The MotoGP™ classes encountered glorious sunshine, torrential rain and an incredibly dramatic last lap at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring, where Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa took his first victory of the season in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
It was Pedrosa who got the best start as he led into turn one ahead of teammate Casey Stoner and the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. The grid was tightly bunched early on, with Stoner soon passing his teammate for the lead, as the Australian looked to have more pace in the opening stages.
With 27 laps to go, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro retired with a mechanical issue, while a lap later Spies ran wide and let Lorenzo into third, to chase down the Repsol Hondas. As Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini crashed out of the race with 25 laps left, Spies’ mistake had let the tussling Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair catch up, with Dovizioso and Crutchlow switching places as they looked for a way past Spies. Two laps on, the pair made it past Spies, who looked to be slowing, as the Repsol Honda pair started to pull out a gap at the front.
With 12 laps left, Pedrosa made his move past Stoner into turn one, shortly after which the Austrian had a big wobble on his bike trying to keep up with the Spaniard. However, this was just momentary, as Stoner continued to stick to Pedrosa’s rear wheel. With just seven laps remaining the three-way Yamaha tussle was getting ever more fierce as Crutchlow continued to look for a way past Dovizioso in fourth. It was however not to be as the Brit out-braked himself going into turn one and ran into the gravel. He managed to keep his bike upright and re-joined behind San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, leaving Spies and Dovizioso to fight it out alone.
The last few laps were a thrilling affair as Stoner and Pedrosa were neck and neck, but there was huge drama in the final turns as Stoner crashed out chasing down the Spaniard. After the race Stoner was highly critical of the track marshals, claiming they did not help him get back on track.
Pedrosa was setting a record pace as he fought hard for his maiden win of the season, and crossed the finish line first in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who recorded his third podium this season. This result puts Lorenzo 14 points clear in the championship with Pedrosa now in second, a further four points ahead of Stoner in third. The first non-podium finisher was Ben Spies in fourth, followed by LCR Honda MotoGP’s Bradl and Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi, whose sixth place was his best dry result this season. Bautista, Crutchlow, Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá and Ducati’s Hayden complete the top ten, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet finished as top CRT bike in 11th.
Race Result – Round 8
1 Dani Pedrosa 41’28.396 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +14.996 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
3 Andrea Dovizioso +20.669 ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
4 Ben Spies +20.740 USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
5 Stefan Bradl +27.893 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
6 Valentino Rossi +28.050 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Alvaro Bautista +28.246 SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
8 Cal Crutchlow +28.447 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Hector Barbera +29.053 SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
10 Nicky Hayden +29.226 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
11 Randy De Puniet +53.176 FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
12 Colin Edwards +58.204 USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
13 Aleix Espargaro +1’04.654 ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
14 Yonny Hernandez +1’13.543 COL BQR-FTR BQR
15 James Ellison +1’30.318 GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
16 Franco Battaini +1 lap ITA DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
17 Danilo Petrucci +1 lap ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
18 Ivan Silva +1 lap SPA BQR-FTR BQR
19 Casey Stoner DNF AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
20 Mattia Pasini DNF ITA ART Speed Master
21 Michelle Pirro DNF ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
Championship standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo 160 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
2 Dani Pedrosa 146 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Casey Stoner 140 pts AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso 92 pts ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
5 Cal Crutchlow 85 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Valentino Rossi 71 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Alvaro Bautista 67 pts SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
8 Nicky Hayden 65 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Stefan Bradl 62 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
10 Ben Spies 61 pts USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
11 Hector Barbera 53 pts SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
12 Randy De Puniet 24 pts FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
13 Aleix Espargaro 23 pts ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
14 Michelle Pirro 16 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 Mattia Pasini 12 pts ITA ART Speed Master
16 James Ellison 10 pts GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
17 Danilo Petrucci 9 pts ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
18 Colin Edwards 8 pts USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
19 Yonny Hernandez 6 pts COL BQR-FTR BQR
20 Ivan Silva 5 pts SPA BQR-FTR BQR
21 Karel Abraham 4 pts CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
22 Franco Battaini 0 pts ITA DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
23 Chris Vermeulen 0 pts AUS SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
Amid warm and sunny conditions at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who extended his championship lead in the Moto2™ category as he took victory ahead of Mika Kallio and Alex de Angelis.
