Jorge Lorenzo arrives at Sachsenring for the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in the best shape possible this weekend: with a 52-point lead in the Championship and off the back of a hot run of three successive wins. Having finished in the top two in every race of 2010 so far (five of those being wins), the Fiat Yamaha man is the first rider since Valentino Rossi in 2005 to have been on the podium in the first seven races of the season. He will however be aiming for a first premier class win at Sachsenring, one of four circuits he is yet to taste victory at in any class with last year’s second place his best result there. Closest to Lorenzo at this stage of the season is Dani Pedrosa, and the Repsol Honda man has mixed memories of the circuit. In 2007 he won there, in 2008 he was leading the Championship standings when he crashed out of the race and suffered an injury that effectively ended his title challenge, and last season he finished on the podium. His team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, now 22 points behind in third, has a best premier class finish of fifth (in 2008) and will be going for a first podium in any category at the venue. Level on 69 points in fourth and fifth respectively are Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda). The American has more podium finishes at Sachsenring than at any other circuit, thanks to his run of third places from 2004 to 2007. De Puniet’s season continues to be one of impressive results and he will be confident of improving on his previous best MotoGP placement of eighth from 2008, the only time he has completed a premier class race at the track. Casey Stoner is two points further back in sixth but the signs of a resurgence are already there and the Ducati Team rider comes into this weekend having taken back-to-back podiums in the two previous rounds. A first win of 2010 for the Australian will be fancied by many, and he has taken victory once before here in 2008. Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finds another new track in what is already proving to be a strong debut season, and he holds a 20-point advantage over San Carlo Honda Gresini pair Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli who are level and complete the top ten in the standings going into the weekend. Making a return to the premier class this weekend is Alex de Angelis, who begins his spell as the substitute rider on the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team in place of the injured Hiroshi Aoyama. Fiat Yamaha and Valentino Rossi will make a final decision on Wednesday as to whether the World Champion makes his return from injury this weekend, with Wataru Yoshikawa prepared to ride in place of the Italian once more if he decides Sachsenring is too early. Moto2 A four-week break follows Sachsenring for the Moto2 class and those with intentions of challenging for the inaugural World Championship will therefore be targeting a strong sign off before heading into the summer break. Leading the Championship on 111 points and 17 ahead of the rest of the competition is Toni Elías, and the Gresini Racing rider will want to at least repeat his result of sixth in the premier class from last year as he attempts to maintain a good lead going into the hiatus. His only podium at the German track was in 2001, when he finished second in the 125cc class. It will be far from a simple task for the Spanish rider however with an increasingly strong Thomas Lüthi fast amassing points. The Interwetten Moriwaki rider has been on the podium in the last three races four times in the seven races of 2010 which is the most top-three finishes of all riders in the class. His recent run has been in spite of an injured collarbone, and his best result at Sachsenring came in his 125cc World Championship title winning year of 2005 when he finished second. A similar result would keep up the pressure. In third and fourth places Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) and Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) are separated by just a single point on 77 and 76 respectively. The Spaniard won from pole at Sachsenring last season on his way to the 125cc World title, whilst Tomizawa scored points in the 250cc class in his first ride there last year with 13th. The current top five is completed by Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) who on 70 points will be desperate to make up for the error which cost him what looked like a certain podium finish at Catalunya. He was fastest at the private test at Aragón last week however, proving that he is constantly ready for action and he will be going for a third win of the season. Fellow Italian Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) is sixth in the overall classification, just five points further back. There will be two wildcard riders in the form of Xavier Simeon (Holiday Gym Racing) and Sascha Hommel (MGM Racing Performance MC). Damian Cudlin will be a substitute for the injured Axel Pons on the Tenerife 40 Pons team. 125cc The psychological boost of the 125cc World Championship lead going into the four-week break is at stake and currently holding the most slender of advantages just a single point at the head of the standings is Marc Márquez, thanks to his superb run of four straight wins in the previous four races. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider could become the first rider since Valentino Rossi (in 1997) to win five or more successive races in the category if he triumphs. His main rival going into the weekend is Pol Espargaró, who on 131 points will ensure that the anticipation for this weekend’s race will be at a peak. The Tuenti Racing rider has finished on the podium for six consecutive races, and last season finished fifth from 19th on the grid at the German track. Interestingly none of the current 125cc class has previously won at Sachsenring. Third in the standings but in a situation which is much more complex is Nico Terol. Following his last-lap crash at Catalunya, which resulted in a lung contusion and fractured L1 and L2 vertebrae, the Bancaja Aspar rider’s condition will be assessed before a decision is taken on his participation. He will be desperate to not lose any further ground, as he aims to make up what is now a 13-point distance to Espargaró. Bradley Smith will be in determined mode after his second podium of the season at Catalunya, and the Bancaja Aspar man is 24 points off his team-mate. In fifth and sixth respectively and level on 60 points are Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) and Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo). Five wildcard riders will also compete; Daniel Kartheininger (Freudenberg Racing Team), Marvin Fritz (LHF Project Racing), Toni Finsterbusch (Freudenberg Racing Team), Eric Hubsch (Team Sachsenring) and Kevin Hamus (Thomas Sabo Team Hanusch). A win for any of the Derbi riders would be a 100th Grand Prix victory for the factory, which would make them just the sixth manufacturer to reach the milestone in history of GP racing. The opening practice of the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland is the 125cc hour-long session, which begins at 12.40pm local time on Friday. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER AND HAYDEN TAKING CONFIDENT STRIDES TOWARDS SACHSENRING Sachsenring is an unusual circuit, extremely tight in places and for the most part slow, twisty and largely unsuitable for the characteristics of a MotoGP bike. However, it remains extremely popular amongst riders and fans alike, with one of the largest and most passionate crowds of the year set to descend on the German track this weekend. Amongst its keenest admirers are the two Ducati Marlboro Team riders, who head into the German Grand Prix with confidence and motivation this weekend. Casey Stoner took the first podium of his career at Sachsenring in the 125cc race in 2003 and eventually followed up with MotoGP victory in 2008. Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, loves the anti-clockwise nature of the track and was on the podium here four times in a row between 2004 and 2007. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team “We have always had pretty good races at Sachsenring, I got my first-ever podium there and I’m definitely looking forward to it. We’re a little more confident with the bike, everything has worked well enough in the last three races and we just need to find a bit more speed – just a few tenths of a second. We have to try a few different things to get some grip without losing the good feeling we have with the bike at the moment. You definitely need good side grip at Sachsenring because through a lot of those long corners you need to keep the gas open as long as possible. Also when you come over the top at turn 12 the rear gets very light and wants to wriggle around, so you really need some traction over the top there. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next race because if we can find a good set-up it can give us the opportunity to do well. I want to put some good results together and both myself and the team will be working hard and giving 100% to get them.” NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team “It is a very short lap at Sachsenring and the first part of it is very tight and technical, with probably the slowest run of corners on the whole calendar. Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all in first gear it’s like a car park! The back section is really fast though, with one of the coolest corners in MotoGP, which we call the ‘Waterfall’ – you arrive in fifth gear and nosedive into a blind corner”¦ you have to be decisive there or you can easily lose a few tenths. It is a track I like a lot and on paper it is one of the best on the calendar for me. I really like left-hand corners and this track is full of them, so it is also important that we have dual compound tyres here.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “Anything is possible at Sachsenring because our team has the ability to do well there. Both our riders like the track and even though it is not one of the fastest it always seems to have favoured the characteristics of the Desmosedici. Nicky has been on the podium there four times in the past and it was at this circuit last year where he began to show signs of progress with an excellent qualifying result. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to repeat it in the race but I would like him to do that this Sunday and I think he has every chance. Casey has always been strong at this track, he won in 2008 and after a tough start to this season he now has a good feeling with the bike and is highly motivated to finish his time with Ducati at the level we have become accustomed to.” THE TRACK The history of MotoGP World Championship racing at Sachsenring began in 1961, when it was one of the fastest and most popular races on the calendar. However, it was also one of the most dangerous and as a result it was removed from the schedule in 1972. It returned in 1998 as one of the slowest tracks, with an average speed of just 143km/h, but modifications introduced in 2000 brought that speed up to over 150km/h and further adjustments in 2001 increased it to around 159km/h. However, the circuit, which runs anti-clockwise, remains tortuous and twisting – especially in the first sector, and requires good mid-range engine performance. Later in the lap a faster series of left-handers that lead into an incredible blind right require good side grip from the tyres. SACHSENRING CIRCUIT FACTS Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2009), 1’22.126 160.918 Km/h Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1’21.067 163.020 Km/h Circuit Length: 3,671 km MotoGP Race 2010: 30 laps (110.130 km) MotoGP Schedule 2010: 14.00 Local Time Number of laps: 30 Total race distance: 110.130 PODIUM 2009 : 1st Valentino Rossi, 2nd Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd Dani Pedrosa POLE 2009: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha 2008) 1’32.520 – 142.840 km/h DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM BEST RESULTS AT SACHSENRING 2009: 4th (Stoner) 2008: 1st (Stoner) 2007: 2nd (Capirossi) 2006: 5th (Capirossi) 2005: 6th (Capirossi) 2004: – 2003: 3rd (Bayliss) CASEY STONER Age: 24 (Born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia) Residency: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10 GP Appearances: 133 (72xMotoGP, 31×250, 30×125) GP Victories: 27 (20xMotoGP, 5×250, 2×125) First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125) First GP: Great Britain, 2001 (125) Pole positions: 22 (18xMotoGP, 2×250, 2×125) First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125) World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007) Stoner’s MotoGP track record at Sachsenring: 2009: Grid: 3rd. Race: 4th 2008: Grid: 1st. Race: 1st 2007: Grid: 1st. Race: 5th 2006: Grid: 8th. Race: DNS NICKY HAYDEN Age: 28 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA) Residency: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10 GP Appearances: 123 (123xMotoGP) First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) Number of victories: 3 (3xMotoGP) First GP victory: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP) Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP) First Pole: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP) World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006) Hayden’s MotoGP track record at Sachsenring: 2009: Grid: 4th. Race: 8th 2008: Grid: 8th. Race: 13th 2007: Grid: 14th. Race: 3rd 2006: Grid: 3rd. Race: 3rd 2005: Grid: 1st. Race: 3rd 2004: Grid: 9th. Race: 3rd 2003: Grid: 15th. Race: 5th More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP Preview – Round 8: Germany, Sachsenring Tuesday 13 July 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard. Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric) The East German circuit of Sachsenring is the second shortest on the calendar but is one of the most demanding of the year for Bridgestone’s front and rear tyres in terms of tyre temperature and durability. The challenge for Bridgestone’s tyres comes from the fact that the abrasive tarmac generates high tyre temperatures and accelerates tyre wear. The lap is run anti-clockwise, with ten lefts and only four rights, which places higher loads on the left shoulders of the tyres, and for the left side of the front tyres Sachsenring is the most severe test of the season. Whilst the rear slick tyre options are the same compound specifications as used last time out in Catalunya, the anti-clockwise nature means that the asymmetric compounds are reversed and it is now the left side that is harder to withstand the temperature and loads generated around Sachsenring’s fast and long left-handers, especially the complex from turn 7 to 11 during which riders are accelerating hard, and the final two corners which are very fast. Sachsenring is very hard on front tyres so the hard and extra hard compounds have been selected. It is the first time the extra hard fronts have been used since Qatar, and there are only two other circuits at which they are required: Brno and Sepang. Often the weather conditions in Germany are mixed for the grand prix, and last year this was no different although the race was run in the dry. Valentino Rossi won from Jorge Lorenzo, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. On his way to third, Pedrosa set a new lap record on Bridgestone tyres, almost one second faster than his own previous benchmark set in 2007. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Last year at the German Grand Prix we saw a very close race and some good battles at the front, so I hope that we can see a similar race this time around. Jorge and the Fiat Yamaha Team are proving incredibly strong at this point in the season and go to Germany as the team to beat, but Dani and Casey are both running very strongly of late, as are Andrea and Ben. It was also great to see Loris and Á lvaro running well in Catalunya. There have been three different winners at Sachsenring in as many years, so I hope that we will see some good racing and perhaps another new winner.” Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “Sachsenring starts with two slow right-hand corners but then opens into a series of very high speed long lefts that sweep onto the back straight and to the finish, generating a lot of temperature in the left shoulder of the tyres. Owing to the circuit’s anti-clockwise layout, our asymmetric tyres comprise a harder compound in the left shoulder of the rear slicks and our improved-for-2010 soft compound in the right to provide good warm-up performance and consistent rider feeling through the four right-hand corners. Last year we saw a good mix of rear tyre compound selections during the race which shows that both our hard and extra hard compound options worked well. The demands placed on the tyres are very high, some of the highest of the year for both front and rear tyres, so ensuring durability over race distance is key and those machine and rider packages who can extract the best from our tyres’ characteristics will be very strong.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: HONDA’S MotoGP ACES ALL SET FOR SACHSENRING CHALLENGE The battle for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship approaches its halfway point this weekend with the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Honda MotoGP riders go into this eighth race of 18 events holding three of the top five positions in the points chase, though with plenty more to do to challenge for the top prize. Repsol Honda team-mates Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) are currently second and third overall, while impressive privateer Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) is running fifth, ahead of several factory rivals. Current World Championship leader is Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who has won the last three races. Pedrosa aims to score a hat-trick of podium finishes at the Sachsenring on Sunday. The winner of last month’s Italian GP comes to Germany fresh from second-place finishes at Assen and Catalunya, knowing that Honda’s challenge is growing with every race. Pedrosa has good form at the Sachsenring, with three victories at the track: MotoGP in 2007 and 250s in 2004 and 2005. And, of course, he will have an extra spring in his step this weekend following’s Spain’s first-ever success in the football World Cup! Already four times on the podium this year, Dovizioso is currently enjoying his best-ever season in MotoGP. Two weeks ago at Catalunya he duelled with Lorenzo for his first win of the year, only to slide off. Dovizioso bravely remounted to finish 14th, but his earlier pace proved that the Italian is very close to being able to run race-winning speed aboard his RC212V. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) has been the talk of the last few races with a series of stunning performances aboard his satellite-spec RC212V. The hard-riding Frenchman has started the last three races from the front row of the grid and at Catalunya rode to a fourth-place finish, his best result of the year so far. At Catalunya HRC rewarded de Puniet’s brilliant commitment with upgraded chassis parts. Team-mates Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) go into this race tied for ninth place in the world championship. The two Italians have had an up-and-down time at the last few GPs, Melandri missing the Assen race after dislocating his left shoulder in practice and rookie Simoncelli sliding off at Catalunya while battling for a best-ever top-six finish. Melandri’s ninth-place result at Catalunya was a remarkable performance, considering the nasty injury he had suffered just a week earlier. Simoncelli is in good spirits despite his fall, especially since he loves the Sachsenring, having won the German 250 GP on his last two visits. While Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) continues on the long road to recovery from the back injury he suffered during British GP warm-up, his place in the Interwetten Honda MotoGP squad has now been taken by Alex de Angelis. At the last two races Aoyama’s place was filled by HRC test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi, but experienced MotoGP racer de Angelis will take over from this weekend until Aoyama is ready to return. De Angelis contested the 2008 and 2009 MotoGP seasons for Fausto Gresini’s squad, finishing eighth overall last year and scoring his first premier-class podium finish at the Indianapolis GP. With the halfway point almost reached in the contest for the first-ever Moto2 World Championship, the situation at the top of the points chart is getting tighter. Toni Elias says (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki) seized the series lead with wins in the Spanish and French GPs back in May, but the Spaniard hasn’t won a race since, and at the last four events he has been out-performed by Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki). The Swiss rider has yet to score a win in the Honda-powered series, but he goes into the German round on the back of three consecutive podium