MotoGP 2009 - Round Nine - Sachsenring

MotoGP 2009 - Round Nine - Sachsenring - Preview

The 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship this weekend continues a fierce run of four races in five weeks, following a brief respite, heading to Sachsenring in Germany for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The halfway point of the premier class season, the race could end with either one of the top three at the head of the championship standings.

Currently leading the way is Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, who holds a nine-point advantage following the last round in America. The reigning World Champion is also the only fully fit rider in the top four, as the series rapidly picks up pace.

On the podium for all but one of the 17 races since the last German Grand Prix event, Rossi can equal Giacomo Agostini’s record of 158 top three finishes with another rostrum. The Italian has won at Sachsenring on three occasions in the premier class, and is searching for a fourth win of 2009 this weekend.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo left Laguna Seca battered and bruised for the second consecutive year, although he was able to maintain pressure on Rossi with third place in the race. Alongside his points haul, Lorenzo also took a dislocated collarbone and a foot injury away from the stateside event, and will not be at 100% fitness in Germany.

Third placed Casey Stoner is also under the weather. The Australian has been battling with illness for over a month, and stayed on in the U.S. for tests with Dr. Artur Ting. Grit and the high performance level of his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 have kept him in the title hunt, 16 points down on Rossi.

Continued recovery from a leg injury culminated in victory last time out for Dani Pedrosa, who ended a long drought for both himself and Honda with glory at round eight. The Spanish Repsol Honda star’s 2008 season was turned on its head with a crash at Sachsenring last year, when he was leading the wet race and the World Championship.

Just 20 points separate positions five to ten in the overall classification, taking in Colin Edwards, Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Melandri, Chris Vermeulen, Randy de Puniet and Loris Capirossi. Of those six only Melandri has taken a podium thus far in 2009.

Not taking part in the weekend’s events, however, is Sete Gibernau, whose Grupo Francisco Hernando team have pulled out of the series due to financial difficulties.

Absent from proceedings at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, the lower cylinder categories return to action at Sachsenring this weekend. The 250cc class is not quite as tightly packed as the MotoGP standings, but has every chance of seeing surprises in Germany.

The only riders to have won more than one Grand Prix in 2009 so far, Hiroshi Aoyama and Álvaro Bautista have established themselves as the most consistent quarter-litre performers of the year. The two came together in a crash last time out at Assen when they were fighting for the lead, leaving Bautista with his first DNF of the season and Aoyama with another victory and leadership of the classification by 13 points.

A further 13 points split Bautista and third-placed Héctor Barberá in the standings, as they attempt to prevent a breakaway from Scot Racing Honda rider Aoyama at the top. Last year’s racewinner and World Champion, Marco Simoncelli has a near-50 point deficit to overcome if he is to retain his crown before moving up to MotoGP, but also has fond memories of the Sachsenring circuit. His 2008 win took him to the top of the 250cc classification for the first time in his career.

Back for another bite at the podium after finishing fourth in Assen, Balatonring substitute Aleix Espargaró rides in his second 250cc race of the season.

Seven races into the 125cc season, the 2009 competition is as fierce as ever. Round eight sees the young guns hitting Sachsenring with 20 points - less than the amount awarded for a single victory - separating the top four.

Julián Simón heads the mathematical minefield that is the 125cc standings, where half points were of course introduced after a curtailed first race of the year. The Bancaja Aspar rider holds a 5.5 point advantage over teammate Bradley Smith, with his British colleague holding the upper hand in victories by two to one.

Another rider with a pair of wins to his name, Andrea Iannone is a further 14 points back, suffering from a certain amount of inconsistency since his storming start to the year. He has come under pressure from third Bancaja Aspar rider Sergio Gadea, the winner of the last round in Assen.

Sachsenring hosts the home race for Assen poleman Sandro Cortese and local star Stefan Bradl, the winner of the 2008 race.

The Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland takes place on Sunday, 19th July, with practice beginning on Friday afternoon.

