Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
MotoGP Race Results From Sachsenring:
1. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 30 laps, 42:23.287
2. Alex BARROS, Honda, -0.349 second
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -4.293 seconds
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, -4.500 seconds
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -16.137 seconds
6. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -16.482 seconds
7. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -18.477 seconds
8. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -23.335 seconds
9. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -30.705 seconds
10. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -40.540 seconds
11. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -43.712 seconds
12. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -52.791 seconds
13. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -53.690 seconds
14. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, -73.215 seconds
15. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -80.050 seconds
16. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, -1 lap
17. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, -4 laps, DNF, retired
18. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash
19. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash
20. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -20 laps, DNF, crash
21. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -21 laps, DNF, crash
22. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -22 laps, DNF, crash
23. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -26 laps, DNF, crash
24. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -27 laps, DNF, crash
MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:
1. ROSSI, 139 points
2. BIAGGI, 138 points
3. GIBERNAU, 126 points
4. BARROS, 79 points
5. EDWARDS, 75 points
6. HAYDEN, 70 points
7. CHECA, 62 points
8. MELANDRI, 57 points
9. CAPIROSSI, 55 points
10. TAMADA, 54 points
11. TIE, XAUS/ABE, 41 points
13. NAKANO, 36 points
14. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, 29 points
15. HOFMANN, 24 points
16. BAYLISS, 23 points
17. HODGSON, 18 points
18. HOPKINS, 14 points
19. BYRNE, 12 points
20. McWILLIAMS, 10 points
21. FABRIZIO, 8 points
22. AOKI, 6 points
23. Andrew PITT, 2 points
24. Kurtis ROBERTS, 1 point
More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:
ROSSI REINFORCES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT SACHSENRING
Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi entered today’s German Grand Prix in Sachsenring with a share of the World Championship lead, finally finishing in fourth place. After a dramatic and changeable race, he now carries a single point advantage over race winner Max Biaggi (Honda) to the next round at Donington Park in one week’s time.
Rossi’s fourth place came after an incident-filled race, and his team mate Carlos Checa was one of many riders who did not make the finish. The Spaniard tumbled out on lap five, shortly after passing a string of riders. Rossi encountered his own challenges in the final laps, running wide on two corners and experiencing a violent weave as he tipped into the fast left hand curve at the top of the hill, losing places on each occasion.
Rossi chased the eventual race winner Max Biaggi in the early laps, sitting second and harrying his fellow Italian throughout. Sete Gibernau (Honda) closed in on the pairing until he fell from third place on lap eight, allowing fellow Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Alex Barros to move in on the act. Rossi broke Biaggi’s lead on lap 16, 0.7 seconds ahead at one stage, heading the order for a total of six laps. The young Italian’s challenge for maximum points faded, however, when he lost places consecutively to Biaggi, Barros and finally Hayden.
Rossi hounded Hayden right up to the finish line to take 13 valuable Championship points. The Yamaha rider now sits on a total of 139 points, with Biaggi on 138 and Gibernau on an unchanged 126 in third. Checa lies in seventh place with 62 points.
VALENTINO ROSSI (4th, 42:27.787)
“It’s a real shame that I fell off in Rio because I could have been 14 points ahead now. We made changes to the set-up before the race because we understood what the problem was at that time. The bike was going really well but the tyres were wearing on the left hand side and I would have risked crashing if I had pushed any harder. It was difficult to steer the bike towards the end. Honda has made another step forward and we are a bit behind. We need at least another race to make improvements, however we have still taken a present of some points today. Life is always a surprise. Max did really well and this has turned out to be one of Honda’s tracks. Our bike consumed the tyres more than the Hondas here.”
CARLOS CHECA (DNF, fell on lap 5)
“I lost the front but I was already on the gas. I simply did not have enough traction and I was carrying a lot of lean angle, so there was just not enough contact. It was my mistake. I need to be able to feel when I am on the limit but in a race situation this is not always easy to judge. I’m looking forward to Donington and I think we have taken a lot of good things from this weekend.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR
“Today we made some progress, and Valentino was good. He was fighting for more than half the race in front, keeping pace with Max and it was a perfect strategy. He passed Biaggi and tried to make a break but then in the last laps he could not keep the pace. This fourth place is very important when you look at the championship. We are back on top alone, even if only by one point. Carlos was going very well, as he did in morning warm up. In the race he was ready to stay with the top group. It’s a big shame he fell off. During the weekend we made some good progress with our set-up. We have little time to think about this weekend now because we go straight to Donington.”
