FIM Moto2 World Championship Sachsenring, Germany July 17 Race Results (all using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (SUTER), 29 laps, 41:37.457 2. Stefan BRADL, Germany (KALEX), -0.896 second 3. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (MOTOBI), -1.387 seconds 4. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (KALEX), -3.413 5. Thomas LUTHI, Switzerland (SUTER), -4.185 6. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), -7.691 7. Scott REDDING, Great Britain (SUTER), -10.606 8. Simone CORSI, Italy (FTR), -10.667 9. Jules CLUZEL, France (SUTER), -12.079 10. Michele PIRRO, Italy (MORIWAKI), -12.337 11. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (SUTER), -13.197 12. Dominique AEGERTER, Switzerland (SUTER), -21.516 13. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (FTR), -21.652 14. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUTER), -21.827 15. Claudio CORTI, Italy (SUTER), -22.238 16. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (TECH 3), -22.359 17. Alex BALDOLINI, Italy (SUTER), -26.498 18. Xavier SIMEON, Belgium (TECH 3), -30.137 19. Mattia PASINI, Italy (FTR), -34.023 20. Kenny NOYES, USA (FTR), -34.188 21. Jordi TORRES, Spain (SUTER), -34.300 22. Axel PONS, Spain (PONS KALEX), -34.949 23. Anthony WEST, Australia (MZ-RE HONDA), -49.149 24. Santiago HERNANDEZ, Colombia (FTR), -49.902 25. Ratthapark WILAIROT, Thailand (FTR), -53.180 26. Robertino PIETRI, Venezuela (SUTER), -57.673 27. Steven ODENDAAL, South Africa (SUTER), -72.318 28. Ricard CARDUS, Spain (MORIWAKI), -72.943, crash 29. Tommaso LORENZETTI, Italy (FTR), -1 lap 30. Mashel AL NAIMI, Qatar (MORIWAKI), -1 lap 31. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Japan (MORIWAKI), -6 laps, DNF, retired 32. Esteve RABAT, Spain (FTR), -10 laps, DNF, retired 33. Bradley SMITH, Great Britain (TECH 3), -14 laps, DNF, crash 34. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (PONS KALEX), -24 laps, DNF, crash 35. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (MZ-RE HONDA), -24 laps, DNF, crash 36. Valentin DEBISE, France (FTR), -27 laps, DNF, crash 37. Julian SIMON, Spain (SUTER), -29 laps, DNF, crash 38. Mika KALLIO, Finland (SUTER), DNS World Championship Point Standings (After 9 of 17 races): 1. Bradl, 167 points 2. Marquez, 120 3. Corsi, 84 4. De Angelis, 82 5. Smith, 79 6. Luthi, 77 7. Iannone, 66 8. Takahashi, 58 9. Krummenacher, 52 10. Simon, 49 More, from a press release issued by Tech 3: Unlucky German Grand Prix race for Xavier Siméon Starting out of 7th position the Eni Grand Prix of Germany went off well for Xavier Siméon. Unfortunately the luck only stayed until first corner of the first lap when Julian Simón was taken out by another rider and took Siméon with him into the gravel. The 21 years old tried to fight back the positions he lost due to the incident, but had to complain about strong chattering issues which prevented him from getting a constant rhythm until lap six. Coming back from second last position after the incident in lap one Siméon fought his way through to finish the race in 18th position. Siméon hopes to come back stronger after the summer break to get more points for his championship standings. Xavier Siméon 18th, 42’07.594: “I was next to Simón and I could see that he was hit by anot her rider and then he rode into me and I went out on the gravel with him. I lost a lot of time and then I was with Bradley (Smith). When I came back on the track I tried to find my rhythm again and I don’t know why but after my excursion into the gravel I experienced a lot of chattering in the slow parts of the track for the rest of the race. We didn’t have any of these problems during this weekend until then and we need to check the bike to find out what happened. I could not push very hard at the beginning to reach the group in front of me. After six or seven laps I found a constant rhythm again and could catch the other riders. But I am really disappointed, we could have done a Top 10 today, but that’s racing I guess. We were just unlucky today.” Hervé Poncharal, Team Manager: “žI am really sorry for Xavier as he did a really good weekend. And it had nothing to do with him, unfortunately Simón crashed in the first corner of the first lap and took him out in the gravel and that was it. For sure if you go out on the gravel after a start out of third row and after such a good qualifying yesterday, the motivation is not as big as if you could hold your position in the first lap. I am very sorry for Xavier, but that is racing. I want to tell him that he did a really good job this weekend and I hope he will come back to Brno as strong as we saw him here this weekend at Sachsenring and for sure things like today will not happen every single race.” More, from another press release issued by Tech 3: Podium streak ends for Smith in Germany Bradley Smith’s quest to score a fourth consecutive Moto2 podium for the Tech 3 Racing Team ended in disappointment