Many riders have complained that the tiny Sachsenring track, squeezed into an industrial estate outside Chemnitz (formerly Karl Marx Stadt) in the former East Germany, is too tight for MotoGP.

But threats that this might be the last time out at the compact venue left riders disappointed at the pre-event press conference.

Serial Sachsenring winner Marc Marquez (every race since 2010) laughed that “it will be bad for me”; but added more seriously: “I think we need one race in Germany, because there are many fans here and it is also important for the manufacturers.”

Valentino Rossi praised the track’s unique character. “It is very particular … different from all the rest.”

Cal Crutchlow told press that the track was “horrible”, but fun to ride, and often produced good races.

The threat follows major losses at last year’s event, in spite of continued capacity crowds. ADAC, the German federation, has a contract with Dorna to run a GP until 2021; but negotiations with the Sachsenring, frequently troublesome, have failed, and the federation announced in the week before this year’s race that they were seeking another venue.

One possibility might be the Hockenheimring, which Rossi criticised as “more of a car track”; or the Nurburgring. It was a good track for bikes, said Rossi, “but the weather is often bad there.”

By Michael Scott

Photos Gold n Goose