The 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship participants arrived at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany on Thursday, ahead of the ninth race weekend of the year, with the premier class riders returning to Europe after their visit to California less than two weeks ago. In the official Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland press conference World Champion and standings leader Valentino Rossi was the first man to speak, as he, Dani Pedrosa, Chris Vermeulen, Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio evaluated their 2009 experiences to date and offered their views on riding at the German venue. On his Sachsenring record, Rossi stated, “It is always a difficult track for me personally but I have had some good victories here in the past, one in the 250cc class, one in MotoGP in 2002 and two in a row with Yamaha more recently. In 2007 I made a mistake in the race and lost a lot of important points in the championship, but last year was good in difficult conditions. It was very cold and there was a lot of rain but arriving in second position was an important result.” Meanwhile, Repsol Honda’s ‘comeback kid’ Pedrosa, who finally returned to full form with victory last time out at Laguna Seca, referred to his dramatic crash in 2008’s German round, saying, “I’ve also had some good times here. Last year especially was not the greatest moment! It is a track where things are tight, the lap times are very close between the riders, so you have to work very hard to get on the front row.” Having missed the chance to make his Laguna Seca debut last time out due to a nasty finger injury sustained in Assen, Pramac Racing rookie Kallio confirmed that he is ready to ride again. Having lost a significant portion of the finger in question he is unable to wear his wedding ring at present, but joked, “I didn’t plan it like that!” “There is not much of the finger left, but it is better than it looks. It is not painful any more and if it starts to get uncomfortable when I’m on the bike I’m sure it will be ok with a painkilling injection,” remarked the Finn. Earlier in the day, several riders had the opportunity to hone their racing instincts in a kart competition held at the circuit complex. MotoGP talents Marco Melandri, Andrea Dovizioso, Niccolò Canepa and Alex de Angelis were the headlining riders in the karting contest, split into three groups to include 125cc and 250cc stars. The race between the top qualifiers from the three groups was won by Balatonring substitute rider Aleix Espargaró, with Álvaro Bautista and Dovizioso completing the podium. Free practice at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland begins tomorrow afternoon at 1.55pm local time for the MotoGP stars, preceded by the 125cc category and followed by the 250cc class. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: After the absence due to injury of Mika Kallio in the American Grand Prix of last 5th of July, the Pramac Racing Team is back with full line up for the German GP with both riders ready to battle on the Sachsenring track. The circuit, situated about 100km from Dresden, is the second shortest of the MotoGP World Championship after Laguna Seca and the insidious turns and the various changes of direction make it one of the slowest as well. Mika Kallio really likes the German circuit and considers it his favorite. In the last few years the Finnish riders made it to step on the podium in Germany in two occasions: second in 2007 in the 250 class after starting from pole position and on the highest step of the podium in 2005 in the 125cc class. For his teammate, Niccolò Canepa, it will be the first time at the Sachsenring. The Genovese rider, as it already happen in some occasion this year, will try to know the new track in the shortest time possible to result competitive in the race. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Team Technical Director “It is so nice to have Mika back with us. We really miss him in America, but I am still convinced that we took the right decision by leaving him at home for one weekend to recover in the best way possible and don’t ruin the rest of the season. It is from the beginning of the season that Mika tells me this is one of his favorite track, if not the favorite, this is why we expect a lot here. For sure it will not be easy due to the injury, but we believe that Mika will almost be in the best physical condition possible to compete at the maximum level. For Niccolò it will not be easy as this is another unknown track for him: we will try everything to make him learn the secrets of this track in the shortest time possible.” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team rider “It is so nice to be back. I can’t wait to step back on my Ducati Desmosedici GP9 Sat. The situation with my left ring finger has improved a lor and I feel ready to ride. I would say I am at 90% of my physical condition. I will have to wear a special glove made by Alpinestar with much more space for my left ring finger due to big bendage I have on it. For sure in the next few weeks I will not be able to get married as the ring would never fit with my actual conditions of the ring finger. This circuit is very nice, I found my self at ease since the first few race. In 2005 I stepped on the highest step of the 125cc podium and in 2007, after starting from pole position, I finished second in the 250cc class.” Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing Team rider “Today I have trained a bit with a Kart race organize by Dorna which I enjoyed a lot. I am very concentrated; it will be a difficult weekend for me at the Sachsenring, as I don’t the track. I will start with a small handicap compare the other riders, but I believe I can learn the track in the first two free practices to result more competitive from qualifying session. Luckily after this race there will only be Australia that I still don’t know.