-- Ducati Preview

Ducati Marlboro Team take their good team performance from Laguna Seca to Germany this weekend as they prepare for an even tougher challenge than usual. Whilst the recent progress made with the GP9 allowed Casey Stoner to finish at the foot of the podium despite being physically drained and Nicky Hayden to score his best result of the season so far in his home Grand Prix, now the Australian is faced with another battle against his own physical condition, which were confirmed at Laguna Seca as being far from ideal, and the American must back up his improved form and show that development is on the right lines.

Stoner stayed on in the United States following the last race to undergo a series of examinations designed at pinpointing the exact nature and cause of his current illness. The examinations have confirmed a slight gastritis and mild anaemia, which left him weak and for which he will continue to receive treatment in the coming weeks as he attempts to recover full strength. Doctors are sure that with the right treatment he will be back to full fitness in a matter of weeks.

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director
“This is a delicate time for Casey but we know he is made of stern stuff. He will continue to fight like a lion, as he has done in the past few races, even though the crash at Laguna left hits mark on him and that certainly won’t help. Nicky again rides at a circuit where he has always gone well at in the past and I’m sure he will be able to confirm that the improvement made at Laguna is only the start!”

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team (3rd in the championship on 135 points)
“I have been in USA until Saturday to do all the tests. First of all I’d like to thanks all the Doctors involved in this, Dr. Ting and Dr. Tuan in the Fremont Surgery Center, Dr. Macchiagodena, Dr. Catani, Dr. Ceccarelli and of course my physiotherapist Freddy. Hopefully step by step I will feel better with their indications. I still don’t feel like I am 100% but the biggest problem now is the ribs that are very painful after the crash in the USA GP Qualifying. It will be probably another hard week end, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the Championship”.

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (12th in the championship on 38 points)
“We have made some real progress the last few weeks and I hope we can keep it going because bringing up the rear of the pack is not fun. We still have a big gap to the front guys so we have a lot of work to do to close that down and we must stay very focused. Germany is another small, twisty track with lap times almost exactly the same as Laguna – in fact they are the two shortest tracks on the tour - but it’s a track I like and where I have gone well at in the past. The first section is super tight and is the part I think will be the hardest for me on our bike, but I hope to be strong in the second half, which includes the ‘waterfall’ corner, which is about as good as it gets if you like fast, blind corners that take your breath away! Normally in Germany on race day it’s a completely full house with fans stacked everywhere so that makes for a great atmosphere!”

THE TRACK
The history of MotoGP World Championship racing at Sachsenring can be divided into two parts – the first from 1961 to 1972, when the original road circuit of almost nine kilometres played host to the East German Grand Prix and the second, modern, era beginning just over a decade ago in 1998. Initially a high-speed road circuit, it was removed from the calendar because it was deemed to be too dangerous so it is ironic that it returned as the slowest track, with an average speed of just 143km/h. Modifications introduced in 2000 and 2001 brought that speed up to 159km/h but the track is the second shortest behind Laguna Seca, the only other current venue that measures less than four kilometres in length. However, that is not the only peculiarity about Sachsenring, where a tortuous sequence of twisting corners gives the riders fewer opportunities to fully open the throttle than anywhere else in the world. Indeed, the first section is a veritable tangle of turns before a faster series of left-handers that lead into an incredible blind right, followed by a dramatic descent and a braking zone that always provides the best opportunity to make an overtake stick.

-- HRC Preview

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa travels to Germany determined to build on his dominant victory at Laguna Seca two weeks ago when he led the MotoGP pack from start to finish. The win was much-deserved for the Spaniard, who had been battered by recent injuries, and indicates that Honda’s 2009 RC212V has the speed to run at the front of biking’s most technically challenging championship.

Pedrosa’s hard-fought US GP success was backed up by encouraging results by satellite team riders Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) who rode to sixth- and ninth-place finishes.

Laguna and the Sachsenring would appear to have much in common – they are both anti-clockwise, undulating racetracks that require a physical and attacking riding style – so the four Honda MotoGP teams competing in Germany will be aiming for more success in round nine of this year’s 17-race World Championship.

