FIM MotoGP World Championship Sachsenring, Germany July 8, 2012 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 30 laps, 41:28.396 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -14.996 seconds 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -20.669 4. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -20.740 5. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -27.893 6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -28.050 7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -28.246 8. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -28.447 9. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -29.053 10. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -29.226 11. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), -53.176 12. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW-SUTER), -58.204 13. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), -64.654 14. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -73.543 15. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -90.318 16. Franco BATTAINI, Italy (DUCATI), -1 lap 17. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA), -1 lap 18. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -1 lap 19. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), -1 lap, DNF, crash 20. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -26 laps, DNF, crash 21. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), -27 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 160 points 2. Pedrosa, 146 3. Stoner, 140 4. Dovizioso, 92 5. Crutchlow, 85 6. Rossi, 71 7. Bautista, 67 8. Hayden, 65 9. Bradl, 62 10. Spies, 61 11. Barbera, 53 12. De Puniet, 24 13. Espargaro, 23 14. Pirro, 16 15. Pasini, 12 16. Ellison, 10 17. Petrucci, 9 18. Edwards, 8 19. Hernandez, 6 20. Silva, 5 21. Karel Abraham, 4 More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: GOOD RESULT AT SACHSENRING AFTER THE BATTLE WITH THE FACTORY RIDERS Pramac Ducati rider Hèctor Barberà collected valuable points after an exciting battle throughout todayÂ’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland race at the Sachsenring circuit. Starting from 10th place, Hèctor lost ground at the start but retook positions on the first lap, showing phenomenal early confidence with his Ducati Desmosedici. Barberà was locked in a captivating five-rider battle for sixth that included both Ducati Factory riders Hayden and Rossi, as well as Honda riders Bautista and Bradl. The 25-year-old rider rode with typical aggression, producing a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep the group at bay. But with five contestants, all ready to fight to achieve the best result possible, Hèctor had to settle for ninth to finish just one second off from Valentino RossiÂ’s sixth place. The result ensured the Spaniard gave himself big confidence ahead of the Pramac Racing Team’s home race at Mugello next weekend. Hèctor Barberà – Pramac Racing Team Rider – 9th place “IÂ’m really happy. It was the best and the most enjoyable race of this 2012 campaign. I fought with the Ducati Factory riders and I finished the race between Valentino and Nicky. But the most important point was that I had a great race pace and the gap from the top three MotoGP riders wasnÂ’t too large. Now I want to continue on this way, trying to enjoy riding, like today.” Francesco Guidotti – Pramac Racing Team Manager – “A great race, fighting both with the Ducati Factory and with the Japanese machines. During the practice sessions we were not able to find the best setup possible to ride in the dry, due to the tricky weather conditions, but the Pramac Racing crew were able to find the right way. Now we need to continue on this road with another positive result at Mugello, next week. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo moves further back into the Championship lead today after taking second in the Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring circuit. Having been suggested the harder tyre option by Bridgestone for safety reasons Lorenzo struggled to match the pace of rivals Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. He spent the majority of the race holding third whilst maintaining a gap to Andrea Dovizioso behind in fourth. A crash by Stoner in the final lap promoted him to second, putting him on 160 Championship points, 14 clear of Pedrosa in second. Team mate Ben Spies made a good start from second on the grid, settling in to third on the first corner behind the leaders Pedrosa and Stoner. It was also suggested that he use the harder option tyre which combined with his set up made it difficult to find optimum edge grip and acceleration. Spies was passed by Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow but then caught them again and was just 0.071 seconds from third when he crossed the line. The Texan takes a further 13 Championship points and remains in tenth position. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: +14.996 “Well, things can change completely in one race. In Holland we had a 25 point advantage then suddenly zero, one engine less and we were very disappointed. Then today we had some luck from Casey’s unfortunate crash. I would have been happy to have finished in third position because today the bike and the rear tyre was not so good. The race was very tough; I always seem to finish second here! I would have preferred not to crash in Assen and for Casey not to crash here but that is racing sometimes. We struggled a little all weekend with the changing weather so we must be happy with the end result.” Ben Spies Position : 4th Time: +20.740 “It was a frustrating race, but I guess we have to be happy with a top five. We had a lot more potential but we did the best we could with the set up we had. We didn’t have enough edge grip and acceleration so I had to sit behind Dovi and Cal and wait. I could see Cal was getting a little impatient and wanting to pass Dovi so I was hoping he would and maybe clear a spot for me to get by. I had a good pace but not enough to out brake them so had to play a waiting game.