MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 set new track and speed records in practice. Maverick Viñales and Pedro Acosta are the new record-holders in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. German Lukas Tulovic impressed with a fastest practice time in MotoE.
The 2024 Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany is already a record breaker. The stars of the motorcycle racing scene set record lap times or top speeds in all three classes on the first day of practice. The stage is set for more records to fall at the 85th Grand Prix on German soil.
In the top class, MotoGP, Aprilia Racing rider Maverick Viñales broke the previous record, which belonged to Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Spaniard took 1:19.622 minutes for his best lap of the 3.7-kilometre Sachsenring. That is an average 166.0 km/h. Second fastest was his compatriot and championship leader Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac Racing), ahead of Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing). Fourth place went to another Spaniard, Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP). World champion Bagnaia from Italy completed the top five.
Stefan Bradl from the HRC Test Team came through the two practice sessions unscathed. The local favourite was 20th in FP1 and 21st fastest in the afternoon session, 1.952 seconds slower than Viñales. Rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) set a new record top speed. The 20-year-old Spaniard recorded a top speed of 306.8 km/h at the technically demanding Sachsenring.
“We achieved a good result today and prepared well for the race on Sunday. The lap was really fast and one of my best this year,” said a happy Viñales. “We now want to repeat that tomorrow. Our race pace also looks good. We consistently set times in the low 1:21 area, which is very good. We will be ready.”
Moto2 breaks the 1:23-minute mark
The Moto2 class dipped below the 1:23-minute mark at the Sachsenring for the first time on the opening day of practice! Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) set a new track record of 1:22.698 minutes in the afternoon and ended Friday as the fastest rider, ahead of Briton Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Polarcube Aspar Team) and Spanish teenager Fermín Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp). And there was more to come: the middle class of the world championship recorded a top speed of over 260 km/h for the first time! Celestino Vietti from Italy raced through the speed clock at 260.8 km/h.
Vietti’s team-mate at Red Bull KTM Ajo this weekend is local favourite Marcel Schrötter. The German finished Friday’s two practice sessions in 21st place on his return to the MotoGP circus. Schrötter ended the day roughly 1.3 seconds off Chantra’s top time.
Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP - MTA) was the top rider in the Moto3 class on Friday. The Italian ended the midday practice session with the fastest time of 1:25.283 minutes, narrowly missing out on the track record by 0.153 seconds. He was followed by Spaniard Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets - MSI) and world championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) from Columbia. Fourth fastest was Dutchman Collin Veijer from the German Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP Team. Rounding out the top five was Spanish rookie Ángel Piqueras (Leopard Racing). The world championship’s smallest class, Moto3, is also faster than ever at the Sachsenring: Spain’s Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) set a new top-speed record of 219.9 km/h in Free Practice 1.
The MotoE electric racing series returns to the scene of its first race. In qualifying on Friday evening, Italian Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing) secured pole position with a time of 1:26.234 minutes. Joining him on the front row of the grid will be Spaniard Oscar Gutiérrez (Axxis - MSi) and his compatriot and team-mate Nicholas Spinelli. Lukas Tulovic (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) made full use of his home advantage and set the fastest time in the afternoon’s second practice session. However, the local favourite then crashed in the second qualifying session for the top ten. As such, he starts from ninth place.
Remaining tickets for one of the biggest individual sporting events in Germany are available through all the usual channels: in the online ticket shop at adac.de/motogp, by phone on 03723/8099111, or by E-mail to info@sachsenring-event.de.