Red Bull KTM Ajo rider dominates German Grand Prix from start to finish, leading Moto3 class into the summer break. Hanika crashes when fighting for sixth place.

An important victory for Jack Miller at the ninth round of the Moto3 World Championship allows him to reach the halfway point of the season with an advantage over his rivals. Starting from pole, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider never relented the lead up until the chequered flag. Less successful was teammate Karel Hanika, who crashed on Lap 20 whilst fighting at the head of the second group for sixth.

After a DNF two weeks ago at Assen, Jack Miller had a point to prove before the summer break. In Germany he dominated all three practice sessions, qualifying and eventually the race. He defended his lead from the opening corner, withstood Alex Marquez on his back wheel for the first half of the race and Brad Binder at the end, and claimed 25 points to raise his overall total to 142 –nineteen more than the rider in second place.

Teammate Karel Hanika, received scant reward for another good weekend. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider crashed out with eight laps remaining, when fighting for sixth. He was overtaken by Miguel Oliveira on Lap 17, and when he attempted to return the move on Lap 20 he lost the front end under braking. He clipped the Portuguese rider in the process and both fell to the ground.

After nine races, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team reach the halfway point of the Moto3 World Championship with Jack Miller leading the overall standings –where he has been for the entirety of the first half of the campaign. Karel Hanika is nineteenth, with 16 points. Starting today, they will take three weeks off before the next round, held on August 10th at Indianapolis.

Results – Race
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 39.26.927
2. Brad Binder (Mahindra) +0.180
3. Alexis Masbou (Honda) +1.119
4. Alex Marquez (Honda) +1.180
5. Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) +1.290
DNF – Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2014
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 142 points
2. Alex Marquez (Honda) 123 points
3. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 112 points
4. Romano Fenati (KTM) 110 points
5. Alex Rins (Honda) 107 points
19. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 16 points

Jack Miller >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“It was a tough race. Brad [Binder] was very strong throughout the race. From the first lap I could see he was going all out, braking like an animal and getting very close to me. That put pressure on me, because I could see him coming for me. It’s something I like about Sachsenring, that you can see how you’re doing on the big screen, who is in the points and what is the difference compared to the other riders. I was happy it was Brad who was behind me and not anyone else, who might do something stupid. It was very stressful and I had to push hard on the last two laps because I knew he was going to try to pass me.

It was a nice race, but the 27 laps dragged on. Also, the track was more slippery than usual. It was very important to get these 25 points. Now we have to ride intelligently at the next few tracks. I have to thank Red Bull KTM Ajo for the excellent work they are doing, which has allowed us to be in this wonderful position at this point in the season.”

Karel Hanika >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“I think I was having a good race until the crash. I was always between 6th and 7th. It was a great battle, but unfortunately on the first few laps I suffered some sliding with the rear tyre and could not stay in the front group. When I was 6th I was very close to the front group with a great lap time, then I began to ride a little slower. The battle was nice, I had fun and I was comfortable leading the second group, until another rider blocked me on the straight. I had no place to go and went down.

It was similar to the Assen race, because there I was fighting for fourth place. Here I was fighting for 6th, and that’s always good; we have the pace that we need and also the speed. If we don’t make such mistakes, then we can finish in the Top 8 or 10.”

Aki Ajo >> Audio (solely for radio use)

“It was another perfect race from Jack [Miller]. He wanted to lead every lap, like at Austin, and sometimes we just have to accept it. Both he and the team have done a great job. Jack is improving all the time, works hard every day and has won the appreciation of everyone around him, so this motivates the team a lot. I am also very grateful to the team, because it is a very large group and everyone is supporting each other. This is one of the strengths of this group and that deserves my respect, together with the efforts of Red Bull, KTM, Tourism of Malaysia, Avant, and all of our partners, because without them none of this would be possible.

Karel [Hanika] again had a very strong weekend. He is a rookie in the World Championship and has to learn, and that’s also the nice thing. Yesterday I said that in the future we must learn how to limit errors in practice, but racing you have to give the maximum. At the next race we will try to keep up the good work that he does in practice.”