Lorenzo and Stoner neck and neck as MotoGP™ hits Germany MotoGP As the dust settles on an eventful and incident-packed Dutch Grand Prix, the MotoGP™ contingent has only a few days off before heading across the border to the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring to do battle once more for championship supremacy. Following Yamaha Racing Team’s Jorge Lorenzo’s DNF in Assen due to being taken out by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, and Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner taking a win, both Lorenzo and Stoner are points even at the top of the championship standings with 140 a piece, albeit with Lorenzo in first place due to having one more win under his belt. This has added yet further spice to the Sachsenring race, as the pair will look to get one over on each other for the lead. Last year it was Lorenzo who got the better of Stoner to take second, while the Australian’s teammate Dani Pedrosa recorded his fifth win at the track. Pedrosa, who has taken victories in the last two years at the circuit, will be hoping to break his duck this season, and take his maiden win of 2012 to catch up to the leading pair. Behind him the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso are separated by just one point as the teammates continue to tussle for inter-team top honours. Dovizioso will be brimming with confidence after recording his second podium of the season, whilst Crutchlow looks to be on full pace despite his fractured ankle. The satellite Hondas will aim to put a disastrous weekend behind them, with LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl keen to impress in front of his home crowd after his Assen crash. Bautista, who was handed a penalty after his Lorenzo crash, meaning he will start from the back of the grid, will no doubt look to keep his head down and pick off where he left off after a successful Silverstone. Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi continue their struggle with the Desmosedici, as they seek to overcome rapid rear tyre degradation issues. The Italian outfit will however be buoyed by Hayden’s pace last time out, and will hope that the tyres can last the distance in Germany. Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá looks set to be the only satellite Ducati representative, as Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham is still suffering from a serious hand injury sustained some weeks back. The CRT grid will be itching to get to the tight and twisty Sachsenring, which is one of the slowest tracks on the MotoGP calendar. With outright pace being their biggest issue, many will no doubt be confident of closing the gap somewhat on their prototype counterparts. Power Electronics Aspar pair Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet still head the CTR group, but San Carlo’s Michele Pirro and Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini are lurking just behind. They will be joined on the grid by Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards and Avintia Blusens pair Yonny Hernandez and Iván Silva. Moto2 Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez remains the man to beat at the top of the championship standings at this weekend’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring after a tremendous display last time out at Assen. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, who had led the race for the majority of its duration and now sits second in the standings, will undoubtedly be one of the main challengers once again, as he looks ever more comfortable on the Speed Master machine. One man who will want to put the last race firmly behind him is Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró, who despite showing the most consistent top pace all weekend, crashed out early in the race. This left him third in the championship, equal on points with Tom Lüthi. Interwetten-Paddock’s Lüthi, who also fell in the first few corners at Assen, will be looking for a return to form at the German circuit to kick-start his championship campaign once more. One man looking to spoil the party is Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding, who will undoubtedly be brimming with confidence after recording back-to-back podiums in the last two races. He will however be stalked by teammate Mika Kallio, who has been a silent, yet consistent performer all season. Coming into some good form is Espargaró’s teammate Esteve Rabat, who currently lies seventh in the championship. He heads Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith, who will look to put last year’s crash at the track out of his mind, as he aims to add valuable points to his tally. Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti, who had a disappointing race in Assen will aim to improve significantly, whilst Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter will look to continue his good run of form from last weekend. One rider to look out for will be NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis, who switched to an FTR chassis for Assen, and immediately finished fifth. Moto3 Following what was one of the most thrilling battles in the new Moto3™ class last time out at Assen, which saw some pulsating last laps and a photo finish, the excitement is already building ahead of this weekend’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring. Despite Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales being in the championship lead, his nearest rival Sandro Cortese, on board his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, is only seven points adrift, and will be looking to get one over on his Spanish rival at his home Grand Prix. Both riders had initially looked like championship favourites, but after last weekend’s antics, RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom will no doubt be thinking the championship is not lost just yet. The Spaniard may have been relegated to fourth after a photo analysis last time out, but his performance was nonetheless very promising. Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati has dropped off the radar slightly after his prominent burst onto the scene in Qatar, but still lies fourth in the championship as he looks to head up field once again at the Saxony track. Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi will look to do well at his team’s home race, after a strong showing in fifth at Assen, whilst keeping at bay the charging rookie in the form of Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins. Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou and AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin will once again aim to achieve their first podiums at the German race, but will face a tough challenge from Rins’ teammate Miguel Oliveira. Cortese’s teammate Danny Kent will however be the man to watch in Germany, after a near crash with Cortese and his first ever podium look to have awoken some of his pre-season pace and determination.