Morbidelli living the dream after sixth win of the season
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli is living the dream after taking control of the Moto2 World Championship with his sixth win of the season at the Sachsenring today.
After nine of 18 races Morbidelli goes to the month long summer break with a commanding 37-point lead over nearest championship rival Tom Lüthi.
Morbidelli’s victory in the German Grand Prix was a tactical masterstroke in a high-pressure race as he saved his race winning effort for the final lap of the 29-lap race.
It was a thrilling contest between Morbidelli and Oliveira who made a brave bid for victory when he took the lead at turn 12 on the penultimate lap.
But Morbidelli charged back to the front with a perfectly timed braking move at turn one on the final lap and then controlled the front-running to win the an intense battle by just 0.066s.
Starting from pole position Morbidelli had played a waiting game early in the race dropping back to third behind teammate Álex Márquez and Lüthi.
While looking set for a podium challenge Márquez crashed at turn two on lap four thus ending his race early after getting the holeshot and leading the opening two laps.
Morbidelli leads the standings on 173 points ahead of Lüthi on 136, Oliveira 114 and Márquez in fourth on 113 points.
Franco Morbidelli: 1st
“After this sixth win of the season I am living the dream and don’t want to wake up. It was a very difficult race especially to defend the lead against Miguel who caught me very fast in the middle of the race. But then he did not overtake and if he had done I would have been struggling. I was getting ready for a big battle over the final two laps. It was not easy but I did a very good final lap and that gave me the victory. Thanks to my team for all the hard work.”
Álex Márquez: DNF
“Today’s race was not how we were hoping to round out the first half of the season. From the second lap I was struggling for grip and I had a big moment in turn seven when I shut the gas, with the rear trying to come round on me. The same happened two laps later at turn two and there was nothing I could do, the rear just went and I was down. Anyway, like I said, this isn’t how we wanted to finish the first half of the season but now we have some time to recover before returning to action in Brno, one of my favourite tracks and where I hope to start the second half of the season strongly.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It is a nice feeling to see Franco win his sixth race of the season but more importantly it means that we have a big gap of 37 points going to the summer break, this is what we wanted. It was disappointing for Álex who crashed in similar circumstances in practice on Friday; we need to find solutions for better grip as the situation is not ideal for any rider in Moto2. I think Álex will be OK, we go to Brno in 15 days to test and I think this will restore his confidence. He really suffered with rear grip this weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Racing:
NAVARRO IMPRESSES WITH SIXTH PLACE AT SACHSENRING
Jorge Navarro has scored his so-far best result of his rookie Moto2 year by finishing today’s 29-lap German race at the Sachsering in sixth place on board the Kalex machine of team Federal Oil Gresini.
The 21-year-old Spaniard got a good launch from the sixth row on the grid and was able to make up five places at the start. Jorge then began his steady recovery and, after only four laps, he was already up to tenth place before putting up a great battle with Schrotter and Binder for eighth place and starting his change to Cortese’s sixth place.
Navarro, whose pace was stronger than the one of his German rival, finally moved past the number 11 to seal sixth place, which equals his best-ever result at the track – dating back to 2015 when he was racing in Moto3. Courtesy of this performance, Jorge is now 15th in the standings with a tally of 33 points.
“If we consider that the goal for this first half of the season was to make as much experience as possible” says team manager Fausto Gresini “I’d say we’re doing really well. Jorge did a great race today and a big step forward. Surely, if he qualified a bit better he would have been with the front guys. I would like to thank the team, Federal Oil and all the team for the great effort.”
6th – JORGE NAVARRO #9
“We had a great pace today and I’m not sure I was expecting to be that competitive. We knew what we had to do yesterday in FP3, but the rain and the crash in qualifying have made things much more complicated. The start wasn’t easy and I would have had a chance at racing with the front runners had I qualified better. I did many overtakes and had great fun. I would like to thank the team: now we need to rest and come back stronger!”