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “Today was a great result after a very difficult race. Our pace was never really there and we were not really happy with our set up in any session. What counts is the standings so we are happy to be back in the lead and heading to Mugello next weekend.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “It has been a pretty tough weekend but we have to see it in a different way. We came here second in the Championship and we are leaving leading it. This is the important thing. We knew from the beginning that it was going to be a complicated race and the weather didn’t help us. This morning we were pretty satisfied with the set up then suddenly we had to run with the hardest tyre. Unfortunately this choice compromised our results.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Superb win for Dani but despair for Casey Dani Pedrosa took his maiden victory of the 2012 season at the Grand Prix of Germany in a dramatic race which saw team mate Casey Stoner crash out just two turns from the chequered flag whilst running in second position. The Repsol Honda riders set an incredible pace from the beginning that no one else could match and they arrived at the final lap neck and neck, almost fifteen seconds ahead of Lorenzo in third position. Riding on the limit, Dani and Casey were matching times in a fantastic battle and on this occasion Dani emerged victorious, celebrating his third victory in a row (fourth in MotoGP and fifth in all classes) at Sachsenring. With this win, Dani moves up to second in the Championship standings with 146 points and Casey, who today had his first crash due to his own mistake after 25 starts with Repsol Honda, is now third with 140. DANI PEDROSA 1st World Championship Position: 2nd with 146 points “I’m really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen and it’s great not only for me, but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places, but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It’s been a really hard day though. Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win. Finally it is a great feeling and sure will give us a lot of motivation for the next races. It’s also good for the Championship, but we will not relax; victory this season has not been easy for any of us, so we have to keep pushing as we do”. CASEY STONER DNF World Championship Position: 3rd with 140 points “I’m pretty disappointed, I had planned to go for my ‘win or bin’ effort in the last corner not that one! I was happy on the bike and felt we had a few tenths a lap over Dani and confident I could pull him back in. On the final lap I made a mistake going into the first turn and I had to push a little more than I wanted through some of the sections but I got on to Dani exactly where I wanted and planned to make my overtake in the last corner, if I didn’t have an opportunity earlier in the lap. I felt confident but as soon as I tried to turn in a little more, the front went. I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area, as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I’m frustrated I wasn’t allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away. It’s our first crash in a race, down to our own mistake, for the first time in a long time so I’m disappointed for sure, but we knew we had the pace. If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season then we shouldn’t be so worried for the Championship”. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Dovizioso takes Sachsenring podium after late drama Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Andrea Dovizioso extended his outstanding run of form at Germany’s Sachsenring today, the Italian rider capitalising on a late crash by reigning World Champion Casey Stoner to finish in third position. Dovizioso rode a tremendous 30-lap race under severe pressure from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Cal Crutchlow and Factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies. A third podium in the last four races a ppeared to have eluded Dovizioso when he started the final lap in fourth position. But late drama unfolded in front of a crowd of over 80,000 fans when Stoner tumbled out of second at the penultimate corner on the final lap. Promoted into third position, Dovizioso aggressively attacked the final two corners to brilliantly fend off an attack from Spies and he took his 19th MotoGP podium by less than 0.1s after a tense run to the finish line. Dovizioso’s result moved him into fourth in the World Championship standings after Crutchlow’s valiant effort to extend his impressive sequence of top five finishes. The British rider was once again locked in a close and exciting duel with Dovizioso but just as the fight headed towards a nail-biting climax, Crutchlow ran off track at the first corner on lap 26. He managed to keep control of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in the gravel trap and re-joined the race in 11th. The 26-year-old was barely knocked out of his rhythm and he fought his way back into eighth position to collect eight valuable World Championship points. The final result certainly didn’t reflect Crutchlow’s true potential and he demonstrated his speed and consistency once again by setting the third fastest lap of the race behind Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Andrea Dovizioso 3rd 92 points: “I am really happy to finish on the podium again and it is a great feeling to do it here because this track has never been the best for me. It was the same in Assen last week, so to be on the podium there and also here at the Sachsenring shows the fantastic job that we are all doing in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Of course we have to consider ourselves a little bit fortunate