Various previews before this weekend's MotoGP race:

Capirossi ready to take on the 'Ring'

Loris Capirossi is ready to make his Rizla Suzuki MotoGP comeback at the Sachsenring circuit in eastern Germany this weekend as he continues his fight-back to full fitness.

Capirossi sustained a large puncture wound in his right arm in an accident at Assen in The Netherlands and was unable to compete in the Dutch TT after Dr Costa and his staff performed an operation to repair the damage. The experienced Italian has worked hard with his own doctors to continue with the healing of the injury and is convinced he is fit enough to return to the GP arena at a circuit that he finished second at last year - a result that is the best finish for Bridgestone at the 3,671m German track. The wound to Capirossi's arm was the second injury the Italian had suffered in three races, after breaking his right hand at Catalunya. Although that fracture has now fully repaired, the arm injury from Assen is not 100% healed but Capirossi, Suzuki and senior medical staff have all assessed the situation and considered every safety issue before deciding that he is fit to ride.

Chris Vermeulen will be looking to improve on his record in Germany which has seen him score a best-placed finish of seventh from his previous two starts. He suffered from a jump-start in last year's race, resulting in a ride-through penalty, but he showed good race pace over the remaining laps at the complicated circuit and fought his way back through the field. The Australian is in confident mood that the Sachsenring circuit could be the ideal catalyst to kick-start the second half of the season for the Rizla Suzuki team.

The Sachsenring track is situated in the town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal, about 80km from Dresden. It was originally a street circuit and when the new track was built it incorporated a part of the old circuit within it, but since recent modifications and alterations have been made to the layout that part of the historic track is no longer used. The anti-clockwise layout is certainly a circuit of two halves; the first part is as tight-and-twisty as any track on the calendar, before it opens out to include a fast downhill section, sweeping bends and a scary right-hand blind crest taken at over 200km/h.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two free practice sessions, followed by a further practice session on Saturday morning with a qualifying session in the afternoon. Sunday's 30-lap race is round 10 of the season and the action gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

"I just can't wait to get back on my bike! My arm is still mending and it's quite painful, but it is strong enough to ride with. Also, I have had lots of good advice about how the injury is repairing, and what I should consider about racing. But I know my own body very well and the experience I have gathered from riding tells me that I will be able to compete at Sachsenring and give it all I've got. I have missed three races and it is now important for me to get back on the bike again, not just for myself but for the whole team and for Suzuki! I like Sachsenring and I made a good result there last year that I was really happy about - now I need to get a good result for Suzuki to re-pay them for missing the last three races!"

Chris Vermeulen:

"Sachsenring is a circuit I really enjoy and I'm looking forward to it as it is such an amazing event. Last year I made a jump start and had to do a ride through penalty, but I got my head down and passed a few other guys, before we lost a bit of grip. The track is one that I think suits the Suzuki well and we should be competitive there from the start. I am looking forward to see how the improvements we have made to the GSV-R will work on the tight twisty track of Sachsenring and that - along with the fact that Bridgestone has worked hard on improving its tyres for this track - should make it possible to push for a good result."

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FIAT YAMAHA TEAM FACE FINAL PUSH BEFORE SUMMER BREAK

The Fiat Yamaha Team faces the first half of a transatlantic double-header this weekend as the MotoGP World Championship heads to Germany for the tenth round of the season, followed immediately by a trip to the USA for round eleven. The two races are separated by just seven days and a distance of some 9,400 kilometres, representing a grueling final push before the four-week summer break.

The Sachsenring circuit traditionally produces close racing and Valentino Rossi has unsurprisingly been involved over recent years, starring in some of the most exciting MotoGP race finishes of all time. The most memorable was in 2006, when the Italian stormed from eleventh on the grid on his Yamaha to lead home the closest top-four ever in MotoGP, separated as they were by just 0.307 seconds. Rossi, who is set to break Max Biaggi's record of 201 consecutive Grand Prix appearances this weekend, has had three other victories at Sachsenring in all classes and he is keen to add to that tally as the season crosses its midseason equator with Dani Pedrosa on the top of the standings - just four points clear of the Italian.