More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Racing:
Resolute Gardner completes German GP in the points – Strong debut ends in an unfortunate way for Garzo
Remy Gardner closed the first half of his rookie Moto2 season with a point scoring finish today at the challenging Sachsenring track where he forcefully powered to 12th. The young Australian leapt forward from the fifth row of the grid and he maintained his consistency throughout the 29 sprint as he pursued a strong result. Gardner set his fastest time of the race on the penultimate lap and he battled in a fierce fight with Syahrin which went right down to the chequered flag before he closed the weekend positively and in 12th.
Meanwhile, Hector Garzo’s debut ended in an unfortunate way after he fell at the 12th turn on the third lap. Garzo, who is standing in for the injured Xavi Vierge, began from 5th on the grid and quickly set off at speed. However, the impressive young Spaniard’s luck turned shortly after the start of the race, but the Tech3 Racing Team would like to thank him for his strong efforts during the German Grand Prix.
Remy Gardner
Position: 12th – Championship: 23th – Points: 6
“It was a very positive race and we closed the first half of the season in a good way. The result could have been a bit better if it wasn’t for the opening lap where Binder passed me a bit aggressively at the last corner and I nearly fell. Fortunately, I saved it but then I got swamped by the next group at the first turn and I lost a lot of time. This is a big shame especially because I ran some really strong times at the end of the GP. With regards to the race, after about a third of the Grand Prix, it felt like the tyre had a blister on it and it took me five or six laps to understand how to adapt. Yet, I found the key eventually and I caught Syahrin and passed him twice on the last lap, but he put up a good fight and just beat me to the line. It was still a positive day and I think we’ve made a big jump. I have to say that the new KYB forks that we tried this weekend really made the difference and if it wasn’t for them, then I would have been down in the group behind. So it was very positive regarding the bike set up and now I am sure that we can find the next step.”
Hector Garzo
Position: DNF – Championship: Not Classified
“I made a really good start and my aim was to follow the first four or five riders. However, it was impossible to follow them even though I did my best. Then on the 3rd lap, Binder passed me and didn’t take the perfect line on the turn, which pushed me wide and when I touched the brake, I lost the front. It’s definitely not the way I wanted to finish this weekend but overall, I am happy with the work that we did and with my first Grand Prix. I want to say sorry to the Tech3 Racing Team because they did a really good job but I’m happy for this opportunity which they gave me.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team Manager
“It was a shame that we couldn’t quite match the performance that we did on Saturday in the qualifying and we will never forget Hector Garzo’s fight for the front row and him ending up 5th on the grid. We knew it was going to be much more difficult in the dry because all of the riders that he was near have a lot more experience. The difficult conditions yesterday played to our advantage, but we hoped that he was going to finish the race and learn a lot. It’s a pity to not finish the weekend on a positive note, but his mistake was just a small one and I want to say thank you to Hector for his efforts and dedication over the weekend. As for Remy, he had a decent qualifying and today he showed great fighting spirit. The start was not ideal as he lost a few positions but he recovered and had a very intense battle with Syahrin who he passed in the last sector, yet, he unfortunately lost the position by the flag. The result and his fastest time which he set on the penultimate lap, shows that Remy’s potential is high. We just hope he can fix his ankle problem from the injury which he sustained in Argentina. Since then he has never really been able to ride at 100% so the summer break will be very important for him to recover completely. I think that Remy and his Mistral 610 can finish regularly in the top ten. I would also like to send my best wishes to Xavi Vierge and we can’t wait to be in the Czech Republic with him on board. I hope the whole team has a good rest in the summer and we will be back soon at Brno.”
More, from a press release issued by SIC Racing Team:
NORRODIN BATTLES HARD IN THE POINTS AS SASAKI PUSHES FOR POSITIONS AT SACHSENRING
Sachsenring, Germany
Circuit: Sachsenring Circuit
Circuit Length: 3.7 km
SIC Racing Team rider Adam Norrodin secured a further three points to add to his Championship tally today, tirelessly fighting for positions throughout the twenty-seven lap race, before crossing the line in a solid 13th place.
Teammate Ayumu Sasaki pushed hard to redeem a difficult qualifying session, working his way up to 17th, despite tyre deterioration hampering the 16-year-olds grip levels around the German Circuit.
Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager
“Today was a pretty good race for us with Adam finishing in 13th. It was a big fight for him from the beginning of the race but he stayed in it. He had a really good pace today too and I think he had the capacity to do more, it’s just a shame he didn’t get away with the front group at the start. Still we are happy with 13th and another three points for him. We can clearly see he has gained a lot of confidence over the last two races and this is great! It’s very good for him to finish the first half of the season feeling like this.
Ayumu was also racing in the second group today but he had to work a lot harder to catch them. Once he was there he struggled to attack towards the last couple of laps. Nevertheless he tried; I think he is a bit disappointed because he just missed out on the points but he worked hard and his pace was good.
Both riders were close to the top ten, so we are pleased about that. It’s good to go into the summer break with a positive weekend here in Germany. Now we have to prepare for the last half of the season.
Thanks to everyone in the team and Sepang Circuit for their continued support.”
#7 ADAM NORRODIN – P13
“I’m really happy to have collected some more points today. My start wasn’t bad but everybody was on the limit, so there was a lot of contact and I dropped back a little and lost the front group. The second group had a lot of riders in it and we battled the whole race. The bike felt good and compared to some of the other riders, I think my set-up worked really well with the tyres. I was able to maintain a good rhythm and consistently lap the same pace as the leaders. In the end I saw that there were five laps left so I just took a breath and gave it 110%. In the last lap I was able to gain some more positions but looking back I should have made my move earlier. Overall though I am happy to finish 13th. It’s been another positive weekend and I have learned a lot. We have been on the pace since practice and I feel like we are in good form now; we need to continue like this for the second half of the season.”
#71 AYUMU SASAKI – P17
“I didn’t make the best start and after three laps the top eighteen were around two seconds in front of me. I kept my head down and tried to catch them; it took a while (I think about ten laps) but I caught them in the end. Unfortunately I used a lot of the tyre pushing to make up the gap, so in the end it was tough to manage them and I struggled to pass any riders. I’m not happy for the result but we have gained some valuable data here and I know we can use this to our advantage in the next race. We go into the summer break with a lot more knowledge and experience, so I think we can make another step forward in Brno and come back fighting.”
More, from a press release issued by Sky Racing Team VR46 Moto2 Team:
THIRD PLACE FOR FRANCESCO BAGNAIA AT SACHSENRING
The young rookie of the Sky Racing Team VR46 conquered the third podium of the season at the GP of Germany. Good job also for Stefano Manzi at the first point in Moto2.
Chemnitz (Germany) – Francesco Bagnaia gave another satisfaction to the Sky Racing Team VR46 by scoring at the Germany GP the third seasonal podium.
The young rookie, started from the tenth box of the grid, showed a great maturity and managed the resources in the best way possible overtaking Simone Corsi at the last lap and reaching the third place. With the points of today, Pecco is sixth in the standings with 77 points, first rookies of the category.
Good day also for Stefano Manzi who, after a good start, closed the first part of the season with the first point in Moto2.
Pablo Nieto:
A really busy day: Pecco managed the race in a very mature and cleverly way and he overtook Corsi at the last lap. It is the third podium for the Team and arrived just before the summer break. It will be an extra injection of confidence for the second part of the Championship. Stefano, after a big effort and hard work, gained the first point. He has to stay focused on his goals and continue in this direction.
