Scott heads to Germany and the Sachsenring circuit this morning where he is looking for a strong performance to offset the disaster of the Catalan GP where he was forced to retire after being involved in the first lap crash.
After the four ultra-fast circuits of Mugello, Silverstone, Assen and Catalunya, the Sachsenring track will present a different challenge for him and his Moto2 bike this weekend. The shortest track on the calendar, the twisty and technical 3.671km Sachsenring circuit features ten left-hand corners and only four rights, all linked by short straights.
Probably the most spectacular corner on the whole circuit is the downhill, right-hand turn eight, which is taken at 200 km/h in fifth gear on a Moto2 bike and has been likened to dropping off the edge of the world. However, it's turn one that could well prove critical in Sunday's Moto2 race, as the field of 40 riders negotiate the tight, slow, downhill right-hander for the first time on the opening lap.
After both Scott and his team mate Hector Faubel were involved in the first corner crash in Catalunya, they are both well aware of the dangers posed by such a large field jostling for position on the opening lap. Around the tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit Scott knows that qualifying on the front three rows of the grid will be critical if the expected chaos at turn one is to be avoided.
Scott at least heads to this round eight of the Moto2 World Championship off the back of a successful two-day test at Aragon; a track that has similar characteristics and makes similar demands on both bike and rider as the Sachsenring.
Scott: "Catalunya was a disappointment, but we had a very positive test at Aragon after the race and I'm confident we can bounce back this weekend at Sachsenring. I like the Sachsenring circuit and it's very different to the last four tracks we've raced; tight, technical and very demanding. With right followed by left followed by right, with only a short straight on which to recover, and the up and down nature of the circuit means you tend to push a little bit harder than you would on the flat. Qualifying on the first three rows will be critical though, as turn one has the potential to be a complete nightmare at the start of the race. If we can't get through the first turn at Catalunya without a big crash, then there's not much hope at Sachsenring, where the first corner is much tighter and narrower. We'll try a slightly different approach to qualifying this weekend, which we hope will result in a better grid position for the race."
Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager "Catalunya was a disaster, but the Aragon test immediately after was very positive. Qualifying is going to be more important than ever at Sachsenring, given the nature of the track and the difficulty in overtaking, so this is something that we need to focus on during the two free practice sessions. If we can get both riders onto the first three rows of the grid then we have a good chance in the race. Any further back than that and the opening laps in particular are going to be very difficult indeed. I just hope we don't get anyone trying to win the race at the first corner this weekend and taking out half the field, as happened at Catalunya. I'll be happy if we head into the summer break with two top ten finishes at Sachsenring."
This entry was posted on 14 July 2010 at 10:11 and is filed under Moto2. You can leave a response here.
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