Honda MotoGP riders Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) stamped their authority on the ninth round of the 18-race 2015 MotoGP season at the Sachsenring this afternoon.
Marc MarquezzoomMarc Marquez Marc Marquez ,Dani PedrosazoomMarc Marquez ,Dani Pedrosa
The Spanish pair took dominant first- and second-place finishes at this twisting, undulating racetrack, reaffirming their return to form after a challenging start to the season during which both men suffered three no-scores each, Marquez through tumbles, Pedrosa through surgery.
Marquez’s first win since his runaway success in April’s Grand Prix of the Americas moves him to within 65 points of series leader Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Some people have already written off the 2013 and 2014 MotoGP champ as a candidate for the 2015 title, but the 22-year-old insists that with nine races remaining anything is possible. Meanwhile Pedrosa’s best result of the year moves him to seventh overall.
With track conditions warmer than during the past few days both Marquez and Pedrosa chose harder front tires, allowing Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) to lead the first few laps. Once in the groove, Marquez took the lead at Turn 13 on lap five and quickly showed his devastating speed. By lap 18 of 40 he was 4.5 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, and eventually crossed the finish line 2.2 second in front of his team-mate. It was his sixth successive win at the German track and his 47th career success across all classes.
Pedrosa fought and won a thrilling duel with former champion Rossi for the runner-up spot, showing superior pace in the final few laps to beat the Italian by more than three seconds. The result was further confirmation that his decision to under surgery to correct a troublesome arm-pump problem was correct.
The three leaders left Lorenzo some way behind in fourth, while Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda RC213V) fought long and hard in a thrilling mid-pack skirmish to come home seventh.
Several of Honda’s Open-spec RC213V-RS riders had impressive rides but only one came away with a World Championship point. Rookie Jack Miller (CWM LCR Honda RC213V-RS) crossed the line in 15th place to record his fourth score in his first MotoGP campaign, just behind the factory Aprilia of the experienced Alvaro Bautista. Nicky Hayden (Aspar Team Honda RC213V-RS) and Eugene Laverty (Aspar Team Honda RC213V-RS) finished immediately behind Miller in 16th and 17th, narrowly missing out on world title points which are harder than ever to come by this year.
Hiroshi Aoyama (AB Motoracing Honda RC213V-RS) – substituting for the injured Karel Abraham – slid off in the first few laps, while the luckless Scott Redding (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) had another poor day, tumbling out of the race at Turn 13 on the first lap.
Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Kalex) finally made good on several years of promise with a superb first Grand Prix win in the Moto2 class. The 25-year-old Belgian stalked and outfoxed early race leader and World Championship leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport Kalex) to win the Honda-powered race by 0.083 seconds seconds from the Frenchman. Simeon’s victory was the first by a Belgian rider since Didier de Radigues won the 1983 Belgian 250cc GP at Spa-Francorchamps aboard a Chevalier.
The pair dominated proceedings after squeezing ahead of first-lap leader Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex), leaving the young Italian alone, until he came under pressure during the closing stages from reigning world champ Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex) and ever-impressive Moto2 rookie Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40 Kalex).
As Simeon and Zarco crossed the finish line Morbidelli lost the front entering the final corner, trying to protect his first podium. Unfortunately Rabat could not avoid the falling machine and was scooped up, tumbling into the gravel trap, just eight days after he had a collarbone plated following a training accident. The plate wasn’t damaged but two loosened screws will need replacing via further surgery.
That double exit promoted Rins to third place, with Simone Corsi (Forward Racing Kalex) slipping back to a lonely fourth-place finish. First non-Kalex rider was Argentine GP winner Sam Lowes (Speed Up Racing Speed Up) who fought hard to come through the pack to fifth, passing French GP winner Thomas Luthi (Derendinger Racing Interwetten Kalex) and others in the process.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Kalex), Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team Speed Up) and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag Racing Interwetten Kalex) completed the top ten, Aegerter less than 15 seconds behind the winner.
Danny Kent (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) had another of his remarkable runaway wins in the closest-fought class of them all to cross the line 7.5 seconds in front, chased by team-mate Efren Vazquez and Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Gresini Moto3 Honda NSF250RW), who completed another all-Honda Moto3 podium.
Kent took several laps to get into his stride as his rear tire came up to temperature, then he moved into the lead on lap three and recorded a series of immaculate laps to put him well in front of Vazquez, who was in turn comfortably ahead of a frantic battle for third, which at one point numbered seven combatants.
Most of this group had their moment in the spotlight, including Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW), Alexis Masbou (SaxoPrint RTG Honda NSF250RW), Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) and Andrea Locatelli (Junior Team Gresini Moto3 Honda NSF250RW). The final laps were particularly frantic, with only centimeters to spare between the group. Finally Bastianini’s aggression paid off and he took his fourth podium of the year by just 0.026 seconds. The entire group fighting for third was covered by less than one second at the flag.
MotoGP now embarks on its midseason break, reconvening in the USA for round ten at Indianapolis on 9th August.
