Friday, April 11, 2008

GERMAN GRAND PRIX - SACHSENRING :: RACE ANALYSIS

The German GP at Sachsenring saw Casey Stoner of Ducati stretch his Championship lead over Yam's Valentino Rossi eventhough the Ducati rider didn't even make it into the podium! Casey suffered with a high track temperature taking its toll on his Bridgestones while team-mate Loris Capirossi made better work of his different construction tyres to Casey. Valentino Rossi lost his front end and had to call it a day after his M1 had a bent handlebar and an overheated engine coutesy his low-side (crash). On this day, finally, the Michelins seemed to have an edge over the Bridgestones. The Desmosedici engine of the Ducati GP7 couldn't enjoy its significant horsepower advantage on this tight and twisty German circuit.

The next venue is the US GP at Laguna Seca which will, in all probability, see a lower ambient than what was seen at this race. Last year, Rossi suffered over-heating problems and finally his engine blew up in the race costing him dearly in the Championship charge. This year, Yamaha's engineers better get their act right if they want to stop the already dwindling chances of Rossi beating his Ducati rival, Stoner to the Championship. There again, Yamaha and the US riders Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, John Hopkins will have more of an opportunity to get on terms again with Ducati and Stoner, since, the Yamaha M1 is known to have a super chassis that's a delight to handle the tight and twisty sections that Laguna Seca has, by the bucket load. Local track knowledge is paramount to getting the hang of the circuit quickly and tune the bike properly.

Can Michelin continue its resurgence or was it a flash in the pan at the Sachsenring? We'll find out for sure in the US. See you then.

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