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by Silvano di Giovanni
As it was to be expected after only two dry practices, the riders took to the start line with more than a few doubts about bike set-up. The conditions meant that there were various possible race scenarios, all characterised by the unknown. Perhaps only the fight for the win was clear, with Marquez and the Honda the obvious favourites.
Aside from the strong performance by Honda, which confirmed its superiority at this track, the race brought a fluidity in performance which also came, once again, with more than one surprise, starting with Folger.
In analysing the race numbers, various details and interesting facts can be noted.
HONDA ON RAILS - Let's start with Marquez, who dominated, as we can also see from the numbers. Folger was only able to achieve the fastest lap, riding at the limit at his home track, throwing his bike through the tight turns of the German track. In comparison, Marquez's Honda looked like it was on rails. The Spaniard proved unbeatable in sector 4, two consecutive left-handers, the second of which is uphill before the straight. Here he was the only rider to be consistently under 21”, with an average through that section of 20.956. Forbidable. Only the German was able to come close, with 21.003 and set the best time: 20.819 compared to 20.843. But he was only able to duck under 21 seconds on 13 occasions, compared to Marquez's 21. It's true, we're talking about a difference of tenths of a second but if we compare Rossi's best average (21.244) with Marquez's best, we can't help noticing that this slight difference, over 30 laps, translates into an 8.6 second gap in that sector alone. No small thing.
In sector 1, Marquez was consistently fastest (18.103), though the other riders followed close behind.
In sector 2, Folger stood out, his best time a 23.261 sec., but it was Marquez who had the best average, 23.485 sec. to the 23.636 of Vinales, the 23.613 of Rossi, the 23.676 of Dovizioso, to name but a few of the title contenders.
APRILIA: WHAT A STEP FORWARD! - The surprises come in sector 3. Folger continued to be strong (a best of 18.937 and an average of 19.112), Vinales did well with a 19.182 average, Marquez 19.229, but it was the Aprilia of Espargaro that impressed, with an average of 19.141 sec., better than Marquez, and an impressive best time of 18.984. Espargaro and Folger were the only two to duck under 19 seconds.
KTM SURPRISE - In sector 4, as well as Marquez's performance, we note that of the KTM, no longer at the bottom of the table. Pol Espargaro didn't just set an excellent best time of 21.013 but also held a strong average (21.273), better than Dovizioso, Zarco, Crutchlow, to name but a few. Further proof of the fact that this wasn't just an isolated case comes if we consider the significant top speed of the Austrian bike.
BAUTISTA-DUCATI THE FASTEST - Sure, we're talking about fairly low speeds for the MotoGP, the Sachsenring is all turns with only one brief striaght, but the fact remains that the fastest rider was Bautista with the Ducati, at a speed of 293.1 kph, but the KTM was the unexpected second fastest, at 292.3, setting speeds of over 290 kph on 4 occasions. We should also add that Kallio's ideal time came in at under l'1'22”: 1’21”954 to be precise, a good performance. This is another clear sign that emphasises the fact they have a good base on which to work, with some small steps forward being made.
We close with something interesting.
JORGE MYSTERY - Lorenzo: he set his best time through sector 4 on lap one! Under 21 seconds (20.960), excellent, but then he couldn't repeat it. It's a mystery why not… Top speed is taken a few dozen metres after the start. it's interesting to note that the three riders on the front row passed this point at the start, in order, at the following speeds: Folger 134.1 – Pedrosa 133.0 – Marquez 124.1. Folger was clearly the quickest in coming off the clutch. Ideal lap time. Almost all the top riders were 2.3-2.4 tenths under their best lap in the race, Bautista 3 tenths. Such a difference proves that there is still a lot to do in terms of improving lap speed, but without dry practices there is never time.