At the start it was Márquez who took the holeshot followed by Marc VDS Racing Team’s Mika Kallio and Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón. Kallio’s teammate Scott Redding crashed out in the first set of bends as he made contact with Mapfre Aspar Team’s Toni Elías. With 24 laps remaining, Elías too crashed out of the race, while Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone continued to heap ever more pressure on Márquez in second. A lap later, Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró did tremendously well to save a near crash, though he did drop back some positions. To add to the excitement, with 21 laps to go Iannone made his pass on Márquez, with the Spaniard taking him back almost immediately. On the same lap, JiR Moto2’s Brazilian youngster Eric Granado crashed after running off into the gravel.
Following this there was drama at the front as Iannone crashed out pushing too hard into turn one, though he was able to re-join the race in 26th. With 15 laps remaining, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis made a move on Kallio at turn 12, but the Finn got the better drive out of the corner and re-took second. A few laps later De Angelis had another go and made it stick that time, as Espargaró started to hunt down the front three. GP Team Switzerland’s Randy Krummenacher crashed out of the race on the same lap, yet was unhurt in the incident.
The pack had settled down in the latter stages, however it was Kallio who provided a last gasp of excitement two laps before the end as he passed De Angelis into turn one to take second place. De Angelis tried to retake him in the final corner yet ran wide, with the Finn having the better drive out of the bend.
Ultimately it was Márquez who took the chequered flag for his fourth win this year, with Kallio and De Angelis both taking their first podium of the season. Márquez now leads the championship by 43 points ahead of Espargaró, who finished fourth. They were followed by Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi, Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi, Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith and Xavier Siméon, Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti and CIP-Technomag’s Dominique Aegerter.
After the skies opened just before the Moto3™ race at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese who coped best with some difficult track conditions to take his first home win ahead of Alexis Masbou and Luis Salom.
JHK Laglisse’s Adrián Martín got the holeshot ahead of Caretta Technology’s Jack Miller with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent in tow. Most riders looked very tentative at the start, yet Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi made his way through the field and soon came up behind Miller and Martín.
Just before the race had run half its distance, the sun had come out with all its force, creating a quick-drying line.
With 14 laps left, Ambrogio Next Racing’s Giulian Pedone retired from the race, while a lap later RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom went past Rossi in turn one to take second spot. Miller’s teammate Alexis Masbou was a man on a mission as he carved his way through the pack on the drying line. With ten laps left there was heartache for German fans as IodaRacing Team’s Jonas Folger’s race was ended with a bike issue, as was Moto FGR’s Jasper Iwema. With seven laps to go Martín was caught out as he crashed heading into turn seven, but walked away unscathed.
The latter stages of the race also saw Salom’s teammate Binder crash out at turn 11, while a group of Masbou, Cortese and Salom had formed at the front. In the meantime, Danny Kent had returned to the pits with a bike issue, while Faubel’s teammate Alberto Moncayo also suffered a mechanical problem. With two laps to go, Mahindra Racing’s Marcel Schrotter made it the second German rider out of the race with a crash.
In the final two laps there was drama at the front as Rossi retired with a mechanical issue from fifth, as Cortese diced with Masbou for the win. And it was ultimately the local Cortese who kept his nerve to become the first German to win at the newly-built Sachsenring and retake the lead in the championship, with Masbou taking his first ever Grand Prix podium and Salom completing the top three. This result now puts Cortese at the top of the championship standings, 18 points ahead of Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales, who finished in 17th. Behind the winning trio were Miller, JHK Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Faubel, Freudenberg Racing Team’s wildcard Luca Gruenwald, Red Bull’s Arthur Sissis and Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil.
— HRC Report
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) earned a dramatic third consecutive victory in the German Grand Prix after team-mate Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) fell while chasing Pedrosa two laps from the end of the race, which was enjoyed by a crowd of over 81,000 at the Sachsenring in the former East Germany.
