From a press release issued by Yamaha:
ROUND: 9, GERMAN GRAND PRIX
July 27, 2003
Circuit: Sachsenring
Country: Germany
Track length: 3704 m
Opened: 1966
Fastest Lap Ever: 1:25.758 (Olivier Jacque, 2002 – MotoGP)
MotoGP lap record: 1:26.226 (Valentino Rossi, 2002)
Last year MotoGP winner: Valentino Rossi
GP250 lap record: 1:27.233 (Marco Melandri, 2001)
Last year GP250 winner: Marco Melandri
Circuit tel: +49 3723 65330
Circuit website: http://www.sachsenring.de
2002 race summary
The ‘Jacque-Attack’ was back in form at the ninth round of the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, held at the Sachsenring. Olivier Jacque was in a class of his own aboard the Yamaha YZR500, and looked set to score the first, and possibly the championship’s only two-stroke 2002 MotoGP victory when the win was knocked clean from his grasp. After taking the first two-stroke pole of the season, the Frenchman found himself trailing Max Biaggi (Yamaha), Tohru Ukawa (Honda) and two-stroke mounted Alex Barros (Honda) into the first tight right-hander. Then, with a string of fast, aggressive, but clean laps, Jacque was running second before taking the race lead from Valentino Rossi (Honda) on lap 24. Barros followed the YZR500 through the gap and then made an overenthusiastic attempt on the lead entering turn one three laps from the race’s end. Physics saw the Honda’s front tyre fold under pressure, with the bike collecting the Frenchman on its way into the gravel trap.
The racing incident handed the win to Rossi, who was closely followed across the line by arch- rival Biaggi. The YZR-M1-mounted Italian had timed the start to perfection, but fell back through the field during the opening few laps while adapting his riding style to a last minute geometry change. Then, by mid race distance, with 1.5 seconds still covering the top eighth riders, Biaggi began his run through the field to finish 0.730 seconds behind Rossi and 1.100 seconds ahead of eventual third placed Ukawa.
Carlos Checa (Yamaha) worked his way through from tenth on the grid to finish the German round just off the podium – ahead of Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) and Norick Abe (Yamaha), the latter improving nine places on his qualifying performance. In all, just 13 riders completed the 30-lap event, with seven retirements.
Set-up report YZR-M1
The tight and twisty nature of Sachsenring lends itself to close racing. This is partially influenced by it’s rather short overall length – only just scraping in on the minimum allowed distance to host a MotoGP race – while the spaghetti layout itself has the reputation of making passing moves on fellow competitors difficult even at the best of times. This was expected to change, to some extent, for 2001 after the German venue underwent its second re-design in as many years. Increasing in length by 275m the new circuit remains unchanged between turn one and 11, but from this point three open straight sections of tarmac complete the Sachsenring in a triangular format. The new design was aimed at increasing the opportunity to make a move under brakes as well as increasing the top speed potential of the bikes. The outcome has seen the MotoGP machines top speeds increase in this last sequence of turns to become the fastest section of the track, while two new passing points have presented themselves – the final two left-handers.
Like Donington Sachsenring is made up of low and high speed sections, although it isn’t as segregated as the UK circuit. For this reason the Yamaha YZR-M1 will need to offer agility and a degree of stability too – a difficult combination – although agility takes priority. This was amplified further in 2002 for the four-strokes. With their heavier FIM weight limit and larger engine mass the new breed found the tighter sections of the circuit more challenging than their two-stroke rivals, who nearly claimed their first and only race win of the combined two-stroke and four-stroke 2002 season.
The four’s asset however, aside from the peak power advantage, is the predictability of that power – which is why for 2003 the entire MotoGP grid is now dominated by the four-stroke contingent. This is evident with only second to fifth gears used by the MotoGP machines, while the throttle position is opened fully for less than 10 percent per lap. This smoother power delivery is especially useful at such an undulating circuit as much of the driving is done off the left side of the tyre at a track that requires the power to be laid down exiting slow, tight, corners with little camber and limited grip.
