Skip to main content
Home

MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

... that upgrading a website takes longer than you think

User Menu

  • Log in

Tools

  • Home
    • Contact
  • Subscriber Content
  • Round Ups
  • Features
    • Analysis
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
  • Photos
  • More
    • Search
    • Riders & Teams
      • 2023 MotoGP Rider Line Up So Far
      • 2022 Provisional MotoGP Rider Line Up
      • 2022 Provisional Moto2 Rider Line Up
      • 2022 Provisional Moto3 Rider Line Up
    • Calendars
      • 2022 Provisional MotoGP Calendar
      • 2022 Provisional WorldSBK Calendar
      • 2023 Provisional WorldSBK Calendar
    • Championship Standings
      • MotoGP Standings
      • Moto2 Standings
      • Moto3 Standings
      • MotoE Standings
      • WorldSBK Standings
      • WorldSSP Standings
    • Race Results
      • MotoGP Race Results
      • Moto2 Race Results
      • Moto3 Race Results
      • MotoE Race Results
      • WorldSBK Race Results
      • WorldSSP Race Results
  • Subscribe!
  • Patreon

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Race Results

2011 Sachsenring MotoGP Race Result: Thrilling Three-Way Fight Sees Close Finish

By David Emmett | Sun, 17/07/2011 - 13:03

Results and summary of the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring:

Dani Pedrosa has taken a decisive victory, in only his second race after returning from surgery for his broken collarbone. The Repsol Honda rider was made to work hard for his win, first working his way past Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, before finally seizing control towards the end of the race.

Pedrosa got his customary holeshot, but the Spaniard immediately had company from Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner.  Lorenzo was past before the lap was out, diving underneath the Repsol Honda at the bottom of the hill into Turn 12. With Lorenzo leading, a large group formed with nothing to separate them. Behind Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso had sliced his way forward to hold 2nd for the first couple of laps, before his teammate Casey Stoner barged past him on his way to Lorenzo. Dani Pedrosa sat assessing his position behind the leaders in 4th, while Marco Simoncelli and Ben Spies hung close behind Pedrosa. Spies was the first to drop off the back of the group, with the Hondas of Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli following at one-third distance.

That left the three protagonists to fight it out among themselves, and it turned into a tense and nerve-wracking fight. Casey Stoner was the first to seize the initiative from Lorenzo, taking the Yamaha rider at the bottom of the hill, while Pedrosa closed on his compatriot from behind. Stoner pushed to gain an advantage, but it never grew more than a few tenths, before he fell back into the claws of Lorenzo and Pedrosa. 

Next up was Lorenzo. The Spaniard put a hard pass on Stoner at the bottom of the Waterfall, the steep hill leading into Turn 12 to take back the lead, and Pedrosa followed past Stoner at Turn 1 a couple of laps later. It was Lorenzo's turn to try and pull a gap, but once by Stoner, Pedrosa got up a head of steam and would not be denied. Pedrosa chased down Lorenzo, passing the Spaniard as the pair crossed the line to start lap 22. Once past, he was gone, and an elated Pedrosa went on to take victory in just his second race after returning at Mugello.

The race for 2nd was not settled, however. Once Pedrosa got past Lorenzo, Casey Stoner got in on the action as well, diving past Lorenzo on the brakes into Turn 1. But Stoner had left his chase for Pedrosa too late. Though the Spaniard remained tantalizingly close, he could never close on his Repsol Honda teammate and try to attempt a pass. Instead he still had Lorenzo to deal with. The Yamaha man tried as they crossed the line to start the last lap, but Stoner held him off into Turn 1. Lorenzo then tried lining him up at the top of the hill, but a small mistake saw him appear to lose touch. But the last two corners would prove fatal to the Australian: Stoner blocked into Turn 12, and Lorenzo seized his chance, holding a 125cc line through Turn 12 to dive up the inside of Stoner in the final corner, stealing a precious 4 points from his championship rival to close the gap to 15 points. Stoner was forced to settle for 3rd, and far from happy about it.

