Before 2016 Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) had never had the best results at the Sachsenring and certainly never a podium. Qualifying down in 13th place made it seem like his less than ideal form was set to continue. An ideal start in the wet saw the German shoot forward and up into fourth place immediately, right in the podium battle. Folger did all he could to stay with the leading group as the race went on but dropped back during the middle of the race, not willing to risk as much as the leaders. A number of falls ahead proved his choice was the right one.
As the race entered its final stages, Folger began to risk more and more as he hunted down Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport). The pair were now battling for the win on their own after a fall for Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40). A heroic charge left Folger with one last chance to get past; the last corner. He left his braking as late as he could in an attempt to pass Zarco at the Queckenberg corner, the pair racing to the line up the hill. Folger would lose out on a sensational win by only 0.059s but still had the crowd roaring with joy as he became the first German since Sandro Cortese in 2012 to finish on the podium at home. Second in the race sees Folger return to the podium for the first time since Jerez.
Jonas Folger: “The Sachsenring race has always been a difficult one for me. To finish on the podium at my home grand prix is a brilliant feeling. Even if the win was so, so close. It was a really long race, as it is so unpredictable to race under rainy conditions. I was really tense as I tried to ride fast and not crash at the same time. I never really knew how far I could go and orientated myself on the other riders. In the middle of the race the guys at the front really put the pressure on and risked a lot. I tried to stay reasonable and waited a little as we had to finish 29 laps after all. This proved to be the right decision. During the last three laps I risked a lot more than Johann. I thought ‘It’s my turn now’. He was very late on the brakes and it wasn’t easy to attack him during the last lap. I tried to keep close, but didn’t have the speed to push away from him. I thought that if I brake in the turn, he would be in the same position and wouldn’t be able to overtake me. But he managed to do so somehow.”