Dani Pedrosa bounced back to victory at the Sachsenring in Germany on Sunday, demonstrating his recovery from the broken collarbone that he suffered at the French Grand Prix. He had to fight hard to get the better of World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and this year's Championship leader Casey Stoner who finished 2nd and 3rd.
Stoner and Pedrosa had qualified fastest but fellow Red Bull athlete Andrea Dovizioso was determined to be part of the action, making a great start from 6th on the grid. The 3 Honda factory men mixed it with Lorenzo and were shadowed by Simoncelli.
Stoner took the lead from Lorenzo on lap 5 and looked set to command the race. He gained a small lead but just like 2 weeks ago in Italy it was not enough. Lorenzo was back in front by lap 14 but while Dovizioso and Simoncelli had dropped back a little, Pedrosa was still right there.
His lack of fitness from injury might have effected him but he rose above it and overtook first Stoner and then Lorenzo on lap 22 of the 30. As Pedrosa won himself a 1.5 second advantage at the flag it was all Lorenzo could do to hold off Stoner. A crucial result for the championship as Stoner now holds a 15 point advantage over Lorenzo with 9 races remaining. Pedrosa is 5th but there is still time for him to feature in the title fight.
“It is an unbelievable feeling to come back and win so soon,” said Pedrosa who made his comeback at the previous round in Mugello just 2 weeks ago. “Already in practice I was super happy to be on the front row, I didn't expect it at all. At the beginning of the race I think I was 4th and not feeling perfectly happy with the bike but as the race went on I felt better. I started to get some more rhythm and finally I could get in front and win the race. It is just incredible for me. I want to thank all the fans and people who supported me through this tough time, to come back and win so soon, it's super cool.”
Stoner explained what had happened with his race. “At the beginning we didn't want to overheat the tyre like we did in Mugello so we were super patient, we didn't try to get to the front straight away. After a few laps it all felt pretty comfortable so I thought I would go to the front and try to pull a bit of an advantage.”
“I was pulling a bit of an advantage but not enough for the effort I was putting in so I backed-off as we knew that tyres would be a problem later on in the race. So I thought I would push again at the end as I had a bit in reserve but by then Dani had quite an advantage and when I pushed to try and pass Jorge I made a few little mistakes, was really struggling for grip on the side and almost crashed. I did all I could today but Jorge was really strong at that last corner and that was it.”
Marquez makes it 3 in Moto2
Marc Marquez put in another fantastic display of skill to win his 3rd Grand Prix in a row. The 18 year old Spaniard dealt another blow to Championship leader Stefan Bradl, this time at the German's home race. Bradl chased Marquez home but the points gap has been closed to 47 points with 8 races remaining.
It was a great race with Marquez setting off from pole and securing the lead from Bradl as they exited the first corner. For the first 13 laps of 29 the reigning 125cc World Champion seemed to have things under control but Bradl and Alex de Angelis from San Marino were on his tail.
Bradl then forced his way past and an exciting struggle began that forced Marquez back as far as 3rd as de Angelis also showed his determination. The passing and re-passing continued until the last 6 laps when Marquez got back in front and put his head down to give himself an advantage of just under 1 second at the flag.
“That was a tough race,” said Marquez. “I had to fight all the way but I have to thank chassis builder Sutter and the rest of the team for giving me a great bike. It was a tough start to the year but we are now going in a good direction and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.
Rule book decides 125 race, Faubel over Zarco
Ex-Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion Johann Zarco crossed the line in a dead heat for first place with Hector Faubel only to be denied the top spot on the podium because Faubel set a faster lap in the race. When the photo finish could not separate them the rule book gave the Spaniard the verdict.
It had been a fantastic race with Frenchman Zarco in the midst of an 8 man battle for the lead. He rode superbly and timed his last lap charge to take 2nd half through the 3rd to last corner on the final lap. He then held back fractionally at the last corner to get the run across the line on Faubel. Zarco was passing as they crossed the line but it was a fraction too late.
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