SACHSENRING: Julian Simon and the QMMF Racing Team ended a rainy day at the German Grand Prix celebrating a fantastic podium finish of the Spanish hero at the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring on Sunday.
In treacherous conditions on the Sachsenring, Simon started cautiously and held 16th place on the opening four laps, but then moved up through the field, reaching twelfth place on lap six, sixth on lap twelve and fifth on lap 15. When Italian Franco Morbidelli and Spaniard Alex Rins crashed in the dramatic final part of the race, Simon was awarded with third place, his first podium finish in more than three years.
Team-mate Xavier Simeon was in similar good shape and held places in front of Simon at the beginning of the race, but suffered a crash on lap 12, right after conquering sixth place. Determined to finish the race, he continued to chase the field with a broken seat, but another crash put an early end to his efforts.
Simon said it was difficult in the beginning. “In the beginning, it was difficult because I was surrounded by many riders and visibility was very poor due to the water spray. But as the race went on, I started to find a better rhythm and to recover positions,” he said.
“Of course it helped in the end that many riders crashed, like Morbidelli, Rins and my own team-mate Xavier Simeon. The conditions were very tricky and it was easy to make a mistake. When I finally crossed the line, it was a very sweet moment and a great feeling for me. I wouldn’t compare it to the day I won the 125 title in 2009, but it was still very special to be rewarded for all the work we put in.”
“In the moment of glory, I also thought of my friends Luis Salom, Marco Simoncelli and Shoya Tomizawa that are not with us any more. As you get older, you think a lot about such things and I want to dedicate my success to them. I am very happy with what we achieved today, for QMMF, for my crew and for myself. With this podium finish, I want to thank QMMF for giving me the opportunity to race on this level and I also want to thank my technicians for their fantastic work this weekend,” Simon said.
The other QMMF rider Xavier Simeon did not finish the race.
The Peninsula
