German MotoGP™ debrief with Shinji Aoki Sachsenring, Wednesday 11 July 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) An exciting German Grand Prix last Sunday saw Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa take the top step of the podium for the first time this season and move up to second in the MotoGP championship standings. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo finished second at Sachsenring to regain the championship lead, while Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso made it back-to-back podiums after taking third place in Germany. In what has been almost a customary inclusion for the season so far, weather conditions at Sachsenring were variable, ranging from warm and sunny to cool and wet over the weekend. Sunday’s race took place in dry conditions with track temperatures around 40°C, although rain did begin to fall just as the checkered flag was waved. Tyre selection for the race saw almost the whole field selecting the extra-hard front slick for its superior cornering stability, while rear tyre selection was split with all the CRT riders selecting the softer rear slick, while almost all of the riders on the more powerful works machines opted for the greater durability and more consistent grip of the harder rear slick. Q&A with Shinji Aoki Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department The weather at Sachsenring was very unpredictable with rain falling for most of Friday and Saturday, yet Sunday was dry. What effect did this have on the race weekend? “Well, apart from making conditions challenging for the riders, the rain at Sachsenring made it hard for teams to find an ideal setup for Sunday’s dry race. Both of Saturday’s sessions, as well as Friday afternoon’s FP2 were wet, meaning teams didn’t have a chance to perform longer runs on slick tyres in the same kinds of conditions we had for the race. Thankfully, we had fine weather for Sunday’s morning warm up session and this provided much needed dry track time, though overall, the unsettled weather was a detriment to teams finding an ideal race setup for dry conditions at what is a very demanding circuit.” Sunday’s morning warm up was dry; did this not provide enough opportunity for teams to find a dry setup for the race? “The teams, riders, as well as Bridgestone worked very hard on Sunday morning to make up for lost time. With only twenty minutes available on Sunday morning, some riders opted to make a single longer run to try and anticipate tyre performance during the race, while other riders did shorter runs on different bikes in order to find a setup that suited them. Though the dry track time for Sunday’s morning warm up was welcome, the lack of opportunity to perform race simulations on slick tyres earlier in the weekend was not an ideal situation for the teams or riders heading into the race.” In the end, all but two of the riders on works bikes selected the harder rear slick for the race. What were the factors in this preference for the harder option? “Sachsenring is quite an abrasive circuit and while many riders preferred the greater edge grip of the softer rear slick, when considering race tyre choice at this circuit the trade-off between edge grip and durability needs to be considered. So while the softer rear slick has the potential for better lap times, for the sake of more consistent grip levels over the duration of the race many riders selected the harder option. Also, our analysis of the rear tyres used during morning warm up prompted us to suggest to some riders from factory, as well as satellite teams, to choose the harder rear slick instead of the softer option. This recommendation was made to ensure certain riders didn’t experience excessive wear during the race.” More, from a press release issued by Damian Cudlin’s publicist: Aussie Damian Cudlin has been forced back on the “reserve bench” after two encouraging races riding for the Stop and Go Racing Team in the Moto2 Grand Prix World Championship. While mechanical issues forced Cudlin out of the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, his results took a promising turn a week later at the German Grand Prix in Sachsenring, including a 14th place in Free Practice (the highest placing for the SAG Racing Team and BIMOTA so far this year) and a 22nd place finish in the race. Despite the SAG Racing Team’s best efforts to retain Cudlin for the remainder of the season, sponsorship requirements have forced the team to utilize the services of a self-funded rider at the next Grand Prix in Mugello, Italy. Cudlin, who finished 7th in his Moto2 Grand Prix debut with the Pons Kalex Team in 2010, was disappointed with the eventual outcome but went on to thank the SAG Racing Team for their efforts and the opportunity to get back into the Grand Prix Paddock again in 2012. “I’ve really enjoyed working with the SAG Racing Team over the past two weeks and I really want to thank them for the opportunity to ride with them in the first place. It was a difficult job to develop the bike during race weekends but I think we improved the package a lot in this short time and it’s a real pity that I won’t get a chance to test some of the parts that BIMOTA have built from my requests.” Cudlin explained. “None the less, I wish the whole SAG Racing Team the best of luck and hope that, if the required sponsorship can be sourced by the team or any other parties, I’ll get another chance to work with them later in the season. I’d also like to thank all my supporters and especially Convict Club members who’ve really kept my spirits up.” The Aussie who remains based out of Gera in Germany will revert his attention back to the Endurance World Championship where he and the BMW Motorrad France Team were victorious last time out in Qatar.