today to finish third because of Casey’s crash. But it proved how crucial it was for me to remain at the front of the battle with Cal and Ben for the whole race. If I had let them overtake me then perhaps I would not have been third. I am happy because I rode an intelligent race today. I never pushed completely at the limit, especially during the first laps, as I knew from the past that I would probably pay for that tactic at the end of the race. My focus was to be consistent and I managed that and that was the key to this result. I was only six seconds behind Lorenzo and that is good because he is the benchmark at Yamaha and that means I was only 0.2s per lap slower than him. We can still improve but my feeling with the Yamaha is fantastic and I am really happy with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Now I go to my home race in Mugello with a lot of confidence and the goal will be to battle for the podium again.” Cal Crutchlow 8th 85 points: “I’m pretty disappointed to be honest and I think we definitely deserved better. My mistake was not passing Andrea earlier because I had the pace to be with Lorenzo. I was just waiting behind Andrea for the last five laps to size up an attack but unfortunately I ran off at the first corner. It was my mistake but I got back on track and was just as fast and recovered a couple of places, so it wasn’t too bad in the end. I’m not sure why but Andrea’s bike seemed to accelerate better than mine and he had more speed on the str aight. I would catch him in the corners but lose a couple of tenths on the straight. I’m sure I could have been fourth because the podium would have been a gift. I wouldn’t have wanted my first podium in MotoGP to come just because another rider crashed out. Once again though I have showed what I am capable of. Last year here was a disaster and I was 14th, but today I was fighting two seriously fast riders and I had the pace to beat them. I got the third fastest lap of the race too so we definitely have the speed to battling in the top five at every race.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “That was another exciting race for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team and once again it was quite a nervous experience for me to see Andrea and Cal fighting so closely together. We have seen that many times already in 2012 but it do esn’t make it any easier to watch. It is almost like they can’t race without each other! It was a shame that Cal made a mistake so close to the end because it would have been interesting to see the fight go to the last lap. Andrea once again was fantastic and his pace was very consistent. He didn’t make even one small mistake that would have given Cal and Ben an opportunity to pass him and to ride under that pressure takes a lot of concentration and also skill. We are fortunate this time to be on the podium because of the crash of Casey but Andrea would not have been third had he not worked so hard to stay in front of Cal and Ben. So he deserves it and to get a third podium in the last four races is incredible for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. It is a shame that a small mistake compromised Cal’s race because perhaps he could have been on the podium for the first time. He felt he was faster than Andrea and he was just waiting for the right moment to make his move. But he ra n off track at the first corner and that was a pity. He showed his pace and potential though again and I am sure his wait for a first podium will be over soon.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Close race for Rossi and Hayden at the Sachsenring Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden crossed the finish line of the German GP in sixth and tenth places, respectively, after fighting throughout the race in a group of four or five riders. With just one practice session and the warm-up having taken place with no rain, the Ducati Team had little time to work on the dry settings that they used for today’s Grand Prix, but they both identified a number of adjustments that allowed them to consistently ride at a good pace. On Friday, the team will return to the track in the first practice sessions for their home GP at Mugello, where a one-day post-race test will take place on the following Monday, concluding three intense weeks of work. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 6th “Today’s race went a little bit better. This weekend we decided to work on a setting that was similar to the one we used at Barcelona and Estoril, in order to suffer less with the rear tyre. Although we weren’t able to try it much in the dry, it turned out to be pretty effective. It allowed me to have a pace that was consistent and pretty fast until the end. The gap to the Hondas is large, but the Yamahas were closer today. When I realized that I didn’t have the pace to escape the group I was in, I waited for the right moment to attack, and in the end, I was able to pass almost all of them. I tried with Bradl as well, but when I was almost next to him, they gave us the yellow flag for Stoner’s crash, and I backed off because anyway, I would have had to let him back by. I was sixth, our best result in the dry this year, so now we’ll continue in this direction. The bike is a little more difficult to ride, but at least I’m able to brake hard and to ride at a good pace until the end.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th “I’m really frustrated to have been in a big battle like that, only to arrive at the end of it. For the most part, I felt just as fast as the other riders in the group and even faster in places, until about the last five laps. Then I think I was hurt by the combination of the tyre going off and me trying too hard at the end. I really started to spin and lost the rear a couple times on entry. We had tried a couple of things in the warm-up, and considering the lack of dry time this weekend, the bike was decent. In parts of the track I was fast, but I had troubles getting into and out of the last corner, as well as braking for turn one. To arrive tenth, when fifth was just over a second in front, is hard for a racer to take. I can’t be too happy with that one, but we’ll get another shot in a week at Mugello.” Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager “It was positive day from a number of perspectives: we used two settings for Vale and Nicky that allowed them to ride at a decent pace, close to that of the Yamahas, to not stress the tyres too much and to fight for the entire race with a number of competitors. In the end, Vale got to the front of that group, and although he wasn’t able to get Bradl because of the waving yellow flag, he finished sixth, which is his best result in the dry this year. Nicky’s result didn’t match the potential that he demonstrated for the entire race, but that can happen in a close battle, frustrating as it may be. We must continue working to improve the bike, and today we gathered some interesting information.” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: A CRASH ENDS MATTIA PASINI’S RACE IN THE GERMANY GRAND PRIX The eighth race of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship was held today, at the German circuit of Sachsenring. Pasini, who started from the fourteenth spot on the grid, didn’t have the opportunity to repeat the great result he achieved last weekend in Assen. The Italian was together with the other CRT machines, when on the fifth lap he was pushed outside the track by another rider, which made him crash and consequently retire. Mattia now leaves behind him a difficult weekend, looking forwards to the race in Mugello, which is held next week, hoping for a good chance to make up for today’s result. With twelve ponts, Pasini currently holds the fifteenth position in the General Classification. Mattia Pasini #54 – crashed out “It’s a shame how this weekend ended. Things were going better, for the race we had managed to find a solution that helped us in being more competitive on top of the ART machine. We knew we had a consistent rhythm and that we had the chance to fight among the other CRT bikes, I was just waiting for the second part of the race to try and move up a few positions. On the fifth lap another rider made me crash and the race ended that way. Now we leave behind this GP to look towards Mugello, our home race, and we’ll see if we can make up there.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: DE PUNIET RETURNS TO CRT TOP SPOT IN RACE AND CHAMPIONSHIP POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders round of another strong weekend and extend advantage as best CRT competitors The main favourite for victory at Sachsenring was Dani Pedrosa, and he proved to be the winner in the German Grand Prix this Sunday. The race was primarily a battle between the Spaniard and teammate Casey Stoner, in which both riders established an advantage over the rest of the field and then diced for victory with one another. In five laps they had already dropped the pace to 1’22, with a gap of nearly fifteen seconds over those behind. Pedrosa looked to pass his teammate at the start of lap nineteen, but the battle went down to the wire. After various changes at the front, Stoner crashed out on the penultimate turn and dropped twenty championship points. Pedrosa won from Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso. The great warmup lap pace set by Randy De Puniet (1’23.902, just 1.3 seconds slower than best rider Stoner) was a warning to the other CRT participants of the Frenchman’s intentions. Riding at a consistently strong pace all weekend, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar reaped the rewards for his efforts on Sunday. Only a small problem kept him from qualifying as the top CRT rider yesterday, but he had already moved up to eleventh by the second lap on race day. De Puniet attempted to follow the satellite and factory riders in the early going, with a pace of 1’24 that pulled him away from the other CRTs. He eventually placed eleventh, taking five points and moving back into the lead of the CRT section of the overall standings. Just one point behind on 23 is teammate Aleix Espargaró. The two POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders are almost inseparable in the class, but today the Spaniard was unable to find the best setup for normal conditions following the rain of the weekend. He did, however, ride well enough around such issues to place thirteenth. 11th Randy De Puniet: “Today I had a good race, to round off a great weekend. My start was perfect and I was quickly up alongside my teammate. I got past him and latched onto the rear wheel of some factory bikes for a few laps. They broke away a little later, but this push at the start allowed me to keep my pace up. Álvaro got by me and I stuck with him as well, which also allowed me to ride fast and consistently. This has undoubtedly been my best weekend of the year -above all the race. I was riding by myself for a great deal of the time and it wasn’t easy, so I had to keep focus and not drop my pace. This is the second race in which we have been the best CRT, we are working well and I feel comfortable with the bike -Which shows on track. We are going in the right direction and have to continue like this.” 13th Aleix Espargaró: “Today’s was a tough race, because we didn’t have the bike as well setup for the conditions as for in the rain. We had barely ridden in the dry this weekend and paid the price for that. I pushed as hard as I could at the start, but the bike wasn’t going as well as we wanted, I lacked front end feel and was finding it hard to hold my line on the fast corners. I kept a fast pace up to try and hold position, but Colin got past me at the end. We lost some points and it is disappointing, just like in Holland. Randy has moved ahead of us but things are very even. We have to keep fighting to continue our good form.