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2005
MotoGP : R10
of 17, July 31, 2005, SACHSENRING, GERMANY
- QUOTES BEFORE
RACE
Biaggi:
"After the disaster at Donington I come to the Sachsenring
determined to have a good result ... it is so frustrating knowing
that I have the ability to be regularly on the front row and be
regularly on the podium but at the moment it is just not happening."-
Barros:
"Last year I battled for victory with Max and I think
I did one of the best races of the year, so I’m quite confident
for Sunday."
Checa:
"It's so tight that you hardly ever use full throttle, maybe
only for seven per cent of the lap. Maximum horsepower means absolutely
nothing"- HAYDEN
ON POLE ON HIS BIRTHDAY
HAYDEN:
"It's a great way to celebrate my birthday but I won't be cutting
any cake until after the race ... Many people said my first pole
and win at Laguna came because I knew the circuit so well but hopefully
I've proved something this afternoon. But Sunday is when it counts.
I feel good and will go for it."
CIRCUIT:
- SACHSENRING,
GERMANY
- Opened: 1966
- 3.704 km circuit
, slow & twisty; turns: 10 LEFT, 5 RIGHT
- 30 lap race
- 2004 winner:
Biaggi, Honda
- 2003 winner:
Gibernau, Honda
- 2002 winner:
Rossi, Honda
- 2001 winner:
Biaggi, Yamaha
- 2000 winner:
Barros, Honda
- Fastest Lap
Ever: 1m 24.056 (Alex Barros, 2004)
- MotoGP lap
record: 1m 24.056 (Alex Barros, 2004)
- LAST
YEAR'S RACE RESULT: 2004
-
1
Max Biaggi, Honda
- 2 Barros, Honda
- 3 Hayden, Honda
- 4 Rossi, Yamaha
- 5 Edwards,
Honda
- 6 Tamada. Honda
RACE
JULY
31, 2005, Dry, Temp: 21ºC; Crowd:
95,364
race stopped on lap 6 when Hopkins crashed; race restarted for another
25 laps.
- 1
Valentino Rossi
(ITA) Yamaha
“It’s
been a difficult weekend for sure. On Friday we arrived with a bad
setting for this track and had some big problems. The team and Yamaha
have done a fantastic job to recover from a bad situation and have
worked step-by-step to resolve the issues. It was a hard race throughout,
in some places we were fast and some slower, but the bike was working
well after all the work we put in yesterday. At one point I lost
second place to Nicky, but luckily I was able to take it back and
then I prepared for a last lap battle with Sete. Then Sete made
a small mistake at the first braking marker, which is an easy thing
to do when you are racing at this speed, and I was able to take
the lead. I don’t know if I would have won if he hadn’t
made the mistake, but for sure I would have tried! I made a special
flag to apologise to Mike Hailwood for matching his 76 wins in Grand
Prix, because when another rider arrives at your level, it’s
always disappointing! Mike is one of the greatest riders ever, and
now I am beside him on the all-time winners podium in Grand Prix,
which is a fantastic achievement!”
- 2
Sete Gibernau
(SPA) Honda +0.6s
- 3
Nicky Hayden
(US) Honda + 0.8s
“After you get the taste of blood and winning at Laguna, going
back to the podium isn’t cool any more. It was strange with
the red flag and after the red flag I didn’t feel as good
under braking with the clutch after two starts. I was there at the
end, I thought maybe a door might open up. I know with these two
boys, I seen Valentino close back down on this boy the last lap
and I thought maybe we’re going to be alright to celebrate
my birthday again today, but it didn’t happen. I didn’t
make it happen. I feel like I went to school on these guys, these
two guys are the two best or the two top. I definitely watched them
and studied and tried to pick up some stuff to help me in the future.”
