MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner roars into the Sachsenring this weekend chasing his third consecutive victory of the 2008 season.The 22-year-old Australian is back to his best, but needs victory on Sunday at the tenth round of the MotoGP World Championship - and ideally at Laguna Seca one week later - to put real pressure on title leaders Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi before the summer break.
Stoner and his Ducati have proved an unbeatable combination in the last two races and he trails championship leader Pedrosa by 29 points at the halfway point of the season. If he continues in the same style in the next two weeks the gap on Pedrosa and second placed Rossi will be considerably reduced.
Stoner has not got a great record at the tight twisty 2.281 mile Sachsenring circuit with a second place in the 2003 125cc race his best result. Last year Stoner, like most of the Bridgestone riders, suffered chronic tyre endurance problems and was left to salvage fifth while Pedrosa romped to a huge 13 second victory.
Pedrosa also won the 250cc German Grand Prix in 2004 and 2005, but Rossi - despite crashing out of last year's race - has claimed some of his most memorable victories at the 'twist and go' circuit.
Rossi, who trails Pedrosa by four points in the championship, won the 250cc race in 1999 and has secured three premier class wins on both Yamaha and Honda machinery.
Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi’s race-winning Fiat Yamaha team-mate, has rebuilt his confidence since being ruled out of Barcelona by taking sixth places in Great Britain and Holland.
The Spaniard retains fourth place in the championship but like Stoner, the double 250cc world champion has never won at the Sachsenring. Fifth placed Colin Edwards arrives in Germany full of confidence after a last ditch third place in Holland riding the Tech 3 Yamaha.
No comments:
Post a Comment