Michelin accompanied Marc Marquez to new success at the Sachsenring during the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland which saw the Spanish driver win his 5e consecutive victory at the MotoGP™ of Germany, its 8e in a row, all categories combined.
Starting from pole position, Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took the lead at 1er turn and kept the leadership at 1er round. Shod on a pair of medium MICHELIN Power Slicks tires, the outgoing World Champion led the first five laps before being overtaken by Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). The German rider, who was competing in his first MotoGP in front of his home crowd, set a series of fast laps including a lap record. Folger was also equipped with mediums at the front and rear and the German stayed in the lead until the 11the round before Marquez regains his property. A position that the Honda driver retained until the finish, despite pressure from Folger.
Thanks to this victory, combined with a new total reference race time, Marquez regains control of the championship, while Folger's second place ensures him victory in the First Independent Rider.
Michelin had brought a range of tires best suited to the new asphalt which has covered the Sachsenring circuit since the start of the year. Due to restrictions, Michelin was unable to test its products before the event. The tire package performed well on the 3,671 km anti-clockwise circuit in all conditions, with the drivers setting excellent times in the rain and in the dry during testing.
These performances were highlighted in the race with new lap and race duration records for Marquez and Folger. Most of the slicks and wet tires were used over the weekend – in fact, the only tire not used was the medium wet before. The tire choices were varied between the drivers, which once again proves Michelin's abilities to offer the best performing products for all manufacturers and all drivers.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took 3e final place after a very lonely race between the two leaders and the rest of the peloton. Behind this trio, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) moved up from 11e the 4e place after a fierce battle with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), 5e. Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) also made a good comeback from 12e the 6e final place. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took 7e place, which allows him to stay in the title race. Four drivers, Marquez, Viñales, Dovizioso and Rossi are grouped in 10 points in the championship. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finished 9e, enough to lead the Rookie and Independent Rider rankings ahead of his teammate Folger. Cal Crutchlow completes the top ten.
It is now the summer break for Michelin and its MotoGP partners before the championship resumes for the 10e round in Brno, Czech Republic, Sunday August 6, a race which will mark the start of a second half which promises to be thrilling in the race for the 2017 titles.
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team
“A very good weekend for us, especially from a tire point of view. We felt very comfortable with the front and we had confidence, especially with the medium which worked very well. The rear was also very good, but we didn't know which one to choose because I was fast and consistent with all the versions offered by Michelin. I opted for the medium, very durable which allowed me to set my best lap with two laps remaining. I am very happy and Michelin has done a good job. It was not easy for them with the new asphalt. »
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager
“We didn't know what to expect when we arrived in Germany on this new surface. We had shipped what we thought were the best products. With the changing weather conditions, almost all types of tires were used and we achieved good times in the rain and in the dry. The new coating offers a lot of grip and the tires provided performed very well. In the race, soft and medium front tires were combined with soft, medium and hard rear tires and everything worked well. We are particularly satisfied with the wear given the level of grip of the asphalt and we have not noticed a drop in performance. In fact, Marquez posted his best lap at 28e of 30 laps. We also set a new lap record and duration record. It is now the summer break which will allow us to work on the data from the first nine races in order to continue developing the tires for all the drivers. »