Francesco Bagnaia:
A really long and difficult race, but what satisfaction at the end! We did a great job after Mugello, Barcelona and Assen to return to being competitive in the group and this is a great result just before the summer break. I did not start in the front rows, but I immediately pushed to reduce the gap. I stayed with Corsi and Pasini till the checkered flag and, in the last two laps, I gave my 100%. I overtook Simone (Corsi) and I tried to take a minimum of gap from him. My fast lap, just before the finishing line, was the proof. Thanks to all the Team for their great work and a special dedication to my mom for her birthday. I start the holidays with a big the smile.
Stefano Manzi:
I’m very tired, but extremely happy. I start to see the results of my commitment and it is a satisfaction. I had a good start and I found myself in the group behind the points. I tried to do my best and I got my first point in Moto2. Thanks to all the Team: they have done a great job these months and they have always supported me.
More, from a press release issued by Sky Racing Team VR46 Moto3 Team:
EXCELLENT FOURTH PLACE FOR NICOLO’ BULEGA AT THE GERMAN GP
After a race with the protagonists, the young talent of the SKY Racing Team VR46 crossed the finishing line in 4th place. Close to the points, Andrea Migno, 16th.
Chemnitz (Germany), July 2nd, 2017 – Nicolò Bulega conquered his best seasonal result just before the summer break. The young rider of the Sky Racing Team VR46, in fact, was fourth at the German GP on the Sachsenring track. Good recovery also for Andrea Migno, 22nd in the grid and 16th under the checkered flag.
Nicolò, started from the third box of the front row, was immediately in the group fighting for the podium. One of the protagonists till eight laps to the end, he lost the contact with the strongest guys after the crash in front of him, fortunately without consequences, of Tony Arbolino and he closed fourth. Andrea, who was struggling a little bit more with the setting, was 16th at the end of the race.
Pablo Nieto:
Nicolò made a good race and he back to being competitive. This is the most important thing to start in the best way the second part of the season. He fought for the podium till Arbolino’s crash and he proved he could stay in the front group. Andrea unfortunately was forced to recover, but was close to the points.
Andrea Migno:
It was not the weekend I hoped for: I have struggled since Friday and even today I did not find the right feeling. I made a good recovery, I approached the points area, but I can not say that I’m happy. I need to recharge the batteries in this break.
Nicolo Bulega:
It was really a great race, especially after Assen, I was able to find the feeling I wanted with my KTM. This fourth place is, at the moment, my best seasonal result and it must be an extra injection of confidence to better manage the second part of the Championship. I started pretty well, I was losing something at the engine level, but I was able to ride as I wanted. After the crash of Arbolino in front of me, I lost contact with the Top guys and I was not able to back into the podium fight.
More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:
Forward Racing Team ready for well-deserved summer break
Today the Forward Racing Team had to start the German Grand Prix with Federico Fuligni as their sole rider on the grid.
The Italian, who usually competes in the FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship with the Forward Racing Junior Team, was called as a replacement for injured Lorenzo Baldassarri. Fuligni had to face the tricky Sachsenring circuit for the first time and showed a decent performance starting from 29th on the grid to complete the race in 24th position. The 22-year old improved day by day with the help of Baldassarri’s very experienced crew and was able to collect many precious information for the remainder of his season.
On the other side of the Forward Racing Team’s garage, Luca Marini was forced to retire from the ninth round of the 2017 Moto2 World Championship, as he still suffers a lot of pain in his left shoulder after a crash during the GP in Le Mans. This deficit was furthermore emphasized by the unique layout of the circuit with counts ten left corners. Therefore, the 19-year old will now head back to Italy for additional treatments in order to be back at 100% for the tenth event of the season, which takes place at the beginning of August in Czech Republic.
Meanwhile Baldassarri, who underwent surgery on his broken right ankle on Tuesday this week, had to watch the race from home, but is soon about to start his rehabilitation to rejoin the team after the summer break in Brno.
