FIM MotoGP World Championship Le Mans, France May 18, 2012 Free Practice Two Results: MotoGP (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 1:33.740 2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:34.005 3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:34.136 4. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 1:34.437 5. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), 1:34.467 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:34.585 7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), 1:34.610 8. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:35.079 9. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:35.112 10. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), 1:35.132 11. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), 1:35.201 12. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:35.787 13. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), 1:36.438 14. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), 1:36.928 15. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), 1:37.093 16. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), 1:37.310 17. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), 1:37.585 18. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA/ART), 1:38.255 19. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), 1:38.260 20. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), 1:38.395 21. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (BMW-SUTER), 1:39.383 More, from a press release issued by Dorna: Monster Energy Grand Prix de France Report Day 1 Stoner throws down the gauntlet at Le Mans MotoGP™ Following a two week break, the MotoGP™ world championship was back once again at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France at the historic track of Le Mans, where Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner laid down the marker for this weekend after setting the fastest time of the day in the second MotoGP practice session. Set in dry conditions, a lap of 1.33’740 placed him just over two tenths ahead of his teammate Dani Pedrosa in second, who has performed solidly all weekend. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo completed the top three as he continued to hunt down the Hondas, which have dominated all day. In fourth, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista was having a tremendous outing, as he continues to improve on-board his satellite machine, just under seven-tenths off Stoner at the front. Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies set the fifth quickest time of the day, as he looks to get his championship back on track after some difficult first rounds. Sixth place was occupied by Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Andrea Dovizioso, who continued where he left off at Estoril, by beating his teammate Cal Crutchlow, who finished seventh. Both riders will be looking for strong performances this weekend at the team’s home Grand Prix, especially after both have made very promising starts to the season. In eighth, Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá was in impressive form as he finished top Ducati, ahead of Ducati Team duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. Rossi, who announced yesterday that he will continue racing for at least another two years, finished just under 1.5s off the top. Top CRT honour went to local favourite Randy de Puniet, who put in a good performance in 13th, despite still suffering back-pain from his crash at Estoril. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s replacement for Colin Edwards, 2007 Le Mans race-winner Chris Vermeulen, finished in last place, as he was getting used to the Suter-BMW machine. Came Ioda Racing Project’s Danilo Petrucci had a day to forget, as he suffered a serious engine failure early in the second session. It was misery as well for Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini as he dropped his bike in the gravel after running wide, while in the final few minutes of the afternoon, Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró had his second crash of the day as lost the front of his ART machine. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro was the only other rider to crash in the morning session, after coming off in Museum corner. Moto2™ Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding topped the Moto2™ timesheets on the first day at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans ahead of Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi. Redding set the tone for this weekend’s racing at the historic French track by positing the fastest time of 1.37’869, just under one tenths ahead of Lüthi. Third place went to Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi, who has been resurgent all day after being somewhat under the radar for the first part of the season. Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio took fourth spot just half a second down, while fifth place went to Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s championship leader Marc Marquez, who could not quite match the afternoon pace. Behind him, Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró was close on his heels, no doubt preparing for yet another close battle between the pair. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone was seventh fastest, in front of Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón, who is slowly improving on his Suter chassis. Completing the top ten were Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter, who had a solid day, as well as GP Team Switzerland’s Randy Krummenacher. There were incidents early-on in the afternoon, as JiR Moto2´s local favourite Johann Zarco and Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner pushed each other into the gravel. Both managed to re-join the session later on, yet Neukirchner suffered another fall with just a few minutes left in the session. There were also crashes for both of Espargaró’s teammates Axel Pons and Esteve Rabat, while Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith crashed out of the morning session. None of the riders were injured in the incidents. Moto3™ Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales ended the first day