German MotoGP Race Statistics, This Season Held Without "The King"

The 2022 MotoGP event will continue at the Sachsenring Circuit, Germany. (Photo: Doc. MotoGP)

JAKARTA - The 2022 MotoGP race has entered the 9th series. The racers will compete at the Sachsenring Circuit, Germany.

This is the 24th time the Sachsenring has held a MotoGP. However, Germany has hosted the grand prix race 83 times.

The first GP motorcycle racing event in Germany, the West German Grand Prix at the Solitude Circuit in 1952, was attended by 400,000 spectators.

At that time Red Armstrong won the 350cc and 500cc classes after driving a Norton, while the host racers who won the 250cc and 125cc classes were Rudi Felgenheier (DKW) and Werner Haas (NSU).

The first East German Grand Prix was held on the 8.73km closed highway circuit at the Sachsenring from 1961 to 1972 before the circuit's original track was deemed too dangerous.

The West German Grand Prix was held every year from 1952 to 1990 at four different circuits at Solitude, Schotten, Nurburgring and Hockenheim.

Since German reunification in 1990, the German Grand Prix has been regularly held every year, except in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, from 1991 to 1994 at Hockenheim followed by the next three years at the Nurburgring before 1998 to 2019 and 2021 at the new Sachsenring circuit.

In addition to the races mentioned above, one Grand Prix has been held in Germany, titled the GP Baden-Wurttemberg in 1986 at Hockenheim for the 80cc and 125cc classes only, according to MotoGP records.

The Sachsenring Circuit originally had a track length of 3,508 km by taking part of the previous highway circuit.

Major modifications took place in 2001 and a slight overhaul in 2003 resulted in the 3,671km long layout of the current Sachsenring.

The Sachsenring becomes one of five counterclockwise circuits; namely Austin, Aragon, Phillip Island and Valencia, in the MotoGP calendar.

Marc Marquez became the king of the Sachsenring with a total of 11 wins in each class. Unfortunately, he will be absent because he is still undergoing the recovery process after humerus surgery.

The Spaniard is unbeaten in Germany in eight consecutive MotoGP races from 2013 to 2021, with the exception of 2020 which was canceled due to the pandemic. Marquez also won twice in the Moto2 class and once in the 125cc class.

This achievement made Honda the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring since 1998 with 17 victories, 11 of which were presented by Marquez.

Honda riders also controlled the German GP pole position from 2011 to 2019. Johann Zarco (Ducati) last year became the only non-Honda rider to start at the front at the Sachsenring since Jorge Lorenzo in 2010 with Yamaha.

Yamaha's last victory at the Sachsenring was achieved by Valentino Rossi's appearance from pole position in 2009. Yamaha has four wins in the premier class since 1998 there through two riders namely Rossi and Max Biaggi.

While the only victory for Ducati at the Sachsenring came from Casey Stoner in 2008 from pole. The Italian manufacturer has climbed another four podiums in the premier class at the track with P3 Troy Baylis in 2003, P2 Loris Capirossi in 2007, P3 Stoner in 2010 and P3 Andrea Dovizioso in 2016.

While Suzuki once felt the top podium at the Sachsenring thanks to Kenny Roberts Jr in the 500cc class in 1999. After that the best result for Suzuki there was when Chris Vermuelen finished P3 in 2008.

Aprilia's best MotoGP finishes since 2002 at the Sachsenring are: P7 Aleix Espargaro in 2017 and 2021; Tetsuya Harada's P7 in the 500cc class in 1999.

Miguel Oliveira presented KTM's best result at the Sachsenring after finishing P2 last year when team-mate Brad Binder finished P4 which was the last moment two KTM riders finished in the top four in MotoGP.

The hosts' best result at the Sachsenring since 1998 was Jonas Folger's P2 in 2017.

Leaders Fabio Quartararo heads to Germany with a 22-point lead over Espargaro who made a celebrating blunder in Catalunya.

Enea Bastianini (Gresini) and Johann Zarco (Pramac) are battling for third place with a margin of just three points as last year's MotoGP runner-up Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) seeks to find consistency in fifth place with a collection of 81 points.