A positive top-nine was achieved by Team Gresini Racing MotoGP which places both riders in the points with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio sixth and ninth, respectively, at the chequered flag.
 
This was a sort of confirmation for both the Spaniard and the Italian, who had a positive and solid showing throughout the weekend and were able to finally capitalise on a good result also in light of the upcoming last of three back-to-back events at Assen. 
 
Diggia, in particular, put together a great comeback after being all the way down to 14^th at some stage. He recovered five positions before sealing his fourth top-ten finish of the season after Argentina, Texas and Le Mans.

7^th - ALEX MARQUEZ (11^th in the championship standings – 52 points)
“We surely bagged some more important points. Too bad for losing so much time behind Aleix (Espargaró) who started the race with soft tyres and in the first laps he tried – rightfully so – to defend his position. When I got past him it was unfortunately too late to bridge the gap with the leaders, even though my pace was top-five worthy. We’re happy and if we managed to solve some set-up issue earlier, we would be talking about a different type of result.”
 
9^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO (15^th in the championship standings – 34 points)
“We had a great race, maybe my best so far. We completed several overtaking manoeuvres on a track where it’s almost impossible to pass. I’m really happy, even though it’s a shame that we started so far back because the pace was really good. We’re charged up for Assen.”

Two crashes ruined an otherwise good Friday in Germany for Team Gresini MotoGP, who will have some extra work to do today to fix the Desmosedici machines #49 and #73 ahead of tomorrow. It was a pity especially for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who missed the chance of battling for the direct seed to Q2 after showing that it was well within reach. Alex Marquez managed to get through anyway, and with a 9^th place he will surely have a more relaxed FP3.  
 
The Italian rider managed to stay with the leaders for the whole opening day. His crash at turn 11 happened at the worst time of all – with three minutes left in the session, as the youngster from Rome could not defend his position from his rivals’ charge in what was the best moment, conditions-wise, after the morning rain.
 
Marquez crashed slightly further into the lap (turn 13) during what could have been his fastest lap of the day (he was +0.008secs away from today’s best lap-time in the third split).

9^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’20.671s)
“It was a positive day: I managed to be quick straight away and FP1 was a good session. Without the rain we managed to continue the work done with the bike and everything went well. Too bad for the crash during the last time attack because it was a really good lap, but that’s what Fridays are also for: to find the limit. We’re in Q2, so mission accomplished for now.”
 
11^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO (1’20.799s)
“I’m disappointed, even though I must say we’ve been constantly quick today, so it was also an encouraging day. We did everything perfectly timing-wise and with the tyre choice. I entered the track and got a yellow flag and then a red one. Once we made our way back to the track the tyre had lost a lot of temperature and thus I crashed. Here tyre-temperature is key, especially at turn 11 which is the first right-hander after many to the left. We were not lucky today, but we’re charged up for tomorrow.”

IN THE CHAOTIC FINALE OF P2 ALEIX TURNS AN INCREDIBLE LAP TO CLINCH A TOP-3 SPOT
A CRASH KEEPS MAVERICK FROM IMPROVING

As if the unstable weather wasn’t enough, with the rain constantly threatening to reshuffle the deck for MotoGP on Friday at the Sachsenring, the riders also had to deal with a heated finale for the second session. First, a few yellow flags cancelled out the time attack attempts, and then a red flag brought things to a halt just over three minutes ahead of the chequered flag.

At the restart, Aleix had to reckon with two used tyres in order to properly manage the new tyres available. Before a garage left speechless by the tension, the rider from Granollers once again showed his true character, finishing an extraordinary lap and placing in the top 3.

Maverick suffered the consequences initially of a few yellow flags which hindered his time attack and then he fell victim to a crash without any physical consequences. Once back out on the track, he lacked the time to complete the final lap, so he’ll have to fight through Q1 to go through to Q2 tomorrow.

Aleix
"When I realized that I couldn’t use any other new tyres for my time attack after the red flag, I had almost given up. Instead, on my last flying lap, I gave one hundred percent, doing a time that surprised even me! It was fundamental because we have seen just how important qualifiers are and going straight through to Q2 is our first goal achieved. I don’t have a fantastic pace, but it’s also true that I didn’t turn a whole lot of laps today, a bit because of the track conditions and a bit to avoid fatiguing my foot. We’ll work on it tomorrow."

Maverick
"To be honest, I had hope to go straight through to Q2. We worked rather well today and I felt good on the bike. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to find the right feeling with the first to sets of soft tyres. When I put on the third set, the level of grip at the rear increased suddenly and that’s what caused the crash. We’ll try to analyse what happened further because, in general, I feel ready for qualifying tomorrow. We have a good chance of recovering and going through to Q2."

British interpretation of the Sport Chief using traditional techniques built for Welsh rock star Richard Jones of The Stereophonics
Richard Jones tattoo designs incorporated into the build   

Indian Motorcycle and Krazy Horse reveal ‘RAGE’ – the custom Indian Sport Chief built for Richard Jones, bassist for the Welsh rock band, The Stereophonics. Using design elements from Jones himself, traditional fabrication methods for a more British look and performance modifications suitable for the British roads and riding style, ‘RAGE’ lives up to the name with its aggressive look.

Krazy Horse, a long-time partner of Indian Motorcycle, has been building custom motorcycles for 28 years, working with trusted collaborators to build some of the finest custom Indian Motorcycles in the world. As part of the concept of the ‘RAGE’ build, the team were keen to use traditional methods where they could, including hand sand-cast detail elements that linked to the personal history of Richard Jones and a nod to the recent ‘Forged’ series of Sport Chief builds in the US.

