The journey to this weekend’s German Grand Prix was a short one for the Kawasaki Racing Team, whose headquarters are just 200 kilometres south of the historic Sachsenring circuit, in the Bavarian town of Vohenstrauss. The ten-day break between the last race at Donington Park and this weekend’s German Grand Prix has been important for Randy de Puniet. Time off the bike has allowed the Kawasaki pilot to finally recover from a niggling back injury, which was sustained in the first corner crash that saw him exit prematurely from the French Grand Prix at Le Mans back in May. The 25-year-old Frenchman arrives in German fully fit and determined to improve upon his twelfth place finish last time out at Donington Park. De Puniet likes the tight and twisty nature of the Sachsenring circuit and, after watching his Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano, finishing within five seconds of the race winner here last year, he knows that the 3.671 km circuit also suits well the characteristics of his Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine. Forced to retire from the British Grand Prix two weeks ago due to a mechanical failure, Shinya Nakano arrives in Germany determined to get his championship campaign back on track, at a circuit that suits both his Ninja ZX-RR and his Bridgestone tyres. Nakano finished last year’s race in a creditable sixth position, after struggling during qualifying, but more importantly he crossed the line less than five seconds behind race winner, and reigning World Champion, Valentino Rossi. The 28-year-old Kawasaki pilot already has his strategy mapped out for this weekend, with the first sector of the Sachsenring circuit already identified as the place where Nakano feels he must concentrate his efforts during practice, and where he can make up the most time on his factory rivals. The current Sachsenring hosted its first Grand Prix event in 1998, although the layout was altered in 2001 and the 3.671 km track is now a combination of ten left-hand corners and only four rights, linked by short straights. The rear tyre gets a heavy workout at this track, which features steep, up and down sections with its hillside location. Probably the most spectacular corner on the whole circuit is the downhill, right-hand turn eight, which is taken at 220 km/h in fifth gear and has been likened to dropping off the edge of the world on a MotoGP bike. Adding to the excitement of this turn is the fact that it is only one of four right-hand corners on the whole circuit, and coming as it does after a long series of left-hand turns, it’s not unusual for MotoGP riders to have the bike almost sideways, with the rear tyre spinning and smoking, as they crest the rise at the top of the hill! Randy de Puniet: #17 “The ten day break between Donington Park and Sachsenring is just what I needed to sort out the back injury I sustained in the first corner crash at Le Mans. I was able to start training properly again after Donington, so I arrive in Germany for this weekend’s race fully fit and ready to go. Shinya finished sixth in this race last year, less than five seconds behind the race winner, so I know already that this circuit suits the characteristics of both our Ninja ZX-RR and our Bridgestone tyres. Sachsenring is one of the shortest circuits on the MotoGP calendar, which means that we will race over 30 laps on Sunday, but I like this circuit and, if we can pull everything together during practice and qualifying, then I hope to put in a good race performance in the Kawasaki Racing Team’s home Grand Prix this weekend.” Shinya Nakano: #56 “I like the Sachsenring circuit, it’s one of my favourites, but I’m not sure whether this is because of the track layout or because I finished on the podium here in 2001, which was my debut season in the premier class. Either way, I always look forward to the German Grand Prix, especially as it is the home Grand Prix of the Kawasaki Racing Team, which is based just two hours down the road from Sachsenring, in Vohenstrauss, Bavaria. So, we are definitely looking for a good result this weekend, and based on past results here, I think top six is a realistic possibility. I need to focus on finding the fastest line through the first part of the circuit, as the first corner is one of the few overtaking places on this track, and because I think there is time to be made up around the slower turns at the start of the lap. Because passing places are limited it is very important to qualify well here, and we’ll definitely be aiming for a front row start during qualifying on Saturday. I’m looking forward to getting things underway on Friday, and I just hope we can give the team a great result in their home race on Sunday.”