Rossi took time out of his training schedule last weekend to visit Misano for Yamaha Fest, where he was joined for the first time by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. After recovering his confidence with two sixth place finishes in the last two rounds, the 21-year-old Mallorcan is relaxed and ready to re-ignite his challenge for the top positions at a circuit where he has only once previously made the podium, in the 250cc race in 2006.

Located in the heartland of the former East Germany's once glorious motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the nearby Czech Republic. The second shortest track on the calendar features a series of tight and relatively slow corners juxtaposed with some dazzlingly fast ones - including a stomach-churning downhill right hander which was added in 2003.

Valentino Rossi

"NO MORE MISTAKES!"

"Last year in Sachsenring I made a mistake and crashed, and at the last race in Assen I also made a mistake, so I hope that I've now had my bad moment for this year! Sachsenring has been a great track for me in the past and it's a great place to race at; it's very tight and twisty but it generally suits the Yamaha very well and in 2006 I had a fantastic race there, winning from 11th. We are going there having lost our championship lead but we're only four points behind so the situation is certainly much better than it was at this point last season. I was disappointed with myself in Assen because I missed a great chance but I have put that behind me and I am completely focused on the next race now. We need to be at 100% from the first practice and hopefully we can have a good weekend with no more mistakes!"

"BACK IN TRAINING"

"I have recently started to train normally again after a gap of two months, which has been quite hard for me and I have been very tired lately! Since the accident in China I haven't been able to use the exercise bike or do proper cardiovascular work until last week, so I am just having to take my regime step-by-step to try to build my strength; I know that building my fitness back up is the best way to return to my former level. Even though it's been a hard time for me through the last two months I think that the crashes have made me stronger mentally; when you win it's easy but when things are going badly, this is when you learn more about yourself and this is very important to make you a better competitor. For the next race I have to keep trying to build my confidence with the bike. Sachsenring is a complicated track and my best result there is only third, but I don't think about statistics when I race. I just want to arrive at Sachsenring feeling relaxed and do my best to enjoy it."

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WEST GOES IT ALONE AT SACHSENRING

Anthony West will be the sole Kawasaki pilot on the grid for this weekend's German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, as teammate John Hopkins is forced to sit out the next two races due to injuries sustained during a high-speed qualifying crash at Assen two weeks ago.

West heads into this weekend's race determined to make amends for a disappointing result last time out at the Dutch TT, where a lap seven crash while lying 11th ended his hopes of a second top ten finish in succession.

The 26-year-old Australian has a good record at the 3.671km Sachsenring circuit, where he finished eighth at last year's German Grand Prix in only his third race aboard Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR, and where he scored no less than six top ten finishes in the 250cc world championship in previous seasons.

Such experience at the track is a major plus point: its undulations and numerous, tricky corners mean there's little room for overtakes and it'll be West's track knowledge combined with the low-down and midrange power of his Ninja ZX-RR that will come to the fore for this race.

The Sachsenring, near the town of Chemnitz in Eastern Germany, is a particularly twisty circuit, where the tarmac snakes through 10 left turns and just four rights, making the correct set up and tyre choice absolutely imperative.

The first race at Sachsenring was held in 1927 on an 8.7km public roads circuit that ran through the village of Hohenstein-Ernstthal. The shorter road race circuit was constructed in the early 1990's and has since been used for a variety of racing activities.

Anthony West

Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13

"I quite like the Sachsenring circuit although, with its twists and turns and the fact that it has no real straight, it's a bit like racing around a go-kart track at times. It's really important to qualify well and then get a good start in the race, because it's really difficult to pass on this circuit. There are no real hard braking areas, so it's hard to pass on the brakes, and the straight is so short it's almost impossible to slipstream and then go past on power alone. And, with only four right-hand corners, you need to be a bit careful trying to pass there, as the right-hand side of the tyre tends to cool down quite quickly. But, it's a circuit that should suit our Ninja ZX-RR very well, and that should stand us in good stead this weekend. After Assen I'm determined to finish inside the top ten, and I hope it will be possible to improve on my tenth place finish at Donington this weekend."

