MOTOGP: MARQUEZ IN CONTROL AT THE SACHSENRING

SINCE THE START OF THE 2019 MOTOGPTM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, MARC MARQUEZ (REPSOL HONDA TEAM) HAS FAILED TO GO TWO CONSECUTIVE RACES WITHOUT WINNING. THIS WEEKEND, TRUE TO FORM, THE SPANIARD BOUNCED BACK FROM HIS NETHERLANDS DEFEAT TO SCORE AN ASSERTIVE VICTORY AT GERMANY’S SACHSENRING WHERE HE WAS JOINED ON THE PODIUM BY MAVERICK VIÑALES (MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP) AND CAL CRUTCHLOW (LCR HONDA CASTROL).

Thanks to a record-breaking pole-winning time of 1m20.195s in qualifying, the provisional world championship pacesetter Marquez started the 2019 HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschlandfrom the front of the grid, ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Viñales and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The reigning champion was caught napping by the French youngster at lights-out but a superb out-braking manoeuvre saw him emerge from Turn 1 in the lead. 

Viñales, Rins and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) all found a way past, too.

On Lap 2, however, Quartararo fell while trying to stay in contact with the leading pack.

Clearly more comfortable through the track’s first two sectors, and running on hard and medium MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear, Marquez succeeded in pulling out a small gap, helped by the fastest race lap (new record, 1m21.228s). He was chased at this stage by Viñales and Alex Rins (medium and hard MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear), Crutchlow (hard/medium) and Jack Miller (medium/soft).

Halfway into the race, Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso took advantage of their decision to run the hard rear MICHELIN Power Slick to pass Miller, while Rins fell out of contention from second place.

Aided by the consistency and lasting performance of his Michelin tyres, Marquez went on to claim his seventh straight MotoGPTM win at the Sachsenring, ahead of Viñales, Crutchlow, Petrucci, Dovizioso and Miller.

Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) rounded out the afternoon’s top 10.

Six different tyre options were selected for the grand prix, although the preferred choice to tackle the exacting conditions was the pairing of medium and hard MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear. Notable exceptions were top-10 finishers Miller and Bradl who both chose soft rears.

Today’s result takes Marquez (185 points) further clear at the top of the provisional Riders’ standings, ahead of Dovizioso (127) and Petrucci (121).

The Sachsenring meeting also hosted motorcycle racing’s first ever MotoE race which saw the Michelin slick tyres designed for the championship’s all-electric Energica contribute to an interesting race. The contest, which was red flagged with two laps remaining, was won by Finn Niki Tuuli (Ajo MotoE), ahead of Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) and Mike Di Meglio (Eg 0,0 Marc VDS).

Next round: Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky, Brno, Czech Republic (August 2-4).