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MotoGP, GP Sachsenring: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Marquez deserves a holiday, Rossi and Lorenzo in need of refresher courses. Ducati saves the weekend with Dovizioso

GP Sachsenring: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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After the 'winter' at Sachsenring, the riders can now leave their leathers and get into shorts and flipflops. The holidays are here, though certain riders should probably be spending the weeks before the Austrian GP taking some revision courses.

Marquez has no such commitments, having improved both in terms of strategy and points. The same can't be said for the Yamaha pair, with Lorenzo suffering an identity crisis and Valentino managing to get it all wrong together with his team.

Ducati saved the GP with Dovizioso, but the list of lost opportunities continues to get longer. Things need to change in the final part of the season - something to think about while relaxing on the sun lounger.

Mattia PasiniTHE GOOD – The winners were a Malaysian, a Frenchman and a Spaniard, but let's also consider the Italians' performance. Like  Locatelli's first podium and Bastianini's 3rd place finish. Then there was Pasini in 4th, his best ever Moto2 result, and Marini 6th. Also Baldassarri in 5th, who rode as if he hadn't injured his shoulder in warm up. Last but not least, Dovizioso's podium, achieved despite a kamikaze strategy. Is it ok for us to see the glass half full? It's summer, it's hot, we're thirsty.

THE UGLY – Jorge Lorenzo has clearly lost his way. The world champion appears to have been away on some tropical island during the last two GPs, leaving his stunt double to ride in the cold and the rain in his place. We hope he's back in time for Austria.

THE BAD – As they wait to say farewell to each other in November, there is perfect understanding between the two Andreas in Ducati. Iannone: “I'd like the updates that someone else is getting”. Dovizioso: “I develop the bike, I'm not all over the place in practice like someone else”. Any reference to one's team-mate is entirely intentional.

Valentino RossiTHE DISAPPOINTMENT – Strong in the dry, strong in the wet, while he can't bear the damp. Valentino Rossi first ignored his team's indications, then they put in intermediates when almost everyone was going with slicks. In the end, everyone was wrong, him, the team and Yamaha. It was difficult to do any worse.

THE CONFIRMATION – You want to say that he was lucky to make a mistake. It was he who rode into the run-off as if on an MX bike but without crashing, and it was he who rode with slicks when a couple of corners were still wet. When you lead the championship, it's not exactly that you don't have anything to lose. He is Marc Marquez, who else?

If they always raced in the wet, you could give him the honorary title. Pawi must have been born under the Pisces sign.

THE MISTAKE –  In Moto2 they were like comedians: Morbidelli went down while leading (before repeating the feat), then Lowes crashed out (twice for him too) and Rins too... The only one laughing was Zarco.

THE SURPRISE – We'd been missing Cal with his comic book expressions and sarcastic remarks. We caught up with him after the Sachsenring podium while he was receiving the ring for the fastest lap: “what's a marriage proposal?”. Crutchlow's result was a gift but shortly his wife Lucy will be giving them a better one.

THE PASS – he was very keen to show off with a backflip in the wet and on the last corner, Zarco came up with the smart response to Folger. Both executed their moves perfectly.

THE INTERESTING FACT – The first win for Mahindra, at Assen, heightened enthusiasm in India. It seems that the prime minister even asked the manufacturer's management why they weren't participating in the Olympics. Indeed, why not?

 

Translated by Heather Watson
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