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL ENDS HIS HOME RACE WITH A SOLID FIFTH PLACE Sachsenring, 8th July: the MotoGP contingent were greeted by some welcome sunshine today at the Grand Prix of Deutschland 30-lap race with local favourite Stefan Bradl excelling on his RC213V machine ahead his home crowd. The German rookie was again a strong performer both in the wet and in the dry at the tight and twisty racetrack finishing sixth fastest in yesterday’s close wet qualifying. Bradl started at the end of row two instantly demonstrating his dry weather potential by leading the second group riders till the last three dramatic laps of his home race when the 22-year German was capable to constraint more experienced riders such as Rossi and Hayden. Stefan: “It has been a tough race since the beginning because I had to fight to maintain the gap to the group behind me. But I took another good start and this is very positive: after that I was capable to follow the Yamaha riders for a while but I could feel that our corner speed was not enough and our edge grip in the left side was poor because after 3 or 4 laps the bike started to spin already. That caused me some issues because I was not able to attack them and in the middle of the race I had to let them go. From that moment I had to manage the group behind me till the chequered flag and it was very difficult. So I had to push myself to the maximum to block Rossi, Hayden and Barbera in the last 3 laps. I am very happy about this result because I could relegate them behind me and this fifth place is a fantastic result for me, for my family, for the Team and for my local fans”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Pedrosa makes it three wins in a row at Sachsenring Round 8: German Grand Prix Race Sachsenring, Sunday 8 July 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 28-28°C; Track 41-36°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was victorious at today’s German Grand Prix to secure his third consecutive triumph at Sachsenring and strengthen his position in the MotoGP™ championship standings. Pedrosa and Repsol Honda teammate Casey Stoner were engaged in an exciting battle for the whole race until Stoner crashed out on the last lap while fighting for the lead, promoting Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo into second place while Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso took the final place on the podium in third position. Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet is now the top CRT rider in the standings after the Frenchman crossed the line in eleventh place. In a complete contrast to yesterday, conditions today were warm and dry with a track temperature of 41°C at the start of the race before conditions cooled towards the end of the race as light drizzle began to fall, though without causing any disruption. Only one rider selected the medium compound front slick, with all other riders preferring the greater cornering stability and durability of the extra-hard front, while rear tyre choice saw the field almost split between the softer and harder slicks, with eleven of the twenty-one riders selecting the softer rear option. Lorenzo’s second place sees him regain the championship lead, while Pedrosa’s victory moves him up into second position on the points table and just fourteen points behind Lorenzo, while Stoner is now in third place overall and six points behind Pedrosa. Shinji Aoki Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Thankfully we had fine weather and dry track conditions for the morning warm up session and this provided much needed track time for teams to find a dry setup for the race. Sachsenring is a very abrasive circuit and after analysing the rear tyres after the warm up session, we advised some riders to use the harder rear slick option instead of the softer rear to limit tyre wear during the race. Another benefit of using the harder rear slick is that its grip levels are very stable over the duration of the race as shown by Dani Pedrosa being able to set the fastest lap of the race on the very last lap.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Race Winner “Today was difficult because we made many changes before the race and I couldn’t get familiar with the bike at the beginning of the race. Casey and I were together the whole race and we were both doing fast laps so I knew it would come down to the last lap. I was good under braking and pushed really hard to the end and I am very happy that after so many podiums I won my first race of the season and I’d like to thank my team and everyone around me for their support.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The MotoGP™ classes encountered glorious sunshine, torrential rain and an incredibly dramatic last lap at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring, where Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa took his first victory of the season in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso. It was Pedrosa who got the best start as he led into turn one ahead of teammate Casey Stoner and the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. The grid was tightly bunched early on, with Stoner soon passing his teammate for the lead, as the Australian looked to have more pace in the opening stages. With 27 laps to go, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro retired with a mechanical issue, while a lap later Spies ran wide and let Lorenzo into third, to chase down the Repsol Hondas. As Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini crashed out of the race with 25 laps left, Spies’ mistake had let the tussling Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair catch up, with Dovizioso and Crutchlow switching places as they looked for a way past Spies. Two laps on, the pair made it past Spies, who looked to be