Melandri is a double 250cc and single 125cc winner at the Sachsenring but dropped to sixth after a disappointing tenth in Holland and he’s joined by a new team-mate. Italian World Superbike rider Michel Fabrizio replaces the injured
Toni Elias who broke his leg in a Holland practice crash. Canadian Miguel Duhamel replaces Elias a week later at Laguna Seca but the Spaniard hopes to be back for the Cardion AB Grand Prix of the Czech Republic following the summer break in August.
The Rizla Suzuki pair of
John Hopkins and
Chris Vermeulen is having a great year and they hold fourth and fifth places respectively in the Championship. Vermeulen has won in France and started from pole in Assen while Hopkins continues to pile on the points, including a third place in China.
Rossi’s team-mate
Colin Edwards is seventh and is on good form although some excellent qualifying performances have only yielded two podium finishes.
Seven years ago Brazilian Alex Barros won the 500cc race on a Honda and he returns in great form on the Pramac D’Antin Ducati. Two riders who have seen better times
Loris Capirossi and Hayden share ninth place but both are more than capable of podium finishes while German Alex Hoffman faces his biggest race of the year at his home round.
Frenchman Randy De Puniet will want to forget his Assen crash while his new team-mate Australian
Anthony West impresses every time he rides the Kawasaki
World Champion and Championship leader
Jorge Lorenzo bounced back to form with a 250cc victory in Assen following his crash at
Donington just six days earlier. The Fortuna Aprilia rider leads Italian Andre Dovizioso and Alex De Angelis who share second place by 23 points.
Last year Japanese Honda rider Yuki Takahashi won the race and he’s returning to full fitness after two big crashes since that victory a year ago.
