Heavy rain hit the Sachsenring on Sunday, MotoGP™ riders getting their first chance to sample Michelin’s wet tyres at the track during morning Warm Up. The 20-minute session was topped by Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who chose to use the super soft front tyre for the race. Unfortunately for Pedrosa the track dried quickly and he wasn’t able to find the same confidence he had during Warm Up. On lap 22 he joined the rest of the field in swapping bikes for new tyres after getting inside the top five.
Pedrosa re-joined the race in ninth place and went about trying to catch the riders ahead. Although his feeling in the dry wasn’t the best, he eventually got some heat into his tyres and overtook the likes of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) to cross the line in sixth. The result protects Pedrosa’s fourth place in the championship, now only 15 points behind Rossi in fourth place. In typically Pedrosa style, quiet but consistent results have him steadily climbing up the championship table.
Dani Pedrosa: “I wasn’t feeling super-strong in the wet today, not like in this morning’s warm-up. I had chosen the front super soft tyre and I didn’t expect the track to dry so quickly. I tried to keep a constant pace and not make mistakes. Unfortunately, when I made the swap my feeling in the dry wasn’t the best until I get some temperature in the tyres, but at least I managed to make a few passes and finish sixth. I would have liked to do better, but we must to stay focused and prepare for the coming races.”