With two consecutive Grand Prix wins under their belts, Yamaha Factory Racing are preparing for The Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring circuit this weekend in confident mood. A superb victory at the Assen TT for Ben Spies followed by a flawless ride by Jorge Lorenzo to claim the chequered flag at Mugello has left the team and riders eager to get straight to business in Germany.
Sachsenring remains one of the few tracks on the GP calendar where Lorenzo has yet to win, taking second place on the podium in 2009 and again in 2010. Last year’s race had been looking like another victory for the championship leader until a red flag changed the circumstances. The reigning World Champion will be looking to add the circuit to his list of vanquished tracks on Sunday.
Spies has unfinished business in Germany; the Texan was characteristically quick to learn the circuit on his first visit last year and had been on track for a strong grid position until an incident packed qualifying saw him relegated to 13th. Despite the setback the then MotoGP rookie put in a blistering performance and was at times one of the five fastest on track, eventually finishing in a hard fought eighth place.
The tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit which flows through the wooded hillsides of East Germany will be immediately followed by Laguna Seca in the USA. These will be the last of the back to back races before the MotoGP teams take a well earned summer break ahead of Brno in the Czech Republic on 12th August.
Jorge Lorenzo
“I feel very good after our victory in Mugello; an amazing victory that we needed for our confidence. We’ll take more power from it for future races, especially for the next two in a row. Now it’s time for Germany; Sachsenring is a unique track which I’ve ridden since 2002 and still not won! I would like to do it, it’s an interesting challenge in front my German fans. The team and I are ready to again try to reduce the gap to Casey, our aim is the podium, but we will try to push for the win.”
Ben Spies
“I’m really looking forward to the next two races. I got on pretty well at Sachsenring last year; the end result didn’t reflect how good we were. I think if qualifying had not been so incident filled we would have started closer to the front. We are in pretty good shape right now with the team, the bike is feeling really good, I’m feeling confident on it and the results are showing it. Of course afterwards we head to my home race in the US and I get to run the red and white colours again!”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“I’m very much looking forward to the next two rounds after a great race in Mugello, coming back from a difficult period to win again. When we are able to deliver a great package like in Italy then Jorge is able to fight for victory. That is our target again in Sachsenring and Laguna. It is very important to make these next two rounds count before the holidays; we are only 19 points behind the lead with still half the season to go so anything can happen.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“We are going to Germany with some optimism, in the last few races we got good results and we would like to continue this. In the last three years Yamaha proved to have a good bike for the Sachsenring track and we have a good set up for both riders now. I don’t know the circuit myself, it will be my first visit with the team but I am confident that we can perform well after looking at our history there.”
Edwards and Crutchlow set for Sachsenring
The 2011 MotoGP World Championship reaches the halfway stage this weekend with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow determined to deliver strong performances at Germany’s Sachsenring circuit.
Experienced American Edwards is looking to consolidate his place inside the top 10 in the overall rankings having scored points in six of the seven races he’s started in 2011.
And he’s determined to leave Europe full of confidence ahead of his crucial home round at the spectacular and challenging Laguna Seca track in California on July 24.
His best result at Sachsenring was fourth position in 2007 and he is confident the improving handling perf ormance from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 this season will be a crucial advantage in dealing with the demands of the 2.281 miles track.
This weekend presents another big challenge for British rookie Crutchlow, who will be making his Sachsenring debut. The 25-year-old is concentrating all his efforts on bouncing back from difficult races in Assen and Mugello recently and is aiming for a welcome return to the top 10.
Sachsenring is the shortest track on the World Championship schedule but certainly one of the most challenging, the undulating layout made up of predominantly left-hand corners.
A tight and twisty first section is ended by one of the most jaw-dropping turns on the calendar. Turn 11 is taken flat-out in fifth gear with a blind entry that drops down to a left-hander at the bottom of the hill, which has become a favourite overtaking point.
Immediately after Sunday’s 30-lap race, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team heads off to Laguna Seca for the first of two visits to America in the space of five weeks.
Colin Edwards
“The last two races haven’t been that fantastic but we can point to a bad tyre choice in both for that. We’ve got to take some responsibility for that but sometimes you roll the dice and gamble but the result doesn’t go your way. That’s all behind me now and I’m just concentrating 100 per cent on getting a good result in Germany this weekend. This track is pretty special with so many left-hand turns but our chassis is much better than last year, so I’m sure the bike will be easier to ride in the tight and twisty sections. The break after Mugello has really helped my physical condition. I’ve been able to get some good rest and the muscle damage around the r ibs on the right side of my body isn’t as painful as it was. I’ll only understand how much of an improvement there’s been on Friday when I get on the bike, but I’m expecting a lot less discomfort than in Mugello where it was quite tough. Aside from 2003 when I had the fireball at the bottom of the hill, I’ve really enjoyed my time at Sachsenring. The German fans are really knowledgeable and they love MotoGP, so hopefully we can put on a good show for them. I’ll be looking for a good result to take some momentum into my home race at Laguna Seca, which is a huge weekend for me and one I’m already excited about.”
Cal Crutchlow
“Like a lot of tracks so far in 2011, I haven’t seen this one before but it looks really good on TV and I can’t wait to get started on Friday. The track is obviously dominated by left-hand turns but I’m not worried that is going to be a big p roblem for me. The left collarbone I broke at Silverstone last month is fine and I’m happy with the progress it is making. After all the weather disruptions of the last few weeks, I’m just hoping for a dry weekend so I can learn the track quicker. And I’m also hoping for hot conditions because that will give me an opportunity to solve some of the front-end issues I’ve been experiencing lately. When the temperature is hot I’ve had some issues with front-end feeling, so hopefully some hot weather will give us the perfect opportunity to find a solution. I’m confident I can be running back inside the top ten and getting the results I know that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is capable of.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Age: 24
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 37 (17 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 154 (59 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 43 (16 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 3 (MotoGP 2010, 250cc, 2006/7)
Ben Spies
Age: 26
Lives: Longview Texas / Lake Como Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 1
First GP victory: Assen, Netherlands, 2011
First GP: Donington, UK, 2008 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 29
Pole positions: 1
World Championships: 1 (WSB 2009)
Grand Prix Results: Sachsenring 2010
1. J.Lorenzo Yamaha 12’27.482
2. D.Pedrosa Honda +0.335
3. C.Stoner Ducati +1.239
14. Ben Spies Yamaha Tech 3 +12.172
Sachsenring Record Lap
D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2009, 1’22.126
Sachsenring Best Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1’21.067
2011 MotoGP Germany
Sachsenring 12/07/2011
Circuit Length:
3671
Lap Record:
1’22.126
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1/1/2009)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’21.067
(Casey Stoner, 7/13/2008)
Last Years Winner:
Daniel Pedrosa
