MotoGP Preview: Grand Prix Of Germany - July 17, 2009

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is fifth and Hayden is 12th in the MotoGP standings after eight races this season.

•Colin Edwards: “When we went to Barcelona, we tried a little bit longer bike. We went to Assen and said, ‘Let’s just run the longer bike,’ which we had at Laguna. We had some serious hopping issues at Laguna. It seems like as we lengthen the bike out, we’re not turning as well. We might have to go back to the drawing board, maybe go back to the shorter one to get it to turn better.”

•Nicky Hayden: “We have made some real progress the last few weeks, and I hope we can keep it going because bringing up the rear of the pack is not fun. We still have a big gap to the front guys, so we have a lot of work to do to close that down, and we must stay very focused. Germany is another small, twisty track with lap times almost exactly the same as Laguna. In fact, they are the two shortest tracks on the tour. But it’s a track I like and where I have gone well at in the past. The first section is super-tight, and is the part I think will be the hardest for me on our bike, but I hope to be strong in the second half, which includes the ‘waterfall’ corner, which is about as good as it gets if you like fast, blind corners that take your breath away! Normally in Germany on race day, it’s a completely full house with fans stacked everywhere, so that makes for a great atmosphere!”

THEY SAID IT: “I would say I am at 90 percent of my physical condition. I will have to wear a special glove made by Alpinestars with much more space for my left ring finger due to the big bandage I have on it. For sure, in the next few weeks I will not be able to get married as the ring would never fit with my actual conditions of the ring finger.” – Pramac Racing Team rider Mika Kallio, returning to action at this race after suffering a severe finger injury in a crash June 27 at TT Assen

FAST FACTS: The closest finish among four riders in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing took place in 2006 at the Sachsenring, as just .307 of a second separated the top four finishers in that race, won by Valentino Rossi … 2007 MotoGP World Champion was diagnosed with slight gastritis and mild anemia by doctors last week in California after the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Stoner has been slowed by the illness for the last month, but he will compete at this event … The Sachsenring might be a good spot for 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP to put some distance between himself and Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi has four victories in all classes at the track, while Lorenzo’s best finish ever at the Sachsenring is third in the 250cc race in 2006 … Six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will equal the record for Grand Prix podium finishes if he places in the top three at this event. Rossi has 158 podium finishes across all classes, just one less than fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini … Colin Edwards’ best finish at the Sachsenring is fourth in 2007. The track has been a successful spot for fellow American star Nicky Hayden, who finished third for four consecutive years from 2004-07 … Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 159th consecutive premier-class start at this event, becoming the all-time iron man. Rossi and Alex Barros are tied at 158 consecutive starts … Aprilia has won nine consecutive 125cc races dating back to last season, the longest win streak for a manufacturer in the class since Honda won nine straight in 1998-99. The record for the class is 19 by Honda in 1990-91.