Stoner had led from the pole with Pedrosa, who had won here in 2010 and 2011, in his shadow from the start. The pair made short work of the rest of the field, easing away to turn the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship into a Repsol Honda family feud.
Pedrosa kept Stoner honest before executing a perfect pass in the first turn right-hander on the 19th of 20 laps. Stoner then assumed the role of pursuer and hounded the Spaniard for the duration. Just as the pair were going through the turn 12 left at the bottom of the hill, Stoner suddenly lost the front end and went sliding into the gravel trap, unhurt. He tried to get his motorcycle re-started, to score as many points as possible, but was disappointed not to be assisted by corner marshals.
With Stoner out, Pedrosa sped to victory by 14.996s over Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo.
The win was not only Pedrosa’s third in a row at the Sachsenring, but his fourth overall in the MotoGP category at the track in the former East Germany. It was also his first win since last October’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. Stoner’s non-points finish was his first in 22 races, since he was taken out of the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.
Stoner’s crash had profound championship implications. Lorenzo, who had arrived in Germany tied on points with Stoner, now has sole control, with Pedrosa moving into second, 14 points behind. Stoner sits third after eight of 18 races.
German Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) was inspired by his home crowd to a career best fifth in his rookie season. The Bavarian was part of the battle for what would become fifth place. Fronting a group that included a pair of former MotoGP World Champions. Under pressure throughout, Bradl was resolute and repelled any and all attacks to secure the best dry track finish by a German MotoGP rider in some time. Bradl was also fifth on a wet track in Le Mans.
Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) finished a creditable seventh after starting from the back row. A week earlier in Assen, Bautista was involved in an incident that resulted in Lorenzo crashing. His penalty was to start from the back of the grip. The Spaniard made his way through the CRT riders by the sixth lap and set out for the prototypes. Closing at faster than half a second a lap, he injected himself into the fight for fifth and passed a rider each of the final three laps.
Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) failed to finish the race, suffering the same technical problem, which had sidelined him in the season-opener in Qatar.
Marc Marquez (Team Caixa Catalunya Repsol – Suter) expanded his Moto2 championship lead to 43 points with a nearly flag-to-flag victory, his fourth win of the season, in the first race of the day.
The Spaniard jetted away from his sixth pole in eight races to set the early pace. Soon he was joined by Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up), who slotted into second with a pass of Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex) on the fourth of 29 laps.
Iannone passed Marquez for the lead in the turn 12 left on the eighth lap and held the point until the first turn on lap nine, when Marquez out braked the Italian.
Two laps later Iannone’s victory chances were dashed when he crashed in turn 1. Iannone remounted and finished 18th, and out of the points.
Now it was Marquez and Kallio out front, with company from Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing), who had switched from the Suter to the FTR chassis for the race in Assen. De Angelis immediately adapted to the British-made chassis, setting a new record fastest lap of 1m, 25.167s on the sixth lap of the race.
De Angelis lost second to Kallio on the 15th lap and was not able to find a way past until lap 27. By then Marquez had disappeared with a trio of fast laps. Marquez increased his lead by nearly a second from laps 24 to 26, ending the lap with a cushion of 1.428s. He would go on to win by 2.093s.
On the final lap de Angelis had one last move, into the final corner, but was outplayed by Kallio who scored his first podium of the year. De Angelis also had his best finish in third.
Fourth went to Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti – Kalex). The Spaniard had made his race more difficult by qualifying a season worst 17th. He was fighting to the front when he ran off the track, losing more time. And on the final lap he had to withstand a furious attack from Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock –Suter), who finished fifth.
Marquez finished the day with 152 points to 109 for Espargaro. Luthi is third with 107, three better than Iannone.
Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology – Honda) earned his first podium in the Moto3 race, and very nearly his first win, in his 103rd grand prix.
Instead he came second at .635s to Sandro Cortese (KTM), the German rider who scored a popular home win.
Both Masbou and his team-mate Jack Miller led the race at different points, Miller from laps two through 15, as the wet track was rapidly drying, and Masbou lap 16 and laps 22 and 23. Masbou then lost the lead to Cortese who went on to victory.
