Written by Andrew Lwanga, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
It's back-to-back racing weekends in the middle of June, as the European leg of the MotoGP season continues. The second stop in a triple header sees the championship head to Germany, for the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.
Located in Saxony (Sachsen), in the east of Germany, the track is aptly named the Sachsenring. With over a century of racing history, all 3.67 kilometres (2.2 mi) that make up the Sachsenring can be considered motorsport hallowed ground. Though average in length, the predominantly anticlockwise circuit is anything but average, with all manners of slow to high speed turns, overtaking opportunities aplenty. In addition to the varying nature of corners making up the Sachsenring, the elevation change is also quite staggering, the highest point on the track being 78 metres above its lowest.
Coming off the back of a perfect weekend at his home race in Mugello, Bagnaia extended his lead in the championship to 21 points, affording the defending champion some breathing space in the title race. After six rounds, Bagnaia has either crashed or won the main race of a grand prix weekend, going into Sachsenring, "Pecco" and Ducati will be hoping for the latter.
At the Sachsenring however awaits the undisputed king of the Sachsenring, Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez. The Spaniard has won at the Sachsenring an unfathomable 10 times. Marquez's prowess in anticlockwise circuits is not a mystery to motorsport fans, but his excellence at the "Ring" is beyond legendary.
Whilst Marquez would like to repeat his heroics, old and recent, he faces the uphill challenge of an in-form Bagnaia aboard a very fast Ducati, whilst the Honda factory outfit Marquez represents seems to be unable to compete with the "Bologna Bullets". Despite being seemingly outgunned by the Italian manufacturer, Marquez aims to have another logic- defying performance come Sunday.