MotoGP Blog

Circuit map: here.
Circuit web page: Sachsenring Circuit.

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Quick Guide
With typical German efficiency, Sachsenring uses the minimum square meterage to contain it’s 14 corners. Forever twisting back on itself, it also includes elevation changes to rival that of Laguna Seca. Also like Laguna it is a short lap, just 50 metres longer than the Californian circuit.

The start of the lap is where the corners are tightest. Turn 1 (Coca Cola Curve), where the rides drop from 6th gear to 1st, is followed by the second gear Turn 2, and the Castrol Omega, a double-apex right-hander still in second gear. This is the last action the right side of of the tyre will see for some time, as the following six corners are left handers, the riders just able to grab 4th gear under the pedestrian bridge. Crucial to a fast lap is the gathering of speed through turns 10 and 11 before the right of turn 12 on the cold side of the tyre, as the track drops away down into the valley.

Back to left handers, turns 13 (Sachsenkurve) and 14 (Quikenburgkurve) bring the riders back up the hill, turn 14 in particular climbing steeply up the hill, creating a classic overtaking spot, before the short dash down the front straight.

Circuit length: 3.671 km.
Circuit width: 12m - 20m.
Corners: 14, 4 right-handers and 10 left-handers.
MotoGP race distance: 30 laps.

Recent winners
2008:
2007: Dani Pedrosa, 41m 53.196s
2006: Valentino Rossi, 41m 59.248s
2005: Valentino Rossi, 35m 4.434s (Race part 2 of 25 laps only. Part 1, 5 laps, result neutralised)