2015 German Grand Prix Preview

Jul 9, 2015
3 min read

The ninth round and the midway point of the season will be staged at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany. Located 5km west from the town of Chemintz in the Saxony region of the country, the site of the original road course that staged races in the 1920s and 1930s, the 2.28 mile circuit has been a feature on the Grand Prix calendar since 1998 and subsequently underwent a substantial layout redesign in 2001 to improve safety. Other circuits to have hosted the German Motorcycle Grand Prix are Avus, Solitude, Nurburgring and the Hockenheimring.

The circuit is very short and slow, but also one of the most challenging. The layout sees only three right-hand corners and the rest left, with the second and third right turns separated by seven left turns. To add to the difficulty the right-hander at turn 11 is a very fast downhill section dubbed 'the waterfall'. This puts a lot of strain on the tyres and regularly catches riders out.

This layout should, in theory, be best suited to the Yamahas and Suzukis; a strong chassis and excellent mid-corner grip is key to a quick lap at the Sachsenring. But Honda have had a stranglehold on the German Grand Prix for the last four years. Reverting to the 2014 chassis in Assen saw the RC213V perform much better, so Honda will be a serious threat. This should also be a race where we see the Satellite riders trouble the podium battle. Cal Crutchlow came very close to winning the 2013 race on the Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1, and we saw the Briton clamber onto the rostrum at a similarly technical Termas de Rio Honda in Argentina. With Crutchlow and compatriot Bradley Smith embroiled in a scintillating scrap for top Satellite honours, don't discount either one of them for a podium this weekend.

The anticipation heading into this race is massive following the theatre of Assen. Valentino Rossi holds sway in the standings by 10 points, but Marc Marquez will be out for blood after the dramas of the final corner two weeks ago. Dani Pedrosa has the most wins at the Sachsenring (4), and he has a point to prove. Jorge Lorenzo has never won in Germany, so it remains to be seen as to what the Spaniard can achieve this weekend. What we do know is this; we're set for another classic MotoGP race on Sunday.

Stats:

Circuit Length – 3.7km (2.28mi)
Number of Turns – 13 (10 left, 3 right)
Longest Straight – 700m
Number of Laps – 30
Circuit Record – 1:21.846 (Dani Pedrosa, 2011)
Fastest Lap – 1:20.937 (Marc Marquez, 2014)
Top Speed – 295.6km/h
Most poles – 4 (Casey Stoner)
Most Wins – 4 (Dani Pedrosa)

Previous Five Winners:

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2014
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team RC213V, 2013
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, RC213V, 2012
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, RC212V, 2011
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, RC212V, 2010

Bridgestone Tyre Compounds:

Front: Soft, Asymmetric Front, Medium

Rear: Hard/Medium (Factory), Medium/Soft (Open) - Asymmetric

Wet: Soft, Hard

Classic Sachsenring Moment:

The 2013 season was one of incredible dramas. The preceding Dutch TT saw Jorge Lorenzo brake his collarbone and fight back to 5th on the Saturday whilst team-mate Valentino Rossi returned to winning ways. In Germany the entire season was shaped. Lorenzo crashed in practice once again and bent the titanium plate inserted into his collarbone following his Assen crash – he was out of the weekend. Dani Pedrosa had been given a golden opportunity to steal a march on his title rival, but he too was forced out of the race after a crash in practice which resulted in a fractured collarbone. In one fell swoop the two main championship protagonists were out. Step up Marc Marquez. The Spaniard had already won a race that season in Austin and added to his tally with a second win of the season in Germany. Thus Marquez was brought into the fray and set him on a path that would eventually see him crowned champion nine races later.

Weekend Schedule

Friday: