Another man to enjoy the break will be Melandri, who rode into an extraordinary third place at
Donington just 14 days after his horrendous accident in Barcelona - and with what was later diagnosed as a fractured collarbone. The Italian has already taken two victories this season for Fortuna Honda and, depending on his fitness, will aim for another podium at a track where he has won three times in 250 and 125cc races. Melandri hopes to be joined by team-mate
Toni Elias who missed the Donington race with an injured shoulder.
Like Melandri, former 125 and 250cc world champion
Loris Capirossi has ridden bravely at the last two races despite considerable pain from rib and stomach injuries sustained in the Barcelona accident. The Ducati Marlboro star arrived in Barcelona as joint championship leader but has now slipped to fifth, seven points behind Melandri.
The break should have given Capirossi more time to recover and he will be rejoined at the Sachsenring by team-mate Sete Gibernau who broke his collarbone in the Barcelona carnage. The Spaniard has a good record at the German venue, having beaten Rossi three years ago and finished second last year.
Twenty-year-old Australian
Casey Stoner has finished fourth in the last two grands prix riding the LCR Honda and - like Pedrosa - has had a fantastic first half of his first
MotoGP season. He finished second in Turkey, started in pole in Qatar and is sixth in the championship despite a couple of non scoring tumbles.
At the other end of the experience scale former 500cc world champion
Kenny Roberts has totally re-vitalised his father’s Oxfordshire based KR team. Roberts, who won the 500cc race at the Sachsenring seven years ago, has secured a third and two fifth places in the last three rounds on the Honda powered machine. He is currently eighth in the Championship but constant frame development improves the bike each race and so Roberts should be a big threat on Sunday and at his home race a week later.