Paul Beamish MD of Krazy Horse – “I am blown away by how this bike has come together in such a short time, we could not have done it without our fantastic partners who always manage to pull it out of the bag for us. And as ever the dedication of the Krazy Horse Team has made it possible.”

Richard Jones, a founding member of The Stereophonics, grew up in a traditional mining village in South Wales and followed his father into the steelworks before hitting the big time in music. Having started riding as early as 11, motorcycles have always been a part of Jones’ life, as have tattoos, a design element that has created a personal link to the build.

“It’s one of my passions, being on the bike. It takes me to a totally different place,” said Jones. “Paul asked if I had any imagery that they could use in the bike design. And it instantly came to me, I have tattoo designs on my plectrums for every tour we do and I selected an Ace of Spades design death card. It was really great to find out that this design would be traditionally hand sand cast and that I’d get to see this happen. For me, being at the foundry took me way back to when I was a teenager because I used to work in the steelworks in South Wales. It’s quite inspiring knowing that people still have these traditional techniques and working with Paul and his team has been brilliant.”

Continuing the theme of traditionally handcrafted elements, Adrian Smith of Buckland Automotive Engineering was commissioned to make a one-off belly pan, wrapping around the front tyre in a performance style reminiscent of drag bakes. Hand-beaten and using traditional tooling from another era, the belly pan has three swages that tie into the triple LED lights in the headlight, accents that will be appreciated by those with a good eye for detail.

OJZ Engineering also brought their traditional specialist tube manipulation and fabrication skills to build a bespoke 2 into 1 performance exhaust that features quality bends, beautiful welds and a traditional megaphone style.

Finished with a sprinkling of quality control parts from Wunderkind, an elegant paint scheme from Pageant Paint and the Rich Jones Ace of Spades design painted on the saddle by BamBam, ‘RAGE’ stands out as a uniquely British interpretation of the Indian Sport Chief and again highlights the vast customisation possibilities of the new Indian Chief lineup.

‘RAGE’ Indian Sport Chief

• One-off 2 into 1 performance exhaust from OJZ Engineering

• Billet performance air filter

• One-off belly pan with hidden cooling louvres by Buckland Automotive Engineering

• Sand-cast aluminium side covers designed by Krazy Horse

• One-off Sand cast aluminium derby cover inspired by Rich Jones

• Sports Paintwork by Pageant Paintwork

• Hand-painted seat with Rich Jones tattoo design painted by BamBam

• Indicators relocated into the fairing and rear fender

• Additional parts from Wunderkind include:

o Handlebar grips
o Clutch and brake levers
o Master cylinder covers
o Footpegs and shifter

For more information on Indian Motorcycle visit IndianMotorcycle.eu

The British Motor Museum will be hosting four nostalgic motoring shows in July, which will include the Wythall Busfest on 1 July, the BMC & Leyland Show on 9 July and the Old Ford Rally and Rootes Heritage Day, both on 23 July.

The Wythall Busfest is arranged in partnership with the Transport Museum Wythall, and will feature over 100 restored, vintage, and modern buses and coaches. 2023 sees the 50^th anniversary of the last Daimler bus being built in Coventry, so the organisers are inviting all Daimler buses to come together and celebrate this milestone year.

The BMC & Leyland Show will feature a wide range of British marques produced by the British Motor Corporation, British Leyland and The Rover Group. Hundreds of vehicles will be lined up outside the Museum, from Minis and Morris Minors to the larger Rover 800s, Montegos and Maestros, as well as a variety of vans and lorries. 2023 marks 50 years of the Allegro and 40 years of the Maestro and Montego, and the organisers are inviting all owners of any of those makes to come along and display their cars.

The Old Ford Rally will enable fans to see around 400 classic Fords, aged between 50 – 100 years old. There will be a huge range on display, from Model Ts to the cars of the pre-war austerity years as well as the more luxurious post-war Zephyrs, Zodiacs and Granadas,plus the fan-favourite Anglias, Mk1 and Mk2 Cortinas, Capris, Escorts and Fiestas. Clubs that will be attending include Deuces of Britain, with their collection of 1932 Fords, and the XR Owners Club, who will be bringing over 30 vehicles from their range.

On the day, the Museum will also be playing host to a massive Meccano exhibition, in partnership with the Midlands Meccano Guild. This regular fixture of the show has grown from 25 tables in the beginning, to over 50 tables for this year’s show, holding an impressive collection of Meccano models from all over the country. Modelling fans will love seeing the creations on display, and may even find some inspiration for their next great project.

Taking place alongside the Old Ford Rally, the Rootes Archive Centre Trust will be holding their Rootes Heritage Day, celebrating all kinds of Rootes classics, from earlier Hillmans, Humbers, Sunbeams and Singers to the later Chryslers, Simcas and Talbots. Ticket holders on the 23 July will be able to enjoy both the Old Ford and Rootes shows, as well as entry to the Museum and Collections Centre, all with one ticket.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum, stated, “We have a great range of motoring shows for our visitors and enthusiasts to enjoy next month. With so much choice, there’s something for everyone, and this year many of our shows are celebrating milestone anniversaries too!”

Advance show tickets cost £14.50 per adult, £9 per child, £12.50 per concession and £40 for a family. Anyone wishing to enter a vehicle into a show can do so online. Camping is also available at some of the shows. Tickets on the day cost more. 

For more information about the shows, please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on