Two performances, a year apart, helped insp𓂃ire Valentino Rossi to a podium finish in the German MotoGP.

The first was by 💯Jona⛄s Folger, who battled Marc Marquez for victory as a rookie at the Sachsenring in 2017, riding a satellite Yamaha.

The second was Rossi's half-brother Luca Marini, who took hi🏅s first grand prix podium in the Moto2 class just befo📖re Sunday's MotoGP race.

Rossi, 💧who recovered from a lowly 17th place in Friday practice, said:

"We worked hard in some impor𝄹tant areas and I know that P17 fr🥀om Friday was not my place because we tried something to improve the acceleration, but it didn’t work.

"P6 [in qualifying] was𝕴 more or less my pace so this morning in warm-up I was not so bad and I did a good lap time but I was P9, so here the level is very balanced and you have a lot of different bikes and different riders that can be fast.

"In the race it is different, you have to be stron༒ger in other♏ areas.

"I tried to concentrate a lot and I was ready today especially after the podium by my brother in M♛oto2, Luca, so I had to do a great congratulations 𒁏to him.

"He gave ♍me extra p♎ower and extra motivation to try to do the same."

Marini, who joined Rossi's V🌟R46 team at the start of this season, has improved steadily during since his full-time grand prix debut in⭕ 2016.

Despite the ongoing effects of a shoulder dislocation, Marini took his first front row start at the previous🌸 Assen round, then went one better with second on the grid at Sachsenring, where he rode to third position in his 4ꦍ5th GP appearance.

"For sure it is something special, the first𒁃 time," Rossi said of Marini's podium.

"I tried to he🐽lp my brother a lot d꧙uring his career and I feel very much a part of it.

"Also I pushed a lot for him to jump on the Moto2 early, because he is very tall like me, taller than me. He wanted to continue in Moto3 because maybe he didn’t trust himself enough to be able to r🌃ide the Moto2.

"He also suffered a lot aft꧙er dislocating his shoulder after Qatar, but he’s workꦚed well and I am so happy and so proud."

Marini said: "I'm really happy. On Thursday I did not even know if I would be competitive on the long run due to the shoulder injury and now🧸 I have just come down f꧒rom the podium.

"An almost perfect weekend, we worked hard from the free practices, made a b🌜ig step in qualifying and I have to thank all the team and the people who have supported me in these years.

"To r🧜each the top it is important to start from the first steps and not stop𒉰, but continue with commitment and belief."

Returning to his own race, Rossi admitted he had carefully studᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚied Folger's shock perfo๊rmance of a year ago.

"It ๊was very important to look at Folger’s race because firstly mentally I arrived here last year and I was not comfortable with the bike so I was already not strong enough," said the Italian.

"But Folger last year didn’t know it was a difficult track for the Yamaha an🦂d he did a fantastic race at the level of Marc as he stayed there in tཧhe fight.

"So🐽 I studied everything of Folger, all the race, all the liꦇnes and which way he raced the bike, which way he set-up the bike. Everything.

"I think it was a good help for me from Folger last year, 🌞so we have to give him the trophy!"

Folger withdrew from racing at the start of this season, due to severe f♚atigue issues, but has recently been testing a 2019 Mot🌟o2 machine for Kalex.

Rossi meanwhile remain🌌s second in the MotoGP World Championship, but has dropped another five points to Marquez.

The Repsol Honda title leader beat Rossi by 2.196s to claim his ninth successive win at the Sachsenring and takes a 🍃46-point championship lead into the summer b💝reak.