The Circuit of the Americas and the Sachsenring are two circuits where it’s expected that Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will win. Both circuits suit him and he’s never lost a premier class race at either. His record in Germany is even better, having won every year since 2010 on everything from a 125cc to a fire-breathing MotoGP™ prototype. Taking a seventh win might not be certain in 2016, conditions brining a number of other riders forward.
It’s meant to be the middle of summer but temperatures were closer to that of winter on Friday in Germany, the cold conditions forcing Marquez to hold back a little. Turn 11 proved a particularly challenging area in the conditions, catching out five riders. Even in the cold Marquez felt comfortable and was riding well within his limits. A best time of 1’22.775 in Free Practice 2 saw the MotoGP™ World Championship leader end third fastest overall. With Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) both outside the top ten, a fourth straight second place might not be the end of the world on Sunday,
Marc Marquez: “Today was a good day, although the way that it began was a little strange. In the first session we were only able to do a few laps because it started to rain slightly, but it wasn’t heavy enough to put on wet tyres. The second session was more-or-less normal, although there were low temperatures and a very cold track. We had to dial things back a little, especially at turn 11, where many riders crashed. Nevertheless, I felt quite comfortable with the bike. We want to improve on some points and have to keep working, because the forecast for tomorrow is that temperatures will improve slightly. It will be an interesting Grand Prix because of the weather, and the prediction is that on Sunday we’ll have a situation like today, when rain could fall at any time.”