The battle for 4th was equally entertaining, Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli slugging it out for most of the race. Their battle offered Ben Spies the chance to catch the pair, the Yamaha man passing Simoncelli for 5th in the final corner, Dovizioso winning the chase to the line in 4th. Further back, an ecstatic Alvaro Bautista fended off attacks from the factory Ducatis to secure 7th, crossing the line ahead of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi after an outstanding performance on the Rizla Suzuki. Rossi lost drive with a gearshift problem out of the final corner, and was forced to cede 8th to his teammate Hayden. But after the disastrous results in practice on Friday and Saturday, the Italian was relieved that a change to the weight distribution found in the morning warm up had worked out. Being able to brake harder and deeper into the corners meant that Rossi could at least be a little competitive.

Results:

Pos. No. Rider Manufacturer Time Diff
1 26 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 41'12.482  
2 1 Jorge LORENZO YAMAHA 41'13.959 1.477
3 27 Casey STONER HONDA 41'14.050 1.568
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO HONDA 41'22.995 10.513
5 11 Ben SPIES YAMAHA 41'23.201 10.719
6 58 Marco SIMONCELLI HONDA 41'23.405 10.923
7 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SUZUKI 41'39.933 27.451
8 69 Nicky HAYDEN DUCATI 41'39.992 27.510
9 46 Valentino ROSSI DUCATI 41'40.058 27.576
10 5 Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA 41'45.973 33.491
11 8 Hector BARBERA DUCATI 41'51.426 38.944
12 17 Karel ABRAHAM DUCATI 41'51.630 39.148
13 14 Randy DE PUNIET DUCATI 41'51.897 39.415
14 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW YAMAHA 41'51.959 39.477
15 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA HONDA 42'06.998 54.516
16 24 Toni ELIAS HONDA 42'24.817 1'12.335
17 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI DUCATI 41'28.441 1 lap

 

2011
MotoGP
Sachsenring, Germany
  • Log in or register to post comments
↑Back to top

Comments

Profile picture for user BoB-DoG

BoB-DoG

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Amazing race!

They should hold all 18 races at Sachsenring next year. I wouldn't mind if all the races were that good! Great pass by JL, doing what he had to do. Great battles the whole way through the field

  • Log in or register to post comments

lionprince25

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

suzuki

Fantastic race from the Suzuki camp. Took the fight to both Ducatis, first passing Rossi then nicky both on the final lap! Not much of a fan but will be looking at their performance at leguna where the weather is really hot during race time.
Also good ride from Lorenzo keeping the championship alive

  • Log in or register to post comments

Ed

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to suzuki by lionprince25

Laguna track temps except for

Laguna track temps except for a bizarre west coast heat wave back in 2006 have been pretty mild for this race. Weather is calling for highs in the mid 60's next weekend and there won't be much of a change from that in the mean time. The summer has been pretty cool here except for about 1 week in June. I will let you know about Sunday after I get back.

I have read this a couple of times, that a lot of fans think that the temps at Laguna get quite extreme. Not true, probably the most temperate track on the calendar. That is why it is thrown in in late July because from April-October it really doesn't matter, the weather is nearly the same, so they go there when everyone else is 'usually' getting high summer heat.

I live north of there but I travel to the Monterey/Salinas area probably 2 dozen times a year and it is almost always the same, morning sea layer with late afternoon sun and moderately low temps.

  • Log in or register to post comments

clx

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

What happened

between Sic and Spies on the last lap?

Dani isn't an alien, he's a monster.

  • Log in or register to post comments

jemmons

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to What happened by clx

It looked to me like Spies

It looked to me like Spies was pissed about something...obviously happening before the last turn where the cameras picked them up. It's hard to tell for sure...maybe he was just reacting to the unexpected 5th after the big gap he had to make up.

Edit: if he was pissed he got over it. In his interview he said that Sic and Dovi were scrapping (he called it "fair play") and he couldn't pass until then. So maybe just adrenaline and a touch of frustration venting rather than anger.

  • Log in or register to post comments

clx

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Bridgestone

By the way, thanks for the terrific tyres which allowed great, clean and hard racing without any artificial and excessive degradation.

  • Log in or register to post comments

Screamer

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to Bridgestone by clx

delete

delete

  • Log in or register to post comments

Screamer

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to Bridgestone by clx

What do you mean?

It was the fact that Stoner wore out his rear tyre while Pedrosa didn't that decided the outcome.

Tyres are artificial, they naturally degrade over a distance.

