Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau were in the thick of the two leading battles at the Sachsenring today, the Italian and the Spaniard eventually coming home fifth and eighth. Capirossi spent the first half of the race with the leading group but faded slightly in the later stages, crossing the finish line just eight seconds down on the race winner. Gibernau made a brave comeback following recent collarbone surgery, running with the group fighting for seventh, despite a weak left shoulder. The 2006 MotoGP World Championship now travels to Laguna Seca, California, for next Sunday's United States Grand Prix, the fifth race in sixth weekends.
Loris Capirossi, finished 5th, 5th overall"I chose a very hard front tyre so I didn't push too hard during the first few laps but I could stay with the leading group quite easily. Then from half-distance the rear-tyre performance dropped off every lap, so I ended up defending my position from Nakano. It's a pity because things seemed okay. Anyway, we have made a big step since last year when I finished ninth here, a long way behind the leaders. The tyres were also much better than they were at Donington, though still not enough to run with the winner. Looking at the championship, we still have a long way to go and although I know that I've lost some points and that it'll be difficult to come back, I still believe we can do it and I won't give up. Maybe Laguna will be another difficult weekend but after that we go to tracks where we can be as competitive as the fastest ones."
Sete Gibernau, finished 8th, 13th overall"Considering my condition, I've got to be happy with today's race. I think we did a great job, we did 100 per cent of what we could do, so thanks to the team, Ducati and Bridgestone for helping me through a very difficult weekend. Now I will return home to see my surgeon in Barcelona to see what can be done for next weekend's race. I've no pain from the shoulder but it is very weak, maybe because a nerve has got inflamed. I had no strength in that shoulder from the start of the race, so it wasn't easy to get the bike stopped. I would say. I need to get fit because I feel like Bridgestone are doing a great job, working in a very good direction, and I think we can have a great end to the season."
Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP project manager"Both riders did a great job, unfortunately we weren't able to be as consistent as we had been with race tyres during practice. But both guys got the best out of what they had, especially considering that neither is 100 per cent fit. Loris was with the leading group for the first half of the race and Sete fought like a lion with the second group. As always, thanks to Shell Advance and Bridgestone and now we have to work very hard for the next few races."
Temperatures: Ambient: 20 degrees
Track: 38 degrees
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