Sachsenring offers RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP the next short but intense challenge

This weekend, the ninth Grand Prix of 2024 will be held at the Sachsenring in Germany. After a disappointing end to a memorable home Grand Prix, the RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team, along with Barry Baltus and Zonta van den Goorbergh, is keen to end the first half of the season on a good note.

The race weekend at the Sachsenring is the last prior to a three-week summer break. The 3.67-kilometre circuit is the shortest on the MotoGP calendar and has no fewer than 10 left-hand turns, as opposed to just three right-hand turns. The weather forecast for the weekend is changeable so anything can happen at the German circuit.

After a challenging weekend at the TT Circuit Assen, RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP will go for redemption this weekend and will hope to get back to where they belong with Barry Baltus and Zonta van den Goorbergh.

Barry Baltus: “The weekend in Assen was not what I had hoped for but at least it was good to have completed a full race again. There has been little time for rest but I am looking forward to racing at the Sachsenring again this weekend. It is not an easy circuit but with the right feeling with the bike I can be fast there.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh: “I am happy to go to the Sachsenring because I had a strange crash in Assen last Sunday. I was riding a good pace and I felt comfortable, there was nothing crazy on the data either. Yet I went down and immediately got stuck under the bike. I landed awkwardly and therefore had quite an impact to deal with. Thanks to the hard work of everyone around me, I had a chance to recover over the past few days. Hopefully I will be able to perform optimally again this weekend.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager: “In terms of results, our home race at the TT Circuit Assen was of course a disappointment with an early crash for Zonta and Barry not quite back to his old ways. In Barry’s case that is understandable, of course, and in Zonta’s case something like that can happen when you are fighting for points. But of course it is a pity that something like that happens in Assen. We have to put that behind us and make sure Zonta is fully fit to start in Germany this weekend.

The Sachsenring is next up and that is the last race before the summer break. It is certainly not an easy circuit but it offers opportunities for us to get back on track. That is badly needed for both the team and the riders, we need to get back to our level. It remains to be seen to what extent Zonta has recovered after his crash in Assen, it did not show up on the TV footage but from the pictures it did not appear to be a minor crash. It looks good at the moment so let’s hope that won’t stand in our way this weekend. Let’s go for it this weekend so we can come home with a nice result and enjoy a well-deserved summer break.”

The race weekend at the Sachsenring starts with free practice on Friday morning, followed by the first official practice session in the afternoon. Then on Saturday morning the second official practice takes place after which it is clear which riders will have to take part in Q1 or Q2. Qualifying starts at 13:45 on Saturday afternoon, with the 25-lap race starting at 12:15 on Sunday afternoon.