The East German circuit of Sachsenring is the second shortest on the calendar but is one of the most demanding of the year for Bridgestone’s front and rear tyres in terms of tyre temperature and durability.
The challenge for Bridgestone’s tyres comes from the fact that the abrasive tarmac generates high tyre temperatures and accelerates tyre wear. The lap is run anti-clockwise, with ten lefts and only four rights, which places higher loads on the left shoulders of the tyres, and for the left side of the front tyres Sachsenring is the most severe test of the season.
Whilst the rear slick tyre options are the same compound specifications as used last time out in Catalunya, the anti-clockwise nature means that the asymmetric compounds are reversed and it is now the left side that is harder to withstand the temperature and loads generated around Sachsenring’s fast and long left-handers, especially the complex from turn 7 to 11 during which riders are accelerating hard, and the final two corners which are very fast.
Sachsenring is very hard on front tyres so the hard and extra hard compounds have been selected. It is the first time the extra hard fronts have been used since Qatar, and there are only two other circuits at which they are required: Brno and Sepang.
Often the weather conditions in Germany are mixed for the grand prix, and last year this was no different although the race was run in the dry. Valentino Rossi won from Jorge Lorenzo, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. On his way to third, Pedrosa set a new lap record on Bridgestone tyres, almost one second faster than his own previous benchmark set in 2007.
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