Masbou was second with Miller missing out on his first podium by .053s, but still finishing a career best fourth. Masbou’s previous best finish this season was fourth at Silverstone, Miller’s previous best was 15th in Catalunya.
Finishing fifth was Efren Vazquez on the JHK Laglisse FTR Honda. Vazquez worked his way up from 13th at the start to take over fifth with two laps to go when Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany – FTR Honda) crashed.
Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda) lost his championship lead by finishing out of the points. Vinales had a difficult qualifying session and was not able to improve in the race.
He finished 17th and now trails Cortese 130 to 148.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: Race winner
“I’m really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen and it’s great not only for me, but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places, but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It’s been a really hard day though. Casey (Stoner) had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win. Finally, it is a great feeling and sure will give us a lot of motivation for the next races. It’s also good for the championship, but we will not relax; victory this season has not been easy for any of us, so we have to keep pushing as we do.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: DNF
“I’m pretty disappointed. I had planned to go for my ‘win or bin’ effort in the last corner not that one. I was happy on the bike and felt we had a few tenths a lap over Dani (Pedrosa) and confident I could pull him back in. On the final lap I made a mistake going into the first turn and I had to push a little more than I wanted through some of the sections, but I got on to Dani exactly where I wanted and planned to make my overtake in the last corner, if I didn’t have an opportunity earlier in the lap. I felt confident, but as soon as I tried to turn in a little more, the front went. I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area; as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I’m frustrated I wasn’t allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away. It’s our first crash in a race, down to our own mistake, for the first time in a long time, so I’m disappointed for sure, but we knew we had the pace. If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season then we shouldn’t be so worried for the championship.”
Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 5th
“It has been a tough race since the beginning because I had to fight to maintain the gap to the group behind me. But I took another good start and this is very positive, after that I was capable to follow the Yamaha riders for a while, but I could feel that our corner speed was not enough and our edge grip in the left side was poor because after three or four laps the bike started to spin already. That caused me some issues, because I was not able to attack them and in the middle of the race I had to let them go. From that moment I had to manage the group behind me till the chequered flag and it was very difficult. So I had to push myself to the maximum to block (Valentino) Rossi, (Nicky) Hayden and (Hector) Barbera in the last three laps. I am very happy about this result because I could relegate them behind me and this fifth place is a fantastic result for me, for my family, for the team and for my local fans.”
Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 7th “I am happy because to start from last and finish seventh is a good result. It’s just a shame that I lost so much time at the start trying to pass the CRTs. I was trying to do it without taking too many risks and then once I got past them I had a lot of sliding from the rear tyre, which made it a long and difficult race. I tried to adapt my riding style and use the throttle in a different way and in the second half of the race I was able to close down the guys in front of me. I actually managed to pass (Valentino) Rossi and (Stefan) Bradl on the penultimate lap, but I lost the front and almost crashed. I wanted to try again on the last lap but as we came into the braking zone at the bottom of the hill I could see the yellow flags so that was that. I had another look in the last corner but couldn’t make the pass. Anyway, the result is good and for that I want to thank the team for giving 100% all weekend even though they knew this would be a tough race. ”
Michele Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “There is not much I can say after another unlucky race. We didn’t need the crash yesterday and today we had the same problem that caused me to retire in Qatar. It’s a shame, because we could have had a good race and made life difficult for the top CRT. I am disappointed for me and the team, but we will try to make up for it at Mugello.”
Moto2 Rider Quotes:
Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter: Race winner “I knew that I had to start strong, because both
(Andrea) Iannone and (Pol) Espargaró were starting from a little further back and I could make a real difference early. However, with the new tyres I couldn’t feel comfortable. The feeling improved when the grip dropped, but then I started to have problems with the rear chattering on the corners stopped me from maintaining the pace that I had in practice. I think that we rode an intelligent race, because when I saw that Iannone was getting closer I was about to drop back in order to save the tyres but instead decided to push. When I saw his crash on the screens I just looked to keep focus. It was very difficult to manage the entire race with such a small advantage, but it worked out well and I was able to open up the gap later on with the tyres worn down.”
Mika Kallio, Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex: 2nd “I was pretty confident I could fight for the podium before I lined up on the grid today. The bike has worked well in every session, and in all the weather conditions we’ve had here at Sachsenring. I got away from the line really well and managed to get cleanly through turn one, then it was just a case of settling into the race and finding my rhythm. I was able to match the lap times of Marc Marquez for most of the race, but in the last six laps I lost a little bit of grip and he was able to pull out a gap at the front.
The drop off was enough to allow Alex de Angelis to catch and pass me, but there was no way I was going to let him take second place away from me.
I reclaimed second with three laps to go and then held on to the chequered flag. I really enjoyed the battle with Marc and Alex (de Angelis), and I think they did too, and I’m obviously happy to be on the podium for the first time this season. I have to say a big thank you to the team, who worked hard to give me such a competitive bike this weekend.”
Alex de Angelis, NGM Mobile Forward Racing – FTR: 3rd “I have been happy on this bike from the very first lap at Assen and I would like to say thanks to my team for believing in me and changing the bike. The first time I was with this bike was Assen and that’s where I got by best result and now I pushed and pushed during the race and made the record track lap here at Sachsenring. We now know that with this bike in race distance that at the beginning of the race this bike is good and that towards the end we have found some problems that we need to adjust. We haven’t done many kilometers with this bike yet. In Mugello we will be working on this and I am sure we can fight for the rest of the season to be in the top five.”
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo moves further back into the Championship lead today after taking second in the Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring circuit. Having been suggested the harder tyre option by Bridgestone for safety reasons Lorenzo struggled to match the pace of rivals Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. He spent the majority of the race holding third whilst maintaining a gap to Andrea Dovizioso behind in fourth. A crash by Stoner in the final lap promoted him to second, putting him on 160 Championship points, 14 clear of Pedrosa in second.
Team mate Ben Spies made a good start from second on the grid, settling in to third on the first corner behind the leaders Pedrosa and Stoner. It was also suggested that he use the harder option tyre which combined with his set up made it difficult to find optimum edge grip and acceleration. Spies was passed by Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow but then caught them again and was just 0.071 seconds from third when he crossed the line. The Texan takes a further 13 Championship points and remains in tenth position.
Jorge Lorenzo / Position 2nd – Time: +14.996
“Well, things can change completely in one race. In Holland we had a 25 point advantage then suddenly zero, one engine less and we were very disappointed. Then today we had some luck from Casey’s unfortunate crash. I would have been happy to have finished in third position because today the bike and the rear tyre was not so good. The race was very tough; I always seem to finish second here! I would have preferred not to crash in Assen and for Casey not to crash here but that is racing sometimes. We struggled a little all weekend with the changing weather so we must be happy with the end result.”
Ben Spies / Position 4th – Time: +20.740
“It was a frustrating race, but I guess we have to be happy with a top five. We had a lot more potential but we did the best we could with the set up we had. We didn’t have enough edge grip and acceleration so I had to sit behind Dovi and Cal and wait. I could see Cal was getting a little impatient and wanting to pass Dovi so I was hoping he would and maybe clear a spot for me to get by. I had a good pace but not enough to out brake them so had to play a waiting game.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Today was a great result after a very difficult race. Our pace was never really there and we were not really happy with our set up in any session. What counts is the standings so we are happy to be back in the lead and heading to Mugello next weekend.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“It has been a pretty tough weekend but we have to see it in a different way. We came here second in the Championship and we are leaving leading it. This is the important thing. We knew from the beginning that it was going to be a complicated race and the weather didn’t help us. This morning we were pretty satisfied with the set up then suddenly we had to run with the hardest tyre. Unfortunately this choice compromised our results.”
Dovizioso takes Sachsenring podium after late drama
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Andrea Dovizioso extended his outstanding run of form at Germany’s Sachsenring today, the Italian rider capitalising on a late crash by reigning World Champion Casey Stoner to finish in third position.