Pedrosa is full of confidence going into the Sachsenring weekend because he has an impressive record at the track – he won the 2004 and 2005 German 250 GPs and scored a runaway MotoGP success there in 2007. Last year he was leading in treacherous rain-lashed conditions when he slid off. Pedrosa’s attacking style suits the twisting layout which only features one short straight.

Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso will be looking forward to this weekend’s race to turn his luck around after a couple of unlucky DNFs. The Italian, riding his first season for the full-factory HRC squad, slid off at Assen and Laguna, spoiling his impressive run of top-four results. His strong finishes in previous races mean that the 23-year-old still holds sixth place in the current points standings.

De Puniet aims to continue his impressively consistent season at the Sachsenring. The Frenchman, who has finished every race so far and usually in the top ten, has shown impressive speed at the German track in recent years. Last year he was fourth in the pouring rain. In 2003 he finished on the German 250 GP podium.

Elias can hardly wait to get back on track in Germany following his morale-boosting sixth-place finish in the United States. The Spaniard’s best result of the year so far followed weeks of hard work from the San Carlo Honda Gresini who now believe they are starting to uncover the RC212V’s real potential. They know there’s still more to come, however, because at Laguna Elias was using softer tyres than most other Honda riders which can compromise his performance in the latter stages of races.

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) hopes that the Sachsenring will be his 2009 turning point, following a tough start to his season. The San Marino rider has had set-up issues at several races this year but believes he is on the verge of a breakthrough. De Angelis has a remarkable record at the German circuit – he finished on the podium every year from 2002 to 2007 in both the 125 and 250 classes.

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) continues his fast-paced apprenticeship in biking’s fastest race series and is looking to score his first premier-class points at the Sachsenring, where he won the 2007 125 GP. Hungary’s former 125 World Champion only rode a MotoGP bike for the first time during Friday practice for the Catalan GP, just five weeks ago, so he’s very much in the early stages of his apprenticeship.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) goes into this weekend’s German GP with high hopes of stretching his lead in the 250 World Championship. Aoyama currently leads the 250s, which didn’t race at Laguna, by 13 points following his second win of the season at last month’s Dutch TT. The Sachsenring should ideally suit Aoyama’s RS250RW with its rider-friendly reed-valve induction and sweet-handling chassis. And Aoyama likes the track, having won the 2007 German 250 GP.

Like Aoyama, team-mates Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) and Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) had two weekends off following the Dutch TT and are raring to get back into action at a track where they believe the Honda will give them a machinery advantage.

Aoyama’s young team-mate Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) is enjoying a remarkable rookie 250 season. The Italian is currently top rookie in seventh overall and has scored points in every race so far, including six top-ten finishes from the seven races. De Rosa isn’t a great fan of the Sachsenring but he believes the engine and chassis character of his Honda should ideally suit the undulating layout.

Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) hopes that Germany will prove kinder to him than some recent races. The Japanese GP rookie has shown considerable speed in recent weeks but hasn’t been able to turn that speed into results. Once again he will be learning another track from scratch. His team-mate Vincent Debise (Team CIP Honda) made a big step forward at the last race at Assen and was able to score his second points haul of the year. Debise, who has raced at the Sachsenring before, is thus hopeful of another good run.

Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) is another rookie who knows the track from national championship races. Chesaux’s team is based just minutes from the Sachsenring, which makes the young Swiss more confident than ever that he can score his first points of the year.

The Sachsenring is MotoGP’s second shortest racetrack with a lap length of just 3.67km/2.28 miles and features its most twisting layout, with the longest straight measuring just 0.87km/0.48 miles. Cornering performance is thus everything, with most of the corners turning left; Indeed the Sachsenring also features MotoGP’s longest one-way cornering sequence with seven consecutive left-handers making up the middle section of the lap. Turn 12 is the track’s most famous corner, a daunting 200-plus km/h blind right-hander that is crucial for any rider aiming to set up an overtaking move into the final two corners. The circuit is situated deep within Saxony (hence the name) which was once one of the world’s most famed regions for motorcycle production. Among Saxony’s greatest biking names are DKW and MZ. Both brands were once manufactured in Zschopau, a half-hour drive from the track.

