2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway

Fortuna Honda Preview

Cautious return for Toni Elias at Sachsenring dopo after three weeks out with a fracture to his left shoulder. Marco Melandri is looking forward to the event and hoping for a repeat of his Donington performance despite the latest tests showing a fracture to his right collarbone.

After his brilliant podium at Donington Park on July 2, Marco Melandri arrives in Germany in good spirits and improving physical shape.

A week-long break following three straight races has given him crucial time to rest and recover strength but also to undergo further tests on the injuries he sustained in that horrific crash at Barcelona. In particular, Marco underwent important examination at the clinic run by Dottor Porcellini, the orthopaedic shoulder specialist that operated on his collarbone and shoulder in 2003. The results have shown up a compound fracture to the right collarbone next to the sternoclavicular joint. Three weeks on from the incident Marco is recovering and is over the most critical phase but the pain continues and the Italian must try top move his right arm as little as possible, avoiding closing it across his front.

His team-mate Toni Elias will have a more cautious approach, meanwhile, as he returns to the track after himself being injured in a practice crash at Assen, which left him with a fractured left shoulder. After being forced to miss out on the Dutch and British rounds, the Spaniard is still suffering but will try to return to action on the RC211V.

MARCO MELANDRI:
“It was nice to be back on the podium just two weeks after the accident. Donington was a real achievement for me and I pleased because Barcelona hasn’t affected me – I still have the desire to fight and my racing spirit is still intact. Now we have to race at two very interesting tracks. The Germany-United States double will be tough but I hope to be able to tackle it at my best. Sachsenring is a peculiar circuit but i like it because it is technical. The setting of the bike has to be perfect at this track and as far as riding technique is concerned you have to be very careful to control the throttle without being too aggressive. The week break has given me chance to recover but also to find out more about why I’m in so much pain with my right shoulder. The examination I underwent (X-ray, CAT and magnetic resonance) have shown up a fracture to the right collarbone next to the sternoclavicular joint. That explains the intense pain I was in at Assen and Donington. I’ve already spoken with both Doctor Porcellini, the specialist who operated on my collarbone in 2003, and Doctor Costa about continuing the physiotherapy. The worst is over but I still have to try to move my right arm as little as possible.”

TONI ELIAS:
“I’m happy to come back after a forced three-week break at home. It’s been a tough period because the shoulder has been really painful. It hurts every time I move my arm and I can’t even rest properly because it is even painful when I lay down. I’ve tried to recover as quickly as possible by having two sessions with the physiotherapist each day. I want to race even though I am aware it will be very difficult and painful. I don’t know how the shoulder will react to the demands of the bike at a circuit like Sachsenring, which has a lot of left corners – the injured side. I feel motivated – crashes and the recovery period always make you stronger and that is the way I feel.”

THE TRACK
MARCO MELANDRI: “The secret is to control the gas without being too aggressive.”

TONI ELIAS: “Sachsenring is a slow and tortuous track. I’m still suffering from the effects of the fracture on my shoulder. For sure the amount of left corners – ten to be precise – will put my condition to the test.”

Located around 100km south of Dresden, in the former East Germany, Sachsenring has hosted racing on the surrounding street circuits since the 1920s. The final 500cc Grand Prix on the long 8.6km track took place in 1972 and was won by Giacomo Agostini.

In 1996 a new track was built near the town of Chemnitz and it has been modified slightly over the years in an attempt to make it a little faster. The latest changes were made in 2003 but the German circuit remains one of the slowest on the calendar.

Throttle control is crucial at Sachsenring given that the MotoGP bikes can only use full power for 10-15% of the lap. The bike has to be agile in order to cope with the demands of the first half of the track, which is slow and tortuous.

Sachsenring
Constructed:1996
Latest modification:2003
Length:3.671 m
Width: 10 m
Pole: Left
Right corners: 4
Left corners: 10
Longest straight: 780 m
MotoGP race: 30 laps – 110.130 km

RECORD:
Circuit record: 2005 Gibernau (Honda) 1’23”705
Pole position: 2005 Hayden (Honda) 1’22”785
Race 2005: 1st Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Gibernau (Honda) 3rd Hayden (Honda)

THE OTHER RACE: 25,000km during the season with an office in the truck

The chequered flag waves and Marco Melandri crosses the finish line at Donington Park. On the podium he celebrates third place - his team below, having just had time to share a hug with their rider and reflect briefly on the excitement of the race. Then it’s back to work - the World Championship circus is back on the road. It takes around three hours to dismantle the pit box structure thanks to the help of all the team members, fifteen in total. On Sunday evening the two trucks that contain the offices, as well as Marco Melandri and Toni Elias’ bikes, tools and other equipment, depart. This time their destination is Sachsenring, in Germany, where the race will take place on the 16th July. “We usually try and drive for three or four hours, enough to get a little closer to the finish line,” explains Renzo Pini, Melandri’s truck driver and mechanic, a man who has spent his life involved with motorsport – firstly as a car mechanic and then in bikes with Fausto Gresini since 2002.

The office trucks steam ahead whilst the three hospitality units stay behind, taking several more hours to dismantle. Throughout the journey the Fortuna Honda drivers remain in touch with each other and even drivers from other teams via CB radio, a crucial means of communication. “We usually arrive at our destination on a Tuesday evening. We spend Wednesday setting the box up. On Thursday morning it is taken over by the mechanics.”

“Passion is fundamental to be able to do this job. I was a truck mechanic before starting in racing and I’m still happy to do it. On average we cover 25,000km during the season, thanks also to the fact that we don’t always return to the workshop but head directly towards the next circuit. This allows us to save around 5,000km a year. For example from Donington we went straight to Germany, a journey of 1300km, parked the trucks up at Sachsnering and returned to Italy by plane,” explains Guglielmo Andreini, whose passion for racing can be barely equalled. His track record as an enduro racer includes three European titles in the 500 class (’79, ’80 and ’82), one in the four-stroke 500 category in ’84, as well as victory in the Six Days and three participations in the Paris-Dakar (one by motorcycle, two by truck). Guglielmo is also a mechanic for Toni Elias.

The numbers

25 / 30,000 - kilometres covered by a truck including races and tests.
11,500 - litres of fuel used by each truck in a season.
2,400 - kilometres covered by a trip to Jerez de la Frontera (southern Spain) or Estoril (Portugal), the longest in Europe.
1,300 – kilometres covered to reach Sachsenring from Donington Park