After an action packed race in Assen, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team looks forward to another sensational weekend at the Sachsenring circuit this weekend.
Barely recovered from an eventful race in the Netherlands a fortnight ago, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo are looking forward to arriving in Germany for this weekend’s Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.
The previous GP in Assen saw Valentino Rossi secure his third win of the season in a fantastic finale in the final chicane before the start finish straight. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also rode a strong race, having started from eighth on the grid, to secure a podium with third place. These results give both riders an extra confidence boost ahead of this forthcoming race that will conclude the first half of the 2015 MotoGP season.
Rossi arrives at Sachsenring with a ten point advantage over teammate Lorenzo and continues his mission of extending his lead in the championship. Despite the narrow and slow nature of the circuit his race results at the German track are impressive and have led him to stand on the podium ten times in his career. The Doctor has won four premier class races at the circuit and hopes to add another victory this year.
Teammate Lorenzo is also familiar with the rostrum at Sachsenring. Last year he, like the majority of the riders, started the race from the pit lane after a last-minute bike swap. As a dry line formed, he rode a brilliant race to take third. Prior to this result the Spaniard held an impressive podium streak from 2009 until 2012, scoring four consecutive second places at the German circuit. This year he sets out to conquer the top step of the podium at Sachsenring for the first time in his career.
Sachsenring held its first race in 1927, but was rebuilt in 1996 for safety reasons. Just two years later the track hosted its first MotoGP event and has continuously been updated since.
The just 12m wide, flowing tarmac and multiple slow corners make this circuit one of the hardest tracks to overtake at, but there is still plenty of close racing action to keep the thousands of fans on the edge of their seats.
Valentino Rossi
“I’m ready for Sachsenring and am going into this race weekend with a happy mindset. I managed to recover a bit of an advantage that I had lost in past races. Having a ten point lead after eight races is not bad, I’m very happy. Now we go to Germany and it will be very important to reconfirm how competitive we are. We understand that our competitors are working hard to return at the front and in Assen we succeeded in staying ahead. Marquez will probably be with us in the next races and we must be very careful with him. At Sachsenring my first goal will be to work as we have done in the Netherlands, starting from the first free practice. Jorge I’m sure will come back strong, making it even more important to work well this weekend. After Sachsenring there will be a break and it will be important to rest a bit before taking on the second part of the season.”
Jorge Lorenzo
“In theory Sachsenring is a worse track for us than Assen. It never suited the Yamaha perfectly in the past so it’s a very challenging circuit. I have never won in Germany, so I’m keen to get on the top step at least once. You never know, maybe it could happen this season because it’s been a bit strange. I love Assen but this year something changed and I didn’t find the perfect set up to be more competitive. During the race I struggled more than I expected but we understood how to solve it for the future. Sachsenring is a good racetrack with a nice atmosphere and a lot of fans. In the past I was close to winning a couple of times but I never did it. This year our bike’s performance is good so I think we can achieve higher goals than in the recent years.”
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“After a great weekend in Assen we’re all excited to go to Germany and get back on track on Friday morning at the Sachsenring circuit. Both Vale and Jorge are in great shape and also our bike is very competitive, so we’re feeling confident and want to get to work as soon as possible. Last year we had an unpredictable German GP with mixed conditions, but we were still able to score good results and our expectations are high again this weekend. The fans and the atmosphere at Sachsenring are always fantastic, so we look forward to a great show.”
Smith and Espargaro ready to fight to success at Sachsenring
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro head to this week’s ninth round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship fully charged and confident of clinching two notable finishes ahead of the summer break. The GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland will take place at the famous 3.7 kilometre Sachsenring circuit which hosted its first MotoGP race in 1998. The track is well known for it’s numerous tight corners, including the famous Omega turn and a main straight of only 700 metres, which makes the race a very physically demanding yet thrilling one for both, MotoGP riders as well as fans.