- 4
Max Biaggi
- 5
Alex Barros
“I’m
a little bit disappointed with fifth place, obviously, but I feel
I did everything I could, getting a pretty good start amongst the
front group and pushing without a moment’s respite to try
and get in front. What I am unhappy with is that eight laps from
the end I began to lose rear grip and whatever I tried, including
changing the power delivery to save on the tyres, not only was I
unable to get amongst the battle for the podium, but I lost the
duel with Max as I tried to control the bike which was sliding so
much out of the bends. I didn’t’ give up though, and
I tried to hang in there, but I couldn’t do anything. Anyway,
I’m fifteen points off second position in the championship
now and there are still seven races remaining after the summer break.”
- 6
Nakano
- 7
Melandri
- 8
Edwards
“We
worked as hard as we could this weekend, but looking back over some
of the decisions we’ve made, it seems like we should have
tried something different. We just never made that big jump in performance
that Valentino made, after we both had problems on Friday. For once
my start – in fact both starts – were okay, but unfortunately
the first one was the better of the two, which was the wrong way
round! I really struggled in the race and I just couldn’t
hold on to the leading group. Sections one, two and four were okay
but I was losing three tenths of a second in section three, it’s
only about 19 seconds through there but I really couldn’t
afford to be losing that much time on nearly every lap. The good
thing going away from here is that Sete, Max, Marco and I are still
all within four points in the championship standings. I’ll
come back after the break and do better in Brno.”
- 9 Capirossi
- 10 Tamada
- 11 Roberts
12 Elias 13 Xaus 14 Rolfo 15 Battaini
- DNF: Hopkins,
Bayliss
- JOHN
HOPKINS CRASHED HEAVILY
- race red flagged then restarted
Hopkins: “Well, I’m battered and bruised. I had one
of the worst high-sides I’ve ever had on Friday and then came
close to topping that one off this afternoon. It
was my fault really. I’ve been taking a few painkillers that
I’ve been getting from Dr Costa. I just tried to do the best
I could and stick with the lead group, but unfortunately my foot
was bandaged up and I just lost feeling in it. That was really dangerous
because you are on the edge of the tyre so much here. With a broken
foot, I just couldn’t feel it on the shifter and I tried to
keep my foot clear but accidentally hit the lever on that corner,
the bike shifted to second and then I was flying. Looks like I won’t
be doing too much moto-crossing at home now. I was also planning
to do some promotional events with Red Bull and Crescent during
the break, but I need to be at home and recover for Brno. I went
well there last year and I’m desperate to get a good result”
- BAYLISS: “Damn!
When things are going wrong there’s not too much to say except
I’m sorry, because the weekend hadn’t been going at
all bad until qualifying. We were able to sort out the situation
though because in the warm-up I felt good with the bike and the
tyres and so I was confident for the race. Then I got caught up
in the confusion at the first corner where several riders crashed
out and I went really wide, almost stopping. I put my head down
and tried to recover, and got good draught off Tamada but as I tried
to pass him I went into the corner a bit too hard.”
RACE REPORT
- YAMAHA
Rossi
signs off for summer with his eighth win of the season
- Just one week
after his stunning wet weather win at Donington Park in England,
reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was back on top of
the podium at the Sachsenring circuit as he snatched victory from
Sete Gibernau (Honda) on the final lap of the German Grand Prix
today. The tenth round of the 2005 campaign and Rossi's 150th Grand
Prix appearance in all was stopped after five laps when John Hopkins
(Suzuki) crashed out and left his machine strewn in the middle of
the circuit. By that time Rossi had made his way up to second place
and when the race restarted he quickly began to pile the pressure
on early race leader Nicky Hayden, taking the lead on the second
lap.
- One lap later
Gibernau passed both Hayden and Rossi, who was then relegated back
to third place by the American on lap 13. The Italian mounted a
typical late charge, passing Hayden and closing in on Gibernau during
the closing stages of the race as he prepared an attack on the final
lap. It proved unnecessary however, as a mistake from Gibernau in
turn one handed the Italian his 76th Grand Prix victory, moving
him third in the all-time Grand Prix winners list, level with Mike
Hailwood. Whilst Rossi now leads the championship standings by 120
points over Marco Melandri (Honda), his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate
Colin Edwards finished a difficult weekend with eighth position
in the race today, and drops to fourth overall behind Gibernau.
