Marquez wins in Germany, leads title

MotoGP: Marquez back on top as Lorenzo and Pedrosa sit it out
1 Marc Marquez (Honda), 41mins, 14.653s
2 Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha), +1.559s
3 Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), +9.620s

Australian
DNF Bryan Staring (FTR Honda) +3 laps

Fastest lap: Marquez, 1:22.066 = 161km/h on lap 16

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez won his second GP for the year – and reclaimed the championship lead -- in a race that was just as notable for the absentees: namely heavyweight pairing Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

In an extraordinary build-up to the race, Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) was the first scratching after a massive high-side in second practice on Friday, re-injuring his broken left collarbone from two weeks earlier at Assen. He was straight back on a plane to Barcelona for surgery in the hope of competing at Laguna Seca next weekend, while 27-year-old Pedrosa fell in final practice, also suffering a ‘minor fracture’ to his left collarbone. After a medical check-up on Sunday morning, he was cleared to take part in the warm-up but ultimately did not do so due to feeling unwell.

It was particularly a bitter pill to swallow or Pedrosa, who is a four-time winner at Sachsenring and – fully fit – would have been battling at the front again.

But even without the Spanish hotshots, the front row at Sachsenring was all class, with polesitter Marquez joined by Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and last-start winner Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing).

Marquez executed a perfectly judged 30-lap race. He wasn’t lightning off the start, but soon got down to business to hit the lead on lap six, Rossi the vanquished. Rossi remained in second until lap 15 before Crutchlow – clearly running a superior pace to his brandmate – set out after the leader. However, Marquez sensed a threat and also turned up the wick to keep his pursuer at a respectable distance, with his final winning margin over Crutchlow 1.559 seconds.

“I am very happy with this victory,” Marquez said. “It was important to have a good race under the circumstances this weekend, without Dani and Jorge on-track. I wish them a speedy recovery, because winning is important but without them the triumph isn't quite the same.

“Even so, it is a good result, since we have taken the maximum points available and ridden a completely different race to those that we've had before. We led the race and maintained the gap to second place. It was good experience, although I perhaps prefer races that are a little more of a battle! We should be happy and we have also held up well, physically, at a circuit where there is no time to rest on the bike.

“We'll see how it goes at Laguna Seca, which will be a hard Grand Prix for me because I've never ridden there. We'll take it step-by-step and remain calm whilst we get up to speed.”

Marquez is now back in the championship lead for the first time since round three, with 2pts to spare over Pedrosa (138 to 136), with Lorenzo in third on 127. Both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are still in doubt for Laguna Seca.

Crutchlow and Rossi have also passed the 100pt mark on 107 and 101 respectively.

After suffering two heavy crashes in practice, sustaining significant abrasions on his arms and legs, Crutchlow was pleased with his performance – particularly by being able to pick his way through the pack on a layout that isn’t bursting with passing opportunities.

“I tried my best and I got as close to Marc as I could,” Crutchlow said. “I initially got a good start and then Marc came across but and I rolled off and was into sixth position and I had to make some passes. But I’m pleased with this results and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have done a fantastic job here. We are now consistently challenging towards the front in MotoGP.

“It’s good to be up here and it is good to be back on the podium. I’m physically drained after this weekend in which I’ve had two bad crashes. I want to say thanks to my fans. I never gave up and hopefully we can see more of that in Laguna Seca.”

Local rider Stefan Bradl’s move into the early lead on his LCR Honda MotoGP machine brought the crowd into raptures, but he was unable to stem the tide from behind, eventually finishing fourth, well ahead of Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) and rookie Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).

Andréa Dovizioso (Ducati) and CRT rider Aleix Espargaro (Power Electronics Aspar) were the only riders in the top 10 to take an arm wrestle all the way to the chequered flag in seventh and eighth respectively, while Australia’s Bryan Staring  (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) crashed out with three laps to go.

Australian
8 Anthony West (Speed Up) +12.768s

Fastest lap: Julian Simon (record), 1:24.809 = 155.8km/h on lap five

Jordi Torres (Suter) has become the fifth separate winner in eight races so far this year, in what was the maiden MotoGP victory for the 26-year-old Spaniard.

Torres went toe-to-toe with the in-form Pol Espargaro (Kalex) for the first 18 laps before he made his move – and more importantly made it stick. He then held court for the balance of the 29-lapper, as Espargaro was being put on notice from Simone Corsi (Speed Up). Corsi then became much more that nuisance value on the final lap when he made a sizzling pass on Espargaro to finish second.

Still, Espargaro was able to trim Briton Scott Redding’s championship lead from 30 to 23pts, with the Briton finishing well back in seventh position – his worst result for the year. And it could have turned even sourer for Redding with Queenslander Anthony West (Speed Up) closing rapidly on him over the final stages.

It was a spirited ride from West, who was way back in 20th position after lap one. But from that point he was on a mission, and set the second fastest lap of the race – just shy of Julian Simon’s new record – on lap 12.

Australians
7 Jack Miller (Honda), +10.659s
10 Arthur Sissis (KTM), +18.447s

Fastest lap Salom (record), 1:27.183 = 151.5km/h on lap four

Another Spanish benefit, this time with Alex Rins diving inside champion leader Luis Salom at turn 12 on the final lap to snap his compatriot’s three-race winning streak. Rins, who started from pole position, led for most of the 27-lap journey around the sweeping, technical circuit, but again looked like falling short when Salom pulled about half a second clear three laps from home – his characteristic pounce. But this time Rins rallied, as did third-placed Maverick Vinales, and the pair quickly hailed in the deficit to set the scene for another thrilling finale.

And this time Rins didn’t falter to bring up his second victory of the year, with Salom holding on for second from Vinales – yet another KTM trifecta. Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra) was at the front of the next group ahead of Alex Marquez (KTM) and Efren Vazquez (Mahindra). Aussie Jack Miller (Honda) was all by himself in seventh, after being as high as second early in the piece. Miller’s countryman Arthur Sissis (KTM) was 10th, after being forced to push his way forward from 15th on the grid.

Miller has a real affinity with the number seven at the moment – it was his third successive finish in that position, and he’s now seventh in the championship standings on 47pts, while Sissis is 12th on 39pts. Meanwhile, 30pts separate the top three – Salom, Vinales and Rins -- going into the summer break, with the next event for the Moto3 fraternity at Indianapolis from August 16-18.

For full results and standings across all three classes, visit www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics.