Rins 'happy we’ll go straight to Germany'

Having seen a victory chance slip away when he fell from the early race lead at Assen, Alex Rins will only have a few days to dwell on the accident before getting back on track in Germany.

"Unfortunately, Assen was a bittersweet race for Alex, who had great pace but a crash. So, it’s also positive for him to move immediately on to a new track and clear his mind," said Suzuki team manager Davide Brivio.

The Sachsenring's constant flow of corners should also play into the hands of the GSX-RR - and if Rins can beat the factory Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci this weekend, he stands a chance of jumping from fourth back to second in the world championship heading into the summer break.

"We got no rewards for our good work in Assen. But the positive facts remain, I felt very strong all weekend," said Rins. "I’m happy that we’ll go straight to Germany, I’m looking forward to getting back on track.

"Apparently our bike suits the very tight and narrow Sachsenring circuit quite well. There is basically only one line for everybody, so it will be difficult to overtake - but I’m ready for the challenge.”

Sachsenring is the shortest, slowest circuit on the calendar and, while Assen has the most right-hand corners (12), Germany has the least (3).

“We’re looking forward to Sachsenring because in the past we’ve had good pace there, and corner speed is one of our strengths, so it suits us," said Rins' crew chief Manuel Cazeaux. "Although for one reason or another we’ve never actually managed to piece it all together and have a great race, I hope this time will be different.

"From a technical point of view the key is corner speed; it’s really important to have good traction while turning with the throttle open. There are three hard braking points, and in the last corner there’s a lot of wheelie-ing, but you need to balance the bike - because if you focus on one area too much, you'll have to compromise somewhere else.”

Rins' rookie team-mate Joan Mir briefly inherited the lead after the #42 fell and spent much of the race battling the factory Ducatis, only to drop to eighth when his soft rear tyre cried enough in the closing laps.

“I hope to do a bit better in Sachsenring, and to continuing improving like I have been doing all season, especially in the last few rounds. It helps coming directly from Assen, where I had good feeling and good pace despite ‘only’ finishing 8th," said Mir, who has a best MotoGP finish so far of sixth, in Barcelona.

"I feel that I can get Top 10 and Top 8 finishes quite easily now, and that’s a very positive thing. So, the goal in Germany is simply to work hard, together with the team, to get another strong finish.”

An earlier run of four consecutive non-scores means Mir is currently only 14th in the world championship.