The Texan nonetheless remains in close contention at the top end
of the championship table, where four riders are separated by just
four points.
- It was a long
weekend for Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus,
who both struggled to find a comfortable set-up, qualifying 17th
and 18th respectively. Xaus' qualifying rhythm was interrupted as
he sought treatment for an injury to his left leg, while his team-mate
continues to nurse an injured left hand sustain in a crash at Le
Mans.
- The early departure
of seven riders in the field helped the Spanish riders up the points
board as they finished just outside the top ten.
- Davide Brivio,
Gauloises Yamaha Team Director: "We won a race at the end of
what has been a difficult weekend, so this is another great achievement.
Now we go on holiday with an even stronger lead - after ten races
we are leading all the categories: the rider, team and manufacturers'
championships. Also Colin remains close to the top of the championship.
He is in good shape at the top of the table with all the best riders,
despite not having such a good race today. Now everyone will take
a well-deserved rest after the first half of the season, and let's
hope we can return in Brno and continue in the same way for the
second half of the year."
- Toni Elias
(Fortuna Yamaha Team) 12th: "I can't be happy because it was
a very difficult weekend and the circuit here really accentuated
the injury problems I have had recently. We worked very hard all
weekend, though, and this morning we made a big change to the bike
which was positive but not quite effective enough. We have a good
base now to work from at Brno and I am sure I can improve there.
In the end I had an injection before the race and up until the final
ten laps, when the effect wore off, I didn't feel any pain. Of course
I would have liked to have finished higher up, but the important
thing is to keep scoring points and improving from race to race.
The holidays have come just at the right time for me to recover
properly from my injury and improve my fitness levels."
- Ruben Xaus
(Fortuna Yamaha Team) 13th: "This morning we were a lot closer
to the pace, but in the race we started a long way down because
of our qualifying time. I was lucky not to get caught up in the
crash on the first lap which saw Troy Bayliss (Honda) forced out.
After the restart I rode the bike well and believe I learned quite
a lot about the concept of how you need to ride a Yamaha. What I
must do now is work on how to set up the bike. I am going to Andorra
during the holidays to prepare for Brno and think that will be the
last race of adaptation before I can really begin to attack."
QUALIFYING
GRID,
DRY, Temp 24ºC
- 1.
Nicky Hayden
(US) Honda 1:22.785
- 2.
Sete Gibernau
(SPA) Honda 1:22.889
- 3.
Alex Barros (BRA)
Honda 1:22.932
- 4.
Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1:22.973
"I'm much happier today - the team have done a great job to
get the bike working well here because it is such a peculiar circuit.
Yesterday we lost our direction a little bit but today we made a
lot of progress. In the morning we were able to sort out the problems
we had on the front end and in the afternoon we made a big step
forward on the rear, even with the race tyre. I made a mistake in
the final corner on my fast lap that probably cost me a tenth but
I am still only 0.188 seconds from the pole. Considering where we
were yesterday, I am happy with that. Tomorrow will be a very hard
race because there are four or five riders who have the pace to
run at the front, but we've done a good job today and I think we
can be there with them."
- 5.
Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1:23.051
- 6.
Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda 1:23.054
- 7.
Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha 1:23.139
- 8.
Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1:23.174
- 9. Kenny Roberts
Jr (US) Suzuki 1:23.212
- 10. John Hopkins
(US) Suzuki 1:23.296
- 11 C. Checa
Ducati ESP
12 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN
13 A. Hofman Kawasaki GER
14 O. Jacque Kawasaki FRA
15 M. Tamada Honda JPN
16 T. Bayliss Honda AUS
17 T. Elias Yamaha ESP
18 R. Xaus Yamaha ESP
YAMAHA QUALIFYING
REPORT
Yamaha
duo make significant progress at Sachsenring
- Gauloises Yamaha
riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards recovered from a difficult
first day at the Sachsenring to improve their positions today, qualifying
on the second and third row respectively for tomorrow's German Grand
Prix. Rossi in particular made impressive progress after struggling
to the thirteenth fastest time yesterday, mounting a strong challenge
this afternoon in an entertaining battle for pole position that
was eventually won by Nicky Hayden (Honda).