at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany earlier today. Confident of extending his fantastic run of form that saw him claim podium finishes in Silverstone, Assen and Mugello, Smith’s challenge for the rostrum was ended just seconds into the 29-lap race when a small mistake in the braking zone for the tight first corner left him no option but to run into the gravel trap. Relegated down the rankings to 33rd, the British rider then showed his true potential on the impressive Mistral 610 machine to mount a thrilling recovery in front of a capacity crowd at the Sachsenring circuit. The tight and twisty nature of the 2.281 miles circuit makes overtaking difficult, but Smith used all his race craft to fight his way back into 17th position. A valuable points-scoring finish seemed a certainty as he was poised to break into the top 15 when he lost the front-end at Turn 3 on lap 16. Smith was forced to retire having failed to get his engine running again, ending his proud record of finishing in every race so far this season. Mike di Meglio also demonstrated his fighting qualities in a race run in temperatures that reached 23 degrees, despite heavy cloud cover. The French rider superbly fought his way into contention for the points but had to settle for 16th position having just failed to get the better of Claudio Corti on the final lap. Bradley Smith DNF 79 points: “First of all I have to say sorry to the Tech 3 Racing Team. They worked very hard this weekend and they gave me a great machine to do the business on. But I made a slight mistake going into the first corner. I downshifted too many gears and I couldn’t get the bike stopped and that was a big mistake on my part. I had a really good pace and felt really confident coming back through the field. My times were in the 1.25s and that was faster than Marquez and Bradl but then I made another silly mistake at Turn 3 and could not get the bike going again. It is a frustrating to go like this into the summer break, but it means that in four weeks I will be highly motivated to return stronger in Brno. I know what we can achieve and what we are capable of and I’ve no doubt that we can have a great second half of the season.” Mike di Meglio 16th 7 points: “I wan ted to get some points and on the last lap I tried to attack Corti but I was very close to crashing. I lost some time because of that and it was very difficult to come back and catch him back up for another attempt. The weekend was a lot of hard work. We changed a lot on the bike and gained a lot of experience with different settings that will help for the rest of the season. I’m looking forward to the summer break now and returning fully motivated for the final part of the Championship.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “We can’t hide from the fact that today we are disappointed, but we have to accept that is racing. You can’t win a race in the first corner, but you can lose a race in the first corner and unfortunately that’s what happened to Bradley. He was really confident that he could pick up some places at the first corner but this time it didn’t go to plan. The r ace was not over, but damaged because of that first small mistake. He was the quickest guy on the track for many laps after that. And when you see that the tenth position finished ten seconds behind, we know he would have easily been in the top ten. But then he had the crash and that was a pity because his recovery was a good show for the fans. We would have liked to go into the summer break with a sweeter taste in the mouth. Bradley learned another lesson today but he shouldn’t be too down because the last few races he has been phenomenal and today he could have fought at the front again, so we know he has the speed to compete with the best. Mike had a decent race. He was only just outside the points, but there is a lot of work to do and he needs to have more confidence in himself. Clearly the gap between him and Bradley is too big. I really hope he can come back with fresh motivation from Brno onwards.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: GP of Germany, race: De Angelis on the podium Alex De Angelis and the JiR Team can finally celebrate a long-awaited podium, after an exciting race among the leaders that did not spare spectacle or excitement. Alex managed to stay right from the start with the lead group, in the wheels of Marc Marquez and Stefan Bradl, who made it to the podium with him. At the end of the race Thomas Luthi’s arrival gave a headache to the San Marino rider, who managed however to overtake the Swiss with a few laps to go, also getting back to the leader’s pace. A podium that confirms the good performance already highlighted with 4th place at Mugello, and allows the team to enjoy the weeks ahead until the next GP at Brno, while not forgetting that further developments will be carried out during the break. Intervista a Gianluca Montiron It’s a positive day, confirming the good performance that we managed