Movistar Yamaha All Set for Sachsenring Start

 

Following an eventful weekend of racing in the Netherlands, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have made their way to the Sachsenring to finish the first half of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship at this weekend’s GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Viñales will be in search of redemption at the Sachsenring this weekend to make up for an DNF at the previous round. The Spaniard shows his signature mature and positive mind set and will apply what he learned in Assen to the upcoming race to close the four-point gap to the lead in the championship.

Prior to this weekend the young contender stood on the German podium twice, having secured third places in the 125cc class in 2011 and the Moto3 class in 2013. This year he sets out to conquer the top step of the podium at the Sachsenring for the first time in his career.

Rossi arrives in Saxony still elated by his first win of the season in Assen. That result not only gave the rider an extra confidence boost ahead of the forthcoming race, but also lifted him to third in the championship, just seven points from first.

This weekend the Doctor aims to secure his fifth MotoGP race win at the German circuit in addition to his victories in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2009. He also stood on the premier class podium in 2000, 2003 and 2008 for second places, and in 2013 and 2015 having taken third position.

The area of Chemnitz has been associated with a love of racing from the 1920s, when car and bike races were held there on closed public roads. The Sachsenring hosted its first MotoGP event in 1998 and has continuously been updated since, including a recent resurfacing. The numerous tight corners (ten left, three right) and the 12m width of the tarmac make this circuit one of the slower tracks on the calendar, but there is plenty of close racing action that keeps the fans coming back for more.

Maverick Viñales

Championship: 2nd – Points: 111

We arrive at the Sachsenring with a positive mindset. We have to keep in mind that after the crash in Assen we are only four points behind the leader. We have to learn from our mistakes and try to not repeat them. Now I just want to look forward. I can’t wait to be back on my bike, to prepare for this weekend‘s race and of course our target will be to win, not only to be on the podium. We have to be focused on recovering our position as the leader in the championship.

Valentino Rossi

Championship: 3rd – Points: 108

I‘m very happy because the race in Assen was incredible. Returning to the top step and taking the victory was very important for me, because the emotions are always fantastic, and it was also important for the championship. Thinking about the next race in Sachsenring, I don‘t know what to expect. We‘ve seen that from one track to the other everything can change, so we have to work in a good way to find the best solution for the upcoming track. I like the German GP, it‘s an unusual circuit that‘s different compared to Assen. It will be essential to be competitive there too. We will do our best!

Massimo Meregalli

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director

Straight after the mixed weekend in Assen we arrive in Germany ready to get back on track. Maverick and Valentino are extremely motivated to score the maximum amount of points this weekend. They both challenge for the lead in the championship as we approach the mid-championship summer break. Both our riders felt competitive during last week‘s race and we are determined to continue the work this weekend so we can compete at the front again. The Sachsenring is a very peculiar circuit that‘s narrow and has a slow nature, so it will be important to find a good set-up that suits the new surface on the Friday in the free practice sessions, in order to prepare for Sunday‘s race.

Zarco Targeting Podium Finish at Sachsenring – Folger Aims to Delight Home Fans with Strong Result

After coming off the back of a challenging race in the Netherlands, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo now confidently gear up for the German GP. Johann Zarco seeks to bounce back after the Assen battle just a few days ago and achieve his target of seizing a podium at the Sachsenring track. Whilst Jonas Folger fully intends to power to a notable finish on home soil and complete the first half of the season with a top tier result. The action gets underway on the 30th of June at 09:55 at the Sachsenring.

Johann Zarco

Championship: 6th – Points: 77

Sachsenring is an interesting track that is quite small, but there are a lot of left corners. I won the race there last year when it rained a lot, which is a nice memory. Of course, it will be great to have three days of clear weather this time but let’s see what happens. I have a good feeling on the bike and I am happy about how the weekend in Assen went because I got the pole position and I was strong at the beginning of the race. I want to remain on this pace so that I can fight again, and have the opportunity to get on the podium in Sachsenring which would be fantastic to achieve before the summer break.

Jonas Folger

Championship: 10th – Points: 51

It goes without saying that I’m looking forward to Sachsenring. It’s a special race for me every season but even more so this year because I am in the MotoGP class. A lot of people in Germany will support me at the track and I hope there will be a big crowd. We did a great job in Assen, apart from in the race, where I made a big mistake, which I won’t do again. I think that we can perform well in Germany and I hope that the weather stays dry because it was a bit complicated to set the bike up in Assen as the conditions were always so mixed. Anyway, I will do my absolute best to make my home crowd proud this weekend.

Hervé Poncharal

Monster Yamaha Tech3 – Team Manager

We won’t have much of a rest between the two races, but there is just enough time to drive, fly and set everything up for the very important German Grand Prix. We have mixed feelings from the Dutch GP. On one hand, both riders did a great job and were really fast. The pole position was amazing for Johann, plus, the second row was the best qualifying performance by Jonas so far, and we were all happy that night. Yet, unfortunately, the next day was a disappointment. Johann lead for almost half of the race, but eventually, he collected just two points in 14th place which was certainly not what we were expecting. As for Jonas, for the first time since the beginning of his MotoGP career, he scored no points. If we want to be positive, they are in good shape, no one got injured and we are ready to bounce back from this disappointment. It will be a significant weekend for us in Germany because it’s the home Grand Prix for Jonas. We know how big and important Germany is in terms of motorcycle markets and economy so we want to give Jonas’ fans something to cheer about. We know that he can deliver really strong results and hopefully he can do this at his home race because he has the speed, talent and attitude. Let’s get ready for the last event before the summer break and we will do our absolute best as always. We can’t wait for FP1 on Friday at Sachsenring, so gentlemen start your engines!

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