- Whilst Sete
Gibernau and Alex Barros (both Honda) join Hayden on the front row,
Rossi ended the session only 0.188 seconds off the day's best time
and the Italian was satisfied both with the steps taken with the
set-up of his YZR-M1 machine and with a fourth-place start on the
grid. Edwards also made encouraging progress, although he was unable
to find the perfect compromise setting for the track, which places
drastically diverse demands on the machine throughout the contrasting
fast and slow sections. The American eventually qualified seventh
fastest and will head the third row of the grid tomorrow.
- Valentino
Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team), 4th - 1'22.973
"I'm much happier today - the team have done a great job to
get the bike working well here because it is such a peculiar circuit.
Yesterday we lost our direction a little bit but today we made a
lot of progress. In the morning we were able to sort out the problems
we had on the front end and in the afternoon we made a big step
forward on the rear, even with the race tyre. I made a mistake in
the final corner on my fast lap that probably cost me a tenth but
I am still only 0.188 seconds from the pole. Considering where we
were yesterday, I am happy with that. Tomorrow will be a very hard
race because there are four or five riders who have the pace to
run at the front, but we've done a good job today and I think we
can be there with them."
- Colin
Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team), 7th - 1'23.139
"We made some progress today but it is still a struggle! This
morning I put on a qualifier in the free practice just to test it
out and only then was I able to set a fast lap. I'm losing three
tenths of a second in the third section, which we just can't seem
to work out. Three tenths is a lot over a whole lap, especially
here, but to lose it in one split is hard to swallow. To be honest
though, things were so bad yesterday that if you'd have told me
I'd be seventh fastest today and starting from the front of the
third row, I wouldn't have been too upset. We know exactly where
the problem is and the team are doing everything they can to fix
it. We've just got to work extremely hard in the warm-up tomorrow
to try to come up with a solution."
FRI
PRACTICE, JULY 29, 2005
- 1.
Alex Barros (Honda)
1:23.808
“I’m
a little disappointed about the two crashes but not too much because
I am still very happy with the job we have done. This morning the
team gave me a bike that was very competitive and the first crash
was probably caused by a little too much enthusiasm from myself
over the first few laps, because I felt so comfortable in the saddle.
I pushed a bit too hard. The second one is more difficult to explain
because I wasn’t pushing at all. They told me there wasn’t
enough time to set the second bike up like the first so I knew I
wouldn’t be able to repeat that lap time. I had put in a tyre
that had quite a few laps on it, and perhaps it was that, together
with the track conditions which weren’t ideal due to the heat.
Anyway I’m fine, I didn’t hurt myself at all and I’m
really looking forward to tomorrow.”
- 2.
Sete Gibernau
(Honda) 1:23.915
- 3.
Nicky Hayden
(Honda) 1:23.995
"Quite
a solid day really. At the beginning it wasn't really coming and
I was trying to be real smooth and steady but the lap time just
wasn't there. I tried a little bit more aggressively and things
started to look better. This track is tight, twisty and bumpy and
you have to attack. There are a few spots where you have to let
the track come to you and the times fall. The first section is the
worst section for me for sure. I just need some time to figure out
what's going on there and there are a few corners where it's all
getting a bit too sideways."
- 4.
Carlos Checa (Ducati) 1:24.054
"I
am very happy with all our work today ... we tested the bike set-up
in a lot of different way to make me feel more comfortable. Of course
we have to keep working because maybe it will rain tomorrow. If
it is wet then we should not be too bad. Certainly in the dry the
Ducati is working quite well here, as are our tyres, so the combination
is good compared to our rivals. I feel more comfortable in the slower
areas, but set-up is always a compromise here."
- 5.
Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 1:24.113
- 6.
