Marc Marquez extended his Sachsenring winning streak to six, as the defending MotoGP champion claimed victory in the German GP. Marquez headlined a Repsol Honda 1-2 finish, with teammate Dani Pedrosa surging mid-race to finish runner-up. The current MotoGP points leader, Valentino Rossi, rounded out the Sachsenring podium, one spot ahead of his Movistar Yamaha teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.
The 30-lap German GP started with Lorenzo taking the early lead, followed by the Repsol Hondas and Rossi. The front four battled for position, with Rossi eventually overtaking Pedrosa for third. Shortly after Rossi’s maneuver, Marquez made his move on Lorenzo and snared the lead four laps in. From there, Marquez maintained his advantage to the checkers unchallenged.
As Marquez set the pace, the final two podium spots were contested by Pedrosa and the Yamahas. Rossi and Lorenzo traded positions in their fight for second, while Pedrosa held off. But the Repsol rider would pick off Lorenzo to take third. Pedrosa then ran down Rossi for his eventual second-place result.
Behind the front four, Andrea Iannone would best Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith for fifth. Iannone’s factory Ducati teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, crashed out while running in the top 10. Following Smith on the results sheets was his fellow countryman Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), then Smith’s Tech 3 teammate Pol Espargaro. Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci and Suzuki rider Aleix Espargaro completed the top-10 finishers.
The victory for Marquez, his second of the season, closes his points deficit with Rossi to 65. The Spanish star’s victory comes at a circuit where he’s now won the past six races, stretching back to his Moto2 and 125 days. The much-needed win comes during a beleaguered 2015 title defense, which has seen Marquez record three DNFs.
“I am very happy with this victory. I’ve been chasing it hard over the last few races,” said Marquez in a Repsol Honda press release. “In Assen we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel; after Barcelona which was very hard, I felt good on the bike again thanks to the changes we made. We have confirmed that they worked here at this circuit, but I want to be cautious because I am aware that this circuit has always been very good for me and also for the Honda. We have to keep working, because on the laps that I did behind Lorenzo I saw that in some aspects the they were stronger than us. Let’s see if we can continue improving at the Misano test next week.”
Meanwhile, Rossi gains three points on his nearest title rival, Lorenzo. The Doctor claimed contentment at the podium, and looks forward to the long break unto the next race – August 9th at Indianapolis. Said Rossi of his podium finish:
“Today‘s third place is crucial because Jorge arrived here with four victories in a row, where he gained 28 points, so it was a very important win in Assen and also to arrive in front of him here, so we extend the lead to 13 points. Now I need two weeks off, because I have worked very hard for this championship. I haven’t had a holiday since the beginning of February. It‘s been all work; going to the gym, ride the motorbike, train. Now it‘s time to relax.”
2015 MotoGP Sachsenring Results:
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda)
2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) + 2.226
3. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) + 5.608
4. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) + 9.928
5. Andrea Iannone (Factory Ducati) + 20.785
6. Bradley Smith (Tech3 Yamaha) + 23.215
7. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) + 29.881
8. Pol Espargarò (Tech3 Yamaha) + 34.953
9. Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Racing) + 35.875
10. Aleix Espargarò (Suzuki Ecstar) + 37.253
11. Maverick Viñales (Suzuki Ecstar) + 37.274
12. Yonny Hernandez (Pramac Racing) + 42.081
13. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) + 48.611
14. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Gresini) + 50.687
15. Jack Miller (LCR Honda) + 53.769
16. Nicky Hayden (Aspar MotoGP) + 58.921
17. Eugene Laverty (Aspar MotoGP) + 1’02.738
18. Alex De Angelis (IodaRacing) + 1’03.122
19. Loris Baz (Forward Racing) + 1’11.162
20. Michael Laverty (Aprilia Gresini) + 1’15.910
21. Claudio Corti (Forward Racing) DNF
22. Andrea Dovizioso (Factory Ducati) DNF
23. Hiroshi Aoyama (AB Motoracing) DNF
24. Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) DNF
25. Scott Redding (Marc VDS) DNS
2015 MotoGP Championship Points:
1. Valentino Rossi, 179
2. Jorge Lorenzo, 166
3. Andrea Iannone, 118
4. Marc Marquez, 114
5. Andrea Dovizioso, 87
6. Bradley Smith, 87
7. Dani Pedrosa, 67
8. Cal Crutchlow, 66
9. Pol Espargaro, 64
10. Maverick Vinales, 57