to reach after the race at Mugello grabbing an important podium. A race that gives confidence to the rider and crew, we will take advantage of these weeks off to do some private testing, our rider detects a performance gap, therefore we will go on the track to investigate the mix of factors that could have an influence on this, in order to arrive in Brno in optimal shape. The objective remains to be with the leaders. Alex DeAngelis Finally a podium, I’m very happy with how the weekend went, we showed what we’re capable of. I’m sorry to see that we still have a difference in engine performance with the others, I suffered a lot of overtaking on the straight and this was one of the reasons why in the second half of the race I lost a little time with Luthi, leaving the first two to gain some tenths of a second. However I must admit that the chassis of my MotoBI is definitely comfortable, I could brake and take the line wherever and however I wanted, this balance was definitely one of the determining factors in the unfolding of the race. Now we have a long break before the next race in Brno but will not be on holiday because we have to work hard. The team should definitely work to put myself in a position to be performing well on the straights if we wish not only a podium but also a victory. Now, however, let’s enjoy this podium, we deserve it, one of the strengths of this team is to not give up even when we were in trouble. I have to pay tribute to this quality and we can finally enjoy the satisfaction of a podium. More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: SUPERB SEVENTH FOR REDDING AS KALLIO LEFT FRUSTRATED Scott Redding delivered his best performance in the 2011 Moto2 World Championship today, the Marc VDS Racing rider storming from outside the top 20 to finish seventh in a pulsating Sachsenring race. Redding produced a scintillating first lap, climbing from 23rd on the grid into the top 15 and he was quickly inside the top ten after just seven laps, joining an exciting group battling for sixth place, headed by reigning World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu. A clinical pass on Sofuoglu on lap 10 moved Redding into seventh and he wasted no time in attacking Simone Corsi to claim sixth on the next lap. By the time Redding made it to the front of the pack, Yonny Hernandez was more than three seconds clear in fifth. A tremendous series of consistently fast laps saw Redding cut the gap to two seconds, but he was unable to continue the chase when he encountered a rear grip problem having pushed so hard to fight his way into the top ten in the early stages. Redding’s joy was in stark contrast to luckless teammate Mika Kallio, who didn’t even make it to the grid for the 29-lap encounter. Kallio’s Suter MMXI suffered a fuel pressure problem in the pre-race warm-up session, so as a precaution his Marc VDS Racing crew changed several parts to alleviate the issue in time for the race. But Kallio failed to complete the sighting lap when his bike stopped again, his Marc VDS Racing crew working frantically to rectify the problem in time for him to start the warm-up lap from pitlane. But he encountered a further problem and had to stop. The Marc VDS Racing Team is currently conducting a detailed analysis of Kallio’s bike to diagnose the cause of his retirement. Scott Redding #45 – 7th Position “That was much more like it and it feels great to finish a weekend on a high after a few poor results. After the last race I knew I could make a lot of overtakes early on and that’s exactly what I did. I managed to dodge the chaos at the first corner and just got my head down and attacked as hard as I could. It didn’t take me long to get into the top six and it was really good fun. In the last few races I’ve usually gone backwards, so to be moving forward and making a lot of passes was great for my confidence. When I got into sixth I thought I could chase down Hernandez for fifth but I’d pushed so hard in the early laps that I’d worn the rear tyre a bit too much. When Krummenacher came by I knew he had a good pace and I thought he might drag me forward, but his bike had unbelievable traction and I couldn’t do anything. Each time I tried to accelerate I was spinning. I had a good battle for seventh with Corsi at the end and managed to hold him off, which was satisfying because he is a hard rider and takes no prisoners.” Mika Kallio #36 – DNS “There is not much I can say other than today is instantly forgettable and I am very upset. The Marc VDS Racing Team has put in a tremendous amount of work this weekend and after qualifying on the third row at one of my favourite tracks, we were confident of achieving a very strong result. So to not even start the race is incredibly hard to take. We are trying to learn what caused the problem but all I can do is stay motivated, train hard in the summer break and try and bounce back with a strong result in Brno.