More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:
CHEMNITZ, Germany (July 18, 2004) – It was a good day in Germany for John Hopkins and for Suzuki.
Hopkins, the 21-year-old Californian, took ninth in Sunday’s German Motorcycle Grand Prix on the Sachsenring circuit. It marked the first top-10 finish of the season and his best result since taking a seventh at Jerez, Spain, early in 2003. Hopkins finished directly behind teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., putting both factory Suzuki GSV-Rs in the top 10.
Hopkins came into Sunday’s race having suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting prior to Saturday’s qualifying session. He ended Saturday in a medical care center with an IV in his arm to treat the swelling in his left hand. Hopkins said the medicine caused some difficulties in getting a full night’s sleep, but he reported his hand was 100 percent better by race time.
Hopkins was happy with his result in Germany.
“We finally got into the top-10,” said the third year GP rider. “I didn’t get a great start and that cost me early in the race. I was trying to work my way through the field and I got stuck behind (Troy) Bayliss. He has totally different lines and his Ducati had just enough power to make it really tough to pass. He lost the front end and went down. Then I had a clear track and turned some good laps in the 24s. I caught up to a big group of riders that were having a good battle.”
The race was marked by high attrition and one of the accidents nearly caught up Hopkins.
“(Marco) Melandri high-sided and hit (Nori) Abe,” Hopkins explained. “I had to sit up and wait for the bikes to slide off the track. I then had a good little race with Kenny, but the charging I did to catch the group earlier in the race used up my tires a bit and I started to get a front end push. I had a big gap back to Alex Hofmann, a lot of people were going down and I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks trying to pass Kenny so I brought it home in ninth.”
Hopkins doubled his world championship points and jumped up to 18th in the standings. He’s hoping the finish in Germany will propel him to even better results in the near future.
“Everything is starting to come together,” Hopkins said. “We’re going to build on this top-10 result and hopefully shoot for a top five at Donington next week”
The second half of the MotoGP season kicks off next weekend, July 25, at the British Grand Prix in Donington Park.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:
NAKANO AND HOFMANN DELIVER SEASON BEST RESULT
Brilliant performances by Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann delivered a season best result for the Fuchs Kawasaki team in their home race at Sachsenring.
For the first time in two days there were smiles in the Fuchs Kawasaki pit box, to celebrate both riders finishing in the top ten for the first time this season.
Nakano was a fast-finishing seventh, just over two seconds behind fifth placed Honda rider Colin Edwards, while team-mate Hofmann was tenth.
In his home race 24-year-old Hofmann, the only German rider in the top flight MotoGP series, equalled his previous best MotoGP result, which he scored as a wild card at Sachsenring two years ago.
The result was a dramatic turnaround, after engine and set-up problems during Friday’s first practice and qualifying sessions cost the team valuable time.
However, both Nakano and Hofmann delivered superb, come-from-behind race performances to back-up the technical revisions made to their bikes on Saturday.
Nakano dropped from fifth on the grid to 12th at the end of lap two, after making a poor start. Just before the lights went out to start the race Nakano was distracted by liquid that had spilled onto his right boot, and he was uncertain if either water or oil may be leaking from his bike.
Having established his bike was running perfectly, Nakano began his surge forward. He caught and passed Suzuki rival Kenny Roberts on lap 18 for ninth position, which placed him in a tight group battle that included Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri and Norick Abe.
Nakano narrowly avoided being involved in the spectacular crash that ended Melandri’s and Abe’s race, and finished strongly over the final laps for seventh place.
Hofmann also started slowly from 16th and ran wide during a crowded first lap on the tight Sachsenring circuit. That put him behind Spaniard Ruben Xaus, and it was lap ten before Hofmann found a way through on the difficult-to-pass track.
Free of bike problems, Hofmann rode fast and consistently over the next 20 laps, to secure a deserving tenth place finish. A capacity crowd of just over 93,000 spectators watched a race run in sunny and warm conditions, with a track temperature of 34 degrees.
