Turn 11 continued to claim victims in Free Practice 2, Maverick Viñales sliding off at the fast right hand corner. Crashes are almost identical at the corner, the front folding away from the rider. Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) followed his fellow Spaniard into the gravel during the session, again losing the front at Turn 11.

Eugene Laverty (Pull & Bear Aspar Ducati Team) broke the crash-trend when he fell at Turn 1. Like Rabat and Viñales, he was unharmed.

Nakagami stays fastest overall as he tops FP2

Weather delayed riders going out in FP2, but it was once again Takaaki Nakagami who showed the field how it’s done.

Clouds were darker than ever as Moto2™ FP2 got underway, the field racing out of pit lane in an attempt to beat the weather. But this didn’t last long, no one completing a full lap before it began to rain once more. The rain wasn’t heavy enough for wets but meant the track was still too damp for slicks, riders electing to stay in the pits as almost nothing could be learned in the conditions.

Eventually the circuit did improve enough for a handful of riders to head out on slicks, Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) setting the first recorded time of the second session. Eventually the entire field was out on track and slowly improving their times, red sectors coming right till the end of the session. Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was again the fastest man of the session, setting a 1’25.244 to improve on his FP1 time.

Chasing the first time winner was Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) who also set his best time of the day in the second session. The Italian had been on course for a podium at the Sachsenring in 2015 until he crashed into Tito Rabat, the man who he would replace in the Marc VDS team. It’s clear he has the speed, but will he be able to keep it upright in 2016?

Fastest of the home riders and third fastest overall, Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) could be Germany’s best chance of a home podium in 2016. A 1’25.539 saw him end 0.295s back on Nakagami as he looks to return to the top six for the first time since round four in Jerez.

With 17 laps under his belt, Zarco completed the most laps of any rider in FP2 and ends Friday as the fourth fastest overall. He was chased by Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), the Brit 0.003s back on his title rival. All of the top five were within half a second of each other on combined times, all times coming from Free Practice 2.

Thomas Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten), Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40), Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) and Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) were all inside the top ten. Expect big improvements from riders further down the order if conditions improve on Saturday.

Ratthapark Wilairot (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was the only Moto2™ crash of the day, coming off at Turn 11. He went to the medical centre for checks but was cleared of any injury.

Bastianini ups the pace as the weather holds

Italians led the way as Friday draws to a close in Germany, Bastianini leading an all-Italian top three.

After a weather interrupted FP1, the lightweight class were slightly worried as heavy clouds gathered above the circuit. Fortunately for the Moto3™ World Championship, track conditions were slightly improved with a ground temperature of 20°C. They had little to worry about, spits of rain only coming in the final seconds of the session.

By cutting over a second off his time, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) was able to go from third in Free Practice 1 to the top of Free Practice 2 and conclude the day as the fastest rider in the lightweight class. His time of 1’27.496 was 0.093s faster than second but over four tenths quicker than the rest of the field. Many had expected him to challenge for the title this year, but a broken wrist before Le Mans put a serious dent into that ambition. Now fully healed, the Italian could take race wins away from the main championship contenders.

Fastest in FP1, Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) was quick straight away and led until the final few minutes. His session was brought to a premature end when he came into contact with Adam Norrodin (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team). Neither was hurt but Fenati was only able to finish the session, and the day, in second. Fenati walked away from the incident unharmed and will be back to fight for pole in Qualifying on Saturday.

Rookie Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) continued to be a quick study, ending the first day of practice as the third fastest rider. Having only raced in the Spanish and Italian championships, he has never had any experience around the German track and was off the pace during the morning session. Bulega has proven he can fight with the front group, could he be back on the podium this weekend?

Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team) again showed well after his breakthrough ride at the Catalan GP, ending Friday in fourth overall. Behind him and 0.754s slower than Bastianini was championship leader Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo). It’s been a quiet start to the weekend for the South African and there is some work to be done overnight.

Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold), Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing), Juanfran Guevara (RBA Racing Team), Francesco Bagnaia (Pull & Bear Aspar Mahindra Team) and Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) completed the top ten.

Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was back on track, the German GP his first race after breaking his left leg before Assen. The left hand nature of the circuit proved tough on his injury, ending the day in 12th.

Niccolo Antonelli crashed at Turn 7, losing the front as he ran down hill. Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) also suffered a fall, coming off his Mahindra at T11. The South African went to the medical centre for checks and will be reviewed further tomorrow. His teammate Danny Webb (Platinum Bay Real Estate) also had a crash, coming off at Turn 4.

Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Team) tipped off as he entered Turn 7, ending his session five minutes early and in the gravel.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Positive start to Sachsenring weekend for Ducati Team: Iannone second and Dovizioso fifth after first day of free practice

Both Ducati Team riders had a positive start to their German Grand Prix weekend at the Sachsenring circuit close to Chemnitz in the former East Germany, where Sunday’s ninth round of the season is set to take place.

Andrea Iannone concluded the first day of free practice with second place in the timesheets while Andrea Dovizioso was not far behind in fifth.

On a cloudy day, with temperatures of around 15°C, all the MotoGP riders set their best time in the afternoon’s second free practice session which was held in the dry. Earlier in the morning, a few drops of rain began to fall after ten minutes of FP1, and most of the riders only went out for a few laps. They then stayed in their pit garages until the end of the session, which finished with Iannone first and Dovizioso fifth.

On the penultimate lap of FP2, the rider from Vasto notched up his quickest time of the day in 1’22.381, a couple of tenths of a second away from Viñales, today’s provisional leader. Dovizioso on the other hand had to settle for fifth-quickest time, in 1’22.930, which he recorded on his final lap.

Today’s Day 1 standings saw six Ducati riders in the top 10: as well as the two Ducati Team men, Barbera, Petrucci, Redding and Hernandez were classified in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’22.381 (2nd)

“At the end of the day, I am satisfied. Both this morning and this afternoon the feeling with the bike was very good: I started off very confident and I like the way the bike behaves. I’m a bit surprised, because both last year and in 2014 we struggled quite a lot here, and so it means that once again we have all managed to do a good job together. Today we had a few problems with grip in general, but I think this is a problem that everyone has. In my opinion, Michelin brought the right tyres for this circuit, but the only problem is that the temperature was too low today and so we had to adapt the set-up of the bike to deal with the situation.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’22.930 (5th)

“My weekend has begun in a positive way, especially if we consider that the track was in a difficult condition because of the cold and it was very easy to crash. In the end we are in a good position, even though the feeling with the bike is not yet perfect and I can still feel some vibration in the right-hand corners. I hope that the weather improves tomorrow, which will allow us to work better so that we can figure out these last few details.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW FOURTH ON DRIZZLY FIRST DAY IN GERMANY

The first two free practice sessions for the German Grand Prix took place at the Sachsenring on Friday, with leaden skies throughout the day meaning very little dry time was available for the MotoGP riders.

The LCR Honda Team’s Cal Crutchlow made the most of the short windows of opportunity however, setting the fourth fastest time of the day, and perhaps more importantly staying out of the gravel unlike several of his competitors who fell foul of the slippery surface.

The British rider is confident of a positive result at the track which has seen lots of success for Honda riders over recent seasons, and with more rain forecast for the rest of the weekend will be hopeful of securing himself of a good grid position in Saturday qualifying ahead of Sunday’s race.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 4th (1’22.817)

“I felt okay today, but obviously I didn’t take too many risks – especially in sector three where everyone was crashing in turn 11. I was losing half a second in there but I’m experienced enough to know that there’s no point taking the risk at the moment.”

“I felt good and comfortable on the bike and the team did a great job. We’re not struggling, but we did have a little problem with the brakes so that limited the session for me. It’s strange coming here with the temperature being so cold, it’s added a new element to the Sachsenring. I like riding at this circuit, lots of fans come out and I hope we can continue tomorrow where we left off today.”