To help the YZR-M1 further in this regard Yamaha will opt for a more linear characteristic from the rear suspension linkage – to suit the needs of the circuit and the flatter torque characteristics likely to be used by the inline-four. Such a linkage ratio will offer a plusher movement through the first stage of the stroke before gradually increasing in intensity. It will not only improve traction off the turns, allowing the rider to get on the power harder and earlier than before, the new linkage should also reduce the effects of the M1’s front wheel pawing for the clouds.
This will be supported with a rear shock set-up that sports a spring rate a little more on the softer side; offering more feel while working the rear tyre less over the bumpy surface. It is necessary, however, to ensure the swingarm motion is predictable as these setting, combined with the undulating layout and lack of grip, can lead to instability. To prevent this from becoming an issue the shock’s damping will be dialled in to compensate, while the front forks will be set to provide the all-round balance. This is possible with the limited amount of hard braking that takes place at the Sachsenring – the only point of concern being turn one. For this reason stability under brakes isn’t such a priority.
From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
German Grand Prix
Sachsenring
July 25/26/27 2003
THE ‘RING BECKONS FORTUNA YAMAHA TO SCENE OF FORMER SUCCESS
The Sachsenring circuit in former East Germany has been good to Yamaha in recent years. The ‘Ring gave Yamaha victory with its YZR500 machine in 2001, and a second place with its YZR-M1 machine in 2002. Its nickname is deceptive as it is dominated by long corners and straights, and its ‘spaghetti’ layout means that overtaking is exceedingly difficult. It is the shortest track in the MotoGP World Championship and has seen various changes in the last few years. This year another change reduces the track length to 3,671km/2.281 miles. The German Grand Prix always draws some of the biggest crowds seen during the MotoGP calendar and this weekend will surely be no exception. Last year almost 185,000 spectators attended during the weekend, and the Sachsenring circuit are expecting more this weekend as MotoGP’s international popularity is increasing rapidly.
In the sixties the Sachsenring circuit was one of the most popular circuits in Grand Prix racing, a dangerous street circuit until it held its last race in 1972. In 1998 a completely new circuit something closer to today’s track was opened, and motor cycling’s premier class championship has been staged there ever since.
This will be the ninth round of the sixteen-race series, and Fortuna Yamaha’s riders are raring to get going there to transform their recent upward progress in performance into podium points. Both riders have solid histories at the Sachsenring circuit, and both riders have something to prove this weekend. Their qualifying performances at the British Grand Prix in Donington almost two weeks ago put them in strong starting grid positions and now they need to do the same in Germany, ideally with a podium finish. They come to Sachsenring having tested at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic last week, via Italy where they visited the ‘Yamaha Fest 2003’ at the weekend – a Yamaha customer event organized by Yamaha’s Italian distributor. After this weekend’s race the MotoGP paddock takes a much deserved three-week break until the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno on 17 August.
“Normally this track suits Yamaha quite well,” says Davide Brivio, the director of the Fortuna Yamaha Team, about the German circuit. “It looks like the M1 chassis suits the circuit well. So we are looking forward to a good race there. The last Grand Prix at Donington was very positive for us because Carlos was again the top group. Unfortunately Marco tumbled off during the race but it looked like he was going to do a fantastic race fighting with the top three riders.
“I hope that we can confirm this positive trend in Germany. Both riders like this track as well, and both of them did well there last year, Carlos with the M1, and Marco in the 250cc class.”
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
The tight and twisty nature of Sachsenring lends itself to close racing. This is partially influenced by its rather short overall length – only just scraping in on the minimum allowed distance to host a MotoGP race – while the spaghetti layout itself has the reputation of making passing moves on fellow competitors difficult even at the best of times. It’s made up of low and high-speed sections, and for this reason the Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1 will need to offer the difficult combination of agility and a degree of stability too, although agility takes priority.