Kawasaki Competition Manager

"When we learnt the full extent of John's injuries we looked at putting a replacement rider on the bike for Sachsenring, but time was against us. It was felt that it wouldn't have been fair to put someone on the bike who'd never ridden it before, and there just wasn't time to organise a test ahead of the race, so Anthony will be flying the flag for Kawasaki on his own this weekend. He left Assen disappointed after crashing in the race and missing out on an almost certain top ten finish, but I'm confident that he will make amends this weekend with a strong performance at Sachsenring, where he's had good results in the past."

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JiR Team Scot heads to the Sachsenring aiming for prestigious results

After a one week break following the British and Dutch GP ?double header' last month, the 2008 MotoGP season resumes at the Sachsenring. The German event will provide the stage for the tenth round of the championship. The circuit winds its way through the edge of a forest, where the riders face a series of tight corners, with a series of seven left-handers, before opening the throttle on the short straight. The JiR Team Scot squad looks to gain significant results in both categories. Andrea Dovizioso, riding the Honda RC212V, has returned from three positive races in which he obtained fourth and two fifth-place finishes and he wants to improve still further. Meanwhile Yuki Takahashi has a good feeling with the German track, as back in 2006 he took one of his two victories of the season at the track and now he wants to repeat that feat this weekend.

Gianluca Montiron - Director JiR Team Scot
"The particular layout of the German track tends to reduce the gap between the performances of each motorcycle, instead relying on the commitment of the rider in the corners. Recent years have witnessed, in both categories, a close finish to the race where four or five riders have been covered by just a few seconds. This is the opportunity for our riders to show their capabilities and achieve some excellent results. The Honda has always had characteristics that suit this tortuous circuit, particularly in MotoGP, while in 250, we know that we can be competitive based on the results of recent seasons."

Cirano Mularoni - Team Manager JiR Team Scot
"The German Grand Prix could be a good one for the team, an occasion in which we do very well in both categories. In MotoGP, we would like to obtain a result, which consolidates what we have achieved in recent races, and rewards us for the good work done at the beginning of the year. It's a track, which these bikes cannot be used to their maximum, but perhaps Andrea will be able to harness our technical package to reach the podium. In 250, Yuki has proved to be ready for podiums, and on the track could replicate his German victory of 2006. Both riders are ready to give their best both physically and mentally."

Andrea Dovizioso - Rider JiR Team Scot MotoGP - HONDA RC212V
"My starting point for the Sachsenring is that I am confident we can get another good result, although it has never been a favourite circuit of mine. It is slow and twisty and it's almost like a minimoto track. I've felt this already with 250cc bike, where you need to commit to every corner, so with the heavier MotoGP machine, I think this feeling will be even more pronounced. At the track I have never got into the top positions, but in recent years I have gone better at the circuit. Our recent races have also shown that our performance is improving so that is a good sign for this weekend's race."

Yuki Takahashi - Rider JiR Team Scot 250GP - HONDA RS250RW
"I want to finish the race with a good result, as I did in 2006, in which I won. Unfortunately last year was influenced by the aftermath of my big accident. The track itself I like, but it is very difficult, with a series of tight curves where you need to make some very quick changes in direction, then a faster final stretch with two straights, a downhill section and an uphill section towards the start finish straight. Overall the track should be well suited to our Honda."

250GP
Lap Record: 1'25"118 M.Kallio 2007 (KTM)
Pole Position: 1'24"413 M.Kallio 2007 (KTM)
Grand Prix of Germany 2007 - Results:
1st Hiroshi Haoyama (KTM) - 2nd Mika Kallio (KTM) - 3rd Alex De Angelis (Aprilia)

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DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM HEAD TO GERMANY AS MOTOGP CROSSES SEASON EQUATOR

An intense period of MotoGP activity concludes with back-to-back races over the next two weekends, with consecutive Grand Prix events in Germany and the United States making it six races in eight weeks and bringing the season towards a well-earned summer break. Last year's race at the Sachsenring took place in torrid temperatures which, according to the most recent forecasts, should not be repeated this time around.

