Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Sachsenring Off Results 1. Dani Pedrosa, Honda RC212V, Michelin, 30 laps, 41:53.196 2. Loris Capirossi, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, -13.166 seconds 3. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC212V, Michelin, -16.771 4. Colin Edwards, Yamaha YZR-M1, Michelin, -18.299 5. Casey Stoner, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, -31.426 6. Marco Melandri, Honda RC212V, Bridgestone, -31.917 7. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSV-R, Bridgestone, -33.395 8. Anthony West, Kawasaki ZX-RR, Bridgestone, -41.194 9. Alex Hofmann, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, -43.214 10. Michel Fabrizio, Honda RC212V, Bridgestone, -44.459 11. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki GSV-R, Bridgestone, -61.894, ride-through penalty 12. Kurtis Roberts, KR212V, Michelin, -70.721 13. Makoto Tamada, Yamaha YZR-M1, Dunlop, -2 laps, pitted, rejoined 14. Carlos Checa, Honda RC212V, Michelin, -3 laps, crash 15. Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki ZX-RR, Bridgestone, -1 lap, DNF, retired 16. Shinya Nakano, Honda RC212V, Michelin, -11 laps, DNF, retired 17. Alex Barros, Ducati GP07, Bridgestone, -21 laps, DNF, crash 18. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha YZR-M1, Michelin, -25 laps, DNF, crash 19. Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha YZR-M1, Dunlop, -27 laps, DNF, crash More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: Pedrosa ends win drought amidst Sachsenring heat Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland July 15th, Report Day 3 Amidst blistering heat at Sachsenring, Dani Pedrosa ended both his and Honda’s win drought with victory in a hard-fought Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Spaniard was on a run of 18 races without stepping onto the top box of the podium, with his factory on their longest winless streak since 1991. However, Pedrosa certainly showed no signs of unfamiliarity at the head of the pack, riding an assured race and benefiting from the great performance of his Michelin tyres. He eventually crossed the line over 13 seconds ahead of another resurgent star, Loris Capirossi. Capirossi took his second podium of the season by riding somewhat against the tide, paying no heed to the expectations that his Bridgestone rubber would fade towards the end of the race. The Italian veteran gave himself something to smile about after a series of difficult Grands Prix, and also a timely reminder of his talent to those teams planning to dip into the market for 2008. He slipped past his team-mate Casey Stoner on lap 19 as part of an overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong by Marco Melandri, and held out at the highly physical German track for another visit to the rostrum. In an ideal warm-up for next week’s home race, Nicky Hayden stepped onto the podium for the second consecutive race. In Assen he set off from thirteenth, and he had just as difficult a task this weekend as he stormed through the field from fourteenth. Chasing a hat trick of victories at Laguna Seca, Hayden appears to have hit form at just the right time to turn around his season and hold his head high stateside. Colin Edwards also pushed himself into the top four from nowhere, riding commendably onboard the Yamaha M1 to finish just two seconds behind Hayden. His performance also gave some degree of help to team-mate and title challenger Valentino Rossi, as the ‘Texas Tornado’ managed to relegate World Championship leader Casey Stoner to fifth and limit the damage to the Italian’s hopes. Stoner experienced a difficult race from pole, but now leads the way in the classification by 32 points from Rossi. The Australian had never raced in a MotoGP race in Germany, but despite not being able to challenge for victory number six he still took crucial points in the title hunt, albeit in his joint-worst position of the season. An early crash from Rossi was somewhat more helpful to Stoner’s cause, leaving the five-time MotoGP World Champion with a zero on the board after he lowsided when trying to pass Randy de Puniet. He now heads to Laguna Seca knowing that he will spend the summer break on the back foot in the battle between himself and his Ducati-riding rival. Marco Melandri took his fourth top six finish of the year onboard the Gresini Honda RC212V, ahead of John Hopkins and the constantly improving Anthony West. The latter has bettered his placing at both races since his debut eleventh position at Donington Park for Kawasaki, and continues to reward ‘Team Green’ for the gamble taken on bringing him in as a replacement rider. West’s team-mate Randy de Puniet was forced into retirement on the last lap with a mechanical problem, pushing Pramac d’Antin Ducati’s Alex Hofmann up to ninth position at his home race. The Frenchman’s withdrawal also gave Michel Fabrizio a top ten finish in his wild card appearance for Gresini Honda. In addition to Rossi and De Puniet, there were also retirements for Alex Barros, Sylvain Guintoli and Shinya Nakano. 250cc Grand Prix A great day for KTM concluded with a memorable one-two in the 250cc class, with victory at Sachsenring going to their Japanese talent Hiroshi Aoyama ahead of Mika Kallio. It had seemed as if Alex de Angelis was going to run away with the race after taking the lead from Andrea Dovizioso on the fifth lap, but the chasing pack kept a wary eye on the Aspar team rider as they attempted to close him down. However, it was only late on that the KTM battalion really got into the thick of the action, with Aoyama taking the definitive lead on the final lap. Starting from pole, Kallio re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with alongside his team-mate. On course for his maiden podium in the quarter litre category, the Finn further improved with a sublime move on the final corner as De Angelis attempted to regain the lead. De Angelis extends his run of top four finishes to 15, going some way to change his reputation as something of an inconsistent force in the class. He also moves ahead of Andrea Dovizioso in the overall classification and goes into the summer break twenty points behind leader Jorge Lorenzo. The aforementioned two finished fifth and fourth respectively, unable to duke it out with the leaders at the end of the race. Involved in some aggressive moves on his rivals throughout the race, partly down to a problem with the steering on his bike, Hector Barbera rounded off the top six ahead of Marco Simoncelli, Yuki Takahashi, Thomas Luthi and Roberto Locatelli. 125cc Grand Prix The 125cc category begins its summer break with Gabor Talmacsi two points clear in the overall standings, courtesy of a runaway victory from pole at Sachsenring. A storming start from the Hungarian saw him break the lap record by a second on his third visit past the line, and he maintained the gap between himself and his pursuers to finish 3.5 seconds ahead of second placed Tomoyoshi Koyama. Koyama also had a stellar race, gaining places at a tremendous rate from fifteenth on the grid. The Japanese rider benefited from the improvements made to his KTM over the past few weeks, and now lies in third in the championship as a result of his second place. Hector Faubel is the rider trailing Talmacsi in the 125cc classification, but made sure he kept touch with his team-mate with third in Germany. Second place would have retained his World Championship lead, but the final podium spot still serves to help his title push. Simone Corsi was another rider in the mix for a rostrum finish, but just missed out on the line. Randy Krummenacher, Lukas Pesek, Sandro Cortese, Bradley Smith, Pablo Nieto and Michael Ranseder completed the first ten past the chequered flag. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship for the premier class takes place at Laguna Seca in the USA on July 22nd. More, from a press release issued by Team Roberts: KURTIS ROBERTS DOUBLES HIS POINTS AT SACHSENRING Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany – July 15, 2007: Kurtis Roberts doubled his points total for the season by finishing in the points for a third successive GP, with his best result of the year in the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Roberts, riding as substitute for his elder brother Kenny Junior in only his fifth race, had a few small problems on the Team Roberts’ framed, Honda-powered hybrid on the mostly left-handed course in former East German state of Saxony. Though the team is looking forward to a new chassis for Roberts’ home grand prix in a week’s time, Roberts worked with what he had and steadily moved up the order as others fell by the wayside. And the 12th place finish, and promise of a new chassis, are both encouraging signs in advance of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next weekend. It’s at that race that the new Team Roberts’ chassis will make its debut, perfectly timed to coincide with a track where Kurtis grew up and has the most local knowledge. Today’s race, round 30 laps of the 3.617 km Sachsenring, was won by fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa from Loris Capirossi (Ducati) , with defending champion Nicky Hayden (Honda) third. KURTIS ROBERTS – 12th Position The thing wasn’t quite as perky on the acceleration as it should have been, I thought. Maybe we had a little bit of a clutch slip problem or something. We just hung in there and did what we could do really and let everyone fall off around us and ended up getting 12th. We got more points for the team and that’s important for these guys. And now I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca, just because I know the track. It’s just going to be nice to go there and not have to keep learning the track. At least I know the lines, which is something these other riders have every weekend that I don’t. And I’m excited about the new bike and the progress the team’s making. We’re limited right now by something on this bike and hopefully the new chassis will fix that and we can start earning a lot more positions, a lot higher up in the finishing order. Because I know I can ride with these guys. I know Honda’s capable of building the best four-strokes in the world, and I know my dad’s team can build a great chassis, and I know Michelin makes the best tires. So now we just need to get the whole package to work and I think it’ll be a lot more like last year to us. TEAM MANAGER CHUCK AKSLAND I think he’s been in the points more times than he hasn’t. It was a strange race really. It was more of a tire attrition and bike attrition race, than a full-on race. Kurtis’s times were consistent during the whole race. We need to get another second, second and a half out of the bike and maybe with some of the improvements we have coming, it’ll get closer. We’ve made some progress and gained more information over the past few races. It will be interesting to see what he can on a track that he already knows. He’ll be a step further ahead and hopefully the new chassis will work better. Could be a really interesting race for us. More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Hopkins seventh at a sweltering Sachsenring Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins battled his way to seventh place at a blisteringly hot German Grand Prix today. Hopkins made a good start and was in touch with the lead pack in the early part of the race. He looked comfortable in fifth, but as track temperatures rose to a high of 55°C, grip became an issue and he found himself involved in a battle with world championship leader Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri. Hopkins fought all the way to the chequered flag but was just beaten by the two other riders and crossed the line in seventh to earn him nine valuable points in the championship. Chris Vermeulen had the worst possible start to today’s 30-lap race. Due to a small mechanical error his bike edged forward on the start-line and he incurred a jump-start penalty. Vermeulen had to enter the pit-lane and then re-join the race, but the ride through penalty cost Vermeulen valuable places and he now found himself in last position. The Australian racer set about chasing down the riders in front of him and although he too suffered with grip issues he brought his Suzuki GSV-R home safely in 11th place. Today’s race was watched by 101,048 fans at trackside as they baked in the beautiful sunshine. Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took victory, with Stoner retaining his championship lead. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has now just a week before it is in action again, as the MotoGP circus rolls out across the Atlantic for the American Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in California on Sunday 22nd July. John Hopkins: “I got a good start and after the first turn battle for positions I got away clear and with the front guys. I got into a good rhythm, but made a couple of mistakes and lost a bit of ground to the riders in front of me. I kept my head down and tried to ride as smoothly and efficiently as I could while still doing the lap times, because I knew it was going to be a hard, long and hot race. With about seven laps to go we ran into some tyre problems and we were really struggling for edge grip especially on the left-handers. I then got into a battle with Melandri and Stoner and I’ve got to say it was the strangest race I’ve ever been in – at the end, with the lack of rear grip – it was harder than riding in the rain! I have extended my fourth place lead a little bit and now I am looking forward to going to America and giving it all I’ve got!” Chris Vermeulen: “I had a problem with the clutch on the start-line and I couldn’t hold the bike still when it was in gear. It was creeping forward and I went later than everyone so I wouldn’t get a jump start, but there was nothing I could do and I just edged over the line before the lights changed. After the ride-through I just got my head down and did the laps and tried to make up some places. It was very difficult conditions out there for the tyres, but we managed to get some decent enough points considering how the start went. I am sure we can all learn from this experience and now go on to Laguna and see if we can get the result this time that we deserved last year! Paul Denning Team Manager: “It was not our best day at the office today, but in a real race of attrition both the guys brought the bikes home and we scored some points! Chris had a day to forget, with a jump-start through no fault of his own, a ride-through penalty and then running into the same sort of grip issues that most of the Bridgestone riders suffered with today. “John seemed to be able to fight in the front group, but at the end was relegated to a very strange battle with Casey and Marco, with all three of them clearly struggling for grip. “Rizla Suzuki has no complaints at all about the tyre performance. Firstly a Bridgestone rider still finished on the podium, and secondly after the performance gains this season and the improvements they have given us I am sure they will react to this in a very positive way, and we will be looking for top results next weekend in America!” Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Race Classification: 1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 41’53.196: 2. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +13.166: 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +16.771: 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +18.299: 5. Caste Stoner (Ducati) +31.426: 7. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +33.395: 11. CHRIS VEMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1’01.894: World Championship Classification: 1. Stoner 196: 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 164: 3. Pedrosa 144: 4. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 103: 5. Marco Melandri (Honda) 97: 6. CHRIS VEMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 93: More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Circuit: Sachsenring Date: 15/07/2007 JOY AND HEARTBREAK FOR KAWASAKI IN GERMANY Anthony West realised his personal goal of an eighth position today after a scorching German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. However, Randy de Puniet’s bad luck continued when his bike died shortly before the chequered flag, robbing him of valuable championship points after he had spent the entire race well within the top ten. In front of over 100,000 spectators, braving blistering temperatures at the Saxony track, the race was punctuated by numerous crashes and retirements. However, Kawasaki Racing Team rider, West, remained calm amid the searing heat to bring his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR across the line, fulfilling his wish to beat his own previous best placement of ninth, gained at Assen a fortnight ago. After starting from 12th on the grid, Anthony crossed the line in 13th after lap one, then lost another position to Carlos Checa the next time around. Checa crashed soon afterwards, beginning a catalogue of disasters for several riders, which helped the concerted #13 rider to steadily move up the leaderboard. However, West’s own race wasn’t without apprehension. By lap seven, he was on top of Colin Edwards and reigning world champion, Nicky Hayden, and he managed to stick with them until a mistake mid-race at turn five which nearly saw him in the gravel. He held on but was unable to maintain the pace of the two Americans after the incident created a gap and he rode much of the rest of the race to eighth place alone. The 25-year-old Australian, who celebrates his birthday on Tuesday, now has 20 championship points, despite having ridden in only two MotoGP races prior to the event at the Sachsenring: the British GP at Donington Park, where he came home in 11th place, and the Dutch TT. Today’s result shows remarkable talent and maturity for any rider in the premier class, let alone such a relative newcomer, and the team are delighted with the rapid progress of their new signing. Randy de Puniet’s race was also showing signs of great promise. Aiming to improve his starting technique, he got off the line sharply and maintained a good position in to the precarious turn one. Holding his own in the pack, and occupying an impressive sixth position, he soon had former world champion, Valentino Rossi, following closely behind but the 26-year-old Frenchman maintained his composure, holding him off, until the Italian went to overtake him on the sixth lap. Rossi lost the front end and slid off the track but de Puniet managed to avoid getting entangled in the crash and continued. In a heartbreaking turn of events, and after keeping on top of the accelerated tyre wear inevitable in such heat, de Puniet’s bike suffered a mechanical problem and he retired on the start/finish straight just two laps from the end. It was a miserable turn of events for the Ninja rider, whose performances this season have been showing increasing promise, including a top five at Catalunya last month. Still, after such a hair-raising event, race fans won’t have to wait too long for their next fix of MotoGP: the 11th round is just a week away at California’s Laguna Seca and Kawasaki will be ready to handle whatever the American track can throw at them. Anthony West Position 8th “I’m really happy with this result as I wanted to keep making a step forward at every round and it’s worked out this weekend. It was tough, though. A lot of people crashed and grip on the track wasn’t too good, because of the heat I think, which meant I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. I followed Hayden for a while, and he pulled me towards Edwards before he overtook him, but then I nearly crashed. I lost the front end going in to turn five, managed to pick the bike up on my knee and was lucky to stay on. That dropped me back a bit, and I tried to catch Colin, but I needed to conserve the tyres, even though I wanted to go faster. I wasn’t sure they’d last the race but they did, so I’m pleased I finished and I’m happy with my position.” Randy de Puniet Position DNF “I don’t know what happened. The engine started to play up in the last two laps I did but I don’t know what the problem was. Before that, in the middle of the race, I got a lot of movement in the front tyre, which is why my lap times weren’t that good. It was difficult to control the bike but I was just trying to keep my place. Then, about ten laps in, the rear started to slide a lot, on entry, the middle of the bends and on the exit but even then, I still felt it was possible to finish. I had to retire just after I crossed the line, two laps from the end and I’m obviously very disappointed about that.” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “It was a hard race. Before we came here, we thought perhaps we could do better this weekend than we have but we were wrong. I don’t yet know the nature of Randy’s technical problem but it’s such a big disappointment for him. Also, it looked as if, at some points, Michelin had the advantage over Bridgestone for once today. Anthony did a great job though, with good lap times, finishing eighth so yes, it hasn’t been easy here, and we’ve tried very hard, but I’m feeling happy.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Capirossi takes podium in tough Sachsenring GP for Bridgestone Round 10 – Germany Race Sachsenring, Germany Sunday 15 July 2007 Ducati Corse rider Loris Capirossi claimed an exceptional second place at the Sachsenring this afternoon after a very difficult 30-lap race for Bridgestone-shod riders in extremely hot conditions at the German GP. The result was Capirossi’s second podium finish of the 2007 season and fourteenth in total on Bridgestone tyres in his career. In spite of the sweltering conditions, a further six riders on Bridgestone tyres took valuable top ten positions with Casey Stoner extending his lead of the championship by eleven points courtesy of a valiantly-fought fifth position. Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri finished just behind Stoner in sixth place after a competitive weekend for the Italian. John Hopkins battled hard for seventh place ahead of a trio of equally impressive rides from Anthony West in eighth, Alex Hofmann in ninth and Michel Fabrizio, who took tenth place in a one-off ride as stand-in for injured Honda Gresini rider Toni Elias. As predicted, track temperatures soared during the race, placing even greater stress on the left-hand side of the tyre, which is already put under intense pressure around the asymmetrical Sachsenring track. The unrelenting demands over a thirty-lap race distance proved too much for Bridgestone’s range of hard compound rear tyres which were unable to sustain the competitive level that was seen in all free practice sessions and in the first half of the race. Hiroshi Yamada- Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Sport Department “Thanks to Loris and Ducati for a truly remarkable performance this afternoon in very tough conditions to take the first MotoGP podium at Sachsenring on Bridgestone tyres. I would also like to express my thanks to all our riders who endured a very difficult and physical race, especially in the closing stages. As expected the track temperatures were very high during today’s GP (Bridgestone engineers measured temperatures in excess of fifty degrees C) and this put our tyres under increasing pressure, preventing our riders from maintaining over the full race distance the strong pace that was seen in the initial laps. Therefore, we must be critical of our performance today because we have to make sure that our tyres can cope with whatever situation we are presented with. That said, we take consolation from Loris’s second place after an otherwise tough race for Bridgestone today.” Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “This has been one of the most technically demanding races of the season for us and the performance of our tyres this afternoon was largely dictated by the heat. Around Sachsenring, the left hand side of the tyre is always put under great stress, but with the additional track heat, the tyres start to degrade even more quickly. As the heat continually increases on the left-hand side, the rubber starts to wear off, resulting in the drop in lap times that we saw from our riders in the second half of the race. Michel Fabrizio, in his first race on our tyres, opted for the 16” rear which, interestingly, did not show such severe degradation, so this is an interesting element for us to investigate further.” Bridgestone Race Results Front (all 16.5”) Rear P2 Loris Capirossi Ducati 42m06.362s +13.166s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P5 Casey Stoner Ducati 42m24.622s +31.426s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P6 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 42m25.113s +31.917s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P7 John Hopkins Suzuki 42m26.591s +33.395s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P8 Anthony West Kawasaki 42m34.390s +41.194s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P9 Alex Hofmann Pramac d’Antin 42m36.410s +43.214s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) P10 Michel Fabrizio Honda Gresini 42m37.655s +44.459s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16”) P11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 42m55.090s +1m01.894s Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) DNF Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 41m46.308s DNF Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) DNF Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin 12m41.157s DNF Slick Hard Slick Hard (16.5”) Weather: Dry. Air 33°C, Track 41°C, Humidity 28% More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: Sachsenring – Grand Prix of Germany Event: Grand Prix of Germany Date: Sunday, July 15th 2007 Ambient temperature: 33 degrees C Track temperature: 41 degrees C Humidity: 28% EDWARDS TAKES FIGHTING FOURTH IN GERMANY AS ROSSI SLIDES OUT Fiat Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards rode a strong race in sweltering conditions today to take a best-ever Sachsenring finish of fourth, after starting from thirteenth on the grid for the German Grand Prix. Team-mate Valentino Rossi had a disappointing day as he slid out of the race early on when challenging for sixth position, in a race which was led from start to finish by Dani Pedrosa. In front of 101,083 fans and with temperatures touching 33 degrees, today’s thirty-lap race looked like being a test of endurance – both for riders and tyres. Rossi started from sixth but dropped to eighth at the start, taking two laps to pass Alex Barros before finding himself in seventh behind Randy de Puniet on lap three. He soon made his move on the Frenchman and looked to be safely through but a small mistake proved costly and sent him tumbling into the gravel trap. Edwards meanwhile was making steady progress through the pack as he gained more and more confidence in his M1 and his Michelin tyres. On lap 24 he suddenly found himself within striking distance of Marco Melandri and Casey Stoner, passing them both on the next lap to take fourth. With a podium in his sights he set about trying to close the gap on Nicky Hayden but was not quite able to catch his fellow American, eventually crossing the line just under two tenths adrift. Rossi remains second in the championship but the gap to Stoner grows to 32 points, whilst Edwards consolidates seventh after taking 13 points today. Colin Edwards Position: 4th Time: +18.299 “The beginning of that race was pretty tough, I almost crashed out a few times and it felt like I almost had too much grip on the rear! As time went on though I started to feel better and better and when Hayden passed me back again it made me pretty determined to keep pushing. Suddenly I looked up and there were three of them in front of me and at that stage I felt like the podium was a possibility. Getting past Stoner and Melandri was fine but I couldn’t quite get back to Hayden which was a pity. A podium would have been nice but, after yesterday’s qualifying, I’m pretty happy with fourth; it’s my best ever finish here by miles. It was an exhausting race and you don’t realise till you cross the finish line how much strain thirty laps around here puts on the left side of your body – my shoulder’s pretty sore now! I want to say a big thank you to Michelin, my team and Yamaha because they’ve had to work really hard this weekend to find a way to make things come together and they did a great job. We knew this morning that we’d found a good package and to finish fourth after starting thirteenth is great. We’re heading for Laguna on a high!” Valentino Rossi Position: DNF “Unfortunately I made a mistake today and I want to say sorry to everyone – my team, Yamaha and of course all my fans. I lost some places at the start and had to wait a lap before I could start to push, but everything was feeling very good. Getting past de Puniet was hard because in the part of the track where it’s best to overtake he was very fast. Finally I made my move and I made a great pass but I made a mistake and lost the front. I’m so disappointed because today our package was working very well and we missed the chance to make up a lot of points on Stoner. We know from Pedrosa and Colin’s performance that the Michelin tyres worked well until the end and I’m sad that we weren’t there to fight. Luckily Stoner was only fifth so the points situation is not as bad as it could have been. I’m very glad we only have seven days until the next race because right now I’m feeling quite bad, but very determined for America!” Fiat Yamaha Team Davide Brivio Team Director “Congratulations to Colin, it’s a great result for him and it gives him and his team a lot of encouragement and confidence for his home race in Laguna Seca. Michelin did a good job this weekend and our tyres worked very well until the end. On the other side, it’s a great disappointment with Valentino because we lost the chance to recover some points. However this is racing and we know that our package is working very well now and we will get the chance to try again in just one week’s time. Today gives us double motivation for Laguna.” Championship Standings 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 196 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 164 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 144 4. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 103 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 97 6. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 93 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 88 8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 82 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 73 10. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d’Antin 69 11. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d’Antin 60 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 49 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 40 14. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda 25 15. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 23 16. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 22 17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki 20 18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 18 19. Kurtis Roberts (USA) Team Roberts 8 20. M Fabrizio (ITA) Honda Gresini 6 21. Fonsi Nieto (SPA) Kawasaki Racing Team 5 22. Kenny Roberts Jr (USA) Team Roberts 4 23. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 4 Sachsenring: Lap Record D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1’23.355 Sachsenring: Best Lap D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1’21.815 More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MELANDRI REJOINS PODIUM BATTLE IN GERMANY Michel Fabrizio also scores a top finish Marco Melandri returned to the battle for lead positions in the German Grand Prix, making a good start from the front row to hang on to third place in pursuit of early leaders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa for twenty long laps. The Italian looked to be on course for a certain podium but was forced to drop his pace as tyre performance decreased towards the end of the race. The Gresini Honda rider ended with a creditable sixth place, which moves him back up to fifth in the championship on 97 points, as the paddock now heads straight to the United States for the next round in just a few days’ time. There was also a good performance from Michel Fabrizio, who started from 17th on the grid but fought to the end of the race to finish eleventh. MARCO MELANDRI (6th in the race, 5th in the championship on 97 points): “I got a good start and tried to hang on to Stoner without risking too much. The bike was working really well but Pedrosa set an incredibly strong pace. Once I got past Stoner, about ten laps from the end, the tyres were just gone. From then on I tried to keep the pace, manage the race and even tried to get fifth place back off Casey but it was too risky. I’m happy though because we’re competitive again and today I was able to fight for the podium. We’ve taken a big step forward here and I have to say thanks again to Honda for the new material they brought here. The engine is much sweeter and I can manage the throttle in a way that suits my style much more. I like the idea of racing again next weekend and I can’t wait to get back on the bike at Laguna Seca – a track I’m sure will suit the bike and the Bridgestone tyres really well.” MICHEL FABRIZIO (11th): “I’m happy with this result – my target was to finish in the top ten and I was close. It was a really tough race, physically very demanding and also because the pace was so fast. It’s been a nice experience for me and a real bonus in what has been a hard year.” FAUSTO GRESINI: “Marco put in a great performance, I’m only disappointed because he had a really good race and could have ended up with a much better result. He passed by an opportunity because of a problem that prevented him from pushing as hard as he could have. We are happy with him though because he was one of the stars of the race today. Fabrizio has also done really well and has set some fast times in the end. I’m glad to have given him this opportunity but our thoughts are also with Toni and we are looking forward to having him back soon.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: CAPIROSSI BACK UP TO SPEED AND BACK ON THE PODIUM, STONER KEEPS FIGHTING FOR FIFTH PLACE Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi rode a brilliant race to second place in punishing heat at the Sachsenring this afternoon, while team-mate Casey Stoner came home in fifth to maintain his lead at the top of the World Championship. Capirossi chose a different compound rear Bridgestone to Stoner and the Italian’s choice paid dividends in the later stages of the race when he came through from fourth place to second. The newly resurfaced Sachsenring is ultra-demanding on tyres and today’s ground temperature of more than 50 degree made tyre choice even more critical than usual. Capirossi attributed his speed to a revised engine spec and weight distribution, as well as a canny tyre choice. Steadfast Stoner ran strongly in second place until two-thirds distance, then began slipping back, fighting a spirited rearguard battle to stay fifth, just ahead of Marco Melandri and John Hopkins. Stoner had started the race from pole position after leading every pre-race session. LORIS CAPIROSSI, 2nd place, 8th in World Championship on 77 points “It’s been a long time, but I’m back! My team worked really hard here to find the best solution for the race. We changed the weight distribution, putting more weight on the front to give me more confidence going into the turns. The first half of the season was tough but I hope that we have now found a good way to go quick for the rest of the season. My thanks also to the Bridgestone guys, because we worked hard to choose the best race tyres, deciding to use a different rear from most of the other Bridgestone riders. At the start of the race I didn’t push too hard, my tactic was to save the tyres, so I stayed behind Marco [Melandri] in fourth place. Later on I was able to continue my rhythm and move forward. I knew Nicky (Hayden) was coming during the last laps but I had enough to hold on.” CASEY STONER, 5th place, World Championship leader on 196 points “At the start of the race I was pretty happy sitting behind Dani. He was able to find a little more traction than me in most parts and he had a bit more confidence in his bike through a lot of the turns, so I was just trying to stay there or thereabouts and see what happened at the end of the race. I didn’t want to push too much harder, I was slowly pulling a gap on Melandri behind me and I thought I really want to save my tyres for the end. Then unfortunately we lost some rear grip and we weren’t able to keep the same lap times, so we slowly started to drop through the pack, but we ended up fifth. Today was a damage limitation exercise. Dani [Pedrosa, the race winner] rode a great race, he was untouchable today. Towards the end Marco and John seemed to have a lot more grip than me in a few places, anyway, I fought them off and we were able to keep fifth position which is a few more points. I’m kind of disappointed, I felt we could have had a minimum of second today, reasonably easy, so we’ll just have to come back at the next race and try to be stronger and iron out our weak points.” LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “We’re very happy to see Loris fighting up front again and back on the podium. He chose a different rear tyre from Casey which worked well for him. Casey worked hard and got the best out of his package today. He dominated every session, so he deserved to finish on the podium.” More, from a press release issued by KTM: First double victory for KTM at German Grand Prix Hiroshi Aoyama and Mika Kallio came home in brilliant KTM “Ready to Race” style to snatch a double victory in a thrilling 250 cc race on Germany’s Sachsenring on Sunday. The result was the team’s best ever in a single Grand Prix race. The two “Orange” factory riders thrilled the more than 101000 fans with a long and hectic battle on the circuit as the rider order fluctuated over and over again during the race. Kallio, in every sense the “Flying Finn”, started on pole, the first time he had been number one on the grid since moving up from 125 cc at the beginning of the season. At the conclusion of the race, the two KTM machines were locked in combat with Italian Alex de Angeles in a battle of attrition that was only resolved in the final lap. Aoyama celebrated his victory, the first in almost a year, by punching the air with his fist as he rocketed through the chequered flag. It was the third career victory for the Japanese and the first ever 250 cc podium for pole sitter Kallio, who had won seven races previously for KTM in the 125 cc class. Both riders had been on the top of the speed list in Saturday’s training and several modifications to their KTM machines and good chassis setups made them highly competitive. Aoyama started from sixth place on the grid but was confident going into the race because it was clear that the KTMs were ready for top action. He fended off some hair-raising attacks from Hector Barbera and in the final stages took on de Angelis. “When I crossed the line, it was as if a big weight had been lifted from my shoulders, ” Aoyama admitted. Kallio was equally effusive. “It’s great to be on the podium for the first time since I moved up to the 250 cc class.” Like Hiroshi, Kallio was forced to go wide to avoid Barbera going late on the brakes in the first corner, a move that cost them both places in the running order. Kallio worked his way up into the lead group and settled in behind de Angeles to make his move in the final corner. “He didn’t close the door. I saw the gap, went for it and managed to squeeze past. With one more lap maybe I could have gone for the victory!” Stefan Pierer, KTM CEO was also elated with the result. “This is a historic success for KTM, as we’ve never been first and second in a Grand Prix race before,” he said. “Last year in Japan, at Motegi, we had two victories, in the 125 cc and in the 250 cc class which was also great, but our one-two success today is especially sweet. To score this success on the Sachsenring is the icing on the cake because the German Grand Prix is like our home race since we don’t have an Austrian Grand Prix any more!” Red Bull KTM Technical Director Harald Bartol confirmed that he had been impressed with the fighting spirit of his two factory riders. “It’s also a relief that our bikes were so competitive. We have definitely made another step and I am confident for the races to come,” Bartol said. Results 250 cc 1. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 41’16.191 2. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 41’16.310 3. Alex de Angeles, San Marino, Aprilia, 41’16.465 4. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain, Aprilia, 41’16.770 5. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy, Honda, 41’17,487 Tomoyoshi Koyama storms from 15th to second on Sachsenring Japanese Red Bull KTM 125 ace Tomoyoshi Koyama came from behind to snatch a fantastic second place in Sunday’s 125 cc German Grand Prix on the Sachsenring to celebrate his fourth podium finish of the season. Fellow factory rider Randy Krummenacher managed to keep the pace of his team-mate until mid-race, before settling into a slightly slower rhythm and finishing fifth. It was the Swiss teenager’s second-best Grand Prix result after his first-ever podium at the Catalunya Grand Prix in June. American rookie Steve Bonsey rode by far his strongest race in his young Grand Prix career and moved up from thirtieth on the grid to finish in eighteenth place. Koyama declared it had been a happy end to the weekend on the famous German racing circuit. He had been sliding all over the track in training and failed to make a good grid position. A change of tyre on race day gave the lightweight Japanese rider just the grip he needed. “The bike felt much better. I had a very fast engine and the chassis also felt very good under hard-braking and through the long corners of the Sachsenring,” he said after the race. “I could attack from the beginning to the end. I got up with the front group straight away and I never doubted the possibilities I had.” Krummenacher said he had given everything in the race and although he was happy with his good result he had been hoping for a top place. “I really would have liked to take a podium finish here because I like the Sachsenring and the layout suits my riding style. Starting from eighth position made it a bit difficult, but then I found my rhythm and kept the pace of the top guys for quite some time,” he concluded. Krummenacher said he had struggled with the heat and with tyre grip but had ridden right on the limit throughout the race. “There was nothing more I could do. I tried to stay with Koyama and when I saw that I wasn’t able to follow I made the best out of the situation.” American teenager Steve Bonsey, riding in his debut season said it had been a good race within his group of four riders. He had a close encounter trying to sneak past Masbou but said it had been his best, if also the hardest race so far in his career. “Every time I go out on the track, I learn something new,” he said. “If I had a couple more days here, I probably would be able to ride up with the top ten!” Results 125 cc 1. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 39’30.802 2. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, KTM 39’34.334 3. Hector Faubel, Spain, Aprilia, 39’34.412 4. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 39’35.246 5. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, KTM, 39’42.653 18. Steve Bonsey, USA, KTM, 40’24.521 Top performance at Red Bull Rookies for American Cameron Beaubier Johann Zarco may have been on pole but victory in Saturday’s Red Bull Rookies Cup on the Sachsenring in Germany went to15-year old American Cameron Beaubier who slipped past his French rival in the second last corner of the 18-lap race. Beaubier, who started the 8-race season with modest intentions, was second in Assen, Netherlands in the previous race of the series and is coming into his own as the season progresses. He stuck on Zarco’s wheel throughout the race and slipped past him in the closing stages. Robert Gull of Sweden managed to hold off German Markus Reiterberger and championship leader Italian Lorenzo Savadori to finish in third. Beaubier was generous in victory recognizing that Zarco had ridden equally well. “He was quicker than me in the first section of the track so I knew that my only chance was in the last few corners. I had to really work at it to get on his tail, slip-streaming him down the hill. I just hoped that I could get close enough to make a pass… and it worked out.” Zarco, one of the most competitive of the young riders in the series expressed disappointment that he had been denied victory but said he was happy to collected valuable points to close the gap on standings leader Savadori. After Savadori finished fifth in the German race, he is just two points ahead of Zarco with three races to go. Lucy Gloeckner, the only girl in the line-up of youngsters finished in ninth place. This crop of talented young racers, who certainly represent tomorrow’s big names in motorcycle road racing, competed before a huge crowd at the famous German racing circuit who were there to watch the qualifying for Sunday’s MotoGP. All 23 Rookies riders, aged between 13 and 16 years, compete on identical, KTM RC 125 bikes, specially developed for the Red Bull Rookies Cup. They will compete for the next time in the program for the MotoGP in Brno, Czech Republic. Results 1. Cameron Beuabier, USA, KTM 2. Johann Zarco, France, KTM 3. Robert Gull, Sweden, KTM 4. Markus Reiterberger, Germany, KTM 5. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy, KTM More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring Sunday June 15, 2007 Weather: Sunny. Temperature: 33 degrees C Crowd: 101,048. DANI PEDROSA STORMS TO VICTORY IN GERMANY AND NICKY HAYDEN NOTCHES PODIUM This MotoGP race re-established Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) as a race winner and World Championship contender when he won more than convincingly from Loris Capirossi (Ducati) with a resurgent reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) third. Dani, who had qualified second fastest, powered into the lead from Stoner at the start and simply outclassed all-comers here at a sun-baked Sachsenring in front of 101,000 fans here on race day. Equally encouraging was the strong showing from Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) who finished fifth after running as high as second early on and then third for a large part of this 30-lap race. In 33-degree heat the luckless Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) crashed, fortunately without injury, as Dani began to get into a faster rhythm at the front. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), who set an early fastest lap of the race at 1m 23.529s, lay seventh on lap four, then crashed out of the race on the next lap while trying do dispose of sixth-placed Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) who retired on the final lap with a machine problem. This set the stage for a dogged ride from Stoner to hold onto second place from the attentions of Melandri, then Hayden and latterly Colin Edwards (Yamaha) who took fourth place at the flag. As Dani got into the groove of riding this twisty 3.671km track he set a new lap record on lap six of 1m 23.082s as he worked a 0.344 second lead over Stoner. The order by lap eight was Dani, Casey, Marco and then Loris Capirossi. But by lap nine Dani had proved that no one could live the sheer speed of the 21-year-old Spanish maestro here. His lead that lap over Stoner was by now 1.743 seconds. Nicky was on a charge from 14th on the grid and had really found a new direction in his set-up and riding to the extent that he picked off rider by rider throughout this race on his way to third to suggest that although he may have lost the first half of his season, he now has the means to recapture lost form again, if not lost points. Dani was long gone on lap 19 as Melandri and Capirossi closed on Stoner who could not maintain his early pace and on lap 20 his pursuers pounced into and around turn one, Melandri trying to make it past Stoner under braking then Capirossi stealing second from them both with an opportunist move from precisely the right track position to capitalise. Dani was now more than ten seconds ahead of Capirossi as Melandri now began to suffer a lack of grip succumbed to the advances of first Nicky, then Edwards and finally Stoner to finish sixth ahead of John Hopkins (Suzuki) who was seventh. At the flag Dani cruised to what was a comfortable win but it was hard won. The new HRC President Masumi Hamane was here to see the Repsol riders maintain a stark improvement in performance here in Germany and as the series heads to America for next weekend’s race the points table shows Stoner ahead on 196 to Rossi’s 164 (despite a non-score here) and Dani is now a threat with 144 points. Dani said: “I’m very, very happy with the result today. This is a victory I’d like to dedicate to the Repsol Honda Team and to HRC because they have been working really hard for a long time without getting the results and I’m very happy they’ve kept motivation and put in maximum effort at every race. Now they have some reward. Also I’m pleased for the fans because they’ve given me great support even when I wasn’t winning. The race went very well obviously. I made a good start, pushed hard from the beginning and was able to open up a gap and control things from the front.” Nicky said: “It’s great to be on the podium after what started as a really tough weekend. The team did a great job overnight and made some big improvements to the machine. I came out in the warm-up and it was a lot quicker so even though I was starting from 14th I still had some confidence for the race. I made a decent start not as good as the one at Assen but I made up a few places into the first corner. Then I heard a strange noise from the bike and slowed for a couple of laps trying to figure out if it was a problem. It didn’t seem to make any difference though so I just got my head down and started picking up places. The tyres worked really well today, so a big thanks to Michelin.” Marco Melandri said: “I got a good start and tried to hang on to Stoner without risking too much. The bike was working really well but Pedrosa set an incredibly strong pace. Once I got past Stoner, about ten laps from the end, the tyres were just gone. From then on I tried to keep the pace, manage the race and even tried to get fifth place back off Casey but it was too risky. I’m happy though because we’re competitive again and today I was able to fight for the podium. We’ve taken a big step forward here and I have to say thanks again to Honda for the new material they brought here.” Michel Fabrizio, riding in place of the injured Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V), ended up a meritorious tenth. He said: “I’m happy with this result my target was to finish in the top ten and I was close. It was a really tough race, physically very demanding and also because the pace was so fast. It’s been a nice experience for me and a real bonus in what has been a hard year.” Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) finished 12th and said: “The thing wasn’t quite as perky on the acceleration as it should have been, I thought. Maybe we had a little bit of a clutch slip problem or something. We just hung in there and did what we could do really and let everyone fall off around us and ended up getting 12th. We got more points for the team and that’s important for these guys. And now I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca, just because I know the track. It’s just going to be nice to go there and not have to keep learning the track.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V), who retired with 11 laps to go, said: “I made a good start and overtook a couple of riders on the first lap. With the hot conditions the pace was not so fast, so I could stay with the group but the problem came after just five laps. It felt like the engine was suffering from a lack of performance and it felt like it locked-up once. The engine was still running so I tried to come back at the riders ahead, but the problem returned. Finally power was dropping off with every lap, so I retired with 11 laps to go.” Carlos Checa, who crashed, said: “I don’t know what happened, the crash was a surprise. I arrived at turn 12, a little on the inside, and just lost the front-end. Apart from the crash the bike feeling today was not as fluid as in practice but was OK. With this new chassis we have been making a lot of changes, even for the warm-up this morning. It is difficult to understand this situation but now we must stay positive and look ahead to the US Grand Prix next weekend.” The 250cc race was a thriller with action all the way down the field, but perhaps none more riveting than the struggle between series points leader Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) and his assiduous title rival Andrea Dovizioso (Kopron Scot Honda RS250RW). They finished fourth and fifth. Hiro Aoyama (KTM) won the race from his team-mate Mika Kallio who qualified on pole. Aprilia’s Alex de Angelis was third. Dovizioso led from the lights for two laps but de Angelis was soon on terms and on lap five he stole Dovi’s lead to try and establish a lead for himself. He achieved this, but it was never a substantial enough advantaged for him to secure the victory on the final lap. He was pressed by Aoyama on the final lap and after suffering once he was passed by Kallio too at the final turn. But his third place was enough to haul him up to second in the World Championship points table. Lorenzo still leads with 191 points, de Angelis is on 171and Dovizioso on 166. Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) fell on lap 13. He could not restart but he was uninjured. Yuki Takahashi (Kopron Scot Honda RS250RW) was eighth while Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) managed 14th.Promising Thai rookie Ratthapark Wilairot (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW), who raced with considerable pain following a heavy crash on Friday, finished 19th. Dovizioso said: “Today I definitely expected a better result. We were OK after a perfect weekend during which we worked very well. Instead, at about the 10th lap, the rear tyre started to lose traction, it was really strange as during the tests we had no problems, at every step I lost stability. I had to be very careful. Also my engine caused me some problems, and I couldn’t get on the power early enough.” His team-mate Takahashi said: “It’s been a hard race, because of the high level of the riders and because of the high temperature. The race was not bad, I made a good start and I’ve always been near to the riders in front of me, even though, at about the middle of the race, I couldn’t try to gain positions because the rear tyre started sliding. Now we have a month of holidays, I’ll go on with training to be perfect at Brno.” Gabor Talmacsi (Aprilia) won the 125cc race from Tommy Koyama (KTM) in second with Hector Faubel (Aprilia) third. Talmacsi now leads the World Championship points table with 156 to Faubel’s 154 with Koyama now on 118 points to Lukas Pesek (Derbi) who has 113 in fourth overall. Talmacsi, who qualified on pole, was in charge from the off, carving out a 2.3 second lead from Faubel as early as lap two. Pesek was keeping pace with Faubel until Simone Corsi (Derbi) overhauled Faubel for second with Talmacsi way out of reach by lap 4 with a 3.2 second advantage. Britain’s Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) finished a very creditable eighth, despite not being fully fit after his Assen injuries. His team-mate Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) finished 12th with Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R). Smith said: “That was a very hard race. I guess I’m going to be sore later tonight. Normally we race on right-handed tracks but this place is a left-hander and it didn’t help my injured foot by working it so hard. I was struggling to get the bike to change direction in the opening laps while I had a full fuel load and I lost time. But when the fuel load went down I managed to get to the front of the group I was racing with and was setting the same lap times as the riders in fourth to seventh places. So I have to be happy with my performance. Now we get five weeks off and I can work on regaining my fitness ready for he second part of the season.” Rabat said: “I had a problem with the clutch off the start. When I lined up on the grid I could not select neutral so I had to keep the bike still with the front brake. I did not make a good start and almost got involved with the Pasini crash. But I made it through the first corner. I had some front end chatter then the rear started sliding I could not hold my lines but sliding was the same for all of us. I need to learn to control the bike better when I have these problems.” Honda riders Quotes: MotoGP. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1st. “I’m very, very happy with the result today. This is a victory I’d like to dedicate to the Repsol Honda Team and to HRC because they have been working really hard for a long time without getting the results and I’m very happy they’ve kept motivation and put in maximum effort at every race. Now they have some reward. Also I’m pleased for the fans because they’ve given me great support even when I wasn’t winning. The race went very well obviously. I made a good start, pushed hard from the beginning and was able to open up a gap and control things from the front. The tyres were really good today and Michelin did a very good job, especially as some riders were having difficulties. Towards the end of the race the gap was big so I could take it relatively easy, which I was grateful for because it was very hot out there. The result closes the gap slightly in the championship which is good, but the really important thing about today is that we are winning again. Hopefully we can move on from this result and continue getting stronger.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “It’s great to be on the podium after what started as a really tough weekend. The team did a great job overnight and made some big improvements to the machine. I came out in the warm-up and it was a lot quicker so even though I was starting from 14th I still had some confidence for the race. I made a decent start – not as good as the one at Assen – but I made up a few places into the first corner. Then I heard a strange noise from the bike and slowed for a couple of laps trying to figure out if it was a problem. It didn’t seem to make any difference though so I just got my head down and started picking up places. The tyres worked really well today, so a big thanks to Michelin. It’s a good result ahead of Laguna but I need to put the whole weekend together on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We lost almost all of Friday with problems and Saturday didn’t go much better which cost us a lot. Dani rode really well to win the race and two riders on the podium is a really good result for the Repsol Honda Team. Now I’m just going to go home to the U.S. GP, enjoy the race and try to have some fun at Laguna.” Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 6th. “I got a good start and tried to hang on to Stoner without risking too much. The bike was working really well but Pedrosa set an incredibly strong pace. Once I got past Stoner, about ten laps from the end, the tyres were just gone. From then on I tried to keep the pace, manage the race and even tried to get fifth place back off Casey but it was too risky. I’m happy though because we’re competitive again and today I was able to fight for the podium. We’ve taken a big step forward here and I have to say thanks again to Honda for the new material they brought here. The engine is much sweeter and I can manage the throttle in a way that suits my style much more. I like the idea of racing again next weekend and I can’t wait to get back on the bike at Laguna Seca a track I’m sure will suit the bike and the Bridgestone tyres really well.” Michel Fabrizio, replacement rider for Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: 10th. “I’m happy with this result – my target was to finish in the top ten and I was close. It was a really tough race, physically very demanding and also because the pace was so fast. It’s been a nice experience for me and a real bonus in what has been a hard year.” Kurtis Roberts, KR212V: 12th. The thing wasn’t quite as perky on the acceleration as it should have been, I thought. Maybe we had a little bit of a clutch slip problem or something. We just hung in there and did what we could do really and let everyone fall off around us and ended up getting 12th. We got more points for the team and that’s important for these guys. And now I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca, just because I know the track. It’s just going to be nice to go there and not have to keep learning the track. At least I know the lines, which is something these other riders have every weekend that I don’t. And I’m excited about the new bike and the progress the team’s making. We’re limited right now by something on this bike and hopefully the new chassis will fix that and we can start earning a lot more positions, a lot higher up in the finishing order. Because I know I can ride with these guys. I know Honda’s capable of building the best four-strokes in the world, and I know my dad’s team can build a great chassis, and I know Michelin makes the best tires. So now we just need to get the whole package to work and I think it’ll be a lot more like last year to us. Chuck Aksland, Team Manager Team Roberts. I think he’s been in the points more times than he hasn’t. It was a strange race really. It was more of a tire attrition and bike attrition race, than a full-on race. Kurtis’s times were consistent during the whole race. We need to get another second, second and a half out of the bike and maybe with some of the improvements we have coming, it’ll get closer. We’ve made some progress and gained more information over the past few races. It will be interesting to see what he can on a track that he already knows. He’ll be a step further ahead and hopefully the new chassis will work better. Could be a really interesting race for us. Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: 14th. “I don’t know what happened, the crash was a surprise. I arrived at turn 12, a little on the inside, and just lost the front-end. Apart from the crash the bike feeling today was not as fluid as in practice but was OK. With this new chassis we have been making a lot of changes, even for the warm-up this morning. It is difficult to understand this situation but now we must stay positive and look ahead to the USGP next weekend.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: dnf electronic problem. “I made a good start and overtook a couple of riders on the first lap. With the hot conditions the pace was not so fast, so I could stay with the group but the problem came after just five laps. It felt like the engine was suffering from a lack of performance and it felt like it locked-up once. The engine was still running so I tried to come back at the riders ahead, but the problem returned. Finally power was dropping off with every lap, so I retired with 11 laps to go. It’s a big shame as our tyre choice was good so we have been unlucky. I’m hoping that we will finally get the result we deserve at Laguna next week.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda: 5th.”I felt very good before the race I had no front tyre problems in qualifying but after only four laps of the race the front started to slide badly especially in the left corners. I could not b as aggressive as I wanted to be so I had no chance to fight for the win today. My engine was also overheating today robbing me of a little power. It was a pity because after qualifying I felt I could have won the race. The result is not so bad for the championship positions because Lorenzo only finished one placeahead of me. Now w go to Brno after the summer break and that’s a fast track which might not suit us as well as Sachsenring.” Yukio Takahashi, Kopron Scot Honda: 10th.”My start was good and I could follow the top group from the beginning of the race. Then I pushed very hard but I had a big problem with sliding. I ad a big slide in turn one and lost the tow with the group and I slowly went backwards. The condition of the tyres changed with the increased temperature today. I am not so happy with this result, I thought I would do better today. Now I go back to Japan for a rest and physiotherapy and will come back to Brno in better shape.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 12th. “This has been a difficult weekend for me. On the Friday I had sensations that were totally different from those I had had before and I lost the whole day, so on the Saturday I had to start from scratch. With just one day to take work I was not able to get a set up on the whole bike that worked well. Today in the race I had a better feeling, but I was not able to keep up with the leading group. The start was not bad, but the rhythm during the whole race was too slow. We now have to change something because I cannot ride comfortably. I want to congratulate my brother on his victory.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 19th.”I had a really tough day riding today. When braking hard, my shoulder was really hurting and I couldn’t move around the bike the way I would have liked. I gave everything I had but I simply wasn’t fit enough and I wasn’t able to score points.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: dnf crash. “The start was a normal one, not good really. But starting in the the fourth lap I began to fight to pass the others in front of me. I overtook two and I was in the leading group feeling quite good. I had a few problems with the tyres, front and rear, but the engine was working well. Then on a curve I came across a lapped rider who was on the outside and he came across me just when I was passing I leaned the bike over and I fell. It was a pity, but these things happen when racing, and so we now have to think about Brno.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 19th.”I had a really tough day riding today. When braking hard, my shoulder was really hurting and I couldn’t move around the bike the way I would have liked. I gave everything I had but I simply wasn’t fit enough and I wasn’t able to score points.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: dnf crash. “There were some positives from a difficult weekend, I had a good start and my lap times were consistent and we now have a set-up that keeps the rear tyre in good shape. At turn 12 the I hit the bumps and bike jumped out of gear and I lost the front-end.” 125cc: Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 8th.”That was a very hard race body has not been put under such stress for over three weeks I guess I am going to be sore later tonight. Normally we race on right handed tracks but this place is a left hander and it didn’t help my injured foot by working so hard. I was struggling to get the bike to change direction in the opening laps while I had a full fuel load and I lost time. But when the fuel load went down I managed to get to the front of the group I was racing with and was setting the same lap times as the riders in fourth to seventh places So I have to be happy with my performance. Now we get five weeks off and I can work on regaining my fitness ready for he second part of the season.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: 12th.”I had a problem with the clutch off the start. When I lined up on the grid I could not select neutral so I had to keep the bike still with the front brake. I did not make a good start and almost got involved with the Pasini crash. But I made it through the first corner. I had some front end chatter then the rear started sliding I could not hold my lines but sliding was the same for all of us. I need to learn to control the bike better when I have these problems.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Scot Honda: 15th.”Because of my fifth gar crash yesterday I was struggling for confidence in the warm up and the opening laps of the race. But after a few laps I was fighting for a points scoring finish and that gave me confidence. I got a point because Gadea crashed at the last corner but if I had not crashed yesterday it would have been a completely different race for me.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 19th.”I had a good start and was able to stay with a good group of riders until the halfway point. But after that I made a couple of small mistakes and the other riders pulled away. Even if I was able to reconcentrate myself in the closing stages of the race, I was unable to close the gap on my opponents. I did some quite good lap times because in the race it¹s easier to gain a few tenths of a second through slipstreaming. I must clearly improve on my lap times in qualifying, in order to have a better grid position. The summer break is clearly welcome. There is almost a month before the Czech Republic Grand Prix and I will question myself, work out mentally and physically in order to reach the next race with more confidence and calm.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 27th. “I got a good start from 34th on the grid and was 27th at the end of the first lap and got in the group with Sandi and Bonsey and we were catching the group ahead of us. Then on lap seven or eight I almost high-sided when I got on the gas too hard coming out of turn 2. I got back onto the track but I could only run the same times as the group ahead of me. Still, my lap times were not so bad compared to qualifying but for the near high side I could have finished in 22nd 23rd place.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: dnf engine detonation problem.”Not very happy because I am sure I could have scored my best ever GP finish today. I got a good start and gained eight places on the first lap and was fighting in a group that was racing for points. I was running good lap times three tenths of a second better than qualifying. Then with five laps to go the engine started to slow and I dropped back. I thought it was detonation and with two laps to go the almost stopped so I had to pull in. Pity because that was my best GP performance.” Dino Lombardi, Kopron Scot Honda: did not start due to illness. Results MotoGP Race Classification MotoGP : (30 laps = 110.13 km) Pos/ Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time/ KM/H / Gap 1 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 41’53.196 / 157.754 / 2 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Ducati Marlboro Team/ DUCATI / 42’06.362 / 156.932 / 13.166 3 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Repsol Honda Team /HONDA / 42’09.967 / 156.708 / 16.771 4 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Fiat Yamaha Team /YAMAHA / 42’11.495 / 156.614 / 18.299 5 / Casey STONER / AUS / Ducati Marlboro Team /DUCATI / 42’24.622 / 155.806 / 31.426 6 / Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Honda Gresini / HONDA / 42’25.113 / 155.776 / 31.917 7 / John HOPKINS / USA / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /SUZUKI / 42’26.591 / 155.685 / 33.395 8 / Anthony WEST / AUS / Kawasaki Racing Team /KAWASAKI / 42’34.390 / 155.21 / 41.194 9 / Alex HOFMANN / GER / Pramac d’Antin / DUCATI / 42’36.410 / 155.087 / 43.214 10 / Michel FABRIZIO / ITA / Honda Gresini /HONDA / 42’37.655 / 155.012 / 44.459 11 / Chris VERMEULEN / AUS / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP/ SUZUKI / 42’55.090 / 153.962 / 1’01.894 12 / Kurtis ROBERTS / USA / Team Roberts / KR212V/ 43’03.917 / 153.436 / 1’10.721 13 / Makoto TAMADA / JPN / Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 /YAMAHA / 42’48.710 / 144.055 / 2 laps 14 / Carlos CHECA / SPA / Honda LCR / HONDA / 42’34.089 / 139.705 / 3 laps Pole Position: Casey STONER 1’22.384 160.414 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record) Dani PEDROSA 1’23.082 159.066 Km/h Lap 6 Circuit Record Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1’23.355 158.545 Km/h 2006 Circuit Best Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1’21.815 161.530 Km/h 2006 World Championship Positions: 1 STONER 196, 2 ROSSI 164, 3 PEDROSA 144, 4 HOPKINS 103, 5 MELANDRI 97, 6 VERMEULEN 93, 7 EDWARDS 88, 8 CAPIROSSI 77, 9 HAYDEN 73, 10 BARROS 69, 11 HOFMANN 60, 12 ELIAS 49, 13 DE PUNIET 40, 14 CHECA 27, 15 NAKANO 25. 250cc Race Classification 250cc: (29 laps = 106.459 km) Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap 1 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Red Bull KTM 250 / KTM / 41’16.191 / 154.774 / 2 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Red Bull KTM 250 / KTM / 41’16.310 / 154.767 / 0.119 3 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / Master – Mapfre Aspar/ APRILIA / 41’16.465 / 154.757 / 0.274 4 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Fortuna Aprilia /APRILIA / 41’16.770 / 154.738 / 0.579 5 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Kopron Team Scot /HONDA / 41’17.487 / 154.694 / 1.296 6 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Team Toth Aprilia /APRILIA / 41’28.042 / 154.037 / 11.851 7 / Marco SIMONCELLI / ITA / Metis Gilera / GILERA / 41’33.499 / 153.7 / 17.308 8 / Yuki TAKAHASHI / JPN / Kopron Team Scot /HONDA / 41’38.500 / 153.392 / 22.309 9 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Emmi – Caffe Latte Aprilia / APRILIA / 41’45.049 / 152.991 / 28.858 10 / Roberto LOCATELLI / ITA / Metis Gilera /GILERA / 41’52.174 / 152.558 / 35.983 11 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Blusens Aprilia /APRILIA / 41’53.568 / 152.473 / 37.377 12 / Shuhei AOYAMA / JPN / Repsol Honda 250cc /HONDA / 41’58.402 / 152.18 / 42.211 13 / Dirk HEIDOLF / GER / Kiefer – Bos – SotinRacing / APRILIA / 42’07.286 / 151.645 / 51.095 14 / Alex BALDOLINI / ITA / Kiefer – Bos – SotinRacing / APRILIA / 42’09.607 / 151.506 / 53.416 15 / Jules CLUZEL / FRA / Angaia Racing / APRILIA/ 42’12.187 / 151.352 / 55.996 Pole Position: Mika KALLIO 1’24.413 156.558 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record): Mika KALLIO 1’24.762 155.914 Km/h Lap 29 Circuit Record Lap: Sebastian PORTO 1’25.118 155.262 Km/hh 2004 Circuit Best Lap: Mika KALLIO 1’24.413 156.558 Km/h 2007 World Championship Positions: 1 LORENZO 191, 2 DE ANGELIS 171, 3 DOVIZIOSO 166, 4 BAUTISTA 116, 5 BARBERA 90, 6 AOYAMA 78, 7 KALLIO 78, 8 LUTHI 63, 9 SIMON 61, 10 SIMONCELLI 57, 11 AOYAMA 55, 12 TAKAHASHI 49, 13 LAI 38, 14 LOCATELLI 27, 15 WILAIROT 26. 125cc: Race Classification 125cc (27 laps = 99.117 km) Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM/H / Gap 1 / Gabor TALMACSI / HUN / Bancaja Aspar / APRILIA / 39’30.802 / 150.506 / 2 / Tomoyoshi KOYAMA / JPN / Red Bull KTM 125 /KTM / 39’34.334 / 150.282 / 3.532 3 / Hector FAUBEL / SPA / Bancaja Aspar / APRILIA / 39’34.412 / 150.277 / 3.61 4 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Skilled Racing Team /APRILIA / 39’35.246 / 150.224 / 4.444 5 / Randy KRUMMENACHE / SWI / Red Bull KTM 125 /KTM / 39’42.653 / 149.757 / 11.851 6 / Lukas PESEK / CZE / Valsir Seedorf Derbi / DERBI / 39’42.722 / 149.753 / 11.92 7 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Emmi – Caffe Latte Aprilia / APRILIA / 39’48.073 / 149.418 / 17.271 8 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Repsol Honda 125cc /HONDA / 39’50.286 / 149.279 / 19.484 9 / Pablo NIETO / SPA / Blusens Aprilia / APRILIA / 39’51.752 / 149.188 / 20.95 10 / Michael RANSEDER / AUT / Ajo Motorsport /DERBI / 39’53.430 / 149.083 / 22.62811 / 11 / Joan OLIVE / SPA / Polaris World / APRILIA / 39’56.846 / 148.871 / 26.044 12 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Repsol Honda 125cc /HONDA / 39’57.898 / 148.805 / 27.096 13 / Stefan BRADL / GER / Blusens Aprilia /APRILIA / 40’13.607 / 147.837 / 42.805 14 / Georg FROEHLICH / GER / Abbink Bos Racing /HONDA / 40’14.305 / 147.794 / 43.503 15 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Kopron Team Scot /HONDA / 40’15.204 / 147.739 / 44.402 Pole Position: Gabor TALMACSI 1’26.839 152.185 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record): Gabor TALMACSI 1’26.909 152.062 Km/h Lap 3 Circuit Record Lap: Alvaro BAUTISTA 1’27.519 151.002 Km/h 2006 Circuit Best Lap: Gabor TALMACSI 1’26.839 152.185 Km/h 2007 World Championship Positions: 1 TALMACSI 156, 2 FAUBEL 154, 3 KOYAMA 118, 4 PESEK 113, 5 CORSI 110, 6 GADEA 105, 7 SMITH 71, 8 OLIVE 68, 9 PASINI 66, 10 ESPARGARO 62, 11 CORTESE 53, 12 RANSEDER 49, 13 DE ROSA 42, 14 KRUMMENACHER 41, 15 RABAT 37. More, from a press release issued by Michelin: PEDROSA SCORES RUNAWAY VICTORY AT RED-HOT SACHSENRING Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) rode to his first victory of the year at the Sachsenring today, running away to finish 13.166 seconds ahead of his nearest rival in extremely challenging conditions, with track temperatures reaching a sizzling 50 degrees. Pedrosa and his Michelin tires reveled in the ultra-tough conditions to such an extent that his winning margin was the biggest on a dry track since the advent of four-stroke MotoGP racing in 2002*. Reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) made it three Michelin men in the top four this afternoon. Both Americans got the best out of their tires in grueling conditions to charge through the pack after completing lap one in tenth and 11th positions. Pedrosa led from start to finish, extending his advantage pretty much throughout the 30 laps, despite debilitating 33-degree heat at this very demanding, newly resurfaced circuit. His race time was six seconds faster than last year’s German GP. “This is one of the three most demanding tracks in MotoGP, along with Valencia and Phillip Island, so we are very happy to get such a strong result here,” said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing, after his company’s second successive MotoGP victory. “It has been a very interesting weekend, seeing how all the teams have worked. It’s really difficult when you come to a resurfaced track and the weather get hotter and hotter every day and the pace gets faster and faster. “It was tough for the riders who had to manage their tires over 30 laps. Dani did it very well, leading from the start and controlling the race throughout. It was also amazing to see Nicky and Colin come back so strongly, we’re very happy for both of them, especially since it’s their home race next weekend. Of course, we were upset to see Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) fall. Otherwise he would’ve been up front and maybe he would’ve made the race even more exciting. He was passing another rider when he fell, so he was off his usual line, and the riders say it can be dusty off line here. We hope our partners are happy with our work here, we are happy with theirs, and we aim to continue working together like this.” Pedrosa was delighted with his first victory since last year’s British GP. “I’m very happy, this was a great race for us, so my thanks to the team, to Honda and to Michelin,” he said. “Michelin gave us very good tires here, I was especially confident with my rear tire. Now we go to Laguna, aiming to build on this and have another good weekend.” Pedrosa’s teammate Hayden scored his second consecutive podium despite qualifying 14th. “The first two days here were frustrating, we got behind but the team worked great,” he said. “In the race I put my head down, got some good laps together and made a few passes. The tires were great, I’m really grateful to Michelin and now I’m really looking forward to Laguna.” Rossi had hoped to have a go at repeating his Assen victory here but slid off at the slow-speed turn three on lap six while fighting through from a slowish start. *MotoGP’s biggest winning margin was achieved by Rossi at the soaking wet 2002 Portuguese GP, where he beat fellow Carlos Checa by 22.2 seconds. The previous biggest dry win was also achieved by Rossi at the 2002 Australian GP, where he beat Alex Barros by 9.782 seconds.