What is unique about the Sachsenring circuit is that the four-strokes, and even the two-strokes before that, only use second to fifth gears, and the throttle position is opened fully for less than 10 percent per lap. Therefore it’s all about smooth power delivery, especially as much of the driving is done off the left side of the tyre at a track that requires the power to be laid down exiting slow, tight corners with little camber and limited grip.
To help the YZR-M1 further in this regard the Fortuna Yamaha Team will opt for a more linear characteristic from the rear suspension linkage – to suit the needs of the circuit and the flatter torque characteristics likely to be used by the inline-four. Such a linkage ratio will offer a plusher movement through the first stage of the stroke before gradually increasing in intensity. It will not only improve traction off the turns, allowing the rider to get on the power harder and earlier than before, the new linkage should also reduce the effects of the M1’s front wheel pawing for the clouds.
This will be supported with a rear shock set-up that sports a spring rate a little more on the softer side; offering more feel while working the rear tyre less over the bumpy surface. It is necessary, however, to ensure the swing arm motion is predictable as these settings, combined with the undulating layout and lack of grip, can lead to instability.
PODIUM FINISH IS CHECA’S GERMAN GP FOCUS
Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa’s season has been on the up since the Catalunya Grand Prix over a month ago. His fourth place finish both there and at the ensuing Dutch TT in Assen, followed by a reasonable qualifying and sixth place finish in Britain’s Donington Grand Prix nearly two weeks ago, show a change of trend in his performance. His British race finish moved him another step up in the World Championship standings from eighth to seventh. This change in performance is due to slight set-up changes to his YZR-M1 machine, and the tireless work of the Catalan-born rider and his crew, who hope that this weekend will bring more fortune their way.
Last year the Catalan was as fast as the front race runners in Sachsenring, just 1.1 seconds behind the race winner at half distance and frustratingly just metres behind the winner at the finish. Checa finished fourth at the ‘Ring in 2002, unable to overtake third-placed Tohru Ukawa (Honda) in the last stages of the fight. The Sachsenring circuit’s short length means that the difference in lap times is minimal and overtaking difficult.
“I’ve always had good results with Yamaha at this circuit,” contemplated the Catalan rider who also claimed a top result here in 2001 when he rode to second place on his YZR500 two-stroke. “Judging by the progress we have made at the last few races I think this will be a good track for us again, the bike should run well there. It is difficult to manage the very short down and uphill climbs in the first section. I quite like the new section of the track that was developed for last year’s race – the downhill looks like a ski downhill. It’s better not to crash there at a high speed!
“It’s a particularly nice race because so many people arrive for the event, and it has good facilities which have improved recently. It’s a really popular area for bike racing. It’s a short track, perhaps too short for MotoGP but anyway I will be happy to race there again.”
‘MACIO’ MATCHES UP TO HIS NAME
Marco Melandri is going all out to make up for precious time lost earlier in the season, after injuries he suffered when he fell during practice at the opening Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka cost him just over one month convalescing. His return to the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez and his gritty rides to the finish there and in the following Grands Prix in Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya impressed everyone. His front row start in Le Mans gave him a much needed confidence boost but unfortunately some rear traction problems and an unlucky tyre choice in the wet conditions meant that he slipped back to fifteenth.
Although his physical condition has improved race by race, Melandri did not find full confidence again with his bike until the Dutch TT in Assen when he changed his base geometry set-up, and it made all the difference to the 20-year-old MotoGP rookie. His qualifying performance was solid and he started from the second row of the grid. The wet race affected Melandri terribly as it drove rain inside his helmet so much that he was forced to pull out of the race, missing out on much needed points. At the British contingent in Donington almost two weeks ago the young Italian was on great form again, taking his second front row start of the year, this time on the third slot. His race started magnificently, entering the first corner in fourth, going on to take third just a few corners on. He then stayed in fourth place at the back of the lead group which pulled ahead of the competition but touched the white line, lost the front, and tumbled out of contention for the race on lap five. This was a great disappointment to Melandri, who has finished just four of the eight races completed so far this season.