In fact, as has been the case for seven of the last nine races this season, mixed conditions are predicted for this weekend, which is expected to see maximum temperatures of 24ºC. In any case, the Ducati Marlboro Team is ready for two races that are of equal importance to its two riders, for a variety of reasons. Casey Stoner heads to Germany on the back of consecutive victories and he is keen to banish the memories of an unfortunate race there last season, when he dominated in practice only to be forced into damage limitation in the race as he battled with an unexpected tyre problem, eventually crossing the line in fifth place.

Marco Melandri is hoping to finally end his troubles at a circuit where he has already enjoyed great success. The Italian has taken victory at the Sachsenring on no fewer than three occasions in the small classes, having won the 125cc race in 1999 and the 250cc race in 2001 and 2002, as well as finishing second in the MotoGP race two years ago. Like his current team-mate, Melandri was also impressive in practice last year although a tyre problem also saw him struggle in the race as he took sixth place.

Stoner, meanwhile, has just one podium to his name here - a second-place finish in the 250cc race in 2003 - but last year's impressive pole position shows that he has the pace and the knowledge to be competitive at the notoriously tight and twisty circuit.

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director

"Sachsenring and Laguna will be two important races both for Casey and for Marco. Last year in Germany Casey dominated practice for the whole weekend but his performance was limited in the race by an unexpected tyre problem. I'm sure that the great work done by Bridgestone this year will ensure he's in the right shape to attack in the race as only he knows how. He travels on the back of two fantastic performances and we can't wait to see him in action again. Marco also had a good race at Sachsenring last year and was only denied a podium finish by the same problem. It is a track he has always gone well at so we all hope that Germany can be the turning point in a truly difficult season."

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team

"We feel quite confident for Sachsenring, where we were already competitive last year and it was only an issue with tyre life that prevented us from fighting for victory. I'm sure this problem won't happen again this year because Bridgestone have not stopped working and they continually bring us great new material. The bike has been perfect for the last two races and I expect it to go well at Sachsenring too. The track is a little different to most of the others because there are such long corners, which I don't like too much, but there are also some fun points and I'm happy to go racing there. It's been nice to have a few days' rest after such a demanding month - a weekend off isn't exactly a holiday but it's just enough to get your breath back and prepare for the next races."

MARCO MELANDRI, Ducati Marlboro Team

"Now we go to Sachsenring, which is one of my favourite tracks because of the good results I've had there. When you've done well at a track you usually like it! It is unusual because the first three corners are very, very slow and you virtually turn back on yourself but then there's a nicer, much faster section. In general it's a technical track and you need to improvise a little bit because there are some blind sections where you can't see the next bend. I've always had fun there and I hope I do again because that would mean to say that things are improving."

THE TRACK

Sachsenring was first introduced to the calendar in 1961 and it has traditionally drawn huge crowds. Initially a high-speed road circuit, it was deemed to be too dangerous for Grand Prix racing and was removed from the calendar in 1972. A completely overhaul of the track saw it return in 1998, ironically as the slowest circuit on the calendar with an average speed of just 143km/h. Modifications introduced in 2000 and 2001 brought that speed up to 159km/h but the track, which runs anti-clockwise, remains tight and twisty, demanding optimum engine performance in the mid-range.

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Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup - Sachsenring Preview - July 12th

All to play for - the Cup and the Team

Just 3 races to go in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season and there are 2 thrilling prizes to play for: The first is the Rookies Cup and in that battle Luis Salom remains the season long leader from JD Beach and Sturla Fagerhaug. The second dream is to be a member of the 10 man Riders Cup team heading for Indianapolis and a clash with the best of the AMA U.S. Rookies on September 14th.

