Author Archives: PressBox

Toprak Razgatlioglu said MotoGP’s constantly changing tires have made his first season difficult, and he called the Sachsenring German Grand Prix his worst race so far. The Turkish rider said he is still learning the bike and Michelin tires after coming from World Superbikes on Pirelli rubber, and that different specifications and asymmetric compounds at each circuit have hurt his confidence and motivation. He said MotoGP’s planned switch to Pirelli next year could help his adaptation.

At the Sachsenring, Razgatlioglu qualified 18th, finished 17th in the Sprint and described the weekend as a lost one. He said he struggled with tire management, repeated tire slip and setup on the tight, twisty track, and he had not raced at the circuit since 2014. In the main race, he kept losing ground in the same corners, fell behind after a small mistake while trying to follow Alex Rins, and then rode alone for the rest of the contest.

Razgatlioglu finished effectively last in the German Grand Prix, 38 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez and 6.5 seconds behind Alex Rins, the nearest Yamaha rider. He said being overtaken by stand-in LCR rider Cal Crutchlow was a low point, and he was surprised by Crutchlow’s Honda, which he said turned better and had more grip than his Yamaha. Razgatlioglu said he was disappointed not to reward the Turkish fans who supported him, and that the only positive was learning what he will need if he returns to Sachsenring next year. He has collected 12 points in the first half of his maiden MotoGP season, and he benefited from five retirements as well as the absences of injured Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi.

KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer said the factory believes something is wrong inside its RC16 MotoGP engines after a string of breakdowns this season, and he said some of the engines are now considered unusable for safety reasons. The issue came into sharp focus at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona, when Pedro Acosta’s KTM shut down at high speed and was then hit from behind by Alex Marquez, heightening rider-safety concerns within MotoGP.

KTM has also faced clutch and ride-height device failures this season, and it has already reduced engine performance in an effort to avoid another shutdown. The factory has asked to inspect its sealed engines during the summer break, but that would require unanimous approval from the manufacturers, with Aprilia reported to support the request as KTM looks for answers.

Marc Marquez dominated the German Grand Prix weekend at Sachsenring, converting pole position into a 30-lap victory by 1.996 seconds on Sunday and completing a double after also winning Saturday’s sprint. He took his third win of the MotoGP season and his 13th at Sachsenring, while also recovering from a minor crash in Friday practice to control much of the race at a circuit that has long suited him. The win moved Marquez up to third in the championship standings with 190 points before the summer break.

Alex Marquez was Marc Marquez’s closest challenger early in the race before crashing out of second place on lap nine, leaving Marc Marquez with little pressure at the front. Ai Ogura then passed Raul Fernandez late to finish second for Trackhouse, giving the team a 2-3 result, with Fernandez third and Pedro Acosta fourth. Jorge Martin finished fifth to extend his title lead with 208 points, while Ogura moved up to second in the standings and Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio fell in the championship after Bezzecchi missed both German races with a broken collarbone and Di Giannantonio recorded his first grand prix DNF of the season.

The weekend also brought wins for Ivan Ortola and Brian Uriarte in the support classes. Ortola beat Daniel Holgado by 0.614 seconds for his second Moto2 victory at Sachsenring, and Uriarte edged Max Quiles by 0.063 seconds to take his second Moto3 win. The German rounds were marked by crashes and attrition across the classes, with several riders failing to finish and a new bump at the Omega corner drawing attention during practice and qualifying.