Faubel Wins Exhilarating 125cc German GP

The 125cc race at the Sachsenring was one of the closest in history, and kept fans guessing as to the victor right up to the chequered flag -and beyond. A weekend of close times had indicated that it was going to be a tight race, and five riders had their turn at the front (Faubel, Terol, Vázquez, Gadea and Viñales). In the end it came down to three, then two riders, in the battle for the win. Viñales was left behind by Faubel and Zarco on the penultimate lap, and Faubel led the way. Zarco pulled level with him on the line and the two were inseparable. Faubel was awarded victory by Race Direction by virtue of having clocked the fastest lap of the two riders, after a video finish proved inconclusive.

One has to go back to the last race of 2007, at Valencia, to find Faubel’s last victory. The BANKIA Aspar rider was back to winning ways in Germany, and was able to command the pace at the front. His fastest lap of 1.27.867 gained further important when he finished the race level with Zarco, as it was this time that handed him the win.

Nico Terol was off the podium, but also had a tremendous race. Taking into account the pain that he was suffering in his recently injured right hand, the Spaniard did well to keep up with his rivals in the early going and showed intelligence in settling for fourth later on.

Adrián Martín’s run of bad luck continued in Germany. At Mugello he went down on the opening lap, but this time his crash came right at the end of the race. He was taken out by another rider on the final corner of the last lap.

1st Héctor Faubel:
“This weekend was tremendously competitive. When I saw on the big screen that Zarco had beaten me, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed unfair that the win would go his way. Fortunately, justice was done. Race Direction awarded me the win by virtue of having the fastest lap, which is the first time I remember this happening. I am happy with this result, because it is magnificent for myself and the team. Let’s hope that things flow a bit more freely after this race. I found out that I had won when in parc ferme, and it was a fabulous moment. I think that this is going to be a big boost in motivation for the rest of the season, because we needed a result like this one. It is odd that I have opened my winning account at one of the tracks that I like the least. The team had given me a very effective chassis, and thanks to this I was able to ride so comfortably. This shows that when the team and the bike are on form, we are very competitive.”

4th Nico Terol:
“I know that I was going to suffer a little today, because my hand had been bothering me all weekend. The lead group was very tightly packed, and you could see that we were all really up for it. I took things easy at the start, as I wanted to warm up my hand, and when I got to the front was when I made a push to try and gain breathing space. However, it wasn’t to be. I knew that my hand would not be at 100% by the end of the race. I had a lot less pain than I expected, but by the middle of the race it was affecting me a lot under braking and when I turned the bike. I think that fourth place is a great result, especially with Héctor winning. I want to congratulate him, because he is a good friend and needed a result like this. After this race and with the advantage gained over the first half of the season, I am going to take a break with calmness and satisfaction.”

Adrián Martín (DNF):
“I tried to forget about the pain on the opening lap, as I wanted to keep up with the group ahead. As the race went on, I noticed that the bike was moving about a lot, and I didn’t have the hand strength to grab the handlebars. I got more tired with every lap, and I was really suffering, but I tried all I could to stay in the points. When the race was almost over, I got taken out by another rider. It was a mistake, and can happen to anyone. I feel bad about coming so close to finishing a race. We now have time to try and recover for the next race in the Czech Republic.”

Source: Aspar Media