Makoto Tamada (Honda) 1:24.130
- 7.
Max Biaggi (Honda) 1:24.248
- 8.
Troy Bayliss (Honda) 1:24.258
“This weekend at Sachsenring has begun well too. This afternoon
I was eighth but my time is very good, quicker than I went last
year in the race, and on hard tyres too. I’m feeling confident
and I think that with just a few little adjustments we should be
able to put ourselves in a top starting position. Things are going
better overall too in general, and for a few races now we have been
able to make lots of progress which make me feel much more comfortable
on the bike. We would like to make another step forward so we can
say that we are at 100%, but to be honest things aren’t going
badly at all, and I can’t wait for the race to begin.”
- 9.
Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1:24.320
- 10.
Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) 1:24.382
- 11. Loris Capirossi
(Ducati) 1:24.389
- 12. John Hopkins
(Suzuki) 1:24.400
- 13.
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:24.508
"It was a very difficult day. It started from the morning when
I fell off the bike and after that we worked a lot to try and improve
the feeling, but at the end of the day it wasn't any better. We
started with the setting from Donington but we had a problem with
the front. Also it is really hard to find the right tyre because
there is so much time spent on the left side and it gets so hot,
which means you slide a lot. I can't ride the bike at 100% and Colin
has some problems too. I am a little bit worried because I am in
thirteenth place, but I am sure that tomorrow we can work really
hard and find a good way forward. This really is a bad track for
me - I don't like it. It is different to the other tracks and we
need to work hard to get the right set-up."
- 14. Marco Melandri
(Honda) 1:24.513
- 15. Olivier
Jacque (Kawasaki) 1:24.752
RACE
PREVIEW
HONDA
- Max
Biaggi:
"After the disaster at Donington I come to the Sachsenring
determined to have a good result and good performance for my fans,
for my team and for myself. I left the UK in the rain sad for my
performance. The Sachsenring race will be a further proof of our
competitiveness. I look forward to riding on the German track where
in the last few years we have made some beautiful races. I remember
well last year when we make the pole position and we win the race.
It was for me the perfect weekend and sadly one that has not happened
since last year. For me it is so frustrating knowing that I have
the ability to be regularly on the front row and be regularly on
the podium but at the moment it is just not happening. Lets hope
that the race this weekend will see a change in fortune.”
- Nicky
Hayden:
“I have gone pretty well at Sachsenring in the past. I wouldn’t
say it’s the most fun track but we’ve had some pretty
good results there. The first year, I started 15th and finished
fifth and last year got a podium. Some of the big left handers really
remind me of some of the dirt tracks back home, and I really like
the down hill section towards the end of the track when it really
falls away. It’s really fast and quite exciting. As always
when we have a bad race day I just want to get straight back on
the back and I’m glad that we haven’t got any break
before the next race.”
- Alex
Barros: “I’m happy to be heading to Sachsenring,
where we are all hoping for a nice sunny day for the race! It is
an unusual track; tight and twisty, but I like it because I’ve
had some good results there both on the 500cc bikes and on the MotoGP
bike. Last year I battled for victory with Max and I think I did
one of the best races of the year, so I’m quite confident
for Sunday. The podium in Donington was satisfying because the conditions
were truly awful, but in Sachsenring I want to do even better before
returning to Brazil for the summer break.”
- Troy
Bayliss: “I was really annoyed at Donington, even
though there’s nobody to blame for what happened considering
the rotten conditions in the race. I returned home to Monaco, and
took out my anger with a good bike ride and now I’m ready
to race again. I love Sachsenring, I can’t wait to race there
next Sunday. I feel so much more comfortable with the bike, we’ve
made some steps forward with the front settings and if we continue
in this fashion, I will have my say on Sunday.”
YAMAHA
- 2005
Set-up report YZR-M1
The tight and twisty nature of Sachsenring lends itself to close
racing. This is partially influenced by its rather short overall
length, only just scraping in on the minimum allowed distance to
host a MotoGP race, while the looping layout itself has the reputation
of making passing moves on fellow competitors difficult even at
the best of times. The design of the circuit, with virtually only
three pieces of straight tarmac, has seen the MotoGP machines reach
their top speeds at the back straight, with two key passing points
- the final two left-handers.
- Like Donington
Sachsenring is made up of low and high speed sections. For this
reason the Yamaha YZR-M1 will need to offer agility and a degree
of stability too - a difficult combination - although agility takes
priority. For 2005 this has become a major strength with the re-born
YZR-M1 and should provide each of the four Yamaha pilots an advantage.
Due to the long radius turns, and the low speeds a smoother power
delivery is especially useful at such an undulating circuit as much
of the driving is done off the left side of the tyre. All of this
with little camber on offer.
- To help the
YZR-M1 in this regard Yamaha will opt for a more linear characteristic
from the rear suspension linkage - to suit the needs of the circuit
and the flatter torque characteristics likely to be used by the
inline-four. Such a linkage ratio will offer a plusher movement
through the first stage of the stroke before gradually increasing
in intensity. It will not only improve traction off the turns, allowing
the rider to get on the power harder and earlier than before, the
new linkage should also reduce the effects of the M1's front wheel
pawing for the clouds. This is often an issue for the 240 plus horsepower
145kg machines.
- This will be
supported with a rear shock set-up that sports a setting a little
more on the softer side; offering more feel while working the rear
tyre less over the bumpy surface. It is necessary, however, to ensure
the swingarm motion is predictable, as these setting, combined with
the undulating layout and lack of grip, can lead to instability.
To prevent this from becoming an issue the shock's damping will
be dialed in to compensate, while the front forks will be set to
provide the best all-round balance. This is possible with the limited
amount of hard braking that takes place at the Sachsenring.
- 2004
MotoGP Race Summary
Yamaha Factory rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi
entered the 2004 German Grand Prix, held at the Sachsenring with
high expectations since the tight and twisty circuit has traditionally
suited the nimble Yamaha. But after a determined fourth place in
what was a dramatic and changeable race it was Max Biaggi (Honda)
who mounted the podium as winner.
- Rossi's fourth
place came after an incident-filled race, and his team-mate Carlos
Checa was one of many riders who did not make the finish. The Spaniard
tumbled out on lap five, shortly after passing a string of riders.
Rossi encountered his own challenges in the final laps, running
wide on two corners and experiencing a violent weave as he tipped
into the fast left hand curve at the top of the hill, losing places
on each occasion after the rear tyre began to fade.
- Rossi chased
the eventual race winner Max Biaggi in the early laps, sitting second
and harrying his fellow Italian throughout. Sete Gibernau (Honda)
closed in on the pairing until he fell from third place on lap eight,
allowing fellow Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Alex Barros to move
in on the act. Rossi broke Biaggi's lead on lap 16, 0.7 seconds
ahead at one stage, heading the order for a total of six laps. The
young Italian's challenge for maximum points faded, however, when
he lost places consecutively to Biaggi, Barros and finally Hayden.
- Meanwhile massive
misfortune visited the Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 team when both riders
crashed out on lap 21 of the 30-lap race. Marco Melandri lost control
of his YZR-M1 when the rear wheel touched the grass. The bike highsided
the young Italian into the air and then Norick Abe hit the stricken
machine at nearly 200kmh, crashing spectacularly as a result.
Both riders were circulating the 3.671km track in close company
as they both tried to get the better of Honda runners Colin Edwards
and Makoto Tamada. Marco and Abe were both well into the points
places in seventh and eighth when the double disaster unfolded.
DUCATI
- Capirossi:
"It's a strange track, like a go-kart track. For sure it's
very difficult on a MotoGP bike, anyway we go there with a strong
feeling, determined to get a good result before the holidays, but
we will see what new tyres Bridgestone bring. The first few corners
are so, so slow, but after the horseshoe right-hander it becomes
quite a nice track. There's the fast run downhill and the very fast
turn 12, a really exciting corner because you're in fifth gear,
maybe 220kmh, and it's blind and also negative camber. After Germany
I go home and I stay home, I'm going nowhere! I have a 45-foot motorboat,
which we use most days. There are a lot of beautiful bays around
Monaco, but the problem is there are also a lot of boats, so you
have to go early, because it's like supermarket parking!"
