Following an eventful weekend of racing in the Netherlands, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have made their way to the Sachsenring to finish the first half of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship at this weekend's GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Viñales will be in search of redemption at the Sachsenring this weekend to make up for an DNF at the previous round. The Spaniard shows his signature mature and positive mind set and will apply what he learned in Assen to the upcoming race to close the four-point gap to the lead in the championship.

Prior to this weekend the young contender stood on the German podium twice, having secured third places in the 125cc class in 2011 and the Moto3 class in 2013. This year he sets out to conquer the top step of the podium at the Sachsenring for the first time in his career.

Rossi arrives in Saxony still elated by his first win of the season in Assen. That result not only gave the rider an extra confidence boost ahead of the forthcoming race, but also lifted him to third in the championship, just seven points from first.

This weekend the Doctor aims to secure his fifth MotoGP race win at the German circuit in addition to his victories in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2009. He also stood on the premier class podium in 2000, 2003 and 2008 for second places, and in 2013 and 2015 having taken third position.

The area of Chemnitz has been associated with a love of racing from the 1920s, when car and bike races were held there on closed public roads. The Sachsenring hosted its first MotoGP event in 1998 and has continuously been updated since, including a recent resurfacing. The numerous tight corners (ten left, three right) and the 12m width of the tarmac make this circuit one of the slower tracks on the calendar, but there is plenty of close racing action that keeps the fans coming back for more.



Maverick Viñales - Championship: 2nd - Points: 111

We arrive at the Sachsenring with a positive mindset. We have to keep in mind that after the crash in Assen we are only four points behind the leader. We have to learn from our mistakes and try to not repeat them. Now I just want to look forward. I can't wait to be back on my bike, to prepare for this weekend‘s race and of course our target will be to win, not only to be on the podium. We have to be focused on recovering our position as the leader in the championship.

Valentino Rossi - Championship: 3rd - Points: 108

I‘m very happy because the race in Assen was incredible. Returning to the top step and taking the victory was very important for me, because the emotions are always fantastic, and it was also important for the championship. Thinking about the next race in Sachsenring, I don‘t know what to expect. We‘ve seen that from one track to the other everything can change, so we have to work in a good way to find the best solution for the upcoming track. I like the German GP, it‘s an unusual circuit that‘s different compared to Assen. It will be essential to be competitive there too. We will do our best!

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director

Straight after the mixed weekend in Assen we arrive in Germany ready to get back on track. Maverick and Valentino are extremely motivated to score the maximum amount of points this weekend. They both challenge for the lead in the championship as we approach the mid-championship summer break. Both our riders felt competitive during last week‘s race and we are determined to continue the work this weekend so we can compete at the front again. The Sachsenring is a very peculiar circuit that‘s narrow and has a slow nature, so it will be important to find a good set-up that suits the new surface on the Friday in the free practice sessions, in order to prepare for Sunday‘s race.