Experienced American Colin Edwards is looking to consolidate his place inside the top 10 in the overall rankings having scored points in six of the seven races he has started in 2011. Edwards is also determined to leave Europe full of confidence ahead of his crucial home round at the spectacular and challenging Laguna Seca track in California on July 24th. His best result at Sachsenring was fourth position in 2007 and he is confident the improving handling performance from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 this season will be a crucial advantage in dealing with the demands of the 2.281 mile track.
This weekend presents another big challenge for British rookie Cal Crutchlow, who will be making his Sachsenring debut. The 25 year-old is concentrating all his efforts on bouncing back from difficult races in Assen and Mugello recently and is aiming for a welcome return to the top 10. Sachsenring is the shortest track on the World Championship schedule but certainly one of the most challenging, the undulating layout made up of predominantly left-hand corners.
Colin Edwards:
“The last two races haven't been that fantastic but we can point to a bad tyre choice in both for that. We've got to take some responsibility for that but sometimes you roll the dice and gamble but the result doesn't go your way. That's all behind me now and I'm just concentrating 100 per cent on getting a good result in Germany this weekend. This track is pretty special with so many left-hand turns but our chassis is much better than last year, so I'm sure the bike will be easier to ride in the tight and twisty sections. The break after Mugello has really helped my physical condition. I've been able to get some good rest and the muscle damage around the ribs on the right side of my body isn't as painful as it was. I'll only understand how much of an improvement there's been on Friday when I get on the bike, but I'm expecting a lot less discomfort than in Mugello where it was quite tough. Aside from 2003 when I had the fireball at the bottom of the hill, I've really enjoyed my time at Sachsenring. The German fans are really knowledgeable and they love MotoGP, so hopefully we can put on a good show for them. I'll be looking for a good result to take some momentum into my home race at Laguna Seca, which is a huge weekend for me and one I'm already excited about.”
Cal Crutchlow:
"Like a lot of tracks so far in 2011, I haven't seen this one before but it looks really good on TV and I can't wait to get started on Friday. The track is obviously dominated by left-hand turns but I'm not worried that is going to be a big problem for me. The left collarbone I broke at Silverstone last month is fine and I'm happy with the progress it is making. After all the weather disruptions of the last few weeks, I'm just hoping for a dry weekend so I can learn the track quicker. And I'm also hoping for hot conditions because that will give me an opportunity to solve some of the front-end issues I've been experiencing lately. When the temperature is hot I've had some issues with front-end feeling, so hopefully some hot weather will give us the perfect opportunity to find a solution. I'm confident I can be running back inside the top ten and getting the results I know that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is capable of.”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 press release