In the chase for the Cup 16 year old Spaniard Salom won 4 of the first 5 races and heads 16 year old American Beach by 10 points but both have wavered of late. Third place man Fagerhaug, the 16 year old Norwegian, is the man on form and having beaten them both in the last 2 races has closed to just 32 points behind Salom and is closing at a rate that could see him win the Cup.

Even for those who have little or no chance of overall Cup victory there is the huge draw of a place in the Riders Cup Team at stake over the next three races. The top ten riders go to Indianapolis and with the 75 points that would go to a triple winner of the remaining rounds every one of the Rookies has at least a mathematical chance of getting an air ticket and becoming a transatlantic star.

At the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix the Riders Cup will be contested for the first time with the top ten from the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup competing on home soil. The winning team in September will hold the trophy until the rematch at the final Grand Prix of the season on October 25th in Valencia.

The 75 points available that make the Riders Cup Team list so open also leave the Rookies Cup honours open to more than just the leading trio. Daijiro Hiura, winner of the Portuguese round was fourth at the last race is Assen, less than a tenth of a second off the podium and could still threaten Salom's hold on the Cup even though he has 53 points to make up. Though overall Cup victory may be unlikely race wins are certainly not for the 13 year old Japanese in his first season as a Rookie.

A first year Rookie particularly looking forward to Sachsenring is 15 year old South African Mathew Scholtz. He started his Rookie career at last year's Sachsenring Initial Selection Event and loved the track. On the podium at Donington he could well repeat that in Germany or even win.

Applications are now open for this year's Initial Selection Events held at Adria in Italy on September 1st to 4th.

The pressure for at least a podium finish is on for the two home country heroes headed by 15 year old Dani Kartheininger from Boos bei Memmingen, 450km away. He led the Assen race from the start only to fall with 2 laps to go. Similarly close to home is Markus Reiterberger, from Obing. The 14 year old gets special tips from neighbour Ralf Waldmann that could give him the edge.

There are no guest riders at the Sachsenring with contractual obligations ruling Portuguese double winner Miguel Oliveira out of becoming a full time Rookie.

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REPSOL HONDA LEADS THE WORLD TO GERMANY

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT PREVIEW
GERMAN GRAND PRIX, SACHSENRING
July 11/12/13 2008, round 10 of 18

Pedrosa retook the 2008 points lead with a fine ride to second place at the recent Dutch TT, while Hayden came close to completing the team's first double podium of the year.
This is the busiest time of year for the Repsol Honda Team - the German GP is the fifth MotoGP round in just seven weeks and is immediately followed by next weekend's US GP. Pedrosa, Hayden and their crews are thus working very hard. Pedrosa knows he needs to find a few extra tenths to strengthen him World Championship charge while Hayden is getting to grips with Honda's pneumatic-valve engine which he raced for the first time at Donington Park, the weekend before Assen.

The German GP sees the MotoGP circus switch from one historic race venue to another. The original Sachsenring street circuit was first used for racing in the late 1920s and hosted the first GP behind the Iron Curtain in 1962. The track regularly attracted crowds of 350,000 and was last used for World Championship racing in 1972. Following reunification a Sachsenring short circuit was constructed. The venue hosted its first GP in 1998 and since then has undergone substantial upgrades. It is now a complex and challenging circuit, with an ultra-tight first section that leads into a rollercoaster series of high-speed left-handers that are its dominant feature.

Dani Pedrosa
"We are working very hard at the moment, trying to improve our performance. We will do our best to repeat my 2007 German GP win but we know it won't be easy. Sachsenring is quite a slow track, most of the corners aren't so fast. My favourite section is the final, faster part: the fast, downhill right-hander near the end of the lap and then the uphill run into the final corner. There is always a good atmosphere at this race with a lot of fans and overflowing grandstands. The track was resurfaced for last year's race which made it a lot better because before it was very bumpy. Set-up is always difficult at Sachsenring because it's a long race, so you need a harder-than-normal compound on the left side of the tyres. You use quite a static riding style here, riding more gently and making fewer movements than usual on the bike."