Dovizioso rode a tremendous 30-lap race under severe pressure from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Cal Crutchlow and Factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies.
A third podium in the last four races appeared to have eluded Dovizioso when he started the final lap in fourth position. But late drama unfolded in front of a crowd of over 80,000 fans when Stoner tumbled out of second at the penultimate corner on the final lap.
Promoted into third position, Dovizioso aggressively attacked the final two corners to brilliantly fend off an attack from Spies and he took his 19th MotoGP podium by less than 0.1s after a tense run to the finish line.
Dovizioso’s result moved him into fourth in the World Championship standings after Crutchlow’s valiant effort to extend his impressive sequence of top five finishes.
The British rider was once again locked in a close and exciting duel with Dovizioso but just as the fight headed towards a nail-biting climax, Crutchlow ran off track at the first corner on lap 26.
He managed to keep control of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in the gravel trap and re-joined the race in 11th.
The 26-year-old was barely knocked out of his rhythm and he fought his way back into eighth position to collect eight valuable World Championship points.
The final result certainly didn’t reflect Crutchlow’s true potential and he demonstrated his speed and consistency once again by setting the third fastest lap of the race behind Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.
Andrea Dovizioso / Position 3rd – Time: +20.669
“I am really happy to finish on the podium again and it is a great feeling to do it here because this track has never been the best for me. It was the same in Assen last week, so to be on the podium there and also here at the Sachsenring shows the fantastic job that we are all doing in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Of course we have to consider ourselves a little bit fortunate today to finish third because of Casey’s crash. But it proved how crucial it was for me to remain at the front of the battle with Cal and Ben for the whole race. If I had let them overtake me then perhaps I would not have been third. I am happy because I rode an intelligent race today. I never pushed completely at the limit, especially during the first laps, as I knew from the past that I would probably pay for that tactic at the end of the race. My focus was to be consistent and I managed that and that was the key to this result. I was only six seconds behind Lorenzo and that is good because he is the benchmark at Yamaha and that means I was only 0.2s per lap slower than him. We can still improve but my feeling with the Yamaha is fantastic and I am really happy with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Now I go to my home race in Mugello with a lot of confidence and the goal will be to battle for the podium again.”
Cal Crutchlow / Position 8th – Time: +28.447
“I’m pretty disappointed to be honest and I think we definitely deserved better. My mistake was not passing Andrea earlier because I had the pace to be with Lorenzo. I was just waiting behind Andrea for the last five laps to size up an attack but unfortunately I ran off at the first corner. It was my mistake but I got back on track and was just as fast and recovered a couple of places, so it wasn’t too bad in the end. I’m not sure why but Andrea’s bike seemed to accelerate better than mine and he had more speed on the straight. I would catch him in the corners but lose a couple of tenths on the straight. I’m sure I could have been fourth because the podium would have been a gift. I wouldn’t have wanted my first podium in MotoGP to come just because another rider crashed out. Once again though I have showed what I am capable of. Last year here was a disaster and I was 14th, but today I was fighting two seriously fast riders and I had the pace to beat them. I got the third fastest lap of the race too so we definitely have the speed to battling in the top five at every race.”
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“That was another exciting race for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team and once again it was quite a nervous experience for me to see Andrea and Cal fighting so closely together. We have seen that many times already in 2012 but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch. It is almost like they can’t race without each other! It was a shame that Cal made a mistake so close to the end because it would have been interesting to see the fight go to the last lap. Andrea once again was fantastic and his pace was very consistent. He didn’t make even one small mistake that would have given Cal and Ben an opportunity to pass him and to ride under that pressure takes a lot of concentration and also skill. We are fortunate this time to be on the podium because of the crash of Casey but Andrea would not have been third had he not worked so hard to stay in front of Cal and Ben. So he deserves it and to get a third podium in the last four races is incredible for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. It is a shame that a small mistake compromised Cal’s race because perhaps he could have been on the podium for the first time. He felt he was faster than Andrea and he was just waiting for the right moment to make his move. But he ran off track at the first corner and that was a pity. He showed his pace and potential though again and I am sure his wait for a first podium will be over soon.”
