Sachsenring - The German MotoGP

[St Landrew]

Traditionally close racing here, and a seemingly endless series of left hand corners. The riders seem to be careened over, as if to reveal their undersides for the watching public. It makes it hard to get away from the pack. In 2006 for example, the race was really super close with the first 4 passing over the finishing line within a split second, after exchanging the lead the whole race. Sachsenring is often overshadowed, as a circuit and race, but often provides great entertainment. Here's the broadcast times:

 

Saturday 18 July

Qualifying

1150-1500, BBC Red Button/online

 

Sunday 19 July

125 and 250cc race

0950-1205, BBC Red Button/online

 

800cc MotoGP Race

1230-1400, BBC Two/online

 

MotoGP Extra

1400-1430, BBC Red Button/online

 

EDIT: BTW, reports say that Suzi Perry has meningitis. It's been a bad year, health wise for our Ms Perry. Motorcycle News suggests she won't be at Sachsenring. Get well Suzi.

 

Here's the circuit:

Edited 18 July, 2009 by St Landrew

[St Landrew]

German MotoGP qualifying result:

 

1 V Rossi (It) Fiat Yamaha 1'32.520

2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Fiat Yamaha 1'33.160

3 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 1'33.759

4 N Hayden (US) Ducati 1'34.404

5 A de Angelis (SMR) Honda 1'34.490

6 R de Puniet (Fr) Honda 1'34.564

7 C Edwards (US) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'34.607

8 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda 1'34.725

9 L Capirossi (It) Suzuki 1'34.741

10 M Kallio (Fin) Ducati 1'34.771

11 A Dovizioso (It) Honda 1'34.892

12 C Vermeuluen (Aus) Suzuki 1'34.937

13 M Melandri (It) Kawasaki 1'34.938

14 J Toseland (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'35.005

15 N Canepa (Ita) Pramac Racing 1'36.012

16 G Talmacsi (Hng) Scot Racing 1'36.055

17 T Elias (Spn) San Carlo Honda 1'36.531

 

125cc qualifying result:

 

1 J Simon (Spn) Aprilia 1'38.671secs

2 B Smith (GB) Aprilia 1'39.686

3 M Marquez (Spn) KTM 1'40.010

 

250cc qualifying result:

 

1 M Simoncelli (Ita) Gilera 1'32.962

2 H Barbera (Spn) Aprilia 1'33.105

3 A Bautista (Spn) Aprilia 1'34.246

 

Saw very little of today's qualifying owing to being out buying another motorcycle. Caught the last few minutes because the seller is also a mad keen MotoGP fan. Amidst, yet again, the pouring rain, Nicky Hayden had the most amazing highside from his machine - catch it if it ever comes up on Youtube - but he still managed to qualify 4th. His season has finally arrived, it appears. Stoner was just happy he was feeling better; and Lorenzo, although carrying an injured shoulder from last week, was satisfied with his day's work. Rossi came in with the expected last gasp lap which ended up half a second faster than his teammate. Please let it be dry during the races. All this wet stuff reminds me how pathetic this summer has been so far.

[Saint in Paradise]

I wonder if James Toseland will be in Moto GP next season or will someone take him back to Superbikes ?

[St Landrew]

Pretty good set of races today. The 125cc one was highly competitve, and the only shame was that young Brit Bradley Smith crashed out TWICE. Yes it took two goes to get the lad out of the race. He was fuming too, and rightly so, as he is so close in the Championship.

 

The 250cc race was distinctly odd. They were all a bit edgy going round, and then suddenly the race was red flagged and called a wet race. Which meant it all started again with practically everybody on wets. Only they didn't in the end as the intermittent drips stopped and, on the grid, mechanics were frantically changing to slicker options as the time to restart the shortened race ticked away. Reigning World Champion Marco Simoncelli won again, which was apt, because he was leading the race before the red flag.

 

So much for the expected rain then, as the sun appeared during the main event. The entire field rushed off to the first corner and bunched up on the outside, squeezing 4th placed Hayden back to 9th. That put a dent in his enthusiasm. JT started in 14th and rounded the first corner in 15th, but his day got better. The 4 main protagonists; Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo did the early laps in that order, when Casey decided enough was enough and shot past Vale on the big downhill left hander. He managed to keep Rossi at bay too, but eventually the Factory Yamaha M1s started their creep forward and in the final laps Lorenzo and Rossi swapped the lead a couple of times. It wasn't Catalunya again, but it was almost as close, with some really nice dicing. During posts race interviews, everyone was knackered, and only Dani Pedrosa seemed really pleased, with 3rd, as he explained his front tyre troubles. He'd been told of Dovizioso, his teammate's, shredded front tyre [it looked like it had been cut about a hundred times with a stanley knife on the left side] so he was chuffed with his podium finish. Notable rides were Elias, who started last and finished 6th, and JT who managed 10th in the end. With teammate Colin Edwards always seemingly on the point of leaving Yamaha at the end of a season, I can't seeing them making room for a poorer performing JT. He's got to do better as, at this stage in the season, the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha is pretty much the same bike as the Factory Fiat Yamaha, and only the set up and rider skill is really making the difference. But Nicky Hayden is getting his act together, so it can happen. Here are the results:

 

German MotoGP

1 V Rossi (It) Fiat Yamaha 41:21.769

2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Fiat Yamaha 41:21.868

3 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda 41:24.668

4 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 41:31.995

5 A de Angelis (SMR) Honda 41:43.291

6 T Elias (Spn) San Carlo Honda 41:52.621

7 M Melandri (It) Kawasaki 41:53.070

8 N Hayden (US) Ducati 41:53.495

9 C Edwards (US) Tech 3 Yamaha 41:54.634

10 J Toseland (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha 42:05.695

11 L Capirossi (It) Suzuki 42:19.144

12 N Canepa (Ita) Pramac Racing 42:22.308

13 C Vermeuluen (Aus) Suzuki 42:25.414

14 M Kallio (Fin) Ducati 42:25.924

15 G Talmacsi (Hng) Scot Racing + 1 lap

 

Championship standings

1 V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 176 points

2 J Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 162

3 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 148

4 D Pedrosa (Spn) Honda 108

5 C Edwards (USA) Yamaha 83

6 M Melandri (Ita) Kawasaki 70

7 A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 69

8 C Vermeulen (Aus)Suzuki 64

9 L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki 61

10 R de Puniet (Ft) Honda 58

11 A de Angelis (RSM) Honda 47

12 T Elias (Spn) Honda 47

13 N Hayden (US) Ducati 46

14 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha 45

15 M Kallio (Fin) Ducati 28

16 N Canepa (Ita) Ducati 20

17 S Gibernau (Spn) Ducati 12

18 Y Takahashi (Jpn) Honda 9

19 G Talmacsi (Hng) Honda 1

 

125cc race result

1 J Simon (Spn) Aprilia 39:57.337

2 S Gadea (Spn) Aprilia 40:06.752

3 J Olive (Spn) Derbi 40:14.896

 

125cc championship standings

1 J Simon (Spn) Aprilia 129 points

2 S Gadea (Spn) Aprilia 104

3 B Smith (GB) Aprilia 98.5

 

250cc race result

1 M Simoncelli (Ita) Gilera 27:11.034

? 2 A Debon (Spn) Aprilia 27:11.513

3 A Bautista (Spn) Aprilia 27:11.562

 

250cc championship standings

1 H Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 134

2 A Bautista (Spn) Aprilia 124

3 H Barbera (Spn) Aprilia 106

 

Next week the last British MotoGP at Donnington Park, as they all go to Silverstone for 2010.

Edited 19 July, 2009 by St Landrew