With rising assurance backed by his recent pole position at the Dutch TT, Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco hopes this weekend's GP will be a repeat of his success at the Sachsenring circuit in 2016. Zarco, then in the Moto2™ class, was the race winner in Germany, crossing the line just 0.059 seconds ahead of second place finisher Jonas Folger. It was the closest finish in a full-length Moto2™ race since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2010.
However, in the MotoGP™ category, Yamaha have only ever had three wins at the Sachsenring, the most recent being Valentino Rossi in 2009. The talented Frenchman currently stands 6th in the Championship, just behind Honda Repsol Team's Dani Pedrosa, but the rookie is yet to have his first triumph in the premier class. And certainly, not for lack of trying.
Johann Zarco: "Sachsenring is an interesting track that is quite small, but there are a lot of left corners. I won the race there last year when it rained a lot, which is a nice memory. Of course, it will be great to have three days of clear weather this time but let's see what happens. I have a good feeling on the bike and I am happy about how the weekend in Assen went because I got the pole position and I was strong at the beginning of the race. I want to remain on this pace so that I can fight again, and have the opportunity to get on the podium in Sachsenring which would be fantastic to achieve before the summer break."