— Ducati Report
Close race for Rossi and Hayden at the Sachsenring
Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden crossed the finish line of the German GP in sixth and tenth places, respectively, after fighting throughout the race in a group of four or five riders.
With just one practice session and the warm-up having taken place with no rain, the Ducati Team had little time to work on the dry settings that they used for today’s Grand Prix, but they both identified a number of adjustments that allowed them to consistently ride at a good pace.
On Friday, the team will return to the track in the first practice sessions for their home GP at Mugello, where a one-day post-race test will take place on the following Monday, concluding three intense weeks of work.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 6th
“Today’s race went a little bit better. This weekend we decided to work on a setting that was similar to the one we used at Barcelona and Estoril, in order to suffer less with the rear tyre. Although we weren’t able to try it much in the dry, it turned out to be pretty effective. It allowed me to have a pace that was consistent and pretty fast until the end. The gap to the Hondas is large, but the Yamahas were closer today. When I realized that I didn’t have the pace to escape the group I was in, I waited for the right moment to attack, and in the end, I was able to pass almost all of them. I tried with Bradl as well, but when I was almost next to him, they gave us the yellow flag for Stoner’s crash, and I backed off because anyway, I would have had to let him back by. I was sixth, our best result in the dry this year, so now we’ll continue in this direction. The bike is a little more difficult to ride, but at least I’m able to brake hard and to ride at a good pace until the end.”
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th
“I’m really frustrated to have been in a big battle like that, only to arrive at the end of it. For the most part, I felt just as fast as the other riders in the group and even faster in places, until about the last five laps. Then I think I was hurt by the combination of the tyre going off and me trying too hard at the end. I really started to spin and lost the rear a couple times on entry. We had tried a couple of things in the warm-up, and considering the lack of dry time this weekend, the bike was decent. In parts of the track I was fast, but I had troubles getting into and out of the last corner, as well as braking for turn one. To arrive tenth, when fifth was just over a second in front, is hard for a racer to take. I can’t be too happy with that one, but we’ll get another shot in a week at Mugello.”
Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
“It was positive day from a number of perspectives: we used two settings for Vale and Nicky that allowed them to ride at a decent pace, close to that of the Yamahas, to not stress the tyres too much and to fight for the entire race with a number of competitors. In the end, Vale got to the front of that group, and although he wasn’t able to get Bradl because of the waving yellow flag, he finished sixth, which is his best result in the dry this year. Nicky’s result didn’t match the potential that he demonstrated for the entire race, but that can happen in a close battle, frustrating as it may be. We must continue working to improve the bike, and today we gathered some interesting information.”
— Bridgestone Report
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 28-28°C; Track 41-36°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was victorious at today’s German Grand Prix to secure his third consecutive triumph at Sachsenring and strengthen his position in the MotoGP™ championship standings.
Pedrosa and Repsol Honda teammate Casey Stoner were engaged in an exciting battle for the whole race until Stoner crashed out on the last lap while fighting for the lead, promoting Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo into second place while Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso took the final place on the podium in third position. Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet is now the top CRT rider in the standings after the Frenchman crossed the line in eleventh place.
In a complete contrast to yesterday, conditions today were warm and dry with a track temperature of 41°C at the start of the race before conditions cooled towards the end of the race as light drizzle began to fall, though without causing any disruption. Only one rider selected the medium compound front slick, with all other riders preferring the greater cornering stability and durability of the extra-hard front, while rear tyre choice saw the field almost split between the softer and harder slicks, with eleven of the twenty-one riders selecting the softer rear option.
Lorenzo’s second place sees him regain the championship lead, while Pedrosa’s victory moves him up into second position on the points table and just fourteen points behind Lorenzo, while Stoner is now in third place overall and six points behind Pedrosa.