Shinya Nakano: 7th
“This is a good result, which I did not really expect after the first day at the track. Even after qualifying my technicians were making a lot of changes to the bike, so I must thank them for their hard work and dedication. On the start line I looked down and saw liquid on my right boot and lost concentration just as the lights went out. I was back in 12th and just kept pushing until I was able to pass Roberts on the Suzuki, and then I had some luck when Melandri and Abe crashed right in front me. It’s great to see the team so happy after the problems we had on Friday and Saturday.”
Alex Hofmann: 10th
“I’m happy for the first time this weekend, and it is such a good feeling to be top ten again at my home race. I didn’t make a fast start and lost two places on the first lap, and then I took at least eight laps to get past Xaus; it took too long, and by then the group in front of me had opened a gap. I just concentrated on getting a good result to try and make up for the all the troubles of the previous two days. I wasn’t very confident after qualifying, but this shows that you should never give up in racing.”
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“I am absolutely delighted with the performance of the riders and the rest of the Fuchs Kawasaki team today. As always in racing you have to finish to be in the points, and both Shinya and Alex in the top ten is an excellent result considering the problems we have overcome. Friday was almost completely lost and our technicians made major revisions to the engine management components – plus chassis set-up – on Saturday. This result is because of all that hard work.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Biaggi back in the title hunt after Sachsenring win
Max Biaggi lies just one point behind MotoGP World Championship leader Valentino Rossi after taking his first win of the season at the Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, where Rossi took fourth place and Sete Gibernau crashed out for the second Grand Prix in succession. In another sensational race which marked the halfway point of the season, Alex Barros challenged Biaggi all the way to the line and clinched second place, with Nicky Hayden completing an all-Honda podium after passing Rossi in the closing stages and holding off a late attack from the World Champion. Gibernau’s crash sees him slip to third in the championship, twelve points adrift of Biaggi, and the Italian made no attempt to quell his delight.
“This is a fantastic result for me and really important for the championship,” said Biaggi, who had not won since October 2003 at Motegi. “It was a tough race because there are no long straights here to relax on and 30 laps of constant corners is hard work. But we did a good job here and I have to say thanks to my team and to Michelin. Now we have to keep working like this for the rest of the season.”
Gibernau’s crash came on the ninth lap of a hectic opening half of the race, with compatriot Carlos Checa having slid out of third place in front of him just four laps previously. Loris Capirossi provisionally moved up into what seemed to be a jinxed final podium position before also crashing out, with Marco Melandri adding to the crash tally with a spectacular high speed fall which also took out his team-mate Norick Abe.
The chaos aided Hayden’s charge through the field, with the American youngster recovering from twelfth place on the first lap to move up to third by lap ten before being joined by Barros in the hunt for breakaway leaders Rossi and Biaggi. Rossi led for six laps but began to encounter tyre problems as he tried to escape in the second half of the race and was powerless to resist the attacks of Biaggi, Barros and Hayden.
Colin Edwards clinched fifth place in the decimated field to hang on to fifth in the championship despite the growing threat of Hayden, with Makoto Tamada recovering from a bad start to make it five Hondas in the top six. Shinya Nakano took his best finish of the season in seventh place, just ahead of Suzuki pair Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins, with Kawasaki team-mate Alex Hofmann completing the top ten to the delight of the capacity 93,408 home crowd.
Dani Pedrosa strengthened his grip on the 250cc World Championship with the third win of his rookie season in a dominant performance. The young Spaniard took the lead on the second lap and immediately set a lightening pace to break up a tight lead group, with only Sebastian Porto able to give chase. Toni Elias crashed out as he also tried to push, leaving a fight for the final podium position between Alex De Angelis, Roby Rolfo, Hiroshi Aoyama and Randy De Puniet. Pedrosa’s pace was too hot for Porto and the pair both ran solitary races to the top two positions, with De Angelis sealing his first podium position in the class ahead of Aoyama. Fifth place for De Puniet means he now lies 25 points adrift of Pedrosa in the championship, with Porto a further 22 points behind in third.
Like Biaggi in the premier-class, fellow Italian Roberto Locatelli demonstrated that his championship challenge is far from over with his second victory of the season in the 125cc race. Locatelli burst from the second group in the final stages of the race to contest victory with Hector Barberá, Pablo Nieto and Andrea Dovizioso after Marco Simoncelli was ruled out of the fight for victory with a ride through penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag. Barberá eventually claimed second place, with Nieto edging out Dovizioso by 0.009 seconds for the final podium slot. Locatelli moves back ahead of Barberá to second in the championship by two points, with Dovizioso hanging on to his series lead by seven.
More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:
Fantastic victory for Max at the Sachsenring
It was a second consecutive victory for the Camel Honda team today. After Makoto’s win in Rio this time it was the turn of Max on the tortuous twists of Sachsenring, at the exact halfway point in the 2004 season. Once again there was a yellow RC211V ahead of the rest and this time it shoots Max to within a point of the championship lead at this crucial stage of this fantastic season. Alongside Max’s victory came a solid 6th place for Makoto Tamada, making a fightback during the race, and this completed a positive day for the Camel Honda team.
Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I’m delighted, it’s the second consecutive triumph for the Camel Honda team and the first for Max this year. It’s a fantastic reward for the entire team and for Honda, Camel, and all our partners. I want to thank every single person in the Camel Honda team, they have all done a brilliant job. Now the championship is entering a really important phase. Max is just one point off the top, and today’s victory is an important confidence boost for Max and for the team, and we will continue to work immediately as we prepare for the British race in a week’s time.”
Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 1st – 42:23.287
“This is an incredibly important victory that I dedicate to a person that I shared a garage with for a year and a half, Antonio Cobas. I have wanted to dedicate a race to him for a long time, but I never got the chance: it needed to be a triumph. I’m obviously delighted, these 25 points change the standings and they fire us into an important second half of the season, which should be very hard fought. For this reason it’s better to keep our feet on the ground and to continue to work as we have done so far. The bike is improving, the relationship with the team is unbeatable and with both Honda and Michelin we are working superbly. The whole weekend went well, from the work we did on Friday, Saturday and also in the warm up this morning. I worked then on the suspension for the second half of the race, which I was more interested in. In fact, when Valentino passed me, I gritted my teeth and waited to attack. I caught my breath for a couple of laps and then returned the favour by waiting for a moment of weakness. Then on the last lap I closed all the doors on Barros, I didn’t want to lose it in the last metres after such a great race, that would have been awful. And it all paid off.”
Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“Makoto made a good comeback through the race today, making sixth by the finish line after having crossed in 17th place after the first lap, and being unable to give 100%. Makoto said he had some chattering problems in the rear tyre that the technical staff are looking at now. We gave everything we could in the situation we were in, and we will certainly do better next week. I’m happy about Max’s important victory and for the all-Honda podium.”
Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 6th – 42:39.769
“I tried to fight back as much as possible, but there were a lot of crashes in front of me. I think I did well considering the shape we were in, and it was a good duel with Colin Edwards. In the end he was stronger and if I’d have tried any harder to go past him, for sure I would have ended up crashing out. We need to understand the rear tyre vibrations that also made the front unstable too. Anyway, it was a great race, and I like the track a bit better now.”
More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gesini Racing:
SETE CRASHES AGAIN, GOOD 5th POSITION FOR COLIN
Sete Gibernau fell for the second consecutive race in the German GP. The Telefonica Movistar Honda MotoGP rider lost control of his front wheel on the eighth lap when placed third behind Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi. Sete cut a dispondent figure as he made his way to the box, but team-mate Colin Edwards rode a good race to finish fifth after starting on the fourth row.
SETE GIBERNAU (fell): “There’s not much I can say now. We had another good weekend until the final part. I want to try and take it calmly, analyse excatly what happened and leave Germany remembering that there is still a lot of the championship left and hope that my bad luck will come to an end at Donington. It’s going to be very important to recover mentally, to arrive in England thinking that nothing has yet been decided and that we can continue to be strong.”