slowing, as the Repsol Honda pair started to pull out a gap at the front. With 12 laps left, Pedrosa made his move past Stoner into turn one, shortly after which the Austrian had a big wobble on his bike trying to keep up with the Spaniard. However, this was just momentary, as Stoner continued to stick to Pedrosa’s rear wheel. With just seven laps remaining the three-way Yamaha tussle was getting ever more fierce as Crutchlow continued to look for a way past Dovizioso in fourth. It was however not to be as the Brit out-braked himself going into turn one and ran into the gravel. He managed to keep his bike upright and re-joined behind San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, leaving Spies and Dovizioso to fight it out alone. The last few laps were a thrilling affair as Stoner and Pedrosa were neck and neck, but there was huge drama in the final turns as Stoner crashed out chasing down the Spaniard. After the race Stoner was highly critical of the track marshals, claiming they did not help him get back on track. Pedrosa was setting a record pace as he fought hard for his maiden win of the season, and crossed the finish line first in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who recorded his third podium this season. This result puts Lorenzo 14 points clear in the championship with Pedrosa now in second, a further four points ahead of Stoner in third. The first non-podium finisher was Ben Spies in fourth, followed by LCR Honda MotoGP’s Bradl and Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi, whose sixth place was his best dry result this season. Bautista, Crutchlow, Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá and Ducati’s Hayden complete the top ten, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet finished as top CRT bike in 11th. Moto2 Amid warm and sunny conditions at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who extended his championship lead in the Moto2™ category as he took victory ahead of Mika Kallio and Alex de Angelis. At the start it was Márquez who took the holeshot followed by Marc VDS Racing Team’s Mika Kallio and Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón. Kallio’s teammate Scott Redding crashed out in the first set of bends as he made contact with Mapfre Aspar Team’s Toni Elías. With 24 laps remaining, Elías too crashed out of the race, while Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone continued to heap ever more pressure on Márquez in second. A lap later, Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró did tremendously well to save a near crash, though he did drop back some positions. To add to the excitement, with 21 laps to go Iannone made his pass on Márquez, with the Spaniard taking him back almost immediately. On the same lap, JiR Moto2’s Brazilian youngster Eric Granado crashed after running off into the gravel. Following this there was drama at the front as Iannone crashed out pushing too hard into turn one, though he was able to re-join the race in 26th. With 15 laps remaining, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis made a move on Kallio at turn 12, but the Finn got the better drive out of the corner and re-took second. A few laps later De Angelis had another go and made it stick that time, as Espargaró started to hunt down the front three. GP Team Switzerland’s Randy Krummenacher crashed out of the race on the same lap, yet was unhurt in the incident. The pack had settled down in the latter stages, however it was Kallio who provided a last gasp of excitement two laps before the end as he passed De Angelis into turn one to take second place. De Angelis tried to retake him in the final corner yet ran wide, with the Finn having the better drive out of the bend. Ultimately it was Márquez who took the chequered flag for his fourth win this year, with Kallio and De Angelis both taking their first podium of the season. Márquez now leads the championship by 43 points ahead of Espargaró, who finished fourth. They were followed by Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi, Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi, Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith and Xavier Siméon, Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti and CIP-Technomag’s Dominique Aegerter. Moto3 After the skies opened just before the Moto3™ race at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese who coped best with some difficult track conditions to take his first home win ahead of Alexis Masbou and Luis Salom. JHK Laglisse’s Adrián Martín got the holeshot ahead of Caretta Technology’s Jack Miller with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent in tow. Most riders looked very tentative at the start, yet Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi made his way through the field and soon came up behind Miller and Martín. Just before the race had run half its distance, the sun had come out with all its force, creating a quick-drying line. With 14 laps left, Ambrogio Next Racing’s Giulian Pedone retired from the race, while a lap later RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom went past Rossi in turn one to take second spot. Miller’s teammate Alexis Masbou was a man on a mission as he carved his way through the pack on the drying line. With ten laps left there was heartache for German fans as IodaRacing Team’s Jonas Folger’s race was ended with a bike issue, as was Moto FGR’s Jasper Iwema. With seven laps to go Martín was caught out as he crashed heading into turn seven, but walked away unscathed. The latter stages of the race also saw Salom’s teammate Binder crash out at turn 11, while a group of Masbou, Cortese and Salom had formed at the front. In the meantime, Danny Kent had returned to the pits with a bike issue, while Faubel’s teammate Alberto Moncayo also suffered a mechanical problem. With two laps to go, Mahindra Racing’s Marcel Schrotter made it the second German rider out