Nicky Hayden
"The bike is working good, the engine is running plenty good, but we just had that little issue at the end of Assen which stopped me getting third. I'm sure the guys at HRC will have the electronics all fixed for this race because I quite like the Sachsenring and I've always gone pretty well there. It's a short little lap and some people complain it's too tight and twisty but I like fast left-hand corners and it's got a lot of them. I'm a dirt tracker so I like going left! The first bit is quite technical, then you've got that fifth-gear drop-off round the back which is really good, definitely one of the best. The key for going down that hill is getting the bike so you're confident in the front. The next right-hander (Turn 12) is a big one, it's blind and it's downhill, so you can't go tip-toeing through there if you want a good lap, you've got to be committed and charge it. Last year the track had a new surface because tyre wear had been a big issue there."

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MICHELIN AND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE OF THE SACHSENRING

MICHELIN MEN FACE CHALLENGE OF THE ?RING
Michelin's MotoGP men lead points chase with six riders in top eight

Recent winners of the German GP

2007 Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin), 41m 53.196s
2006 Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41m 59.248s
2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 35m 04.434s (shortened restarted race)
2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 42m 23.287s
2003 Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V-Michelin), 42m 41.180s
2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 43m 32.783s
2001 Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team-Michelin), 43m 36.983s
2000 Alex Barros (Emerson Honda Pons-Michelin), 43m 54.632s

2008 MotoGP World Championship
Michelin preview, round ten
German Grand Prix, Sachsenring
July 11/12/13

Michelin riders lead the 2008 MotoGP World Championship and hold six of the top eight points-scoring positions as the season moves into its second half in Germany.

Championship leader Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) travels to the Sachsenring aiming to repeat his runaway 2007 victory at the sinuous, anti-clockwise track. And his team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) will be going all out for a podium after missing third place at Assen by a few seconds. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) grabbed that third place and will be aiming for another big points haul in Germany, along with fellow Michelin runners Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin), James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) and Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin).

Sachsenring commences its second decade of MotoGP racing this year. The short circuit hosted its first World Championship event in 1998, quarter of a century after the old Sachsenring street circuit last hosted a GP. Sachsenring was first used for racing in 1927 and hosted its first GP in 1961. Michelin has won all ten premier-class GPs held at the modern, purpose-built track.

Michelin MotoGP riders 2008
Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin)
Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin)
Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin)
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin)
Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin)
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin)
James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin)

SACHSENRING TRACK FACT

Sachsenring: 3.671m
Lap record: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin), 1m 23.082s, 159.066km/h-(2007)
Pole position 2007: Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), 1m 22.384s

"The Sachsenring isn't particularly abrasive but it's very demanding on the left side of the rear," says Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin's chief of motorcycle racing. "The main characteristic of the track is its asymmetry, with the left side of the tyres getting a lot of stress, this is what we have to work on most of all. The layout is also very undulating, so the front tyre gets a lot of stress in the downhill sections.

"At Sachsenring the left side of the tyres use harder compounds than what we used at Assen and Donington, similar to the compounds we used on the right side at Catalunya, another demanding track. The fronts will be similar to Catalunya - medium to hard compounds.

"Warm-up on the right side is important at Sachsenring because there's not so many right-handers. Our tyre warm-up is good this year and our tyres also have a good operating range. Even at Assen we used quite hard tyres for the race because we wanted to be consistent throughout. But afterwards we saw that could have gone slightly softer with some of our riders because Tech 3 used slightly softer compounds and Colin was very fast. Now we have to go for performance because Casey Stoner [Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici] is very fast, the target is to be able to fight with Casey."

"Apart from the track itself, we can see that the level of racing this season is incredibly high, the lap times and race times are very, very fast. The target is therefore improving tyre performance at every track, which brings us to the compromise with which we always do battle. On the one hand our riders need to be consistent throughout the race, so they need hard tyres that can deal with the stress, but on the other hand they want soft tyres to give them more grip. This is the challenge that we face.