COLIN EDWARDS (5th, + 16.137): “Yesterday we found a good set-up for the race but, even so, we made a few small changes which I felt better with in the warm-up. I got a good start and tried to push forward, but the traffic got in my way. The front end dtarted to tuck from the third lap and it was really difficult to control the bike through turns 5, 6 and 7. I would like to be fighting for the podium but after starting from so far back, fifth place is a good result.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team manager): “It is Sete’s second consecutive crash and the truth is that it doesn’t help at a time when it is important to score points, but that’s racing. Now we have to analyse why it happened and keep working as we have done up to now. There’s no need to give up, we have lost a battle but not the war. We are still in with a great chance in the championship and, even though this is a tough time, I have confidence in the team and I’m sure they’ll be back where they belong”.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
DUCATI MARLBORO OUT OF LUCK AT THE ‘RING
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss had high hopes for today’s German GP at the Sachsenring but both men were out of luck, tumbling out of a crash-strewn race that claimed a total of seven victims, almost one-third of the original grid. None of the riders were badly hurt in the accidents, which were attributed to the track offering less grip than it had throughout the five practice, qualifying and warm-up sessions.
Despite the Ducati Marlboro Team’s luckless day – its first double DNF since last year’s French GP – the squad leaves Germany convinced that it is continuing an upward trend in performance. Both Bayliss and Capirossi had been amongst the fastest riders in race trim on Friday and Saturday, further confirmation that the factory’s new Twin Pulse engine is improving machine performance.
“That was a very disappointing race,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “All weekend both our riders had run a very good race pace, which made us very confident that we could run close to the front. And that’s exactly what Loris was doing – he was third and less than two seconds behind the leaders when he slid off. Troy had a bad start and was recovering from that when he fell. The track had less grip than at any other point of the weekend, there were many more crashes than is usual. But despite today’s result, we showed that we are competitive again, and that’s the most important thing.”
Today’s race, watched by 93,000 fans, was won by Max Biaggi, the Italian’s first win of 2004 bringing him to within one point of series leader Valentino Rossi, who could only manage fourth.
CAPIROSSI THIRD, THEN FALLS
Loris Capirossi was riding a storming race when he fell at one-third distance while chasing the leaders. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had worked his way up from seventh on lap one to move into third on lap nine when joint World Championship leader Sete Gibernau slid off ahead of him. The next lap Capirossi was also down, between turns 1 and 2.
“I was going okay,” said Capirossi, somewhat bemused by his crash. “I was running a fast pace and when I saw Sete fall I knew I was third, just a couple of seconds behind Max and Valentino. I was trying to catch them when I lost the rear. That’s racing.”
BAYLISS’ HOPES SPOILED BY TUMBLE
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss had set a superb pace in qualifying, running always very fast in race trim during all the practices and in the Sunday morning warm up. The Australian was confident of achieving his best result of the year so far. But it was not to be. A bad start left him 13th at the end of the first lap and he slipped another place on the next lap before starting a steady recovery. Then he fell on lap 12 at the last curve before the straight.
“I didn’t feel good on the bike this afternoon,” explained Bayliss. “I didn’t feel the same as I’d felt in practice and qualifying, then the bike let go. I’m not happy.”
More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:
Mission accomplished
The Sachsenring circuit saw an exciting race today in which the d´Antin MotoGP team met their objectives and continued to pick up vital championship points. After a tough time in qualifying both Hodgson and Xaus prepared for their first race at the tight and twisty circuit with the intention of scoring top fifteen finishes, with Rubén crossing the line eleventh and Neil two places behind.
The result means the Spaniard and the Brit both gain a place in the championship, with the next round at Donington Park in a week’s time.
RUBÉN XAUS : “I am happy, although I know it could have been better. I was losing eight tenths in one section of the track and I couldn’t work it out in qualifying. If I hadn’t had problems in that section then I’m sure I could have been fighting for seventh or eighth. But I finished well, I wasn’t tired and I gathered experience. Basically, it was a tough race but I finished and I scored points. After getting through Brazil and Germany, I’m looking forward to getting back to more familiar surroundings at Donington.”
NEIL HODGSON: ” It was a tough race and a difficult weekend, like Brazil. In the twisty section of the circuit it was hard for me to steer the bike where I wanted to but that is a problem we’ve had all weekend and we knew that our objective today was to finish the race and score points. We’ve managed that and know I can say that I know this circuit, although I have suffered over the last two races. The next one is my home race and I am looking forward to getting to Donington.”