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: LIFTER ON THE LIVERY OF THE PRAMAC RACING MOTOGP TEAM From its home Grand Prix that took place last May 31st 2009 on the Mugello circuit, Pramac Racing Team has on its livery LIFTER logo. The Italian company owned by Pramac Spa is, in fact, part of the Pramac Racing Team family from this year and it will be until the end of the 2009 MotoGP season. LIFTER, with its headquarter in Casole d’Elsa in the Siena Province, develops, produces manufactures and sells a complete range of internal and warehouse handling equipment: manual and electronic pallet trucks and lift-trucks. Our equipment manufacturing stands out for the elevated quality standards and for the outstanding functionality of the design and construction solutions. During every production phase, accurate detailed and sample controls ensure that quality levels are kept consistently high. Each machine is individually tested upon final assembly, after which it is packed and sent to the centralized deposit for shipment and delivery. The company distributes its products through a vast network of branches across the world, in Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Paolo Campinoti – Team Principal Pramac Racing Team “Really fast, just like it happened in our world, we have decided to collocate Lifter logo on the Pramac Racing bike livery since the Italian Grand Prix and we decided to continue this partnership for the all 2009 MotoGP World Championship season. Our championship is nowadays one of the most followed sports in the world and for this motive a great window on the world for our partners. We confide that this collaboration will increase Lifter notoriety in the world reaffirming it as one of the leader in its sector.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP PREVIEW: GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY EVENT: Grand Prix of Germany WHERE: Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. Circuit is 2.281 miles (3.671 km), with 14 turns. Race is 30 laps. WHEN: Sunday, July 19. It is the ninth of 17 events this season. 2008 RACE WINNER: Casey Stoner, by 3.708 seconds over Valentino Rossi 2008 POLE WINNER: Casey Stoner, 1 minute, 21.067 seconds U.S. TV: MotoGP: 6-7 p.m. (ET), Sunday, July 19, SPEED. 250cc: 2-3 p.m., Sunday, July 19, SPEED. THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is fifth and Hayden is 12th in the MotoGP standings after eight races this season. “¢Colin Edwards: “When we went to Barcelona, we tried a little bit longer bike. We went to Assen and said, ‘Let’s just run the longer bike,’ which we had at Laguna. We had some serious hopping issues at Laguna. It seems like as we lengthen the bike out, we’re not turning as well. We might have to go back to the drawing board, maybe go back to the shorter one to get it to turn better.” “¢Nicky Hayden: “We have made some real progress the last few weeks, and I hope we can keep it going because bringing up the rear of the pack is not fun. We still have a big gap to the front guys, so we have a lot of work to do to close that down, and we must stay very focused. Germany is another small, twisty track with lap times almost exactly the same as Laguna. In fact, they are the two shortest tracks on the tour. But it’s a track I like and where I have gone well at in the past. The first section is super-tight, and is the part I think will be the hardest for me on our bike, but I hope to be strong in the second half, which includes the ‘waterfall’ corner, which is about as good as it gets if you like fast, blind corners that take your breath away! Normally in Germany on race day, it’s a completely full house with fans stacked everywhere, so that makes for a great atmosphere!” THEY SAID IT: “I would say I am at 90 percent of my physical condition. I will have to wear a special glove made by Alpinestars with much more space for my left ring finger due to the big bandage I have on it. For sure, in the next few weeks I will not be able to get married as the ring would never fit with my actual conditions of the ring finger.” Pramac Racing Team rider Mika Kallio, returning to action at this race after suffering a severe finger injury in a crash June 27 at TT Assen FAST FACTS: The closest finish among four riders in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing took place in 2006 at the Sachsenring, as just .307 of a second separated the top four finishers in that race, won by Valentino Rossi “¦ 2007 MotoGP World Champion was diagnosed with slight gastritis and mild anemia by doctors last week in California after the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Stoner has been slowed by the illness for the last month, but he will compete at this event “¦ The Sachsenring might be a good spot for 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP to put some distance between himself and Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi has four victories in all classes at the track, while Lorenzo’s best finish ever at the Sachsenring is third in the 250cc race in 2006 “¦ Six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will equal the record for Grand Prix podium finishes if he places in the top three at this event. Rossi has 158 podium finishes across all classes, just one less than fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini “¦ Colin Edwards’ best finish at the Sachsenring is fourth in 2007. The track has been a successful spot for fellow American star Nicky Hayden, who finished third for four consecutive years from 2004-07 “¦ Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 159th consecutive premier-class start at this event, becoming the all-time iron man. Rossi and Alex Barros are tied at 158 consecutive starts “¦ Aprilia has won nine consecutive 125cc races dating back to last season, the longest win streak for a manufacturer in the class since Honda won nine straight in 1998-99. The record for the class is 19 by Honda in 1990-91. *** 2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011. Tickets for the two remaining events in 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: DE PUNIET EAGER TO BE BACK ON TRACK FOR THE GERMAN GP Sachsenring: After the 9th place of the US GP at the Laguna Seca’s “roller coaster”, Randy de Puniet and his LCR Honda MotoGP Team moved back to Europe for the Alice Grand Prix of Deutschland at 3.671 km Sachsenring race track. De Puniet aims to continue his impressively consistent season at the German track. The Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V no 4, who has finished every race so far and usually in the top ten, has shown impressive speed at the German track in recent years. Last year he was eight in the pouring rain. In 2003 he finished on the German 250 GP podium. De Puniet: “Sachsenring is a very strange circuit: the first part is very slow then the second part is quite a lot faster. But I like the track and I have been very fast in the T1 and sections T2 and also in the final section. Last year we had a very good rhythm in the dry (second row) but then the rain spoiled that for the race. I hope to continue my positive season with a top-eight finish this weekend.”