The football may be over but Germany will witness another world championship battle this weekend, when the Sachsenring hosts round ten of a volatile 2006
MotoGP World Championship.
Repsol Honda's
Nicky Hayden saw his title lead slashed to 26 points after he finished seventh in the British Grand Prix two weeks ago and knows he must return to the podium at the next two grands prix in Germany and America if he is to keep his challengers at bay.
Last year Hayden finished third at the demanding 2.281 mile circuit in a tremendous battle with world champion
Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau, after starting from pole. The American has only been off the podium twice in the opening nine rounds of this season - and was victorious in Holland - but will want to put the
Donington result behind him as he prepares for the 25 lap race in which his team-mate
Dani Pedrosa, Rossi and Italian
Marco Melandri will be looking to increase the pressure on the championship leader.
Twenty-year-old Pedrosa is in superb form and has won two grands prix, including Britain, from just nine MotoGP starts. He lies second in the championship and the three times World Champion has a good record at the Sachsenring. He’s won the 250cc race in Germany for the last two years and arrives bursting with confidence.
Rossi meanwhile should be fully recovered from the wrist injuries he sustained in Assen three weeks ago. The Italian rode the Camel Yamaha into a brilliant second place at Donington after starting from the fourth row of the grid but he knows he must get back to winning ways to close the gap on the Honda pair of Hayden and Pedrosa.
The Italians superstar comes into the race nine points behind Pedrosa and 35 adrift of Hayden. Rossi has won three times at the Sachsenring including last year and victories on Sunday and Laguna Seca the week after will be vital for the #46 to go into the summer break with a realistic chance of retaining his title.