- Checa:
"It's a special kind of track and I like it, apart from the
first part, which is too slow. I always enjoy tracks that feature
plenty of elevation changes and the Sachsenring is very up and down.
It's slow circuit but that doesn't mean it's easy because MotoGP
bikes are big, very powerful and have wide tyres, so this place
is a lot of work. It's so tight that you hardly ever use full throttle,
maybe only for seven per cent of the lap. Maximum horsepower means
absolutely nothing, so you work in other areas of engine performance,
like low- and mid-rpm. We don't change the base set-up too much
from track to track, we just hope that our Bridgestone tyres work
well on this asphalt. My main aim during the break is to have some
rest. I will spend some time at home in London, plus I'm going trekking
and climbing in the Pyrenees for a few days. I'm really looking
forward to that. It's good that everyone in the team gets a break,
we all need to recharge!"
SUZUKI
- Paul
Denning (Team Manager): “Sachsenring
is a very twisty circuit that will put tremendous demands on the
Bridgestone tyres and the set-up of the GSV-R. Whilst outright power
is not a priority as such, the riders still need excellent acceleration
and strong mid-range power. We hope the improvements at Donington
will prove themselves to be a step forward at Sachsenring, whether
the conditions are wet or dry. The team is still on cloud nine from
last Sunday’s result but we know that we will have to start
all over again this weekend - beginning with Friday’s free
practice. Last weeks podium is now in the past and we will have
to carry on working with the same drive and enthusiasm we have shown
all season to make sure the step by step improvements continue,
and that we allow the riders to use their talents to the full.”
MICHELIN
RACE PREVIEW:
- MICHELIN
AND THE CHALLENGE OF THE SACHSENRING
Michelin has enjoyed unprecedented success at the German Grand Prix.
Since reunification, the French tyre brand has won 13 of the country's
14 premier-class GPs, beaten only at the first German GP in 1991.
These victories have been achieved at three different circuits -
Hockenheim, Nurburgring and Sachsenring.
- The modern
Sachsenring hosted its first GP in 1998 but has since undergone
major revisions. The current circuit layout was first used in 2001,
the last year of the 500s. Since then the super-quick four- strokes
have slashed one minute and ten seconds from the race record!
- "It's
one of the slowest circuits and the first section is so slow that
it's not really meant for a MotoGP bike," says Nicolas Goubert,
Michelin's chief of motorcycle competitions. "A few years ago
(in 2000), before the track was enlarged, the 250 lap record was
actually faster than the 500 record. So power is not crucial at
this track, it's all about agility and corner speed. And our 2005
rear construction, which has really improved race times this season,
should help at the Sachsenring, because there are so many long corners,
with riders on the edge of the tyres for a long time. Edge grip
is therefore the most crucial aspect of tyre performance at this
track, acceleration traction isn't so important. Our 2005 construction
offers better stability and greater endurance on the edge of the
tyre. But we still have to improve here - riders always ask for
more edge grip, because they always want to go fast. It's a permanent
request!
- "We run
dual compound tyres here, really quite asymmetric, because there
are ten left-handers and only four rights. Although endurance can
be quite crucial on the left side of the tyre we would like to get
another lap record at the end of the race but I think it will be
very difficult, just because all the lefts work both the tyres so
hard. The rear definitely gets the biggest workout, because there's
not a lot of heavy braking or trail-braking into corners, so the
front isn't a real concern.
- "After
this race our MotoGP crew takes a well-earned holiday, and we think
it's important that MotoGP has a compulsory break in the middle
of the season. We will plan our tyres for Brno immediately after
Sunday's racing, then our people at the factory will work at making
them while we go on holiday!"
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