Pol Espargaro undertook an intense and eventful eni Mottorad Grand Prix Deutschland to finish in 7th position, having battled through the field after starting the race from pit lane. Rain fell minutes before the start of the 30 lap sprint at the Sachsenring, deeming the race as wet but as track conditions improved and dried quickly, the rookie opted to switch to his bike with the dry setting along with the majority of the grid just after the warm up lap. The young Spaniard completed his first lap in 21st position, but confidently began ascending up the order immediately and by lap eleven the reigning Moto2 World Champion had hauled himself back into the points in 15th having ran a series of low 1.23 lap times, which were on a level with 5th position. He continued to chip away at closing the next rider down, highlighting the young rookie’s determination for success in the eventful race as he seized 10th position on lap 17 and quickly overtook Scott Redding for 9th three laps later. His perseverance prevailed and he set his fastest lap of the race on the 20th lap, which was 5th quickest overall, whilst hunting down the experienced Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso before overtaking and clinching 8th. The 23 year old Catalan did not stop there and performed a superbly executed move on Cal Crutchlow at turn 12 to snare 7th with three laps remaining, before completing the tricky 30 lap race in this position.

Bradley Smith’s challenging weekend drew to an unfortunate close today with the young British rider falling in the opening laps before mounting a recovery charge but completing the race outside the points. After opting to switch bikes and therefore begin the 30 lap race around the 3671 metre circuit in Germany from the pit lane, Smith quickly set into a rhythm to remain with the advancing pack and battle for a top five result. Such hopes were cut short on the 3rd lap after lucklessly falling, dropping him back to last place. The British star showed tireless grit to finish the race with a consistently quick rhythm with his lap time being comparable to the top 4 in the final laps, but was unfortunately too far adrift from the pack to recover as he finished the race in 19th position.

Pol Espargaro - Race : 7th Championship : 7th Points : 67

"I can’t help but be a bit frustrated as the weather once again obstructed our weekend’s work. The rain just before the start again put us in a tricky situation and when we started from pit lane I had Dovizioso in front of me who had an apparent problem, I think he left his pit lane limiter on so I lost precious time and positions straight away. Due to my lack of experience with the bike in slightly wet conditions I was very cautious during the opening laps and it took me a bit of time to find the right rhythm. Also, the track lacks overtaking opportunities due to it’s nature and so this didn’t help also. It’s a real pity as my pace would have allowed us to battle for a top five result but luck was not on our side. Nevertheless, I learnt a lot today and after a few weeks off, we will be back even stronger for the start of the second half of the season at Indy. "

Bradley Smith - Race : 19th Championship : 10th Points : 48

"Today was a big disappointment for me as I was feeling good and knew that I was capable of a strong result here but in the end the crash was all my fault. I made the same call as everyone else to pit and swap bikes, which was the right decision. When the race got underway, I saw Valentino pass Di Meglio at turn one and I knew my race pace was more than good enough to follow Valentino and use him as a reference in these tricky conditions. I got up the inside of Di Meglio and overtook him but as he came back to the apex, I ran onto the inside of the curb, which was still damp, and fell. Of course, it’s a big frustration as the bike, tyres and setting all felt positive. Also, my race pace was equivalent to the 5th or 6th placed times again so a good result was certainly on the cards but unfortunately luck was against me. Now I will rest up over the summer and come back more determined to succeed."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

"It has been another very interesting race today and right at the start, Germany could have possibly had its first victory to celebrate after Bradl started the race on slick tyres. Yet after just a few laps, things returned to normal with Marc taking the lead and the whole field catching up. Pol and Brad both started from the pit lane like most of the riders and Pol especially took things steady due to the unknown conditions for him. Once he felt comfortable he set into an incredible rhythm where he was lapping inside the top five which makes it an even bigger pity that the weather conditions have once again impacted upon the action on the track. However, he caught up and brilliantly overtook both Ducati riders, doing the best that he could as well as learning a lot and we are really proud of his achievement today. On the other side of the garage, it’s a big shame. We know Bradley had a good rhyme and he was in front of Pol, just right behind Valentino but unfortunately once again he made a small mistake this weekend and paid a high price for it. Luckily, he was able to rejoin the race and finish it. However, it leaves an even worse taste in our mouths to know that the times he was lapping would have enabled him to finish the race around Pol’s position which would have been a really strong result for the team. It has been a tough weekend for Bradley and he deserves much better, I just hope he can get some good rest, recharge his batteries and come back strongly after the summer break in Indy. I also wish a pleasant holiday to the whole team."

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