results, despite a dislocated and broken collarbone. Luthi is currently 17 points behind Elias. Consistency is also paying dividends for Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter) whose third place at Catalunya promoted him to third place in the championship. Like Luthi, Simon has yet to win a Moto2 race, but there is every chance he will be in the running for victory in Germany. German youngster Marcel Schrötter (Interwetten Honda 125 Team) will be gunning for his best result of the year at the Sachsenring, a track he knows from his days on the national championship scene. Schrötter has already scored points on three occasions this season and currently holds fourth place in the 125 Rookies Cup award. The German GP will always hold a special place in Honda’s memory, because it was on German tarmac that the marque scored its maiden premier-class victory at Hockenheim in May 1966. The German GP is now staged at the Sachsenring in an area of Germany that has a strong tradition of motorcycle design and manufacture going back to the early days of the 20th century. This year one of the region’s most famous motorcycling names makes a return to GP racing after an absence of more than three decades. MZ (Motorradwerk Zschopau) was based in nearby Zschopau and was famous for its smaller-capacity two-strokes in the 1960s and 1970s, but later pulled out of racing. This year the recently reborn company has returned to GP racing to contest Moto2 with Australian rider Anthony West. Honda’s first premier-class victory at Hockenheim was won by Jim Redman. The Rhodesian raced the factory’s RC181 inline four to that success in the bike’s debut race, defeating Giacomo Agostini’s MV Agusta by almost half a minute. The East German GP on the original Sachsenring street circuit was one of the few events never conquered by Honda’s 500cc four-strokes during the 1960s. In more recent years, Honda has won 11 premier-class German GPs since the first ‘reunified’ event of 1991; that’s more than any other manufacturer. The current purpose-built Sachsenring circuit was constructed in the mid-1990s, in the early days after reunification. The track hosted its first GP event in 1998. At that time the short circuit was the slowest in GP racing, with a lap speed of just 143km/h (89mph). Revisions for 2000 upped the pace to 150km/h (93mph) and the addition of an extra loop in 2001 (which left out the sole remaining section of the old street circuit) increased lap speeds to the current 160km/h (95mph). Initially deemed too slow for MotoGP, the Sachsenring is now a popular venue with riders. The first few corners are indeed very slow, but then things speed up with a dizzying rush of high-speed left-handers that make up the challenging middle part of the circuit. The last two left-handers ideal for last-lap passes follow an awe-inspiringly quick right-hander that is both blind and off-camber. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “It’s been nice to have some rest after three races in a row, but I’m already looking forward to facing the last two races before the summer break. The race at Catalunya was very positive for us, for me personally because I was able to give my friends and fans a good result, and for my team because they worked very hard again and we ended up with a second place – another podium after the one we got in Assen. I want to maintain this momentum and keep moving forward, and fight for the victory in the two next races. In addition, the three races on consecutive weekends we’ve just had helped me to achieve a very good physical condition and I feel really confident now. Sachsenring is a circuit where I enjoy racing and we’ve normally had a good performance there; even in 2008 when I crashed I was leading the race with a good gap, so it makes me feel that we can do well again this weekend. I want to be totally concentrated on not making any mistakes and be to ready to fight for the win. Finally, I want to congratulate the Spanish national football team for winning the World Cup. I watched the match on TV and it was very emotional!” Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says: “I’m look forward to racing in Germany again and I believe we can get a strong result this weekend. In Barcelona we had a very good race pace that allowed us to stay with the leader for two thirds of the race – and this was really positive. At every race this season we are improving – we take one step forward at a time – and now we have to take the final step and really challenge for the win. At the last race in Catalunya we had the pace to fight for the top position and, even though the final result was not good, we can say that we improved a lot and proved that we are almost where we need to be. So, we will continue working towards being able to fight for the win, starting this weekend in Germany. The Sachsenring racetrack is quite short, with a very slow first section followed by a very fast second half. Usually there are so many spectators all the way through the weekend. They are truly passionate about motorsport and the atmosphere is really good.” LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says: “We hope to continue our good work of the recent few races. Things are going well at the moment; it’s a great feeling to fight with the factory bikes and riders. And it’s good to see that HRC believe in us and are giving us some parts which can make a real difference. We will have to wait and see how things go at the Sachsenring. It is not an easy track on a MotoGP bike, so we will have to work very carefully on Friday and Saturday to make the bike as good as it can be for full race distance.” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri says: “After the satisfaction of finishing the race in ninth place at Barcelona I went through the worst three days since suffering my injury. I have been in so much pain and it has made me realise that the decision not to get back on the bike immediately at Assen was the right one because it would have seriously hindered my recovery. Now I am feeling better and I go to Sachsenring feeling confident and hopeful of improving on that ninth place from Barcelona and getting back to the positions near the front, where I was running before the injury. I like the track there isn’t a lot of braking so that is a good thing for my current condition, although on the other hand there are a lot of left-handers. It is still one of my favourite circuits, where I have several victories and should have one more from the 125cc race in 1998, when I crashed out of the lead. I won the following year and also took my first 250 win there too. In MotoGP in 2006 I had a great race with Rossi, Hayden and Pedrosa, finishing second just a few thousandths of a second behind Valentino.” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli says: “At Barcelona I was just a small step away from a great result, which was a shame because it would have been another injection of confidence following up our recent progress. There was frustration after the crash but not disappointment because in any case I was able to see that I can be on the pace near the front. At Sachsenring, a circuit I like, I will try to confirm our recent progress and demonstrate it on track. I have won in Germany for the past two years in 250 and I always seem to get the best out of myself there so I hope I can have another good race and finish it with the result that eluded me in Barcelona.” Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis says: “This is a very good chance for me to continue in MotoGP as replacement for Hiroshi Aoyama. I am very, very happy to be getting back on a MotoGP bike. My result last year at Sachsenring was not bad, I finished fifth. I hope I will be able to adapt to this new position very fast and give the team the best result for the coming race as the Sachsenring GP is partly a home race for the team. I am looking forward to it for sure.” Moto2 RIDER QUOTES Gresini Racing Moto2 rider Toni Elias says: “After Barcelona I was very disappointed but after the tests we did at the circuit of Aragon, I found confidence. We go to Germany having found a good feeling with the bike and hoping to find the competitiveness that will enable us to continue to believe in the goals we have promised to get to the end of this season. We are a team that never gives up and I’m sure that we will overcome in the best way this difficult time and quickly score some results that we know are within our reach.” Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2, Moriwaki) says: “As always I hope I can attack the Sachsenring circuit from the front group again. I don’t have the reason yet to hope for the world title. There are still many races to come, but I really hope I can continue with the form of the last races. Also the Sachsenring circuit, where I rode so many times in so many different classes and championships, is a new track with the Moto2 bike and we all have to learn it first, but if we can use some of the settings we found in Aragón at the two days of testing, I hope we can get in front. The fans at the circuit there are awesome and I am looking forward to hear them cheer for us. I just hope that I will survive the first corner as it could get very tight there.” Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter) says: “Like many of the other Moto2 guys, we were able to go testing at Aragon before travelling to Germany. That gave us the time not only to learn a new circuit, but also to work on our general bike set-up. This is still a very new series, so we learn more every time we go out on track, so two days of testing was very valuable, even if I did have a crash on the first day! I hope we can have another good weekend like we had at Catalunya and at Silverstone, but I know it will be difficult, because this class is so close and the Sachsenring is so tight. The first corner is going to be very busy on Sunday! I won the 125 race there last year, but the track will be very different on a Moto2 bike.” HONDA 125 RIDER QUOTES Interwetten Honda 125 Team rider Marcel Schrötter says: “From Sachsenring I definitely expect more than anywhere else on the calendar. I have ridden there many times and have had decent results in the past, also when I was a wild card there last year. I don’t have a certain result as target, I just want to do good because it is my home race. I hope we can use the things we learned in the Aragon test and I will arrive at Sachsenring well prepared to perform the show my fans there deserve. The atmosphere at Sachsenring is always very nice and I am looking forward to the race on Sunday.”