Mika Kallio and Scott Redding head to the Sachsenring and the German Grand Prix this weekend, both with their sights set firmly on a podium finish to close out the first half of the 2013 season.

Sachsenring was the scene of Kallio’s best result in 2012, with the 30-year-old Finn qualifying on the front row and then taking second place in the race; his only podium finish of the season. Kallio is keen to go one better and win this weekend in Germany, to close the eight-point gap to Tito Rabat, who currently occupies third place in the championship standings.

With a 30-point lead over Pol Espargaro in the standings, Redding will go into the summer break as the Moto2 World Championship leader whatever happens at the Sachsenring this weekend. However, the 20-year-old Briton heads to Germany determined to extend his lead over the Spaniard, to take a psychological advantage into the four-week break.

It’s been a steep learning curve for Livio Loi in his rookie Moto3 season, with a crash in Barcelona and set-up issues in Assen robbing him of the chance to add to the single championship point he scored in his Grand Prix debut at Jerez. The 16-year-old Belgian heads to Germany for his sixth race of the season determined to improve his qualifying performance and to add to his points tally in Sunday’s 27-lap Moto3 race.

At just 3.671 kilometres in length the Sachsenring is one of the shortest tracks on the Moto2 calendar, while its technical nature also makes it one of the slowest. The anti-clockwise track features ten left-hand turns and only three right-hand corners, making tyre choice for the race critical as the left side of the tyre, especially the rear, is subjected to far higher forces than the right.

Mika Kallio #36:
“The Sachsenring is one of the best tracks for me. For some reason the layout seems to suit my riding style and I’ve had some good results there in the past, including second place last season. The bike set up at Assen was quite similar to what we used at the Sachsenring last season, so I’m confident I can be on the pace from Friday morning onwards. Every week I say I’m aiming for the podium, and it’s no different this weekend, but this time I need to be fighting for the win, as I think the Sachsenring offers the best chance for me to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time in Moto2.”

Scott Redding #45:
“I think this weekend could be a bit like Assen. Last year we had some issues setting up the Kalex at both tracks, but we knew some of the problem was down to my riding style; I was just too aggressive. This year I’ve changed my style to be a bit smoother, so hopefully we can get the bike dialled in quickly on Friday morning. As always, the goal this weekend is the podium, but it would also be good to extend my lead in the championship by a few points ahead of the summer break.”

Livio Loi #11:
“I had some big problems with the bike in Assen, so the first priority this weekend at the Sachsenring has to be to improve the set-up during free practice. If we can do this then I’m confident that I can fight for a points scoring finish in the race on Sunday. I like the Sachsenring circuit, although it wasn’t a particularly lucky one for me in the Rookies Cup last season. I was leading the second race with just three corners to go when I was hit by another rider and dropped back to seventh.”