As the MotoGP season hits its halfway mark, Valentino Rossi hopes to continue Yamaha’s good fortune at a track that has seen some good results in the past. Will his determination be enough to open up a points advantage over Honda’s Sete Gibernau?
As the MotoGP season hits its halfway mark, Valentino Rossi hopes to continue Yamaha’s good fortune at a track that has seen some good results in the past. Will his determination be enough to open up a points advantage over Honda’s Sete Gibernau?
Rossi and Gibernau went into the last round in Rio tied at 126 championship points each. After both riders disappointingly crashed out of the race, runner-up Max Biaggi crept to within 13 points of the leaders.
However, this weekend sees the next round in the MotoGP championship being contested at the Sachsenring in Germany. Leading up to the race, several riders have said that the circuit does not rate among their favourites since it is short and twisty, requiring high levels of manoeuvrability from the heavy machines.
“I’ve never really liked the Sachsenring track that much,” Rossi, who leads the championship by virtue of race wins, commented.
“But the Yamahas generally go very well there so I hope I can be competitive. It’s a circuit that relies on manoeuvrability as opposed to flat out horse power. This will be my first time at Sachsenring with the M1 and I hope we get off to a better start than we did in Rio.
After sustaining a fall during the Rio race two weeks ago, Sete Gibernau once again has the top podium position in his sights.
“In Rio I made a small mistake and I paid very dearly for it. We lost an occasion but I am strong and positive as myself as a rider and the entire team have now gained a very high level of competitiveness.”
Colin Edwards, who raced at Sachsenring for the first time last season, has missed feelings about the circuit, believing it to be the most exhausting venue in the championship.
“You go a full 360 degrees through all those left-handers, coming right back on yourself”, Edwards said. “That section is really, really demanding for the rider as well as the tyres. You’re going left, left, left and left again for more than 30 seconds, so you want a bike that lies on its side pretty easy, you don’t want to be fighting to hold the thing down all the time.
“It’s a pretty demanding track for the left side of the tyre, so it’s all about how you manage the tyre – you have to look after it at this place. Of all the tracks, this is one of those places you can’t abuse the rear.”
Despite less success in the last few races after his second place at Le Mans earlier this year, Carlos Checa’s good past appearances at Sachsenring have left him confident about his chances on Sunday.
“I’ve had some good results at Sachsenring in the past, including a second place in 2001,” remembers Checa. “It’s quite a technical circuit but, with the improvements we’ve made, I think that the Yamaha should run well there this year, hopefully for all of us.”