“I tried one of the asymmetric compound front tyres today, but we’ll probably have to try the harder one tomorrow as the left hand side is a bit too soft for the Honda. Michelin have done a good job though I feel. I don’t think it’s easy for them to keep 23 riders happy, with their different bikes and riding styles.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Seventh place for Barbera on the first day in Germany, Baz getting the feeling back

Rain, wind and low temperatures didn’t prevent Hector Barbera from getting the seventh fastest time on the opening day of the German Grand Prix. In the morning, rain interrupted the session after just ten minutes and Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz were only able to complete a few laps. But in the afternoon, the weather conditions gave them a break and with the asphalt almost dry, they could get the best out of the 45 minutes free practice session. Barbera worked successfully on his bike set up and finished seventh, only 0.2s away from the top three and in front of several factory riders. Baz used the first day at the Sachsenring to get his feeling back with the bike, after two months at home. The first impressions after his right foot injury were quite positive.

Sachsenring is a unique track with 10 left turns out of 13. One of the few right hand corners is the ultra fast turn 11. To suit the layout, Michelin has made a special new asymmetric front, which is part of the tyre allocation for the first time this season and has been designed with a softer compound on the right side to provide the correct temperature on the right flank of the tyre. Although there were some crashes, most of the riders like this new tyre.

Hector Barbera | 1’23.015 | P7

“Today was a positive day, despite the difficult conditions. In the morning, we were able to complete just a few laps, but in the afternoon we adapted to the track conditions and we got a good result. Seventh is a great place to start the weekend, but anyway, the track temperature was really cold today and it was quite easy to make a mistake. Turn 11 was tricky and you had to be very careful there. This has been always a critical point for the front tyre, and although Michelin brought a new asymmetric front that works really well, you have to be always alert in that turn. The best thing about today was the final position, and also that I was able to go fast, because I always struggle in these conditions”.

Loris Baz | 1’25.049 | P21

“I would have liked to do more laps today to get back on the pace quicker. The best thing was that I didn´t have too much pain in my foot. I can feel that I lost power, but the pain was tolerable. Step by step I’m building up my confidence again and I´m getting my feeling back with the bike, which is good after a long period recovering at home. The fact that this track has many left turns also helps. I started to train just two weeks ago, so we have to wait and see how I feel after a long run of laps. As I said, I have no pain, but I feel weak in the foot when I need to push the footpeg. We used today to get some feeling, and tomorrow we’ll see what the weather is like. If it rains on Sunday, it might be a little bonus for me”.

More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:

Pull&Bear Aspar Team begin tricky weekend at Sachsenring

Yonny Hernández places among the top ten on the opening day at Sachsenring, taking a provisional place in Q2. Eugene Laverty finishes twentieth on a cold, rain-affected day

The Sachsenring circuit welcomed the MotoGP World Championship with temperatures around 10 degrees lower than a year ago, a fact that made the first day of the German GP an unpredictable fight to conclude among the top riders. Uncertainty about possible weather changes tomorrow meant a Top 10 finish was potentially crucial for a place in Q2. Only five factory riders managed this, including Maverick Viñales, Andrea Iannone and Marc Márquez -first, second and third on the opening day. Along with them, five privateer competitors were up at the sharp end -four of them riding Ducati bikes. Among them was Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider Yonny Hernández, who rounded out the Top 10.

The Pull&Bear Aspar Team debuted a new livery at the German Grand Prix, to mark the arrival of Pull & Bear as their new main sponsor. This design brought some good luck for rider Yonny Hernández, who took a place among the top ten in both the first and second free practice sessions today. The changeable weather at the Sachsenring circuit means that his tenth position was even more valuable, and puts him provisionally into Q2. The Colombian was less than a second off the fastest rider having lowered his best time by a couple of seconds from session to session. Teammate Eugene Laverty suffered a crash late in the day, escaping unhurt. The Northern Irishman was twentieth overall, completing just 14 laps combined on Friday due to his fall and the weather conditions.

10th Yonny Hernández 1.23.123 (21 laps): “We have started this Grand Prix fairly well; we have a good pace and we finished amongst the top ten in both practice sessions. We go into qualifying with a good setup. I want to do a few more laps tomorrow before choosing which tyre to run in the race. On my final stint I put in ten laps and it seems as if the tyres are behaving rather well, but the race is thirty laps. For this reason, we will do a longer stint tomorrow, of 15 or 16 laps, then make our decision. I want to have everything under control, so let’s hope that it doesn’t rain.”

20th Eugene Laverty 1.24.911 (14 laps): “The track temperature is twenty degrees lower this year than it was last year so obviously that has had a big effect on grip. I think Michelin have brought the correct tyres, but the weather has brought the wrong temperatures! I tried the intermediate tyre today and even though it was hard to get the bike turned at full lean the lap time was only around six tenths off the guys on slicks so if it is colder or damper tomorrow we know it is an option that we can use. I crashed in turn one, which is one of only a couple of right-handers here, although I am glad it was there rather than turn eleven where a few riders went off. It is hard to know what to do to make that corner safer, other than introduce another right-hand corner somewhere else, but there is no room here! We have a big bike with a strong engine so it was always going to be hard to make it work at this track. We have to keep trying tomorrow”.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

  VIÑALES & SUZUKI TOP SACHSENRING MotoGP™ TIMES

Maverick Viñales put his Team SUZUKI ECSTAR GSX-RR into a provisional Pole Position after topping the timesheets in this afternoon’s FP2 at Sachsenring in Germany ahead of this weekend’s ninth round of the MotoGP™ World Championship, as team-mate Aleix Espargaró put-in a solid sixth position.

The 21-year-old Spaniard mastered the cold weather conditions to score a 1’22.161 lap-time on his penultimate of 17 laps in the closely-fought session, 0.220 clear of his nearest rival. His performance is even more positive as he recovered after suffering a crash at turn 11 at the beginning of the session and fought back to put-in his fastest-laps aboard his second machine.

Espargaró was also strong throughout, lapping at 1’22.953 on his 15th of 19 laps, which was just 0.792-seconds behind Viñales, as less-than one second separated the top-10 riders. He still needs to find a proper feeling with the front end of his GSX-RR, but his progress throughout the session left him with a positive feeling.

The variable weather at the Sachsenring saw the morning session pretty useless for the team as light rain made it extremely difficult to determine a proper set-up and ride in safe conditions, so most of the riders decided not to take to the track. The cold temperature was also stressing the tyres, as it was hard to keep the right side at the correct operating temperature due to the few right-hand corners that make-up the circuit.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“Today Maverick was very good, he was already very fast before he had the crash, but then he recovered very quickly and got back lapping fast almost immediately. It was very important to get back in the saddle being fast, and he also got the fastest time; and this means he has a good feeling with the track and that we are improving the machine’s performance. Not bad for Aleix also, although we still have some room for improvement and he doesn’t feel completely satisfied. His position is not bad and if we manage to improve a little we can perform well with both riders. The day was hard because this morning was very cold and the weather was uncertain, with rain sometimes and dry other times. It was a difficult day but we finished in a positive way.”

Maverick Viñales:

“Honestly I can’t explain the crash; I just lost the front without any evidence of the cause. Corner 11 here is always very tricky, I need to check the data to verify if maybe I was a little wider than normal, or there was something else different from the previous lap; but it may also be a matter of temperature: In corner 1 and 3 – the other right-handers – I was ok, but then corner 11 is very far away and it’s very hard to keep the right-shoulder of the tyre at the proper temperature. Anyway, the start has been good, the position is positive; but we still have some work to do. This track is very tight so we started from a set-up that guaranteed good agility, but now we have to find a good balance having a little more stability in some parts. It’s not ‘gonna be easy because as always, when you improve in one direction, you lose something in the other.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“We improved a lot and found a good balance, but I still lack some confidence with the front end. The asymmetric tyre works well, but the problem here is that the circuit is tricky, especially on right-hand corners because there aren’t many, so we need to work to improve the set-up and help the tyre work. Our machine is very agile here, the chassis is giving me a good hand, but we still miss some finalisation of the settings. The cold hasn’t helped us, we hoped for some warmer temperatures, but we already have some ideas to try tomorrow that could help us to manage the conditions and find some more efficiency.”