German Grand Prix at The Sachsenring 29, 30, 31 July 2005 HONDA MEN DETERMINED TO TOP PODIUM IN GERMANY After a damp and dismal British GP at Donington Park Honda’s big names in MotoGP are resolved to make amends at the Sachsenring on Sunday. The 17-race season is now past the halfway point with just eight races left to run and this is the last chance to put pressure on World Championship points leader Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) before the summer break. Four of Honda’s big names: Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V), Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V), Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) and Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) have tasted success here before, three of them in the premier class, and Melandri twice on a 250. If ever any of them needed a win here around the twisting dips and climbs of the sinuous Sachsenring, now is the time. With Rossi now on 211 points overall to second-placed Melandri’s 107, nothing less than a win for Honda’s young hotshot will do if he is to put pressure on the reigning World Champion. But Max Biaggi, currently lying fourth on 100 points, is still in a position to put a late-season charge together. But this race surely represents his last chance to claw his way back into contention. He won here in 2001 and tasted victory here last year too. Never a rider to give less than his best whatever the circumstances, his first win of the season is overdue and the Sachsenring could be the place where it happens. The 3.671km track is the shortest of the 17 tracks visited this season. Set in the rolling heartlands of German motorcycle sport in the Hohenstein-Ernstthal region, the former public roads circuit is close to the MZ motorcycle factory and huge crowds of up to 250,000 attended the event in its heyday, when the race took place on the old road course. The tight twisting nature of the track demands acceleration rather than outright speed, six left-hand turns in succession put great stress on tyres and a steep downhill plunge followed by an uphill section to the start-finish straight requires precision from riders and stability from machines. Alex Barros is itching to ride, and said, “I’m happy to be heading to the Sachsenring, where we’re all hoping for a nice sunny day for the race! It’s an unusual track; tight and twisty, but I like it because I’ve had some good results there both on the 500cc bikes and on the MotoGP bike. Last year I battled for victory with Max and I think I did one of the best races of the year, so I’m quite confident for Sunday. The podium in Donington was satisfying because the conditions were truly awful, but I want to do even better before returning to Brazil for the summer break.” His team-mate Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), who failed to finish last weekend, said, “I was really annoyed at Donington, even though there’s nobody to blame for what happened considering the rotten conditions in the race. I returned home to Monaco, and took out my anger with a good bike ride and now I’m ready to race again. I love the Sachsenring, I can’t wait to race there next Sunday. I feel so much more comfortable with the bike, We’ve made some steps forward with the front settings and if we continue in this fashion, I will have my say on Sunday.” Sete, who won here in spectacular fashion in 2003, beating Rossi at the final turn on the last lap, said, “The Sachsenring is a slow and difficult track for MotoGP. It’s the shortest and most tortuous of all the tracks in the Championship and it is for this reason that the 250cc times are similar to ours in MotoGP. Due to the weight of the bikes and the slowness of the track, this is a very physically demanding circuit.” His team-mate Melandri said, “Overtaking is quite difficult here and the best place to do it is the braking at the end of the start/finish straight and at the Sachsenkurve. The atmosphere is fantastic here, the track is small so the public is all packed in tight, near the track, and you can really feel their presence. I achieved my first victory in the 250 class in 2001 here, but I also fell here last year.” Max said, “After the disaster at Donington I come to the Sachsenring determined to have a good result and good performance for my fans, for my team and for myself. I remember well last year when we took pole position and won the race. It was the perfect weekend and sadly one that has not happened since last year. It’s so frustrating knowing that I have the ability to be regularly on the front row and be regularly on the podium but at the moment it is just not happening. Let’s hope that the race this weekend will see a change in fortune.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) said, “I’ve gone pretty well at the Sachsenring in the past. I wouldn’t say it’s the most fun track but we’ve had some pretty good results there. The first year, I started 15th and finished fifth and last year got a podium. Some of the big left-handers really remind me of some of the dirt tracks back home, and I really like the downhill section towards the end of the track when it really falls away. As always when we have a bad race day I just want to get straight back on the track.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) needs a strong race here and said, “From this Grand Prix onwards I expect to improve my results, because as I promised before the United States of America Grand Prix, I want to, and I believe I can, reach my season objective: to improve on the final position of sixth obtained last year.” In the 250cc class reigning World Champion Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) will be looking to consolidate his position at the top of the World Championship standings with a repeat of his win here last year. “I had never been on the podium in Germany before,” said Dani. “But last season on the 250 I had a great race at the Sachsenring. I hope to have another good result here and I hope the weather stays nice all weekend. We already had enough water in England and even though I can’t complain about how things went there I always prefer to race in the dry. After this weekend we have three weeks of holidays so we have to try and go away with a sweet taste in our mouths.” His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) said, “I lost a good chance to win at Donington so I want to make up for that with a good race in Germany. Last year I finished fourth but I was only a few tenths of a second off the podium. Let’s see if I adapt as quickly as possible to the track this year and get a good position on the grid. In Germany it’s important to get a good start and stay at the front because the first turn is very tight and it’s always dangerous to be part of a big group there.” Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) who qualified on pole last weekend, is ready for another attempt at winning his first 250cc Grand Prix. “It’s not one of my favourite tracks,” said the Spaniard. “But we just need some dry weather. The bike is going really well and my aim is to win here.” Swiss star Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) Will be seeking to gain an advantage in the increasingly tight 125cc World Championship. Luthi makes no secret of his preference for faster tracks, but knows he has to perform well here. “The Sachsenring is a tight track with many elevations,” he said. “But I much prefer fast circuits with fast corners. I’ve only raced here three times and haven’t had a good result. But this time I hope to do a lot better. The bike is working really well so I’ll be in better shape to take a good result. We shall have to wait and see.” Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf RC3 Racing Honda RS125RW) is aiming to make up for a disappointing Donington Park, and said, “I feel good and the bike is very strong at the moment. This is the perfect chance to get a good result as long as the weather turns out okay.”