Facts and figures on the LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany

• Fascinating facts and figures on the German motorsport highlight
• MotoGP thrills with top speeds of over 300 km/h

Hohenstein-Ernstthal. The LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring is the motorsport highlight of the year and one of Germany’s biggest sporting events. The only MotoGP race in Germany comes with some interesting facts and figures.

The shortest gap between the winner and the runner-up at the new Sachsenring was just 0.060 seconds. It was by this tiniest of margins that Honda rider Sete Gibernau defeated Valentino Rossi, himself a Honda racer at the time, in a legendary photo finish in 2003.

4 tons of paint ensure the track at the Sachsenring looks pristine ahead of the Grand Prix.

5 different manufacturers start the MotoGP race in 2023. As well as Japanese giants Honda and Yamaha, the world championship is contested by Italian brands Ducati and Aprilia, and Austrian manufacturer KTM.

The Sachsenring is the circuit with the “longest left-hander in the world”. The riders must tackle seven left turns in a row before they finally swing right in turn 11.

Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez won the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring eight times in a row. Seven of those wins came from pole position. The Spaniard actually has a remarkable eleven victories to his name across all classes.

In the past 25 years, German riders have featured on the podium on nine occasions: Ralf Waldmann (3rd in 1999), Steve Jenkner (3rd in 2002), Stefan Bradl (2nd in 2008 and 2011), Sandro Cortese (3rd in 2010 and 1st in 2012), Jonas Folger (2nd in 2016 and 2017) and Marcel Schrötter (3rd in 2019).

Ten kilometres of hoardings border the event site.

A maximum uphill gradient of ten percent and a maximum drop of 12.8 percent make the Sachsenring one of the most demanding circuits on the MotoGP calendar for the riders.

In 25 years of MotoGP at the new Sachsenring, 11 different riders have tasted victory. The names in the winners list are: Mick Doohan, Kenny Roberts jr., Alex Barros, Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, Sete Gibernau, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo.

The circuit features 12 permanent gravel beds, 8,400 metres of crash barrier, 34 garages and 22.55-metre start/finish tower.

The record for the most victories at the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany is still held by MotoGP legend Giacomo Agostini. The Italian won a total of 13 races in the 350cc and 500cc classes. Agostini won the Grand Prix of the GDR at the old Sachsenring eleven times.

14 LED panels are used as digital flags around the Sachsenring, increasing the safety of the riders.

The biggest margin of victory by a MotoGP winner in the last 25 years is 14.996 seconds. That was the gap between Dani Pedrosa and runner-up Jorge Lorenzo in 2012.

An additional 15 kilometres of electric cable and 20 generators ensure there is sufficient power across the entire event site.

With 17 wins, Honda is the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring since 1998. Honda riders have secured pole position in qualifying on 14 occasions during this period.

22 riders from 11 teams start in MotoGP in 2023. Ten of the racers are Spanish and six Italian.

25 years ago, the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany was held at the new Sachsenring for the first time. Since then, it has found its home in Saxony. This year is the 25th anniversary, as the race was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus.

25 kilometres of cable have been laid for telecommunications.

30 construction vehicles, trucks, wheel loaders, forklifts and cranes are required for such tasks as recovery work.

The Sachsenring is located 30 kilometres from Chemnitz. It has ten left and just three right turns. At 3.671-kilometres, it is the shortest track on the 2023 calendar.

33-year-old Aprilia factory rider Aleix Espargaro is the oldest man in the MotoGP field. The youngest is fellow Aprilia racer Raul Fernandez at 22 years.

If you include the Grand Prix races at the old Sachsenring, the motorcycle world championship is contesting its 40th Grand Prix in Hohenstein-Ernstthal this year. The Grand Prix of the GDR took place from 1958 to 1972. However, the races between 1958 and 1960 did not have world championship status.

40 cars ensure things run smoothly in various areas. They are used as fast intervention cars, media shuttles, safety cars and recovery vehicles.

The 2023 Grand Prix of Germany is the 84th Grand Prix on German soil.

95 containers house material stores, TV work areas and additional sanitary facilities, among other things.

150 Alpina Airfence modules around the Sachsenring significantly increase safety for the riders in MotoGP and the support series.

Last year, MotoGP dipped below the 80-second mark for a lap of the Sachsenring for the first time: world champion Francesco Bagnaia’s time of 1:19.765 on his Ducati was a new track record. That is the equivalent of an average speed of 165.6 km/h.

304.2 km/h is the top speed measured at the very technical Sachsenring. The record was set by Jorge Martin on his Ducati in 2022. MotoGP had only broken the 300 km/h barrier the previous year.

450 volunteers help as marshals, technical scrutineers and starters. They also support race control and the paddock crew, and perform track work.

The last time a German rider finished on the podium at the Sachsenring was in 2019: Marcel Schrötter finished third behind Alex Marquez and Brad Binder in the Moto2 class.

A total of 12,236 individual curbs line the circuit. Before the MotoGP event at the Sachsenring, they are hand painted black, red and gold.

100,000 cable ties are ready to be used for a wide range of tasks.

Last year, the MotoGP round at the Sachsenring set a new crowd record: 232,202 fans lined the track over the course of the three days. This was only the second time the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany had attracted more than 230,000 spectators, having previously done so in 2011.