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager “Scott did a fantastic job today and that was probably the best ride he’s produced all season. He’s had a better result, but to come from where he started on the grid to be fighting for sixth was a great performance. In the first eight laps he was as fast as the riders at the front despite being in heavy traffic. So I think that proved that with a better qualifying yesterday he could have been challenging for a podium today. Scott though demonstrated what he can do today and we have known all year that he’s capable of delivering a race like that. It gives him a lot of confidence now to go into the summer break and return stronger in Brno. We have to investigate deeper what happened to Mika because at the moment we aren’t sure why his bike stopped. After the warm-up when he had the fuel pressure problem, we took the bike apart to find a solution and we changed everything you can change that might have caused the problem. The bike started for the sighting lap but it stopped again at the last corner. We changed a fuse but it stopped again on the warm-up lap. It is a big shame for him because he’d qualified very well and he was optimistic of a strong race.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: Innocent crash victim Cardús battles on – Al-Naimi rides faster but not fast enough Just finishing the German Grand Prix on the Sachsenring was a tough battle for the riders of Team QMMF Racing. 23-year-old Spaniard Ricky Cardús got innocently involved in the crash of Julian Simón and went down as well. He re-started the race in dead-last position and battled on to take 28th position. Team-mate Mishal Al-Naimi was not much luckier. Even though the 27-year-old from Qatar went faster after some late set-up changes, he still had the same persistent problems in the tight first part of the track that had slowed him in practice and he finished a lonely 30th. Mashel Al-Naimi 30th “I tried to stay with the group in front of me, but it was very difficult because I still didn’t feel comfortable in the first part of the track. We tried some more set-up changes for the race, which helped me a little bit. I did my best lap time of the weekend in the race, but it still wasn’t enough to finish the race with a good feeling. I need to feel better than I do now! This was only my fourth race finish in dry conditions this year, and I hope that, little by little, I will be able to score better results than this!” Ricky Cardús 28th “I was involved in an incident in the first corner. I crashed behind Julian Simón and it was difficult to pick the bike up in the gravel bed and to get it going again. I lost a lot of time and was by myself when I got back on the track. When you ride alone you just don’t have the same momentum, the same push than if you are within a group of other riders, so it wasn’t easy to find back to my rhythm and to start catching up. The good thing is that I finished the race and we collected valuable information, which is what we need and which is very important to us!” More, from a press release issued by Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Season Starts Over At Sachsenring For Kenny Noyes Kenny Noyes was finally able to put in a normal race weekend at the Sachsenring, after his Avintia-STX team finally discovered the issue that had prevented them from finding the right setup for his FOGI-Racing FTR for the past four races. The fault was finally traced to a set of defective tire warmers which had been overheating his tires and taking all the grip out of them before they turned a wheel on the track. With a fresh set of warmers, Kenny was finally able to get through a normal weekend of working that saw him fight his way through to finish 20th. There were problems along the way: two crashes on Saturday saw him lose all of Saturday morning and the last ten minutes of qualifying, then a minor collision at the start of the hectic Moto2 race bent Kenny’s clutch lever upwards and out of shape. Once he adapted his shifting to handle the bent lever, Kenny fought his way forward to dice with Xavier Simeon, Mattia Pasini and Axel Pons. A mistake on the last lap saw Kenny lose 19th to Pasini, but the American was happy just to be able to race and have the bike respond as he expected. The Avintia-STX rider now heads off for some well-earned rest and relaxation before the Moto2 paddock assembles again at Brno. With his home race at Indianapolis two weeks’ after Brno, Kenny will be using the Brno race to work with his team on perfecting the setup on his FOGI-Racing FTR. The season started afresh at the Sachsenring, and Kenny is raring to go for the next eight races. Kenny Noyes 20th, Fastest Lap: 1’26.303 Kenny said, “I was so relieved that my team finally identified the problem with the tire warmers. Turns out we’d raced at Catalunya, Silverstone, Assen and Mugello with tires that were completely fried, so it was fantastic to be able to go out and feel good in the race. We had a few rear grip issues, but