Honda has a long and illustrious history of success at the Sachsenring, winning its first success on the original street circuit in July 1961, when Mike Hailwood won the 250 GP on his way to winning that year’s 250 world title, Honda’s first World Championship crown. That event was the first GP to be held behind the Iron Curtain; GP events continued at the Sachsenring under Communism until 1972. The Sachsenring returned to the World Championship calendar in 1998, when Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda) won the 500 race on his NSR500 two-stroke on the newly built short circuit. In all, Honda has won 13 elite-class GP events on German tarmac at Hockenheim, the Nurburgring and the Sachsenring street circuit and short circuit.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) says: “I’ve had some good results at this track and I take a lot of confidence into the race weekend at Sachsenring because we’re probably in the best shape we’ve been in for a while. The win in Laguna Seca was really important for me and the team because it proves we’ve been making progress and we now have the pace to win races. However, we can’t take anything for granted and I’m sure our rivals will be strong again and determined to fight back. I really like the Sachsenring circuit too and, despite what happened last year, I think we can be competitive again here. I’ve had a good week since Laguna, and it was great to be able to go and see the start of the Tour de France stage in Barcelona on Friday. I’ve been able to get back in training on the bicycle, and seeing the Tour gave me even more motivation. So I’m feeling confident for this weekend and I’m looking forward to Germany.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) says: “I’m very motivated to show my potential and the potential of the machine in Germany because at the last two races we have improved a lot, without getting the results to match. The race results in Assen and Laguna were disappointing, but the recent signs have been encouraging, especially in Laguna where we were very close to the leaders and I had a good race pace and a package that meant I was capable of fighting for the front positions.
Unfortunately I made a mistake, but it’s just something you learn from and move on. I wouldn’t say the Sachsenring racetrack is one of my favourites of the year but I’m looking forward to the challenge. It is quite short, with a very slow first section followed by a very fast second half. The team is getting stronger all the time and I’m confident we can have a good weekend.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) says: “The
Sachsenring is a very strange circuit: the first part is very slow then the second part is quite a lot faster. But I like the track and I have been very fast in the T1 and sections T2 and also in the final section. Last year we had a very good rhythm in the dry but then the rain spoiled that for the race. I hope to continue my positive season with a top-eight finish this weekend.”

Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “It is important that we have started to find the right way forward at this stage of the season because there is still a long way to go and perhaps if we had taken any longer it would be too late. We have had eight tough races but we’re starting to find the limits of this bike and we still have nine races left in which to push it to the maximum. To be honest I don’t like Sachsenring much but looking back I have raced there injured on three occasions so maybe that’s why I don’t have good memories or good results to reflect on!
Last year could have been much better but it rained so hopefully this is the year my fortunes change in Germany. I stayed on in America for an extra day to go sightseeing in San Francisco, which was great fun, but after that I was straight home to train and get ready for another important race.”

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says:
“I have had so many good results at the Sachsenring in the past, just the kind of results we could do with right now! Unfortunately we made the wrong choice with the setting for the race at Laguna but there were a lot of positives about the weekend as a whole and we are looking to bring those to the fore in Germany. The German Grand Prix is definitely one of my favourites. I have a lot of affection for the Sachsenring circuit because I took my first pole there and I was on the podium every year from 2002 to 2007.
The track is very technical, varied and without any long straights so it is important to have a good chassis set-up, more than a powerful engine.
We’re going through a difficult phase right now but we won’t give up.”

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) says: “It has been always a pleasure for me to come and compete at the Sachsenring, which, by the way, isn’t very far from my home. It's a short track, but not easy, with dramatic elevation changes. The most difficult point, with a 125 bike, was the first corner. I can imagine that with a MotoGP machine it will be a problem common to everybody. Anyway, we found a good set-up at Laguna Seca. I’m certain that I would have made a good race if I hadn’t crashed. Before leaving the States we had a technical meeting, fixed a few things, and so we should be a step ahead in Germany. I’m confident for this race.”

