Marc Marquez takes eighth successive win at the Sachsenring
Stunning rookie ride by home hero Folger to take second ahead of Dani Pedrosa
Only ten points separate the top four as MotoGP heads to summer break
MotoGP 2017 – Round Nine – Sachsenring MotoGP Race Report
Images by AJRN
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has taken an incredible eighth win in a row at the Sachsenring, extending his run from the 125 World Championship to another year of the premier class – with all those wins from pole. It was anything but easy, however – with German rookie Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) pushing the reigning Champion on home turf throughout the race in a stunning ride to his first podium. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completed the podium to get back in contention following a more difficult Dutch GP.
Marquez took the lead into Turn 1 from pole, with teammate Dani Pedrosa slotting into second as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) sliced through from P6 on the grid to third, pushing Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) and Jonas Folger back.
Marquez and Pedrosa began to pull away in the lead as Folger charged through to get himself into third – and then started threatening the Repsol Honda duo in the lead. Choosing his moment, the German rookie then took Pedrosa and prepared to attack Marquez – pushing through soon after and below lap record pace.
With Petrucci through on Lorenzo into fourth, it was the ‘Doctor’ Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who struck next, with the number 46, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Petrucci then battling for fourth as Pedrosa began to drop back from the lead duo. Folger then headed wide and Marquez took the opportunity, but couldn’t shake the German.
That’s the way it stayed – with Marquez’ pitboard remaining +0.1 lap after lap, and the rookie not for giving up. Facing down the reigning Champion – chasing his eighth consecutive win at the track – Folger kept calm under incredible pressure, and even created some himself.
Finally it was a small mistake that saw Folger run deep, and Marquez pulled the pin to stretch the gap – eventually crossing the line for win number eight just over three seconds clear.
Folger kept it safe in the final laps to cross the line in second for his first premier class podium, sealing the deal in an incredible performance at his home race. Dani Pedrosa completed the podium after a more lonely ride in the latter stages, also bouncing back from a tough Dutch GP.
As the top ten battled it out further, Rossi had found his fourth under attack from Dovizioso, with Viñales then joining the fight and Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) soon on the scene. After some stunning wheel-to-wheel action, it was Viñales who took P4, with teammate Rossi for close company to complete the top five.
Bautista took P6 after proving a formidable force in the fight, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crossing the line in seventh for a good haul of points for the Noale factory ahead of the summer break.
Championship leader going into the race, Dovizioso crossed the line in P9 and remains third in the standings – ahead of a stunning comeback from Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) to move through from P19 on the grid. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) completed the top ten, with Jorge Lorenzo crossing the line in P11 after running at the front earlier in the race.
Danilo Petrucci was another who fell back, taking twelfth ahead of another double points finish for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith. Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completed the top fifteen.
The summer break now awaits, with MotoGP next on track at the beginning on August. And the Championship? The reigning Champion has one hand back on the throne after his German GP win, now five points clear of key rival Maverick Viñales. Dovizioso is now third – one point behind Viñales as the upcoming Brno and Red Bull Ring shine with promise for Ducati. Rossi lurks in fourth, only another four points off, with Pedrosa still very much in the fight in fifth.
MotoGP 2017 – Round Nine – Sachsenring Race Results
- MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 40’59.525
- FOLGER Jonas GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 3.310
- PEDROSA Dani SPA Repsol Honda Team 11.546
- VINALES Maverick SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 14.253
- ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 14.980
- BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Pull&Bear Aspar Team 16.534
- ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 19.736
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Ducati Team 20.188
- ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 21.138
- CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR LCR Honda 24.210
- LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 25.659
- PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Octo Pramac Racing 31.540
- ESPARGARO Pol SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 32.179
- SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 36.453
- MILLER Jack AUS Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 37.771
- KALLIO Mika FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 37.852
- ABRAHAM Karel CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team 39.323
- RABAT Tito SPA Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 41.190
- BAZ Loris FRA Reale Avintia Racing 59.850
- REDDING Scott GBR Octo Pramac Racing 1’01.664
- RINS Alex SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’01.695
- IANNONE Andrea ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 6 laps
- LOWES Sam GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 18 laps
- BARBERA Hector SPA Reale Avintia Racing
1. MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 40’59.525
2. FOLGER Jonas GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 3.310
3. PEDROSA Dani SPA Repsol Honda Team 11.546
MotoGP 2017 – Round Nine – Sachsenring Championship Points Standings
- Marc MARQUEZ Honda SPA 129
- Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 124
- Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 123
- Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 119
- Dani PEDROSA Honda SPA 103
- Johann ZARCO Yamaha FRA 84
- Jonas FOLGER Yamaha GER 71
- Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 66
- Jorge LORENZO Ducati SPA 65
- Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 64
- Alvaro BAUTISTA Ducati SPA 44
- Jack MILLER Honda AUS 41
- Scott REDDING Ducati GBR 33
- Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 32
- Loris BAZ Ducati FRA 31
- Andrea IANNONE Suzuki ITA 28
- Tito RABAT Honda SPA 23
- Hector BARBERA Ducati SPA 21
- Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE 20
- Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 14
- Bradley SMITH KTM GBR 8
- Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 7
- Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 7
- Sam LOWES Aprilia GBR 2
- Sylvain GUINTOLI Suzuki FRA 1