now they’re exactly the same ones all the other riders are having too.” “I did low 26s in the middle of the race, so I’m close to the pace again. I got hit on the start which bent the clutch lever up, so I was basically last on the first laps, which definitely hurt us. But I was just having fun on the bike again, running a pace that was respectable, and having a battle with Pasini, Simeon and Pons.” “Now it all makes sense again when I’m riding the bike. I’m racing guys that just blew by me ever since Catalunya. This is Moto2, it’s a tough category, you mess up the start and it’s hard to come back, but at least now, I’m in the same game as everybody else.” More, from a press release issued by ItalTrans Race Team: The team was looking for a confirmation of the job done and decision taken, and got it, although not yet in full, because a problem to Corti’s left leg, in the very last lap, robbed him of a position even better. Robertino Pietri, on the eve of the race, received bad news about a dear person. He decided to compete anyway but, obviously, in a condition far away from the best. The team is with him, and waiting for him back in Brno to continue the job and the season. Claudio Corti (41’59.695 15th ) “A fifteen place is good, but we have been really unlucky. I was in 12th position, and still progressing when, a few laps to the end, I had a cramp in my left leg. I lost one second per lap. Very good start- 27th on the grid, and 15th at the end of lap one. I lost time in the first laps because of some chaotic moments then, in the central part of the race, my pace pace was equal to the best ones’. I would say that this has been a positive weekend, all in all: a good signal for us”. Claudio Macciotta (Technical Director): “Claudio rode very well, today as well as on Friday. He was concentrated and committed. And consistent, except for those unlucky last laps. We slightly modified the front, for the race, and Claudio has been able to use it at his benefit. The cramp was really a misfortune, because he had a such good pace to leave all his group behind”. Luigi Pansera (Team Manager): “We received a positive signal from today’s race. The previous days, we got mixed indication quite good on Friday, not that good on Saturday. We wanted a confirmation. We got it, although not in full, but I’m confident that we are proceeding on the right direction, and approaching the situation in a good way. We wait for a even clearer signal in Brno”. More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: HERNANDEZ STEPS UP WITH SEASEON BEST IN GERMANY FTR MOTO M211 rider Yonny Hernandez once more proved his potential as he took his Blusens STX machine to sixth place in Sunday’s ninth round of the Moto2 World Championship at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany. Hernandez, from Colombia, held fourth place in the early stages before taking his best finish of the year in sixth, bettering his previous best of 2011 ninth place in the Catalunya and British rounds. Hernandez moved into 17th place in the Championship and is now just 16 points adrift of the top 10. Simone Corsi, on the Ioda Racing Project FTR M211, moved back into third position in the World Championship after the Italian finished eighth in the 29-lap race his eighth top 10 finish from the nine races so far this year. Pol Espargaro finished 13th on his HP Tuenti Speed Up M211 while Corsi’s team-mate Mattia Pasini was 19th and American Kenny Noyes, on the FOGI/GP Tech Team FTR machine, was 20th little more than 10 seconds behind 15th place and a possible first World Championship point of 2011. Anthony West took 23rd place on the MZ-FTR with Santiago Hernandez 24th on the SAG Team M211, Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha SAG) 25th and Italian Tommaso Lorenzetti 29th on the Aeroport de Castello Team machine. Young Frenchman Valentin Debise crashed out without injury on the third lap while luckless Max Neukirchner could do nothing to avoid the falling Aleix Espargaro, the pair crashing out of the race on the sixth lap. Neukirchner, on the MZ-FTR, was holding seventh place and looking confident of a strong finish in his home Grand Prix. Esteve Rabat had climbed to eighth place but was forced to retire with a technical problem with nine laps to go. The sixth place of Yonny Hernandez also move Buckingham-based FTR into third place in the Constructors World Championship. “The Sachsenring race and specifically the sixth place of Yonny Hernandez is exactly what we were expecting from 2011,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “We have a lot of young and inexperienced riders in 2011 but we’re very confident that they have the ability to shine and Yonny’s result, at the halfway point in the Championship, confirms our thoughts. “Simone Corsi continues to be incredibly consistent and we’re now looking to try and get him back on the podium with some improvements to the machine before the next race in the Czech Republic in four weeks.”