LUIS D´ANTIN : “This was a new circuit for both our riders and it was almost as tough as Brazil, but both Neil and Rubén are riders who know how to get the most out of themselves in any situation and today their sights were fixed on finishing in the points. They are both getting over obstacles and I think we have to be satisfied and think about the next race, which will be really important for the whole team and especially for Neil.”
More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:
Brave McWilliams claims best yet for Cube
MS Aprilia Racing rider Jeremy McWilliams rode through the pain barrier in today’s sun-soaked German GP to claim his best MotoGP result of the 2004 season.
The British rider finished in 12th place as he overcame excrutiating pain from a back injury suffered in a crash yesterday to score points for the third successive race. McWilliams doubted whether he’d be fit to ride his three-cylinder Cube machine over 30 punishing laps as he hardly slept overnight as a result of the final qualifying tumble. McWilliams had been stuck on the back by his bike yesterday afternoon, but with typical grit and determination, he battled on and was rewarded with Aprilia’s second best result of the year in front of 93,000 sun-drenched fans.
Jeremy said: “That really was hard work because physically I’m a bit beaten up. I have to say a big thanks to Doctor Costa because he worked wonders on me. Last night I didn’t think I could race. I didn’t get much sleep because I’d taken such a big bash on my back. The race was tough because the one tyre I really liked I was told wouldn’t last the race distance by Michelin. The tyre I liked I’d been doing consistent 1.25 laps on in qualifying, and was doing those times after a 20-lap endurance run which is the longest I’ve done on the Aprilia. In my condition, I was happy to let Michelin make my choice. Considering my condition I’m happy to have scored some more points and finished top British rider. I’m sure I’ll be feeling better next weekend for my home race at Donington, which is obviously a big weekend for me.”
Shane Byrne scored two world championship points as he finished in 14th position after what proved to be a tough race for the reigning British superbike champion. Plagued by a front end traction problem, Shakey said: “This circuit is all about being confident in the front end. Going through the downhill section at the start of the lap, the front just kept washing out. There is nothing else I could have done to go one-tenth faster. If I had have done I would have crashed. I have just to re-group and get myself ready for my home race at Donington.”
Today was the first time this season that both McWilliams and Byrne have finished in the points together, highlighting the hard work and effort Noale engineers have been putting in to improve the Cube.
More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:
Proton Riders find bad luck in Germany
Nobuatsu Aoki: DNF – crash
Kurtis Roberts: DNF – retired
Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Kurtis Roberts both failed to finish in today’s German GP, with Aoki crashing out early in the race, and Roberts pitting towards the finish to retire, after running in to several problems that conspired against him after earlier battling for a position in the points.
Aoki’s crash came eight minutes and three laps into the race, after a good start saw him swapping places with World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson’s Ducati. The rueful Japanese ace, unhurt in the tumble, admitted later that his strong start had tempted him to “push too hard”.
Roberts had been running well, holding his place in a battle for the last championship points. Then a wheel vibration and clutch problems slowed his progress, and he pulled into the pits with four of the 30 laps remaining.
It was a disappointing end at a twisty circuit that minimised the developing Proton KR V5’s top speed deficit, and played to the good handling of the state-of-the-art chassis.
The race was watched by a massive crowd of more than 93,000 people, basking in hot sunshine and packing the grandstands of the Sachsenring circuit, the shortest track of the year, built to replace the classic public-roads circuit last used for GPs in the Seventies.
It was won by Max Biaggi (Honda), the Italian rider’s first win of the year. Title rival and defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) could manage no better than fourth, while erstwhile points leader Sete Gibernau (Honda) was won of a number of riders to crash out on the tight bends.
Nobuatsu Aoki
My race seemed to be going okay. I got a good start, and once I passed Hodgson’s Ducati I thought I might be able to battle with him for the race. Actually, that was not the case, and I think I pushed too hard. The back end slipped away and I crashed.
Kurtis Roberts
Early in the race, my engine developed a misfire, with the ignition cutting out at high revs. That was gradually getting worse, then with 17 laps to go I started to get a vibration as well. Then the clutch started to go. When I got into Turn One and I had no lever left, I was pretty sure that with all the problems I wouldn’t ge