Michelin and Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) sublimated the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland by breaking lap records this weekend, in MotoGP™, at the Sachsenring where Márquez won for the 10e times in a row.
Starting from pole position after twice improving the lap record on Saturday in qualifying thanks to his MICHELIN Power Slicks, Márquez made a successful start on this circuit where he has dominated in recent years. Wearing a hard front and a medium rear, he attacked from the start to set very good times and beat the race lap record on the fourth lap, before improving on the next lap. Marc Márquez continued his effort to consolidate his lead over the 30 laps of the race, and win a 10e consecutive victory in all categories at the Sachsenring, after 10 pole positions.
Behind Márquez, the battle raged in a peloton shod with five of the six tires available. After a warm and sunny Friday and Saturday, the night rains had cooled the atmosphere. The temperature was 32°C on the track at the start. Many drivers then changed their tire choices on the grid, well supported by their respective Michelin technicians to offer them the best possible grip on asphalt that was slippery in places. The 91 spectators were able to see Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) consolidate his victory in Assen with a second place aboard his Yamaha M131 equipped with a medium front and a hard rear. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) took third place and won the First Independent Rider award with the same type of MICHELIN Power Slicks as Márquez. Fourth place went to Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Jorge Lorenzo's replacement, Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team), complete the top ten. Márquez's fifth victory this season puts him 1 points ahead in the championship.
The Sachsenring also had the honor of hosting the first FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup race today where 18 riders competed on identical “Energica Ego Corsa” electric motorcycles fitted with Michelin tires. After his E-Pole the day before, where each rider had one lap to set their best time, Niki Tuuli (AJO MotoE) started in pole position for eight laps of the race. Following overnight rain, the race was declared "wet" and reduced to seven laps. But the track had dried sufficiently to equip the bikes with the specially designed MICHELIN Slick MotoE tire, available in a single version for the entire weekend, with a medium front and soft rear compound. At the green light, Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) took the lead, but was overtaken by Tuuli who set several fast laps. The race was very intense, but a crash at turn 8 damaged the safety barriers and the race was shortened after five laps. Tuuli won ahead of Smith and a fiery Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). The second round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup will take place in Spielberg (Austria) next month.
Michelin returns to France to analyze the results and performance of its tires over the first half of the season, while MotoGP takes a three-week break before the championship resumes in Brno (Czech Republic) on Sunday August 4.
Marc Márquez – Repsol Honda Team:
“The tires played a determining role today, a bit like every weekend, but especially today! I was convinced to take a hard at the back, but we analyzed our pace between Free Practice 4 and the warm-up, and we changed to a medium on the grid. It was our last choice and we tried to keep it secret because our opponents were hesitant and we knew we had made the best choice. It's a race where you can't attack 100% from start to finish, so it was very interesting to manage the tires, the drifts, and see how the bike evolved. We did a good job.”
Niki Tuuli – AJO MotoE:
“The weather wasn't great today, but yesterday and Friday the tires performed very well in good weather. I didn't have the slightest problem with the front, no slipping, no movements, nothing. Today in the race, I didn't attack because of the conditions, but the tires remained very consistent and the grip was the same from start to finish. I never felt a drop in performance and the front end was incredible. I don’t know where his limits are, he’s so good.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“This weekend was quite difficult to predict because the weather was uncertain and we didn't know how the track was going to evolve. The circuit was quite abrasive on Friday, but we had already seen some fast laps as the drivers tested the six compounds. The grip improved on Saturday and the times decreased, as we could see in qualifying where Marc set a new lap record. Last night, the rain complicated the tire choices which were made at the last moment. Five options were selected, which further proves that our entire range can be used. In the race, our tires allowed Marc to beat the lap record and we are satisfied with our overall performance.”
“The first MotoE race was very interesting and competitive. For us, it was the moment of truth after all the tests and all our preparation upstream to supply these tires developed specifically for these machines. There were many overtakes in the peloton, showing that the riders had the confidence to attack with these MICHELIN MotoE Slicks. Congratulations to Niki Tuuli who won the first MotoE race and to all the other riders who put on a show in tricky conditions. Michelin is happy to be part of this project and today, seeing electric motorcycles compete in their first race in a MotoGP, it was a historic moment. Energica and Enel have done a good job in offering more economical and environmentally friendly motorcycles. It is as a technical partner that Michelin is involved in this project which aims to promote the mobility of tomorrow and which offers us the opportunity to demonstrate everything that can be achieved for the future of motorcycle racing.
“We now have three weeks away from the circuits, but the team will continue to work to be ready for Brno, not only for the race weekend, but also for a day of testing on Monday where we will continue the work of development for 2020, before Austria the following weekend.