Marc Marquez ,Dani PedrosazoomMarc Marquez ,Dani Pedrosa Marc Marquez ,Dani PedrosazoomMarc Marquez ,Dani Pedrosa
Honda MotoGP Rider Quotes
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team: race winner“I am very happy with this victory. I’ve been chasing it hard over the last few races. In Assen we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After Barcelona, which was very hard, I felt good on the bike again thanks to the changes we made. We have confirmed that they worked here at this circuit, but I want to be cautious because I am aware that this circuit has always been very good for me and also for the Honda. We have to keep working, because on the laps I did behind Lorenzo I saw that in some aspects they were stronger than us. Let’s see if we can continue improving at the Misano test next week..”Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team: 2nd“I’m so happy – above all with how we finished the race as I rode very strongly. I was under a lot of pressure from Valentino and, although it had been a while since I had last fought with him and he is very difficult to beat, I gave my all and was able to finish ahead of him. I rode much better at the end and it is the first race this season in which I kept up a good pace until the finish. It’s true that here the bike had less of a handicap than at other tracks, due to the type of circuit it is, but at next week’s test we have to work hard, because both Jorge and Valentino were much closer today than in other years here. We’ll see if we can find something for the second half of the season to make us more competitive.”Cal Crutchlow, CWM LCR: 7th“Today’s race was not the best but I’m happy to get some points before the summer break. I made a mistake before the race, I chose the wrong tire when I should’ve chosen the same as Dani and Marc. That would’ve gained us some seconds and places. During the race we had some problems with the rear tire -it spun on the rim, so we had some vibration, plus some pain in the arm and elbow and elbow I hurt in the crash here. So now we need to go and improve in the break.”Jack Miller, CWM LCR: 15th“I had a really good start for race for the first 20 laps, then I had a big problem with spin down the hill. I had a big moment, the bike went sideways and got a big tank-slapper, so when I went for the brakes at the bottom of hill I had no brakes, which let Hector [Barbera] and Alvaro [Bautista] back through. It was really hard to sit behind them because I could roll through corners faster but when they got on the gas they could make the break. I pushed really hard, had a few moments, then though I’d better relax and get the last point.”Nicky Hayden, Aspar Team: 16th“After warm-up we expected a better race. I got a good start, but got pushed out at Turn One. After one lap I was only in front of one guy. I had a good feeling the first few laps, so I was picking off one guy a lap, and moved up to 17th. I got in front of Barbera and was chasing the group in front, but then I picked up a lot of spin, like we lost some weight off the rear, so I lost forward grip and Barbera came by and pulled away. From then on it was a bit of a lonely race. It’s unfortunate because the team made some improvements over the weekend.”Eugene Laverty, Aspar Team: 17th“The start of the race was tough because I didn't have any grip on the rear. As soon as I opened the throttle the bike started to slide and I had a few scares. Suddenly halfway through the race the tires hooked up and I was able to lap faster than I had on new rubber. I guess we need to work more on the bike to make it more balanced. The fact we set our fastest lap at the end of the race shows that the potential is there but we need to exploit it better. The new swingarm gave us more grip but we have to adapt to it and find a balance. It has been a tough weekend but we'll come back after the summer break ready to work hard and improve.”Hiroshi Aoyama, AB Motoracing: DNF“I had quite good start today and I was in the group of Open class riders. The bike was nervous again, so I was losing a lot in the first part of the track and was catching the others in the second part. Unfortunately I couldn’t do the whole race. I´m not happy about not finishing, but I hope I helped the team to change a direction little bit. The team should work more with electronic set-up to make the bike calmer. As usual, I wish Karel all the best.”Scott Redding, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS: DNF“I am very disappointed. I had good pace for the race and I was recovering some places after an average start when I crashed at the final corner. As soon as I released the front brake the front unloaded. I tried my best to save it but there was nothing I could do. I am annoyed and frustrated because I am confident I could have fought for the top ten or higher based on my times from earlier in the weekend. All I can do now is train hard in the summer break and look to bounce back at Indianapolis.”
Honda Moto2 Rider Quotes
Xavier Simeon, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: race winner“I’m so happy! We did a good time in qualifying and I knew I was consistently fast, but we had to think very hard about tire choice because the two different tires we could use were very similar. We changed at the last minute on the grid and that was the key – at the end of the race I could push just as hard as at the beginning. In the early laps there were some big battles, so I took it a bit easy, then when I saw Johann going away I passed Morbidelli and pushed so hard to make sure Johann couldn’t get way. Then I knew I could win, if I rode at 200 percent and made no mistakes.”Johann Zarco, Ajo Motorsport: 2nd“Second is perfect for me, a win as far as the championship goes because the championship is the most important thing. It was sad to see Tito crash, but that gives me an extra 20 point advantage. I tried to catch the victory today – I’m a racer, so I want to win! Xavier was so strong, but I tried to stay close in case he made a mistake. I’m happy for him because it’s not often that Belgians win bike GPs!”Alex Rins, Paginas Amarillas HP 40: 3rd“It was such a shame to see Tito crash in front of me, especially since it wasn’t his fault. But third place is good for me. We worked all weekend to be fast in the first and second sectors and although we weren’t as fast as we wanted to be, we still got a great result.”
