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MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 9 / JUNE 30-JULY 2, 2017 SASCHENRING / OBERLUNGWITZ, GERMANY P78 blamed a sudden loss of grip on the left, and persistent wheel spin. In the morning, he said, he had practiced with a used tire of the same spec, and had no problems. Now this new one didn't perform the same. Others would complain of unpredictable tire performance, while tire choice was almost universal. Hector Barbera (Avin- tia Ducati) was the only other to choose the soft front over the medium; Dovizioso (Ducati Team) chose the soft rear, Johann Zarco and KTM riders Smith and wild card Mika Kallio, one of two hard-spec rears. All the rest used the medium. The first three positions were set early on. The rest were fiercely fought, the ultra-tight layout keeping everyone close together, and a jumbled start- ing grid helping the variety. The factory Movistar Yamahas, for example, had started ninth (Val- entino Rossi) and 11th (Maverick Vinales); former points leader Andrea Dovizioso's Ducati be- tween them. The first laps were according- ly muddled: second-row starter Folger almost knocked off on the second corner when he was hit by front-row starter Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati). Petrucci was stuck behind Lo- renzo for the first three laps, and was already out of touch when he got through. Rossi followed him, with Dovizioso quickly past Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and fast-starting Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia). At this time, Vinales was My Own Race: 93 MARC MARQUEZ 1ST MOTOGP "I'm very, very happy," said winner Marc Marquez. "I knew before the weekend that this was an important moment in the championship and that the Sachsenring was an important circuit for us. It was the place to take a risk if necessary and to try to win. The race was very tight. Honestly, before the start I thought I would have to battle with Dani, but actually there was also another very fast opponent. I was very surprised at the beginning to see Jonas there, and I thought he might stay in between with the other rid- ers, but he actually remained there! He was quite a tough opponent!" 26 DANI PEDROSA 3RD MOTOGP "I'm happy enough with this podium," said Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa of his podium. "We worked very well this weekend, trying to manage every situation. In the race I felt really strong in the first laps and was able to stay close to Marc. Then I started to lose grip in the rear tire, but I thought 'Okay, no problem; it's going to be a long race and it's normal to lose some grip.' But when Jonas passed me, I tried to follow and I couldn't keep contact. I tried to manage but when I felt the tire was spinning too much I settled for a podium. I expected to be a little bit stronger but all in all it was a positive result." 46 VALENTINO ROSSI 5TH MOTOGP "It was a difficult weekend because we suffered a lot, like we had done at other tracks this year, but fortunately we were able to work better," said last week's winner Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha). "The race was not so bad because I kept a good pace going from the beginning until the end. I'm happy when I fight for the podium, but still this fifth place is quite good, these are good points for the championship and we are just 10 points from the top, so I think the championship is still very much open. I think I will relax for two weeks now and, after two weeks of staying with my friends and recharging my batteries, I will start to train because we have to arrive in Brno ready, at a 100 percent fitness level."