Totalbike – Magazine – Car guy to go MotoGP

We are going to the German Grand Prix

The destination is one of Europe’s oldest racetracks, the Sachsenring, which opened in 1927 and is now 97 years old, in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. Motul invited us to the German Grand Prix, so we will be closest to the Prima Pramac Racing and Red Bull GasGas Tech3 teams they support. Although I have no idea what a MotoGP race is like live, I’m sure it will be very cool to follow the action.

Since I can watch the professional work of the team members and the struggle of the pilots with my chin on the concrete even in smaller races, I have no doubt that I will go down the bridge at a MotoGP-caliber event. At the very top of motorcycle racing, not only the pilots are the best in the world, the service team, and generally everyone who comes close to the motorcycle, are true professionals. It’s sure to be impressive.

Pilots and teams

Prima Pramac Racing is Ducati’s second team, with Jorge Martín and Franco Morbidelli currently racing for them. Martín is doing well this year: he is in first place in the points race, which is certainly encouraging, even though most of the season is still ahead of him. Morbidelli, who studied at the VR46 Riders Acedemy, does not find the pace like his teammate, and is currently in fourteenth place.

Jorge Martín is closely followed in the championship by fellow VR46 student and two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia with the factory Duactiv. At the moment, the six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Márquez, who left Honda after more than a decade, is riding in third place and is now riding steadily with his Gresini Ducati.

Looking at it from that point of view, we are certainly looking forward to an interesting race, as the Sachsenring is Márquez’s absolute home track: he won every race between 2010 and 2019, and then again in 2021 after a year’s absence. In 2022, Fabio Quartararo won, and in 2023, Jorge Martín stood on the top step of the podium. Based on these, a tense Márquez-Martín battle would be great.

I’m particularly curious about Pedro Acosta, who is in his first season in MotoGP. Competing for Red Bull GasGas, the only 20-year-old Spanish guy is a huge talent: he was able to stand on the podium twice out of seven races. It’s not bad that he was third in Portugal and second in the United States, but he had the best lap time in Qatar, the very first MotoGP race.

What will happen and when will it happen?

Since I’m basically a car person, I expect a classic experience report rather than a deep dive into sports. There’s no need to panic though: I’ll have a really big camera, I’ll shoot everything with two wheels and everyone with a helmet. Moreover, it is prepared by faces who have been seriously involved with MotoGP for a thousand years, such as Peti Guld, our excellent former author.

The MotoGP German Grand Prix starts on Friday, July 5th, when free practice starts at the Sachsenring, and we will also arrive that day. The sprint race and time trials will take place on Saturday, July 6, with the race starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 7. Of course, there will also be MotoE, Moto3 and Moto2 races during the race weekend.