-- Yamaha Preview

After their American foray to Laguna Seca just ten days ago, the Fiat Yamaha Team is preparing for a return to European shores with the first of a double-header of races this weekend at the Sachsenring in Germany. It will be the start of a tough fortnight for the riders, with this race followed immediately by the British Grand Prix at Donington. Now at its halfway point, the MotoGP World Championship remains tight at the top but Fiat Yamaha continues to lead the way with Valentino Rossi nine points ahead of 22-year-old team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who in turn holds an advantage of seven points over Casey Stoner.

The wooded hills of the Sachsenring have produced some stunning racing over recent years, not least in 2006 when Rossi started from 10th to produce a master class of overtaking and lead home the closest ever finish in MotoGP, with the top four separated by just 0.307 seconds. The 30-year-old has three other wins at the German track and last year finished an important second in torrential rain as several riders slid out. With three wins under his belt so far this season he will be hoping for career victory number 101 this weekend, as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the standings and give himself some breathing space as the paddock goes into its summer break in two week's time.

Mallorcan-born Lorenzo put up a brilliant performance last time out in the States to finish third after a crash in qualifying left him with a separated shoulder and a badly bruised foot. A week of rest at home in Barcelona has left him in better shape and, while he does not expect to be back to full fitness this weekend, he is confident that with the help of the Mobile Clinic he will be able to play a major part in the weekend's proceedings. Last year he slid out early on in the rain-struck race and with only one previous podium at the Sachsenring to his name, he will be looking to improve his German record this weekend with a trip to the podium despite his injuries.

Located in the heartland of the former East Germany's once illustrious motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the nearby Czech Republic, which the paddock will visit in mid August. It is the second shortest track on the calendar and features a series of tight and relatively slow corners mixed in with some dazzlingly fast ones - including a stomach-churning downhill right hander which was added in 2003.

Valentino Rossi - "Rested ans recharged"
"Thank goodness we've had some time to rest after the last two races because I was really quite tired after Laguna! The next two races are back to back and again it will be very hard, and it's also a very important stage of the championship, the halfway point. Sachsenring isn't one of my favourite tracks but I've had some great races there and generally it suits Yamaha well, which is good. We need another good result to keep our lead because our rivals are so strong and we can't afford to make any mistakes. Last year there was a lot of rain in Germany but in fact we were able to take a great second place. I hope this year we can go one better."

Jorge Lorenzo - "In better shape"
"Germany is one of the circuits where I've never done particularly well, in fact I've only had one podium there, in 2006 when I was third in 250cc. Last year it rained a lot and unfortunately I fell on the third lap, so it wasn't a weekend to remember but I hope this one will be very different. Following my injuries in Laguna Seca, I am feeling a lot better after a week of rest but I won't be at 100% this weekend; I have some pain in my foot when walking and also in my shoulder joint, so the first thing I will do when I get to Sachsenring is go to the Clinica Mobile! My aim as ever this weekend is to be on the podium and to try to get as many points as possible compared to the rivals that are in front of me."

Davide Brivio - "A positive moment"
"Sachsenring isn't one of our favourites but we're going there after good results in the last few races and we're enjoying a positive moment so hopefully we can continue the momentum this weekend. As always our first target is the podium and we've achieved this at all but one race this season so we will look to continue that trend! Last year it was very wet in Germany but we were able to take an important second place, which gave Valentino key points for his championship battle. This time we arrive in the lead but we have to maintain focus because these are two very important races before the summer break and it's important to everyone that we go into the 'holiday' at the top."

Daniele Romagnoli - "An exciting stage"
"We're happy to report that Jorge's condition is a lot better after a week of rest. He won't be in perfect condition but he will be a lot stronger and therefore able to push harder on the bike this weekend than he could in Laguna. In America Jorge showed once again that he has a great determination to achieve his potential whatever condition he is in and so we hope that in Germany we can be in good shape once again, be at the front and fight for the podium. We need to try to recover some points as we look to the summer break. It's an exciting stage of the championship and everyone is dedicated to our goal and working very hard."

-- Suzuki Preview

Rizla Suzuki is on the way to the eastern German circuit at Sachsenring in a determined mood to find the breakthrough that will give the team its first podium of the season.

Following recent good results in Europe - where Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen scored three successive fifth place finishes between them - the last Grand Prix at Laguna Seca proved to be a tough weekend and the team is focused on maximising its potential in Germany.

Vermeulen scored a fantastic wet-weather podium at the 3,671m Sachsenring circuit in 2008 and is planning to try and repeat that achievement this season - whatever the conditions. Capirossi was still suffering with a severe arm injury at last year's German Grand Prix, but that didn't stop him battling until the end of the 30-lap race and overtaking Randy De Puniet on the very last corner to give him a hard-earned - and painful - seventh.

Sachsenring is situated near the town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal in eastern Germany, approximately 85 kms from Dresden. It is close to the borders of both the Czech Republic and Poland, and this - allied to a huge German fan-base - adds to an amazing event with over 200,000 spectators expected to pass through the gates during the weekend. The track itself features many long corners, most of them taken at high lean angle and on the left-hand-side of the tyre. The main distinguishing feature of the track is a high-speed section that starts with a blind crest which flows steeply downhill before braking for a hard left-hand turn at the bottom of the hill. With the early part of the track being as twisty as any circuit on the MotoGP calendar, the layout gives the riders, teams and especially Bridgestone a huge challenge to get the best performance from the tyre options available.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will take to the track on Friday for the first of two free practice sessions, followed by the second on Saturday morning. Qualifying will take place on Saturday afternoon to decide grid positions for round nine of the MotoGP World Championship that gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 19th July.

Chris Vermeulen: "The last race was very disappointing as we had such high hopes for Laguna, but we must learn from that and move forward in Germany. I got a third at Sachsenring last year and although that was in the wet I am sure we can try and repeat that this year in whatever weather we have to contend with. The bike is still working well and seems to improve every time we go out on it The crew have got a good base package and if that works from the start at Sachsenring - and we can get the tyres to match the bike - then I see no reason why we can't be competitive from the first day."

Loris Capirossi: "The last couple of races have been a bit tough on us, which has been pretty difficult as we have worked so hard to get everything right. The crew have certainly been giving all they can and we just didn't get the solutions we were looking for. We have still managed to learn a lot of things about how the Suzuki GSV-R behaves in different situations and on different types of Bridgestone tyres, so all that will be very useful to us in Germany. Sachsenring is not a track that needs a lot of power and speed, but it does require careful balance because you are on the side of the tyre so much. I got podium at Sachsenring in 2007 and I've also had a couple of other good results there. It is a track that I certainly enjoy racing at and believe that we can do well at - we will just have to see what happens this weekend!"

-- Bridgestone Preview

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra hard. Rear: Hard, Extra hard (asymmetric)

Round nine of the MotoGP calendar takes the field to Germany and the Sachsenring circuit for the first half of another back-to-back pair of races. It is the third race in four weeks, meaning Bridgestone’s logistics have had to be faultless to deliver almost 1800 tyres comprising four different compounds to the right place at the right time.

The German Grand Prix is the second race of the season to which Bridgestone will bring asymmetric rear tyres. These will be the same specification as used for the Catalan Grand Prix – the hard and extra hard compounds. However, due to the anti-clockwise nature of the German circuit, here it is the left shoulder that is harder.

The circuit consists predominantly of left-handed corners, most of which are long and relatively fast. This uses the left shoulders of the Bridgestone slicks much harder than the right, necessitating harder compounds on the left side of the tyre for increased durability and a softer compound on the right for better grip at a lower operating temperature.

Sachsenring presents riders with two slow right-hand corners at the start of the lap but then a series of fast lefts sweep onto the back straight and to the finish, interrupted only by the fast right-handed kink of turn twelve. There are ten left-hand corners and only four right-handers, and the temperature differential between the two shoulders of each tyre is sufficient to demand the use of Bridgestone’s asymmetric rear tyres.