Federico Fuligni – 24th
“Overall, this weekend has been a truly interesting one. At the beginning of the race, I was in a group with some other riders, but when I tried to make a step and pushed harder to lower my lap time, I wasn’t able to, because I had a small issue with the front. I couldn’t turn the bike really well, as sometimes the front closed, so I told myself not to take any unnecessary risks, as the main thing was not to crash out. After the race together with the crew, we analyzed, what I could have done better in order to improve my time. I’m very happy about this occasion. Many thanks to the entire team, Lorenzo’s crew and thanks to Giovanni. I believe this experience here will help me for my work in the CEV next weekend in Valencia. In addition, I obviously want to send my best wishes again to Lorenzo, I hope that he and Luca will be back at 100 percent soon.”
Giovanni Cuzari – Team Owner
“If we sum up this first part of the Championship, I have mixed feelings about our Forward Racing Team. Certainly, the positive aspects are numerous, and I think of the tremendous growth that Luca has demonstrated every time we saw him on track in normal conditions, plus Lorenzo, who proved with his fourth place in Argentina and the fifth at Barcelona, that his level of competitiveness is really high. These facts make us look ahead with a positive frame of mind towards the second part of the season. However, at the same time, we have also been unlucky in several occasions, one example is the terrible accident in Assen, which has prevented Lorenzo from being here with us today. As for Luca, the injury sustained at Le Mans has affected the last four races a lot, and this did not allow our rider to fully demonstrate his potential. We hope that this break will allow us to return on the track with two competitive and resolute riders, ready to outline the real value of the Forward Racing Team in 2017. Regarding this Grand Prix here at the Sachsenring, Federico has done a decent job, he was adapting to a different motorcycle than the one he is usually riding in the CEV, plus with these uncertain and contrasting weather conditions he surely did not have an easy task today. He has collected a wealth of new experiences and skills that we believe can benefit him during the next CEV races, where we hope he can demonstrate his value. Finally, I want take this opportunity to wish everybody a good holiday, we will be back stronger in Brno.”
More, from a press release issued by British Talent Team:
McPhee ready to recharge after the #GermanGP
British Talent Team rider crashes out at the Sachsenring
John McPhee had a difficult end to the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, crashing out of contention after a promising qualifying in the top ten on Saturday.
After a solid start, the Scot then dropped back before the fall – unable to get back into the race and focus immediately switching to Brno after rear grip issues.
The Czech GP gets underway on August 4th, and McPhee will be recharged and raring to go after the summer break.
John McPhee, DNF: “I’m disappointed with the crash today but I knew already from the first laps that I had rear grip issues. All weekend I’ve been doing consistent decent laps on the hard tyre so I’m not sure why it was so bad today. It’s certainly not the way I wanted to go into the summer break but I will 100% come back stronger and even more determined. The break is shorter than we think and with a test in the middle I’ll be fully ready come Brno.”
More, from a press release issued by AGR Team:
YONNY HERNÁNDEZ FOUGHT UNTIL THE END, WITH NO REWARD
María Herrera fell in the first laps but she finished the race even with problems
Maybe the best day of the weekend with regard to the weather, with dry races for Moto3 and Moto2. Maria Herrera finished with a lap lost in Moto3, while Yonny Hernández did not give up and kept fighting, even if it was for the 17th place.
Maria will go on holidays with one point in her tally after nine races, that she achieved in the race in Argentina. Meanwhile, Yonny has 16 points gathered in Jerez and France… and today we learned that also in Catalunya, as Pasini has been disqualified due to the use of an illegal oil and that puts the Colombian in points-scoring position.
Moto2
The Argiñano & Ginés Racing rider, Yonny Hernández, finished far from the points. In the end, he recovered 5 places from his starting position and fought with Nagashima until the Finish Line, beating the Japanese rider by merely thousandths of a second. It is a place outside of the points, but he showed his competitive spirit. Yonny qualified in 23rd on Saturday, but the retirement of two riders for the race (Áxel Pons and Luca Marini) allowed him to advance one row in the grid. Yonny and his team are learning new things every day, they changed some things for the race that improved his confidence and he once again did his fast lap of the weekend during the race.