“It’s a really good circuit and I like it, mostly because I have always done well there,” admitted Melandri about the German circuit. Sachsenring is the scene of former success for the Ravenna-born rider, who won his first ever 250cc Grand Prix there in 2001, and again took the 250cc victory there last year in a bizarre episode. He was awarded the race victory despite crashing out of the lead. With the race having run the required minimum distance when the red flags came out because of rain, the result was calculated from one lap before the crash occurred, giving Melandri the win.
Melandri is looking forward to the chance to race again after his Donington surge, “I suddenly feel more comfortable with the bike, we made an adjustment to the rear weight in Assen and it’s felt better since then. In Donington I was in a position to fight for a podium, and I think if I hadn’t made that small mistake I could have fought with Sete and maybe taken third or even better, who knows? I am really happy with the work that my team and I are achieving now. We’ve just completed a two-day test at the Brno circuit last week, in the Czech Republic, and I felt quite good there as well. That’s given me more confidence that I can do well, particularly at these forthcoming two races where we know the Yamahas run well.
“It’s great to finally see some light at the end of the tunnel, after so long being frustrated by the delay that my accident caused at the start of the season. In my first few comeback races I couldn’t judge how competitive I could be because of my injuries, from which I was still recovering. Now I’m physically back to normal and feel ready to fight for a podium in Sachsenring.”
CARLOS CHECA : INFORMATION
Age: 30
Lives: Great Ayton, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 143 (23 x MotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Sachsenring 2002 results. Grid: 10th, Race: 4th
MARCO MELANDRI : INFORMATION
Age: 20
Lives: Derby, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 17 (10 x 250, 7 x 125)
First GP victory: Assen, 1998 (125)
First GP: Brno, 1997 (125)
GP starts: 81 (5 x MotoGP, 42 x 250, 34 x 125)
Pole positions: 8
First pole: Sachsenring, 1998 (125)
Sachsenring MotoGP lap record
1:26.226 (Valentino Rossi, 2002)
Circuit best lap
1:25.758 (Olivier Jacque, 2002)
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
ROBERTS RETURNS TO SACHSENRING
Team Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Junior will make his racing return at next weekend’s German GP, at the short, slow and exciting Sachsenring – a track where the 2000 World Champion has twice qualified on pole position, as well as taken one of his most impressive race wins.
Kenny has missed the last three races due to a troublesome chest and shoulder injury sustained at the Italian GP, but has now been passed fit to race by his Californian medical team.
He will rejoin team-mate John Hopkins, making his four-stroke debut at the Sachsenring.
Both riders are going to the circuit with open minds. The small and highly concentrated German circuit has a challenge all of its own, and offers opportunities in the same way. A step in machine responses taken at the last race might help the Suzuki riders make the most of them.
The year so far has been a mixture of promise and frustration. Suzuki’s radical prototype racer, the 990cc V4 GSV-R, is an awe-inspiring specialist tool. So far, however, niggling problems with the machine’s highly advanced integrated systems have kept the full potential tantalisingly out of reach.
However the team recorded a clear step in the right direction at the last round at Donington Park in England, where engine and chassis revisions improved the crucial “feel” of the machine’s throttle and handling responses, and 20-year-old fast rookie Hopkins achieved his second-best result of the year.
The Sachsenring has one thing in common with Donington Park: the riders spend almost all the time on only part throttle. The short and hectic 2.218-mile lap is crammed with corners, and makes a highly technical challenge. Machine handling and responses count for more than sheer horsepower, as was shown last year when the obsolescent but lighter 500cc two-strokes qualified on pole position and came within a few laps of claiming their sole win of the year. (Only a collision between the two leading contenders prevented it.)