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Thankfully we had fine weather and dry track conditions for the morning warm up session and this provided much needed track time for teams to find a dry setup for the race. Sachsenring is a very abrasive circuit and after analysing the rear tyres after the warm up session, we advised some riders to use the harder rear slick option instead of the softer rear to limit tyre wear during the race. Another benefit of using the harder rear slick is that its grip levels are very stable over the duration of the race as shown by Dani Pedrosa being able to set the fastest lap of the race on the very last lap.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda – Race Winner
“Today was difficult because we made many changes before the race and I couldn’t get familiar with the bike at the beginning of the race. Casey and I were together the whole race and we were both doing fast laps so I knew it would come down to the last lap. I was good under braking and pushed really hard to the end and I am very happy that after so many podiums I won my first race of the season and I’d like to thank my team and everyone around me for their support.”
— Red Bull Rookies
Lukas Trautmann beat Stefano Manzi across the line by 0.003 to win one of the most intense Red Bull MotoGP Cup battles in the 6 year history of the Cup. Saturday’s winner Scott Deroue was a very close third just ahead of Cup leader Florian Alt.
Every Rookies Cup race seems packed full of drama and excitement but never more than Race 2 at the Sachsenring. There were reversals of fortune at almost every turn and starting the last lap 16 year old German Florian Alt had the lead over Czech 16 year old Karel Hanika and 15 year old Belgian Livio Loi. The lead pack of more than 10 riders had traded places all the way through the 19 lap race and there was no let-up in the final circuit.
Loi took the lead and defended well for the first half of the lap but through the ultra fast change of direction before the downhill drop to the final corners he came together with Alt and Deroue. As they sorted themselves out 16 year old Austrian Trautmann seized the advantage and charged down the hill ahead of the pack including 13 year old Italian Manzi.
Just as he might have had the race won, Trautmann had a huge slide exiting the penultimate corner and Manzi was able to pounce up the inside into the last turn. He was tight going in though and Trautmann had the wider, faster entry, enough to draw past as they flashed across the line.
Always a last lap star, Deroue, the 16 year old Dutchman, this time had a bit of luck after the setback with Alt and Loi. “I went wide when Livio and Florian touched but then at the bottom of the hill Ivo (Lopes) and Florian came together and I got through. It was another fantastic race but so many overtaking moves by everyone and you could never be sure where they were going to brake so it got a bit crazy at times. A lot of fun though.”
Trautmann was thrilled with his win of course and also said that it had got pretty intense. “Such hard fighting all the way, I have never been in a race like it. I know the lap times were not as quick as we did in free practice and I think that it is because the thunderstorm washed all the rubber of the track and the grip wasn’t there. Also by the end of the race the rear tyre was well worn. And who was it who hit the inside of my seat in the last left hander with a few laps to go?”
That was 14 year old German Willi Albert. The 2nd place man from Saturday was in the fight for the lead all the way from the start, did a lot of the front running and also managed to squeeze through gaps a couple of times when there seemed to be no space. He tried it once too often though, clipped the back of Trautmann’s bike and crashed out.
There were two mechanical failures, notably Philipp Oettl who had started the race just 10 points behind Alt but retired from 9th place on lap 3 with gearbox problems. Disappointment also for British 125 Champion Kyle Ryde as the 14 year old was well in the hunt until an electrical problem put him out.
The ride of the race not rewarded by points certainly went to 15 year old Malaysian Hafiq Azmi who set the fastest lap of the race in an incredible charge through the field. He was 12th on the grid but got pushed back to 18th early and way of the lead group before racing his way forward. He joined the lead pack right at the end but slid out at the top of the hill on the last lap just behind the Loi, Alt, Deroue incident.
Diminutive Manzi summed up the the race wonderfully. “Such a fun race all the way, I was in the group in about 7th place for much of the race, we were all fighting so hard. Then I managed to get to the front but at the first corner near the end of the race it was too close with Alt and another rider, we touched, so I lost positions and had to fight back again. On the last lap I managed to get in front when Lukas made a mistake and I thought I had won it but he was faster out of the last corner.”
Deroue has taken 2nd place in the points chase and is now just just 9 behind Alt and 14 ahead of Oettl. There are 5 races remaining so 125 points still on offer starting with the Czech Grand Prix at Brno on August 25th and 26th.