Yonny Hernández #68 Kalex Moto2 / 17th: “The result isn’t the one I was looking for, but we found the good setup late. During the race, I felt better and I improved my times. We did miss the practice on Friday due to the crash, but we improved the pace and our times and we finished the race. During the break, I’ll keep training hard for Brno”.
Moto3
María Herrera, the rider of the Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team in Moto3, crashed by the end of the 5th lap, when she was leading the group in which she was. Her start was very positive, but she lost the rear in the first braking point of the track. She was able to go back on track and continue the race, but at the last position and far away from any other. It took her two laps to recover a pace under 1’30 and for a couple more laps she was the fastest of the group she had been leading before, until she set a very slow 1’35 and had to enter the pits to solve a problem. She went out again, already with a lost lap, but wanting to finish her job. Well done.
María Herrera #6 KTM Moto3 / 26th: “I had a good start and I improved some places. I was fighting with Migno for the 20th position. The crash was strange, I was following the line and I lost the rear. At the beginning of the race I had a lot of vibrations and after the crash it was the same, continuing with the issue we’ve been having the last few days. It was a pity, because I think that we could have recovered some places and have some things clearer for Brno”.
The summer break has arrived. We need to think about out trajectory and work to improve it so that the next nine races have a different result. Thanks to all of you that follow us faithfully.
This is for the World Championship team, the FIM CEV Repsol squad resumes the competition next weekend in Valencia.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
KEVIN SCHWANTZ JOINS SUZUKI AT SACHSENRING MotoGP
Suzuki’s German Distributor put on an amazing display at the weekend’s Sachsenring MotoGP™ race in Germany with more than 400 Suzuki dealers and guests invited along to enjoy the event, view the latest production machinery in the Suzuki Village; and also meet former World 500cc GP Champion Kevin Schwantz and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR MotoGP riders Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins.
Schwantz, who won the 1993 World Grand Prix Championship with Suzuki’s iconic RGV500, joined-in the Suzuki Deutschland-promotional event, that took-over one complete corner of the circuit, and that included its own Suzuki Grandstand, to meet, greet and sign autographs for his many fans, along with Rins and Iannone, who took time-out from race duties to also join the event.
Suzuki Deutschland GMBH had all the latest 2017 machinery on display, plus various factory bikes from Endurance World Champions, SERT, and the Suzuki World Motocross teams. There was also a Suzuki Merchandising outlet and full hospitality and catering throughout the weekend.
More than 1600 welcome packages with T-shirts, caps and give-aways from Suzuki and partners Motul and Creditplus bank were handed-out, as well as 3000 Suzuki flags, that waved in the Suzuki Grandstand throughout the weekend.
Following autograph sessions with the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders, Schwantz presented the new 2017 GSX-R1000R to the crowd during the official rider presentation on Saturday evening and MotoGP promoter Dorna was happy that the Suzuki Brand Ambassador presented the Tissot award to the three pole-setters (MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3) from qualifying.
And, thanks to the co-operation of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR, there were more than 80 Suzuki fans who enjoyed an unforgettable opportunity to join the team in a special pit-tour.
Gerald Steinmann, Manager Marketing and PR said: “The German GP was again a big success for Suzuki Germany. We got so much positive feedback from Suzuki fans, Dealers and even competitors on all the mention actions. This gives us great motivation to keep our activities running like this to permanently promote the Suzuki brand and the GSX-R. It was teamwork at its best between the MotoGP Team, our ambassador Kevin Schwantz and Suzuki Germany! Thanks to you all for that great weekend.”
Special thanks for this memorable weekend also goes to more-than 20 Suzuki Germany employees who pulled-off a great job to create this special weekend for Suzuki dealers and fans.