Marc Márquez comes to one of the crowd-pullers on the racing calendar in top form: the Sachsenring. "When I come here, I smile more than usual," says the eight-time motorcycle world champion ahead of the eleventh round of the season. Many of the fans who flock to the track in their tens of thousands year after year and make the event one of the biggest individual sporting events in the country are likely to feel the same way. And this despite the fact that, for the second year in a row, there is no German rider competing for victories or even a local hero in one of the three world championship classes. How can this enthusiasm be explained?
How successful are ticket sales this year?
The organizers are also satisfied with advance sales this year. "Demand and enthusiasm for the Motorcycle Grand Prix remain high," says Voss. "In previous years, the box office has always been quite strong. If the weather is right, we might be able to set a new record again."
What about the German up-and-coming talent?
The greatest hopes are pinned on Fynn Kratochwil from Mühlhausen in Thuringia. He is currently racing in the Nothern Talent Cup junior series and has won five out of six races there. The ADAC promotes promising talents together with former drivers. "The medium to long-term goal is to find exceptional German talent who can make it into MotoGP," says former world champion Stefan Bradl, who now works as a TV pundit.
German fans will probably have to be patient for a while yet. However, Voss is optimistic: "The number of participants in the entry-level Mini and Pocket Bike Cup classes has risen sharply over the past two years. We have great young talent who are making the leap into international sport, so hopefully the phase without German riders in the World Championship will soon be over."
