LCR Honda team rider Toni Elias suffers at the Sachsenring circuit – MotoGP news
LCR Honda’ Toni Elias was the 16th rider to cross the finish line at Sachsenring during the 2011 German Grand Prix.
The Spaniard suffered from usual traction issue at the twisty and demanding Sachsenring circuit.
Elias had a tough start with his satellite Honda RCV. He was placed at 14th position on the grid leaving only one Honda rider behind him, Hiroshi Aoyama of Honda Gresini team.
Elias said, “We thought we made a good step forward and I was hoping for a better result. But at the beginning of the race with a full tank of fuel when the bike was heavier, I struggled a lot to control it.”
The team was expected to achieve better results from the German Grand Prix as initially the bike was not losing traction at either ends. The RCV was giving tough time to Elias to handle it with a full fuel tank.
Later in the race when the tyres were heated and the rubber started to wear out, the Spaniard was out of grip on his RCV. It caused him to lose significant lap times as he was better in the qualifying practice session.
Elias further said, “Suddenly, our usual problems came back again and I started to lose the front in the braking and had no confidence in the rear. I managed to cross the line in 16th position, but obviously I am very frustrated. I don't want to lose my
motivation and concentration. We’ll see what's going to happen at Laguna.”
The final moments in the race were devastation for the Spanish rider as he lost his lead to the Japanese fellow RCV rider of the San Carlo Honda Gresini team.
Toni Elias has already been summoned following the Mugello event to deliver performance in the upcoming three races which include Sachsenring, Laguna Seca and Brno. One round is down and two are left for Elias to prove his potential and save his MotoGP career.
Now for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, the LCR Honda team has decided to call in an AMA Superbike series rider Ben Bostrom to join Elias for the Laguna Seca event.
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