The German race is the last round of the first part of the season, followed by two weekends off for the short summer break. The gap is a chance for the hard-working Suzuki factory racing department to consolidate the data acquired in the first part of the year, and to refocus the continuing programme of developmental changes to Suzuki’s fastest ever racing motorcycle. The clear aim is to make the GSV-R as successful as the GSX-R1000 production machine, which is dominant in almost every racing series in which it takes part.
“It will be good to have Kenny back, fit and ready to rejoin the team,” said Garry Taylor. “And it will be interesting to see what he makes of the changes to the machine since he rode it last in Italy. They’re not big, but they do seem to have made a difference in the right direction.”
Taylor spoke of the important contribution by John Hopkins, who shouldered the burden of Suzuki’s GP racing alone in Catalunya, and with factory tester and full-time Suzuki GSX-R1000 racer Yukio Kagayama at the next two rounds.
“John continues to impress the team with his dedication and commitment, as well as his thoughtful approach to racing. It’s amazing that this is only his first year on the four-stroke,” said Taylor.
“Every time he goes out, he works on making the most of the machine and his chances. I hope that in Germany his talent and positive approach will be rewarded with another top ten finish, as further proof of the team’s progress,” said Taylor.
KEVIN SCHWANTZ MAKES ANOTHER GP RETURN
American racing hero Kevin Schwantz, who capped a distinguished racing career with the Suzuki team when he won the 500cc World Championship in 1993, will be making a second GP visit of the year to the Sachsenring, adding his unique brand of know-how and authority to the drive to get the Suzuki riders back to a winning position.
Schwantz, who retired in 1995 as one of racing’s all-time greats, has already visited the Catalunyan GP, where his trackside observations were an important contribution to the technical assessment of the machine – and also in helping to reinforce the morale and determination of the team.
Schwantz observed in Catalunya his confidence that GSV-R already has the ingredients to make it competitive, but that another step forward, particularly in the chassis, was required before they all work together to best effect.
“Obviously my old team is having some problems at the moment, and if there’s anything I can do to help, I will,” said Schwantz, who fills a similar role as on-track consultant, adviser and patron to the successful AMA championship Suzuki team at home in the USA.
Schwantz, who won 25 GPs in a glittering career on the two-stroke 500cc Suzuki RGV Gamma, is in Germany to run one of his popular Suzuki racing schools, already well established in the USA.
JOHN HOPKINS – “A FUNNY OLD TRACK”
This is a funny old track, and it’s hard to know what to expect. We found some improvement at Donington Park that makes the bike somewhat easier to ride, so hopefully that will carry over to the Sachsenring. There are so many slow corners there that you need all the help you can get to push a big MotoGP bike round them. I had bad luck there last year, falling in practice and injuring my wrist. I hope my second race at the track will go better, and we’ll do the best we can, as always.
KENNY ROBERTS – BACK IN THE SADDLE
After four weeks of not being able to do anything very much while I’ve been rebuilding my strength, I’m looking forward to getting going again. It was good that Suzuki gave me the opportunity to take recovery at the right speed, to build up my strength and work through the pain at a reasonable level, without having to go at a pace that might aggravate the injuries. The GSV-R is very physical at the moment, because of how hard we have to ride it, and physically the Sachsenring is one of the harder tracks. I’ve been back in the gym since the week before the British GP, and for the most part I’m back to 100 percent.
ABOUT THIS TRACK
The modern Sachsenring circuit came into being by stealth – local enthusiasts pressing ahead in spite of being denied official backing. The makeshift circuit centred on a driving training centre and an industrial estate. Temporary tents and marquees served as pits and other paddock facilities for the first round in 1998. Huge crowds and successful GPs has changed its status, and last year’s third circuit revision finally abandons the last stretch of the old public-roads circuit, adding a spectacular downhill swoop in its place. At the same time, a new pit lane and permanent circuit buildings were installed. This year, another small change has lopped a few metres off what was already the shortest track on the calendar, although no longer the slowest. Each hectic lap begins with a difficult bottleneck downhill right, leading via a hairpin to a section with seven successive left-hand corners, posing technical problems as one side of the tyre overheats and the other cools down. With almost the whole lap taken at part throttle and at high lean angles on low overall gearing, good engine response and delicate throttle control are paramount; and overtaking is particularly difficult.
ABOUT THIS RACE
The East German GP ran from 1961 until 1972, attracting vast crowds to the long public-roads Sachsenring track, while the West German GP had an even longer history. After unification, however, the older race ran into difficulties, with spectators deserting the event at the Hockenheim, and failing to return when it was moved to the Nurburgring. In 1998, enthusiastic new promoters took over the event at the purpose-built new circuit, on the site of the old East German race. The crowds responded in vast numbers, with tickets sold out months in advance.
More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 9 – CINZANO MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND
21ST JULY 2003 – EVENT PREVIEW
HOFMANN RETURNS FOR HOME GRAND PRIX
The Fuchs Kawasaki Team will field a full strength, three-rider squad for the German Grand Prix, with home hero Alex Hofmann once again joining regular MotoGP racers Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt.
This will be Hofmann’s fourth wild card appearance of the season and one that he is hoping to convert into another strong race result following his recent tenth place finish in a rain-drenched Dutch TT at Assen. The 23-year-old German certainly has the form at Sachsenring, having finished tenth in last year’s race aboard a 500cc two-stroke, against a host of new generation 990cc, four-stroke MotoGP prototypes.
The ninth round of the MotoGP championship takes on added significance for the factory Kawasaki squad, whose European technical base is in Germany and managed by former GP rider former and now team boss, Harald Eckl. The team are hoping to capitalise on the lessons learned from last week’s two-day Brno test, which evaluated chassis modifications, a revised crankshaft and further tyre developments. A new profile rear Dunlop tyre was positively received, especially by Australian ace McCoy who ran consistent laps at Brno.
Pitt is positive that the revised crankshaft and confidence-inspiring front-end tyre and chassis settings from the Brno test will assist him to be competitive in his first race appearance at the Sachsenring; his only experience of the track to date has been a brief familiarisation visit on a Kawasaki 600 road bike.
The 3.6km Sachsenring is the shortest on the GP calendar and noted for its dramatic elevation changes and convoluted layout, which makes overtaking difficult and places a premium on acceleration and traction out of a series of tight chicanes. Located in what was once East Germany, the Sachsenring event has grown to be one of the most popular in the World Championship and another sell-out crowd is predicted for the German Grand Prix.
Alex Hofmann
“Racing at home is always special and I will have a lot of friends and fans cheering me on this weekend. My main focus will be on achieving a good result, but I’ll also be working with the team to continue the progress we’ve made recently with the test programme, especially with the new Dunlop tyres. It was good to get back on the bike at Brno last week and it’s definitely put me in the right frame of mind to build on the results I had at Mugello and Assen this weekend. Finishing in the top ten again at my home GP would be perfect, but I know it’s not going to be easy.”
Garry McCoy
“The new profile rear Dunlops we tested at Brno definitely gave me more rear grip and consistency, which is exactly what I’ve been looking for from the tyres and chassis. Hopefully I’ll get the same feeling from the bike at Sachsenring, where you’re on the side of the tyre for a long time through some of the uphill turns; although the circuit also has some tight corners where you need to change direction quickly and this hasn’t been our strong point recently. I didn’t do that many laps on the revised chassis at Brno, so I expect we’ll be running a very similar chassis set-up to that we ran at Donington Park this weekend.”
Andrew Pitt
“So far I’ve only managed a handful of laps around Sachsenring, and they were on in the pouring rain, on a Kawasaki road bike fitted with dry tyres! But at least I know which way the track goes now, although I’ll still have some learning to do this weekend, as I’m sure the circuit will look completely different from the seat of the Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP bike. The revised crankshaft we tested allowed me to stop and turn the bike better at Brno and I’m hoping the same will be true at Sachsenring. The new Dunlop front and rear tyres we tested last week should also come into their own this weekend as well.”