The Sachsenring, starts as a technical track, and then, the turns begin to flow, and long straights and downhill runs come. Momentum is critical. The Sachsenring, will be conquered, by someone, looking for MotoGP glory, next!
Round nine of the championship is coming up soon, and it's the halfway mark of the season. Tomorrow, riders begin their summer vacation. Valentino Rossi leads the championship by ten points over Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo. Honda's Marc Marquez is also back on form. In the points standings, Valentino Rossi, leads by ten points, over his Yamaha team mate, Jorge Lorenzo. MotoGP Race Director, Mike Webb, talks about the Rossi/Marquez fracas.
Rossi's win stuck, even after both he and Marquez told their sides of the story. Because it was the last corner, all the video could be reviewed. Webb called Rossi and Marquez to review the video, to explain their decision, and also to see what happened. In the end, the contact Marc made, did not allow Valentino to keep his normal line. Rossi is on the limit. There was no option to continue on the normal line. The contact was significant.
In 1927, the first race, was held at what is now the Sachsenring. Ten years later, in 1937, the track was built. MotoGP has raced here since 1998. Dani Pedrosa has won four times. But, Marc Marquez, is looking for another win. Sachsenring has ten left turns, and three right turns. There is a new asymmetrical front tire, to help turn in, to the waterfall turn. Front slick tires are a big deal. This is the first time at Sachsenring, for the asymmetric front slick tire. It has two compounds, on each shoulder of the tire.
The right shoulder of the tire, takes more wear. Softer compound, retains tire temperature, to help rider safety. Soft, medium, and hard tires, are the compounds, along with one asymmetric tires, are available. Mick Doohan won the first MotoGP race at Sachsenring in 1998. The track was built, in 1996. The track is the shortest on the calendar. 2.28 miles. 30 laps are scheduled. The front straight is very short. There are tight sweepers, and you let the bike breathe more. Seven successive left hand corners. It unfolds, like a spiral.
Use all the curbs, shift down a gear, for the medium hard braking zone, and there are some quick corners before The Waterfall. Races are won and lost in the final corner. Nail the throttle, and cross the finish line. It's a tough track, even on a relatively stock motorcycle. In qualifying, Marc Marquez set pole at a record pace. Marquez wants his sixth win at Sachsenring. Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo round out the front row. Yonny Hernandez will start fifth on the Pramac Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso ties Valentino Rossi for consecutive starts, as he's been competing since 2001. Claudio Corti subs for Stefan Bradl. Michael Laverty is the new rider at Aprilia, replacing Marco Melandri, and Karel Abraham, is replaced by Hiroshi Aoyama, for this race. Tomorrow, the rider's start their summer vacation. But, we're first going to race, at the Sachsenring. The rider's are on their warmup lap. It's going to be a great race. Let's do this.
30 laps scheduled. Marquez and Pedrosa rolled the dice, and are the only two riders with the hard front tires. Go! At the start, Marc Marquez gets away well, as Dani Pedrosa tries for the lead. Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo are pushing, right away. Lorenzo takes the lead, in brilliant fashion! Lorenzo wanted to go for it, and he did! Valentino Rossi has passed Yonny Hernandez, and has to pass Andrea Ianonne on the factory Ducati. They plunge down through turn eleven.
Bradley Smith and Valentino Rossi both move up. Marc Marquez is pushing, and pushing hard, from the get go. More of this, please. Ooh! Scott Redding, game over, in the final corner. Crash for Scott Redding. Lorenzo continues to lead. Through turns nine and ten, and back to eleven again, down into0 twelve, the best overtaking spot on this course. Yonny Hernandez passes Andrea Ianonne. Hernandez, the Colombian, runs a medium compound from Bridgestone tire.
This has been quite the race, and it's just a few laps old. Valentino Rossi sets a new lap record at 1:21,812, as he has a big moment, too. Mike Di Meglio, out. Game over. Rossi lost the rear tire, but thankfully, didn't lose the motorcycle. Marc Marquez is behind Jorge Lorenzo now. Yamaha has the asymmetric tire, and Honda, has the hard tire. These are the exact tire combinations from the first practice session, where these blokes were setting their fastest times.
The crowd loves this. 26 laps still to run. Rossi lowers the lap record to 1:21.641. Lorenzo leads. If it stays this way, Lorenzo would go into the summer break leading the championship. But, there will be a lot more to this race yet. Rossi inside Pedrosa from third! Wow! Marquez slides by Lorenzo into the final corner at the end of lap five. Marquez brakes late, and holds the spot in the lead! This is a big deal! Marquez leasds with Lorenzo and Rossi chasing.
Rossi lines up Lorenzo on the downhill run. No dice this time. This will be a battle for second spot between the Yamaha's, as Marquez runs a personal best lap of 1:21.775. Working lap seven. We're about a quarter of the way home. The right side of the tire, cools down around the left hand corners, as Rossi slides by Lorenzo, and Lorenzo, he passes again. Rossi tries into turn one, and can't do it. Marquez is pulling away at the front.
Marc Marquez lowers the lap record to 1:21.610. Marquez has 1.1 seconds over Lorenzo. Bradley Smith is up to sixth. Rossi and Lorenzo are going at it, hammer and tongs. Rossi moves inside, and Lorenzo tries to go inside. Rossi sticks second place. Marquez is whistling off into the distance. We watch another battle further down the order. Cal Crutchlow, Yonny Hernandez, and others, are all on it. Crutchlow wants by Hernandez. Rossi is pulling out a gap on Lorenzo as we are ready to complete lap nine.
Rossi and Lorenzo are second and third. At the moment, it's a Yamaha and Honda sandwich. Marquez and Pedrosa, are the bread, and the Yamaha's are the meat in the sandwich. Marc Marquez is still uncorking track record lap times. Pedrosa is up to third. Rossi's bike is handling like a pig. But, he's still going for it. Nicky Hayden dropped back to 20th, but has moved to 16th spot. Dani Pedrosa wants to go by Jorge Lorenzo, who is losing pace a little bit.
Pedrosa has won at Sachsenring, six times. Marquez and Rossi are the only top riders to break into the 1:21 range. 1:21.939 for Rossi. 1:21.8 something, for Marquez. Jorge Lorenzo is losing time to Dani Pedrosa. Andrea Ianonne runs fifth, as Bradley Smith is under pressure from Cal Crutchlow, and Andrea Dovizioso. Yonny Hernandez has dropped to ninth. Crutchlow is closing up on Smith. The Ducati's have just not had the speed this weekend. Jack Miller is in the final points paying spot. Hernandez is under pressure from Aleix Espargaro on the Suzuki.
Alvaro Bautista and Jack Miller are the riders who are the last ones in points paying places. Has someone wrecked? Yes. There was dust. Game over for Andrea Dovizioso on the Ducati. He's crashed out of eighth place. It's his third DNF in four races. Marquez is on lap 16. He still leads as we've passed halfway in this race. Marquez wants to tie Pedrosa from six wins at the Sachsenring. Into turn twelve, Pedrosa wants by Rossi. But Rossi, is a demon on the brakes. So, it'll be tough. Rossi holds off Pedrosa, just as predicted.
Marc Marquez has had quite the weekend. He won't win the title. But he will win some races. Can he win this one? Maybe. Marquez leans on his elbow, into the corner. Pedrosa moves past Rossi into second spot. He makes it stick into turn twelve. It's a Repsol Honda 1-2. Pedrosa holds off Rossi. Can Pedrosa move away? Can Rossi make a move on Pedrosa again? There's just about twelve laps left in this Grand Prix, folks. Marquez runs a 1:21.994. He is the only rider still in the 1:21 bracket. Marquez is on his way to his first 2015 win. But, will Rossi extend his points lead over Jorge Lorenzo? It seems likely.
Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales are running a retro Suzuki GSXR paint scheme this weekend. Those two are running well. Marc Marquez is again, putting on a clinic today. He's going to upset the apple cart today, even though he won't win the 2015 World Championship. Marquez has a 4.42 second lead over team mate Dani Pedrosa. Claudio Corti had some handling issues with the bike. He has to get new tires, and will be sent back on track to see if the bike, or the tires, were the issue. Rossi is going for it, and he's closing on Pedrosa. Has Rossi got anything left in the locker to pass Pedrosa?
Andrea Dovizioso has had a real bad season to this point. But, Andrea Ianonne is in the top five, as the leading Ducati. Rossi closes on Dani Pedrosa. There's nothing between these two. Rossi knows Jorge Lorenzo is three second back. Six laps to go now. Rossi biding his time. He's closing the gap on Dani Pedrosa. Jorge Lorenzo will stay in fourth spot. Maverick Vinales leads the Suzuki charge, and some of the other lower placings in this race, have not changed. Four laps remain in the race.
Maverick Vinales passes Yonny Hernandez. He wants to score points as a rookie, for the first time in MotoGP, in nine straight races. Marquez has a comfortable lead, as Pedrosa is fending off Rossi's challenge. Rossi wants to charge, right at the end of this race. Pedrosa has not won a MotoGP championship. He had to miss three races this season, with arm pump issues. Pedrosa's broken Rossi's resolve. Dani Pedrossa will finish on the podium. Marc Marquez has three laps to go, before he will win this race.
Rossi wants to finish second. But, he wants to increase his points lead over team mate Jorge Lorenzo, as Dani Pedrosa sets his personal best lap at 1:21.714. This is quicker, than Rossi. Rossi has given everything. He needs to maintain his world championship lead, and will do so. Two laps left for Marquez now. Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales battle. Team mates, at Suzuki, don't take each other out!
Meanwhile, it's the final lap of the Grand Prix, for Marc Marquez. He's checked out, and dominated this event in Germany. Hector Barbera, down the order, is still lapping quickly. It has been quite the first half of the season. But, the second half will be great, too. Marc Marquez wins his sixth straight win at the Sachsenring! He wins his second race of the year, and his first, since March at Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas.
#93 Marc Marquez ESP. Honda
The next race will be after the summer break. The second U.S. race for MotoGP, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis, Indiana, coming up, in a month or so. Rossi has the points lead, going into the summer break. At Indy, Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez, and Pedrosa, have all won there. It should be quite the race. So long, for now.
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