Bradley Smith will set his sights on another top six finish in this weekend’s 30 lap sprint aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 as he intends to extend his lead in the satellite MotoGP bike standings. The British rider will also seek to maintain his consistent form this year, having finished no lower than eighth in the opening eight rounds. Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro looks to follow up his strong charge to fifth place at the Motul TT Assen with an impressive result in Germany. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion will aim to fight at the front of the battle for the leading satellite rider position as he hopes to close the first half of the season on a high note in front of the ever-passionate German fans.
Bradley Smith
“It’s time to hit the Sachsenring again and I’m more determined than ever to score a top result aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. Last year was a tricky weekend, but after the very encouraging opening half of the season that we have had, I am certain this year will be a positive experience. It’s a short track and one that is not as fast as some of the other rounds, plus there are a lot of tight corners which means that getting the Yamaha set up for these turns on Friday is integral to success on Sunday. It’s been a busy few weeks for Pol and I, as we tested in Japan for the Suzuka 8 hour race last week. However, the fatigue is no issue and I know that I have the ability to fight as close to the factory bikes as possible. I want to provide the German fans with a good show by giving them something to cheer about and I can’t wait to throw my leg over the M1 once again.”
Pol Espargaro
“The Sachsenring race is one that is always a bit of a different GP as it’s more about the handling of the bike instead of the straight line speed, yet I am excited about riding the Yamaha YZR-M1 this weekend as always. The opening half of the year did not go entirely as we hoped for but after the success that we had in the Netherlands, I am determined to follow that result up with another strong showing in Germany. In terms of the track itself, there is not much of a straight which means that we don’t get much of a break when we’re on the asphalt. However, I really enjoy some of the tight corners, plus the waterfall is an amazing experience on a MotoGP bike! Last year I finished 7th, but after twelve more months of experience, I know we can do better and as long as we get the bike set up well, I will be aiming for a top six.”
Corti will be riding the Yamaha Forward bike at Sachsenring
The Sachsenring circuit will host the ninth round of the championship this Sunday, which will be the halfway point of the season 2015 for the Athinà Forward Racing team before the usual summer break.
Stefan Bradl, recovering after he underwent surgery last Monday to fix his right scaphoid fractured in Assen, will not be at the start of his home race following medical advice. The decision came not to endanger the recovery for the race at Indianapolis and the second half of the season. In his place Claudio Corti will ride the Yamaha Forward bike, he has already been racing with Forward in Moto2 in 2010 and in MotoGP in 2013.
Corti will get on track in FP1 to get comfortable with the new bike. He is very motivated to give his best to repay the team trust. Loris Baz, coming for the first time to this track, is also convinced that he can do well after being first Open in Assen. He is now just two points short of Barbera for the Championship lead.
It will be a special race instead for Simone Corsi, who will celebrate the 200th Grand Prix of his career in the World Championship at a track he loves so much and which has seen him on the podium with Forward in the past two editions. Corsi, in fact, has collected a great second place at Sachsenring in 2013 and a third place last year.
Lorenzo Baldassarri will go again for glory this weekend. The young Italian is eager to return to the track after withdrawing in Assen. The target for him remain the Top10 and to gather as many points as possible.
Loris Baz
“Sachsenring will be the last race before the summer break. At the beginning of the season my goal was to get close to the top riders of the Open class by now, but today I’m just two points off the top spot and I am very satisfied with all the steps forward we made. For me this will be yet another debut riding the Yamaha Forward, I have never been on this track before, but I’m sure I can take advantage of the good work done so far with the team.”
Claudio Corti
“Going back riding a MotoGP is definitely very exciting for me. Many things have changed since 2013, the bikes are very different and certainly there will be plenty to learn. I want to work hard from the start to repay the team for this great opportunity. I will give my best for a good result.”
2015 MotoGP Germany
Sachsenring 09/07/2015
Circuit Length:
3671
Lap Record:
1’21.846
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1-1-2011)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’20.937
(Marc Marquez, 13-7-2014)
Last Years Winner:
Marc Marquez