Honda Moto3 Rider Quotes
Danny Kent, Leopard Racing: race winner“I’m so happy about this win because this track is a really demanding one. Through all these corners and of course the long distance with 27 laps it isn’t easy to stay focused, especially when riding alone at the front. But in the end I managed it well so thanks to that I was able to extend our championship lead further. After we were so strong during all practice sessions as well in qualifying practice the race started not that great as I had expected. I didn’t make a great start when I dropped down some positions and I struggled a bit with the tires and I had one moment with a big slide in turn twelve. Anyway, from that point the tires got better so everything went according to our plans. Due to our strong pace in practice sessions and qualifying we knew that we could do a good race today. I’m very happy how things went through the first part of the season to be able to perform consistently that strong, so now I look forward to some relaxed weeks with a fine championship lead. A huge thanks to my team and all staff, great job done every time.”Efren Vazquez, Leopard Racing: 2nd“Yes, I think it was a good race but not only for me as well for my team, because it’s their home race. I went very ambitious into the weekend to give my crew a really good result. During the race Danny was able to run a really high rhythm, which he had shown already on practice days. I was looking to the TV screens sometimes and I could see one rider moving away, so it looks easy to do it the same way; but it isn’t easy to lap faultlessly, especially at this track. I lost my concentration during two laps so it was a really hard race for me. Finally this podium and beyond that this 20 points are really important for me, foremost for my position in the championship as well as to come back after the summer break in a good mood and with a strong mentality. But for now I look forward to some weeks off to recharge my batteries for the second part of the season. Thanks to the team for their great job every time.”Enea Bastianini, Junior Team Gresini Moto3: 3rd“This third place is really important for the championship and gives me a confidence boost, because I managed to win the sprint for the podium at the finish line. So far we have always been a bit unlucky in the final sprints, but this time I was able to exit the last corner faster than Fenati and it was a great satisfaction to beat him. It was a very difficult race: maybe without the battle with Hanika, which slowed me down a bit, I could probably try to stay with Vazquez to fight for second place: when Efren was still close enough to catch him, I took the lead of the group and tried to push, but the tires were already worn out and it was not possible to open a gap. We are halfway through the season now and it’s very nice to be still in second place in the Championship: my goal for this season was to try to stay in the top three and we are doing it right!”
Dani PedrosazoomDani Pedrosa
MotoGP World Championship Grand Prix 2015
Round 09: Germany Race
MotoGP Class
Rank
Rider (Team)
F/O
1 Marc MARQUEZ (Repsol Honda Team) F
2 Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team) F
3 Valentino ROSSI (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) F
4 Jorge LORENZO (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) F
5 Andrea IANNONE (Ducati Team) F
6 Bradley SMITH (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) F
7 Cal CRUTCHLOW (CWM LCR Honda) F
8 Pol ESPARGARO (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) F
9 Danilo PETRUCCI (Pramac Racing) F
10 Aleix ESPARGARO (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR MotoGP) F
11 Maverick VIÑALES (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR MotoGP) F
12 Yonny HERNANDEZ (Pramac Racing) F
13 Hector BARBERA (Avintia Racing) O
14 Alvaro BAUTISTA (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) F
15 Jack MILLER (CWM LCR Honda) O
* F=Factory option, O=Open category
Moto2 Class
Rank
Rider (Team)
1 Xavier SIMEON (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2)
2 Johann ZARCO (Ajo Motorsport)
3 Alex RINS (Paginas Amarillas HP 40)
4 Simone CORSI (Athinà Forward Racing)
5 Sam LOWES (Speed Up Racing)
6 Thomas LUTHI (Derendinger Racing Interwetten)
7 Takaaki NAKAGAMI (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia)
8 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI (Athinà Forward Racing)
9 Julian SIMON (QMMF Racing Team)
10 Dominique AEGERTER (Technomag Racing Interwetten)
11 Sandro CORTESE (Dynavolt Intact GP)
12 Mika KALLIO (Italtrans Racing Team)
13 Randy KRUMMENACHER (JIR Moto2)
14 Jonas FOLGER (AGR Team)
15 Axel PONS (AGR Team)
Moto3 Class
Rank
Rider (Team)
1 Danny KENT (Leopard Racing)
2 Efren VAZQUEZ (Leopard Racing)
3 Enea BASTIANINI (Gresini Racing Team Moto3)
4 Romano FENATI (SKY Racing Team VR46)
5 Niccolò ANTONELLI (Ongetta-Rivacold)
6 Jorge NAVARRO (Estrella Galicia 0,0)
7 Brad BINDER (Red Bull KTM Ajo)
8 Alexis MASBOU (SaxoPrint RTG)
9 Andrea LOCATELLI (Gresini Racing Team Moto3)
10 Niklas AJO (RBA Racing Team)
11 Philipp OETTL (Schedl GP Racing)
12 Jorge MARTIN (MAPFRE Team MAHINDRA)
13 Karel HANIKA (Red Bull KTM Ajo)
14 Jakub KORNFEIL (Drive M7 SIC)
15 Jules DANILO (Ongetta-Rivacold)