of the race with a crash. In the final two laps there was drama at the front as Rossi retired with a mechanical issue from fifth, as Cortese diced with Masbou for the win. And it was ultimately the local Cortese who kept his nerve to become the first German to win at the newly-built Sachsenring and retake the lead in the championship, with Masbou taking his first ever Grand Prix podium and Salom completing the top three. This result now puts Cortese at the top of the championship standings, 18 points ahead of Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales, who finished in 17th. Behind the winning trio were Miller, JHK Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Faubel, Freudenberg Racing Team’s wildcard Luca Gruenwald, Red Bull’s Arthur Sissis and Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil. More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP: Yonny finishes fourth in the CRT’s in Sachsenring whereas Silva finishes eighteenth in the general ranking Sachsenring, 8 July 2012. This time the rain left the MotoGP riders alone as the race took place in dry conditons until a few drops fell on the final lap. The Avintia Blusens riders got disparate results once again as Yonny Hernández crossed the finish in the fourtheenth position in the general ranking and fourth among the CRT’s and Iván Silva was unable to finish any further than the eighteenth position. Yonny happened to be harmed by a couple of mistakes he made over the first few laps which held him back and prevented him from reaching the CRT podium. For his part Silva experienced traction issues which prevented him from getting a better final position and scoring as expected. Yonny Hernández (14º, +1’13.543): “I made a bad start and I made a few mistakes over the first few laps. Afterwards I pushed as much as I could and I think I did a good race. I got close to Edwards but I when I got there my tyre gave out and I didn’t manage to pass him. But I am glad because we completed the race the team did a great job and improved the bike and I am very motivated to score again and improve in the next round.” Iván Silva (18º, +1V): “Over the first few laps we annoyed one another a lot with Battaini and it proved to be really difficult to pass him. He rides a MotoGP which speeds up a lot more than our CRT’s and when it came to brake in order to pass him I was lagging too far behind. When I was about to make it Ellison and Yonny had already escaped. Six or seven laps later the rear wheel started to slide a lot and I had to drop by a couple of times to have the traction checked in order to avoid to crash but of course we were not fast. I don’t like lagging that far behind and what is more it seemed that the progression was noticeable but in the race it didn’t seem that obvious. Before Mugello all I can say is that I’d like to get a bike as close to the one I had in Assen as it was where I felst most at ease.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY Pedrosa turns title fight into three-way tussle after thrilling victory in classic duel INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, July 8, 2012 – After Dani Pedrosa’s thrilling victory Sunday, July 8 at the Grand Prix of Germany, the only certainty among the top three riders in MotoGP is uncertainty. And that’s a very good thing for fans of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP next month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pedrosa earned his first victory of the season on his Repsol Honda factory machine, beating Jorge Lorenzo’s Yamaha Factory Racing bike to the line by 14.996 seconds at the Sachsenring. Andrea Dovizioso finished third on his Tech 3 Yamaha satellite bike. But Pedrosa’s margin of victory might be the most deceptive statistic of the 2012 season in MotoGP. His victory came after an epic duel with Repsol Honda teammate Casey Stoner for nearly the entire race, as they never were separated by more than a second during the second half of the 30-lap race. Reigning World Champion Stoner fell on the second-to-last turn of the race while trying to pull even with Pedrosa for a last-gasp pass for victory after losing the lead to Pedrosa with 12 laps to go. Stoner’s Honda remained beached in the gravel trap, as he failed to finish a race for the first time since April 2011, ending a streak of 22 consecutive top-four finishes. Pedrosa climbed to second in the World Championship, just 14 points behind Lorenzo, who entered the race tied with Stoner atop the standings. Stoner slipped to third after the shocking fall, six points behind Pedrosa and 20 behind Lorenzo. “Well, things can change completely in one race,” Lorenzo said. It was a stunning twist to an unpredictable two weeks in the World Championship. Lorenzo led Stoner by 25 points entering TT Assen on June 30, with Pedrosa in third, 39 points out of the lead. Now this. “Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn,” Pedrosa said. “I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win. Finally. It is a great feeling and sure will give us a lot of motivation for the next races. It’s also good for the championship, but we will not relax.” Said Stoner, “I had planned to go for my ‘win or bin’ effort in the last corner, not that one!” The three American riders produced solid results. Ben Spies finished fourth, tying a season best, on his Yamaha Factory Racing machine after starting third. It was his third consecutive top-five finish. Nicky Hayden was 10th on his Ducati, while Colin Edwards tied his best result of the season by finishing 12th on his NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter-BMW. He was the second-highest finishing Claiming Rule Teams rider. Spies was embroiled in an all-Yamaha fight with Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow for fourth place for most of the race. Hayden also traded places often in a six-bike battle for sixth through 11th places throughout most of the second half of the scintillating race. The next race is the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 15 at Mugello. MotoGP comes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the fifth Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 17-19. PODIUM FINISHER QUOTES DANI PEDROSA (Winner, Repsol Honda Team): “I’m really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen, and it’s great not only for me but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team, and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It’s been a really hard day, though. Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win. Finally. It is a great feeling and sure will give us a lot of motivation for the next races. It’s also good for the championship, but we will not relax. Victory this season has not been easy for any of us, so we have to keep pushing as we do.” JORGE LORENZO (Second, Yamaha Factory Racing): “Well, things can change completely in one race. In Holland, we had a 25-point advantage then suddenly zero, one engine less, and we were very disappointed. Then today we had some luck from Casey’s (Stoner) unfortunate crash. I would have been happy to have finished in third position because today the bike and the rear tire was not so good. The race was very tough; I always seem to finish second here. I would have preferred not to crash in Assen and for Casey not to crash here, but that is racing sometimes. We struggled a little all weekend with the changing weather, so we must be happy with the end result.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO (Third, Monster Yamaha Tech 3): “I am really happy to finish on the podium again, and it is a great feeling to do it here because this track has never been the best for me. It was the same in Assen last week, so to be on the podium there and also here at the Sachsenring shows the fantastic job that we are all doing in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. Of course, we have to consider ourselves a little bit fortunate today to finish third because of Casey’s (Stoner) crash. But it proved how crucial it was for me to remain at the front of the battle with Cal (Crutchlow) and Ben (Spies) for the whole race. If I had let them overtake me, then perhaps I would not have been third. I am happy because I rode an intelligent race today. Now I go to my home race in Mugello with a lot of confidence, and the goal will be to battle for the podium again.” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES BEN SPIES (Fourth, Yamaha Factory Racing): “It was a frustrating race, but I guess we have to be happy with a top five. We had a lot more potential, but we did the best we could with the setup we had. We didn’t have enough edge grip and acceleration, so I had to sit behind Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso) and Cal (Crutchlow) and wait. I could see Cal was getting a little impatient and wanting to pass Dovi, so I was hoping he would and maybe clear a spot for me to get by. I had a good pace but not enough to out-brake them so had to play a waiting game.” NICKY HAYDEN (10th, Ducati Team): “I’m really frustrated to have been in a big battle like that, only to arrive at the end of it. For the most part, I felt just as fast as the other riders in the group, and even faster in places, until about the last five laps. Then I think I was hurt by the combination of the tire going off and me trying too hard at the end. I really started to spin and lost the rear a couple times on entry. We had tried a couple of things in the warm-up, and considering the lack of dry time this weekend, the bike was decent. In parts of the track, I was fast. But I had troubles getting into and out of the last corner, as well as braking for Turn 1. To arrive 10th, when fifth was just over a second in front, is hard for a racer to take. I can’t be too happy with that one, but we’ll get another shot in a week at Mugello.” COLIN EDWARDS (12th, NGM Mobile Forward Racing): “I had a great start. Got to the first corner, but (Hector) Barbera wouldn’t let me have it. So he comes up on the inside and pushes out, and a couple of others got me there. I put my head down and started putting laps together, tried not make any mistakes. We had a big problem in the beginning of the race with the traction control. Just steps too fast out, and it’s just not very friendly. I spent the next few laps playing with the traction control, trying to get something more to get it to be smoother. Then (Aleix) Espargaro was in front of me, and I saw that I was catching little by little on to him. I passed him, then he passed me and finally passed him again and made it stick. I could see (Randy) de Puniet was coming back little by little, but I just didn’t have enough time left.” POINTS Riders: Jorge Lorenzo 160, Dani Pedrosa 146, Casey Stoner 140, Andrea Dovizioso 92, Cal Crutchlow 85, Valentino Rossi 71, Alvaro Bautista 67, Nicky Hayden 65, Stefan Bradl 62, Ben Spies 61, Hector Barbera 53, Randy de Puniet 24, Aleix Espargaro 23, Michele Pirro 16, Mattia Pasini 12, James Ellison 10, Danilo Petrucci 9, Colin Edwards 8, Yonny Hernandez 6, Ivan Silva 5, Karel Abraham 4. Manufacturers: Honda 176, Yamaha 176, Ducati 85, ART 37, FTR 16, Ioda 9, BQR 9, Suter 8, BQR-FTR 2. MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS Moto2: Marc Marquez, Spain, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol Suter-Honda. Moto3: Sandro Cortese, Germany, Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM. 2012 tickets: Tickets for the 2012 Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event, scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are on sale now at www.imstix.com , by calling (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. Information on camping at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is available at www.imstix.com. Hotel package information can be found at visitindy.com/redbull.