The weather at the venue can unpredictable, but last year a wet and cold weekend played into Bridgestone’s hands as Bridgestone-shod riders dominated the race and claimed the top four positions. Casey Stoner took pole and the race victory for Ducati, giving Bridgestone their first win at the Sachsenring. Valentino Rossi finished second in his first wet race since switching to Bridgestone tyres, Chris Vermeulen was third to give Suzuki their first podium of the season and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis was fourth in his first wet MotoGP race. Bridgestone-shod riders filled eight of the top ten positions.

Sachsenring has the second shortest lap of the calendar, just 61 metres longer than a lap of Laguna Seca, however the race covers the shortest distance of the year, totalling just 110.13km.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit
“Last year was a good race for us at Sachsenring and one in which our wet tyres clearly worked well, bringing our first victory at the circuit with Casey and taking eight of the top ten positions. We struggled a little at this race two years ago when the conditions were dry, although Loris still finished second, but I am looking forward to hopefully another dry race this year. I am sure that now all riders are using our tyres, we will see another good and close race whether wet or dry. Sachsenring is special for us because our fitting team is based nearby so it is like a home race.”

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
“Sachsenring’s anti-clockwise layout means it has a greater number of left-hand corners, so to best suit these conditions we have chosen our asymmetric rear slicks for the second time this season. We saw that the hard and extra hard compound asymmetric Bridgestone slicks worked well in similar conditions in Catalunya, so I am confident of their performance at this circuit. Here we see a great disparity between left and right corners which means that the difference in temperature between the left and the right shoulders of the rear tyres is significant, far greater than that in Laguna Seca. This is why we always planned to bring our asymmetric slicks here.

“As we approach the second half of the season, we will see a greater number of uses of the asymmetric rear Bridgestone slicks. As well as Catalunya and Sachsenring, we will take them to a further four races.”

-- Red Bull Rookies Preview - Half way to the Cup - Race 5 Preview

Frantic, back to back, weekends in Germany and England kick off the second half of the 2009 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Norwegian 17 year old Sturla Fagerhaug leads the table by a handsome 43 points from 14 year old Japanese Daijiro Hiura but knows that a repeat of his first corner crash at the Sachsenring last year could turn all that around. With 4 races still to go there are 100 points to be won.

Hiura has yet to add to the Cup victory he scored last year in Portugal but after a fine 2nd place in Assen he is just one of those Fagerhaug will be watching out for. The man really hitting form might be Jake Gagne, the 15 year old Californian is only in his second season as a road racer but following his 3rd in Assen he could continue America's domination at the German track. Cameron Beaubier won in 2007 on his way to the KTM factory 125 GP team and JD Beach won last year on his way to winning the 2008 Cup.

More experienced opposition comes from Danny Kent who bettered Fagerhaug in the second race of the year to win in Jerez. He also had him in his sights towards the end of the race in Assen but fell and lost his 2nd position in the Cup chase by 2 points to Hiura. Nothing would be better for 15 year old Kent than putting together a great ride in Germany to boost his confidence on the way to Donington and his home race.

"I've never seen the place before," said Kent, not at all deterred by his first trip to the Sachsenring. "I've been racing it on Xbox and it looks like fun, up and down and that's fine for me, I liked Brno last year and that's a bit the same." Even though he has to learn the track and will race against Fagerhaug, and others, who know it well, Kent is going there to win. "I think it's very possible, I'm going to do everything I can and it's not just Sturla, there's Jake, Daijiro, Mathew Scholtz and Florian Marino. They'll all be good."

"I know that Sturla's got a points lead now but I am just going to concentrate on getting back as much of that lead as possible. That's what I'll do and it'll be the same at every track and if it's raining or dry I don't mind," concluded Kent.

Putting in his homework last month was Jakub Kornfeil, the 16 year old Czech finished second in the German National 125 Championship race at the Sachsenring behind World Championship regular Jonas Folger who was similarly preparing for the German GP. Kornfeil lies 4th in the Cup chase a point behind Kent and already knows what it will take to beat Fagerhaug in Germany having hounded him all the way to the finish line in Mugello.

Kent remains the only rider to have spoiled Fagerhaug's perfect score this year but the Cup leader knows that he could well be up for another 7 man fight for the lead that made the Assen race such a thriller.

- LATE BRAKING NEWS -