MotoGP: Bradl reflects on disastrous home grand prix in Germany
LCR Honda MotoGP's Stefan Bradl got off to a lightning start in the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, but a setup gamble resulted in no points.
Bradl was the only rider to start from the front three rows as rain showers briefly before the start saw the riders line up with wets on the grid. However, Bradl and his LCR team gambled by placing slicks on the grid. 14 riders chose to swap to their dry bikes after the Warm Up lap, and thus start from pitlane.
Unfortunately Bradl's bike was not fully set up for dry conditions and the German rider struggled as the race went on. Having led for the first few laps, he began to drop back as other riders increased their pace.
Bradl eventually finished in 16th, behind Danilo Petrucci (Octo IodaRacing Team). It was a difficult end to a promising weekend at his home GP.
He explained, "Just before the race it started to rain and after two sightseeing laps on wet rubber, we decided to change to slick tires on the grid because I thought that the track would have dried up quickly. At the first moment it seemed that we had an advantage but on the grid we had some issues in changing the front fork to dry as the time was not enough. So I started the race with rain setting and slick tires and it was a real gamble."
"When I saw the others starting from the pit, I could have done the same as my bike was ready and I am sorry for this mistake. I was three seconds slower each lap because my setting was not correct. I am speechless right now because this is the worst way to end my home race but I want to thank my fans for their great support throughout this weekend."