  • Log in or register to post comments

clx

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to What do you mean? by Screamer

Stoner

wore his tyre because of how he rode, not because they were specifically manufactured to last significantly less than the race distance and thus artificially "spice the show". People may think Bridgestone might revamp theyr assymetric tyres for the sake of safety, but as far as the racing goes, nobody has anything on them, which is why they rose to MotoGP dominance and exclusivety.

  • Log in or register to post comments
Profile picture for user Ciccio

Ciccio

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Great race by Dani

It´s a shame he couldn´t manage a tech 3 kind of recovery from the collarbone fracture, otherwise the standings would be closer at the top. Last lap was a revealling one: Lorenzo showed championship hunger, Stoner didn´t.

  • Log in or register to post comments

Snorvey

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

The track does it again!

Following on from Mugello, the Sachsenring is undulating with swooping bends (a bit short and maybe a little too left handed tho!). It's the computer designed cakecutter style stop / start F1 tracks that generally don't work with these little 800cc engines.

Laguna up next and another undulating track (verrry short though) - and this one is one to watch with your dinner on your lap.

  • Log in or register to post comments

Dharmabum

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Last lap

It's funny but it really looked like Lorenzo completly messed up his exit of turn 10 on the last lap (just before the fast right hander), lost a couple of tenths doing so, but at the breaking of turn 12 Stoner, of course unaware of that, took a very defensive and much slower line on the inside, thus allowing Lorenzo to come back at him frightfully quickly and pass him on the inside of turn 13. I guess that's why he called the pass a "miracle" !

Beautiful races in 125 and motogp !!!

  • Log in or register to post comments

thelastwaltz

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

One of the better races so far this season.

For the first time in my life I was urging Lorenzo to overtake. It looks like the season may not be such a walkover for Stoner after all. Sure, losing 25 points in a DNF earlier in the season helps, but JL appears to have a competitive Yamaha once again.

Maybe Stoner's loose style on the powerful Honda is wearing his tyres more quickly than his team-mates and rivals.

Looking forward to Laguna. :)

  • Log in or register to post comments

Hugelean

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

really good race and great

really good race and great ride from a resurgent Dani Pedrosa. Great ride also from Jlo to pull back more points in the final corner.. Great result for the championship.
Caseys comments afterwards that he didn't think they(he) had a chance of the win, make his performance look better though still a bit ragged.

Any chance of an interview with preziosi on just what his plans are and why he still thinks that carbon is the way to go. We know it's not working, but are they working on something new or still hoping that the next tweak will make the difference. The silence coming out of ducati sounds like a dumbfounded one.. Talk to us Ducati, has Rossi convinced you to drop the cf, do you have a choice???? you don't look too good at the mo and you are far too important to motogp for this to continue for another season.. Your fans also need an urgent update!

  • Log in or register to post comments

tttom

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

another site has reported a rumor going around the 'ring that

Ben Bostrom is being considered for a guest ride on the LCR Honda at Laguna.

Have you heard anything about this?

  • Log in or register to post comments

David Emmett

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to another site has reported a rumor going around the 'ring that by tttom

Bostrom

I heard the same rumor, and I understand that the deal is very close. GPOne.com are also reporting the rumor, which makes it highly credible. More when I found out more.

  • Log in or register to post comments

tttom

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to Bostrom by David Emmett

well that ought to be

well that ought to be interestng. Bostrom knows his way around Laguna and every once in a while he gets a bug up his ass and becomes, for one afternoon, unbeatable

I think it was 2005 or so, he had a great superbike race there, riding a 999 and leading start to finish with Mladin stuck right on his back tire. He's a local so it was a hugely popular win for the fans in the corkscrew, lap after lap you could hear them coming over the top of the hill and know that the Ducati was still in front

  • Log in or register to post comments

sparky

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

I was pretty sure Jlo would get him....

Casey's a great rider - Lorenzo is a great racer. I have not seen stoner come on on top of many last lap battles (though he'd did pull it off last year against VR).

Great race period.

  • Log in or register to post comments

ajd

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to I was pretty sure Jlo would get him.... by sparky

+1

It looked like Stoner thought his way out of that win. He said afterwards he couldn't make the break so he decided to slow down & hang with Lorenzo & Pedrosa. Bad idea. Dani gapped him while he was fighting with Jorge & then he got mugged at the last corner. He is better off doing what he does best & pushing out front. Lorenzo has unbelievable corner speed, he was always going to put one up the inside.
Well done Dani, welcome back!
Championship is far from over.....

  • Log in or register to post comments

notfamousyet

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to I was pretty sure Jlo would get him.... by sparky

What? I've heard this before

What? I've heard this before ...I think Casey is both a great rider *and* a great racer. Casey certainly didn't back down when he and Rossi went at it hammer & tongs Laguna Seca 2008 ... watch the video, tight racing back and forth, the Duc slewing side to side under braking... full on racing.

  • Log in or register to post comments

sparky

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

In reply to What? I've heard this before by notfamousyet

but then what happened?

No doubt - casey is amazing. But I would remind you that he did not come out on top in that battle *either* .

In 2008 Stoner, on a faster bike, did not win the war or many more battles. To me, CS was a pretty defeated man after that the battle in Laguna 08 - this was most evident in Brno.

Note to self, Casey has won the most races in the 800 era.

  • Log in or register to post comments

scamax

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Brilliant racing

That was the best meeting of the year so far, with lots of battles through the field, and the 125 and Moto2 races were superb. Did not expect Pedrosa to win in his second race back from injury, and it was good to see Bautista and Suzuki get a more encouraging result.
As for Ducati, we are half way through the season and they seem to be getting nowhere, in fact with the GP11.1 they seem to have gone backwards.

  • Log in or register to post comments

Doughnuts

11 years 6 months ago

Permalink

Damn good race. There were

Damn good race. There were really 4 groups battling it out for a good portion of the laps. Also Lorenzo getting 2nd stole 8 points from Stoner not 4. He moved up 4 points in the standings but had he not gotten the pass and finished 3rd with Stoner 2nd it would have been a 4 point swing in Stoner's favor.

  • Log in or register to post comments

Log In or Register

  • Create new account
  • Reset your password

MotoGP.com latest

  • GALLERY: Sepang Shakedown Test 2023
  • Crutchlow fastest as Sepang Shakedown kicks 2023 into gear
  • Tech recap: a look back at the Valencia Test
  • 3, 2, 1… Shakedown! MotoGP™ factories head to Sepang
More

Follow MotoMatters on Twitter


Mastodon

MotoGP Technology

Buy Neil Spalding's essential guide to the technology of MotoGP bikes, MotoGP Technology.

Recent comments

  • A welcome return! I was…
    16 minutes 53 seconds ago
  • Congrats David. Welcome back…
    21 minutes 54 seconds ago
  • Horrible - what have you DONE?!
    33 minutes 17 seconds ago
  • Very interesting article,…
    1 hour ago
  • Site feels nice and snappy!…
    1 hour ago

Popular on MotoMatters.com

Today's:

  • Editor's Blog: And We're Back - Thanks For Your Patience
  • Akira Nishimura On What Ken Kawauchi Leaving Suzuki For HRC Means For Honda
  • Editor's Blog: Another Update On Site Upgrade Progress - Nearly There
  • Diego Gubellini Interview: On Fabio Quartararo, Battling With The Ducatis, And Developing The Yamaha
  • Editor's Blog: In Memoriam - Andrew Wheeler

All time:

  • The Trouble With The Ducati Desmosedici: An Exhaustive Analysis
  • Honda Launch Production MotoGP Racer: 0.3 Seconds Slower, For A Third Of The Price
  • 2015 Sepang MotoGP Round Up: Heroes Who Have Feet Of Clay
  • 2011 Jerez MotoGP Race Day Round Up: The Feeding Frenzy
  • 2011 Estoril Post-Race MotoGP Test Roundup - On Hindsight, Updates And Insults

Last viewed:

  • Editor's Blog: And We're Back - Thanks For Your Patience
  • 2012 MotoGP Rider Entry List
  • Garrett Gerloff On Standby As Valentino Rossi Awaits Negative Covid-19 Test
  • Akira Nishimura On What Ken Kawauchi Leaving Suzuki For HRC Means For Honda
  • Karel Abraham Press Release: GP12 Is 999cc, Has 250HP And Top Speed Of 360 km/h

All content copyright of MotoMatters.com unless otherwise stated. MotoGP is a trademark of Dorna Sports s.l. and MotoMatters.com is not associated with it.

Site hosted by