"If you want grip you want softer tyres, if you want consistency you want harder tyres, so we have to find the best balance between the two. What we are really working at now is using harder compounds that can go very fast. Mainly it's a chemical challenge, but machine handling is very important so construction is also important.

"Sachsenring can be a tough track, especially if it's really hot, like last year when the track temperature reached 50 degree. But we'll have to wait and see what the weather brings - so far this year we've had to struggle with rain at most events."

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Bridgestone MotoGP Briefing - Round 10: Germany

Tuesday 8 July 2008
Following two sets of back-to-back races in Italy, Catalunya, Britain and the Netherlands in June, MotoGP's action-packed 2008 tour continues with a third consecutive double-header, starting with this weekend's trip to Germany, another of motorcycle racing's most frequented destinations.

This year's event will be the 23rd premier class event to be held at the Sachsenring, which hosted its first race back in 1961, but will be the 66th race in total to be held on German soil since the championship began back in 1949. Sachsenring held the East German GP uninterrupted from 1961-1972 on a closed-road circuit, but rejoined the calendar with a brand new circuit in 1998, where it has remained since.

Loris Capirossi scored the best ever result at Sachsenring for a Bridgestone-shod rider in last year's German GP, taking second place for Ducati in difficult conditions with track temperatures soaring above 50°C. Having enjoyed debut dry weather victories in Mugello, Donington and Assen in recent weeks, Bridgestone will be hoping to cross Sachsenring off its 'to do' list this weekend, but is aware of the technical hurdles that it must first overcome.

Bridgestone has been kept busy in the time since Casey Stoner scored his dominant Assen victory just under two weeks ago, including an important two-day test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the United States, the first test session to be held at the new-look MotoGP track. Bridgestone gathered important data with Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha teams, and riders Niccolo' Canepa, Olivier Jacque, Ben Spies and Wataru Yoshikawa respectively.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit

"Our frantic season continues at full steam with the next set of back-to-back races in Germany and Laguna Seca already upon us, two tracks at which we experienced contrasting fortunes last season. Sachsenring is another of the few circuits at which we have yet to take MotoGP victory, but we are highly motivated after recent results in Mugello, Donington and Assen. The German GP is a home event for a lot of our on-site team, especially our team of fitters, who are based in Speyer near Hockenheim, so a strong result would be a great reward for all their hard work this season."

Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Race Tyre Development

"Sachsenring proved to be one of our more difficult circuits last year with the asymmetrical nature of the track and extreme heat combining to make life hard for our tyres over the full race distance. Loris was nevertheless able to take second place, a great achievement, and the best ever result for a rider on Bridgestone tyres at Sachsenring. We know it will not be an easy race weekend, but we will do our maximum to provide our teams with race-winning rubber. We will also be keeping an eye on the weather conditions because the rain has been a keen follower of MotoGP this season. After Assen, we conducted a two-day test at Indianapolis, which allowed us to carry out fundamental tyre studies at this new track configuration. The circuit is not completely unknown to Bridgestone because it incorporates some parts of the old Formula 1 layout, as well as some of the traditional oval course, at which we have raced in four-wheel championships. It is a complex layout with different types of asphalt, as well as slow and high speed elements, which will provide us with an exciting challenge when we race there in September."

2007 Flashback

"Casey Stoner set an impressive standard in Friday practice at the resurfaced Sachsenring in 2007, breaking the previous year's best lap by 0.6s. Hotter conditions greeted teams and riders for the remainder of the weekend and qualifying was a closely-fought battle with 0.013s separating the front row riders, led by Stoner on pole. Marco Melandri qualified third for Honda Gresini as four Bridgestone-shod riders filled the top five. Race day was tough for Bridgestone riders with competitive tyre performance not lasting the full race distance. Loris Capirossi scored a fine second place, while Stoner's fifth place nevertheless extended his lead of the championship."

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