The German MotoGP at Sachsenring is Sunday, July 14, at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Be sure to catch all the action on Speed Channel. For race fans out there that will not have access to the Speed Channel when the lights go out, be sure to catch the live stream online by signing up for MotoGP 2013 MultiScreen Season VideoPass here.
The 2013 Moto GP championship hunt will be turned on its head. Championship leaders Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda (136 points) and Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha Factory Team (127 points) both suffered dramatic highsides that resulted to significant injury. Lorenzo, who had already broken his collarbone in Assen, damaged the titanium plate that's holding him together after being thrown off his bike in another highside. As a result, the Spaniard will not only miss Sachsenring, but will miss the US MotoGP at Laguna Seca as well.
As for Dani Pedrosa, the grid anxiously awaits further medical evaluation before the Honda rider is determined fit to race on Sunday. Pedrosa has been flown to Chemnitz Hospital for tests and scans after a collarbone fracture. Thankfully, medical experts have ruled out a concussion.
"It was definitely a scary moment and I'm still not totally sure what happened," said Pedrosa. "I hit my head hard and immediately felt a lot of pain in my shoulder and I checked to see if I could feel anything. Thankfully in the medical centre they saw it wasn't broken but maybe a small fracture, and I was also feeling very dizzy but never lost consciousness.
"Just to be safe, we flew to Chemnitz Hospital for a CAT scan and then returned to Clinica Mobile at the circuit. They confirmed I had a small fracture in my left collarbone but I am thankful it wasn't a complete break. Now I will rest tonight and see how I feel in the morning. If I feel strong enough I will have the medical check to clear me for the race."
As a result, rookie Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez managed to earn his third pole position of the year, ahead of Cal Crutchlow, and Valentino Rossi, who managed to qualify his first front row start since 2010.
With the two points leading riders injured, Rossi is very aware of the strange opportunity that has come to light.
"I have a lot of experience, and at the start of the season I always say 'the championship is very long, be quiet'," said Valentino Rossi. "but the reality is that during the season the championship is still always longer than you expect in your mind.
"I thought after Mugello it was completely over for me. But now it looks like the situation has changed a lot, because I am able to go faster and also because unfortunately Jorge and Dani have injuries, especially Jorge.
"I think that Jorge and Dani are still the fastest on the track, so we have to do another step to stay with them. But the championship is very, very long. We are not so far. We must just concentrate Sunday-by-Sunday and try to take as many points as possible."
Marquez, Crutchlow, and Rossi are followed by Stefan Bradl and Aleix Espargaro to round out the top five. The top ten on the grid continues with Ducati rider, Nicky Hayden, Tech 3 Yamaha rider Bradley Smith, Honda Gresini's Alvaro Bautista, Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, NGM Forward Racing Claudio Corti and finally Dani Pedrosa, who did not post a time during the last session of qualifying.
Be sure to watch the MotoGP 2013 preview at Germany in the video below:
