MotoGP Preview: Grand Prix Of Germany


Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa enters the Grand Prix of Germany as the MotoGP points leader.
By Eric Powell
redbullindianapolisgp.com
Thursday, July 10, 2008

MotoGP PREVIEW: GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY

Timing and Scoring | Weekend Schedule

EVENT: Grand Prix of Germany

WHERE: Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. Circuit is 2.281 miles (3.671 km), with 14 turns. Race is 30 laps.

WHEN: Sunday, July 13. It is the 10th of 18 events this season.

2007 RACE WINNER: Dani Pedrosa, by 13.166 seconds over Loris Capirossi

2007 POLE WINNER: Casey Stoner, 1 minute, 22.384 seconds

U.S. TV: 1-2 p.m. (EDT) July 13, CBS

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Repsol Honda Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is fifth and Hayden seventh in the MotoGP standings after nine races this season. John Hopkins (Ramona, Calif., Kawasaki Racing Team) will miss this event and the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca due to injuries sustained in a qualifying crash June 27 at the Assen circuit during the Grand Prix of The Netherlands. Hopkins' teammate Anthony West of Australia will be the sole team rider at Sachsenring, and Jamie Hacking, a British-born American citizen who is a star on the AMA Superbike series, will race in place of Hopkins at Laguna Seca. Hopkins goal is to return for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 17, two events before the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

•Colin Edwards: "As far as setup around there, any time you're leaned over for such a long time like that, you've got to have pretty good balance. You've got to make sure you're balanced pretty well as far as keeping rear traction but at the same time still turning. Okay, that's always a compromise. You're never going to have a bike that turns as well as you want but that has the best traction you want. I wouldn't really say it's much different than most places. Everywhere is a compromise. We deal with this problem every weekend. Tire conservation comes into play probably more than any other track since you're on that left side of the tire that long."

•Nicky Hayden: "The bike is working good, the engine is running plenty good, but we just had that little issue at the end of Assen which stopped me getting third. I'm sure the guys at HRC will have the electronics all fixed for this race because I quite like the Sachsenring and I've always gone pretty well there. It's a short little lap and some people complain it's too tight and twisty but I like fast left-hand corners and it's got a lot of them. I'm a dirt tracker so I like going left! The first bit is quite technical, then you've got that fifth-gear drop-off round the back which is really good, definitely one of the best. The key for going down that hill is getting the bike so you're confident in the front. The next right-hander (Turn 12) is a big one, it's blind and it's downhill, so you can't go tip-toeing through there if you want a good lap, you've got to be committed and charge it. Last year the track had a new surface because tire wear had been a big issue there."

THEY SAID IT (Colin Edwards, on the recent resurgence of Ducati rider Casey Stoner): "When I saw him on the podium at Assen, I looked over and I said: 'What happened? Y'all must have found something in the Monday test after Barcelona.' And he kind of gave me a wink and looked at me and goes, 'Yeah, we found something that just kind of brought the whole package together.' He didn't say it, necessarily, but it's surely electronic, something to do with electronics. And man, he just gets along with it. He goes out, first session, and just lays down the law. Pretty much everybody else, he's just making us look stupid sometimes. I think he did (1:) 36.0 on Friday around Assen, and 36.8 or something was Valentino, and I was 36.9. He had eight-tenths over everybody, which is just ridiculous. That just doesn't happen in Grand Prix racing, normally. He's found something, but he's riding really well, as well. He's riding absolutely fantastic."

FAST FACTS: Only 29 points currently separate the top three riders in the MotoGP championship, as Dani Pedrosa leads with 171, Valentino Rossi is second with 167 and Casey Stoner is third with 142. This compares to 66 points covering the same three riders at the top of the standings at the equivalent stage of the season last year … Pedrosa has had three victories in the last four years in Germany: the 250cc race in both 2004 and 2005, and the MotoGP race last year … Since racing returned to the Sachsenring in 1998, Honda riders have won the premier-class race on six occasions. Yamaha has had three victories and Suzuki a single victory … Nicky Hayden has had more podium finishes at the Sachsenring than at any other circuit, having finished third for four consecutive years. His podium in 2007 was achieved after qualifying 14th on the grid … Colin Edwards' fourth-place finish last year, after qualifying 13th on the grid, is his best result at the Sachsenring circuit. Edwards currently is on the best finishing streak of his MotoGP career with five successive top-five finishes including two podiums … If Rossi makes the start of the race in Germany he will set a new record for competing at successive Grand Prix events. At the Dutch TT, Rossi equaled Max Biaggi's total. Rossi has not missed a race since making his Grand Prix debut in the 125cc class back in 1996 and the Assen meeting was his 201st successive event. Alex Barros, who currently is not competing in MotoGP, is third on the consecutive starts list with 158, while active riders Randy de Puniet and Alex de Angelis are fourth and fifth with 156 and 138 starts, respectively. Neither has missed a Grand Prix start since their debut as full-time riders.

 ***

Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.

Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.


Related Stories



Red Bull Indianapolis GP Talkback Post Comment