of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France at the top of the combined Moto3™ timesheets in front of compatriot Luis Salom. Viñales was the pace setter all day, and posted the fastest time of 1.44’141 in the afternoon session, with RW Racing GP’s Salom a full six tenths behind in second. Third spot was occupied by Racing Team Germany’s local rider Louis Rossi, who gave his home crowd something to cheer about. The fourth fastest time was set by Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Miguel Oliveira, who could not match his second position from the morning practice, ahead of Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati, who is doing well at his first ever outing at the French track. In Sixth, Oliveira’s teammate Alex Rins had a good day, finishing just over a second off the front. JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vazquez was seventh after a solid performance, ousting AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin into eighth. The top ten was completed by Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese and Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil. Championship leading Cortese had a difficult second session after suffering a mechanical failure 17 minutes before the end, with his best time coming from the morning practice. JHK’s Adrian Martín fared even worse as he crashed out of the second session with three minutes remaining, yet walked away unhurt. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: 2012 Grand Prix of France Le Mans – Practice Weather : Dry Temperature: Air: 17 degrees C, Ground: 23 degrees C Humidity: 57% Repsol Honda Team set the pace at Le Mans After announcing yesterday in the official press conference his plans to retire at the end of this season, Casey Stoner got back on track and set the fastest time (1’33.740) in the first day of practice at the Le Mans circuit. His team mate, Dani Pedrosa, finished the day close behind (1’34.005), just two tenths off the Australian. The Repsol Honda Team had a positive start to the Grand Prix of France with both factory riders already showing good pace in the morning session, taking first and second on the time sheets on their first outing here with the 1000cc machines. In the afternoon, with slightly higher track temperatures, Stoner managed to improve his time by 0.6 seconds and Pedrosa by 0.9. CASEY STONER, 1st 1’33.740 “The sessions today went quite well for us. Believe it or not, today we were trying to create chatter, so we can make the most use of this dry time on track to understand it a little better and make some improvements for the rest of the season. We are happy to use some of the sessions to focus on fixing the chatter issue, and not worry about the set up immediately. We started to find some chatter at the end of the day when we switched to the hard front tyre and hopefully it will stay dry tomorrow so we can continue to work on this. After yesterday’s announcement, I definitely felt a weight off my shoulders when I got on the bike this morning. The last two races I’ve had a lot of thoughts running through my mind and this weekend I already feel better knowing it’s off my chest and we can now focus on the rest of the season, and try to enjoy it”. DANI PEDROSA, 2nd 1’34.005 “The feeling was pretty good overall; normally with these cold conditions the track here is very slippery, but the tyres worked well, the grip level is good and we managed two good session practices. We still have some work to do, mainly on the corner entry, but the first impression has been positive so far. It looks like the temperature will drop and some rain is coming, so it’s been useful to have time in the dry to get the feeling at a track like this, where you have a lot of wheelie. I didn’t test the new front Bridgestone tyre today, but I would like to do it tomorrow if it’s dry”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner leads the way at Le Mans on Friday Round 4: French MotoGP™ Free Practice One and Two Le Mans, Friday 18 May 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry Ambient 15-18°C; Track 17-23°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner continues to assert his dominance by topping both Free Practice sessions and clocking the fastest time of the day at an overcast Le Mans circuit on Friday. Stoner set his quickest time of 1:33.740 in FP2 to finish the day 0.265 seconds ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa, with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo placing third with a best time of 1:34.136. Persistent cloud cover and wind kept temperatures low throughout the day, with track temperatures during FP1 at 17°C before warming slightly to reach a maximum of 23°C during FP2. With the cold conditions in the morning practice session, all riders opted for the soft compound option for both the front and rear while the slightly elevated track temperatures during FP2 resulted in some riders switching to the medium compound front slick tyre. The soft asymmetric rear slick tyre was used in both sessions and worked extremely well in the frigid conditions, with Stoner’s benchmark lap-time today quicker than the best time in the corresponding session at last year’s French Grand Prix which took place in much warmer temperatures. The French GP continues tomorrow morning with FP3 scheduled for 1010 local time (GMT+2) with the one hour qualifying session starting at 1355 local time. Masao Azuma Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Track conditions for Friday were quite cool with track temperatures much lower than they were for last year’s Friday practice at the French GP and so the soft front and rear slicks were chosen in the morning session to give riders better initial grip and warm-up performance. “As track temperatures increased for FP2, we saw many riders trying out the medium compound front slick tyre for its greater stability under braking though most riders still preferred to run the soft compound rear slick. This combination could be widely used for qualifying and the race if track temperatures are similar to what we had today. In these low temperature conditions the 2012 specification slick tyres are working very well with riders lapping at a good pace despite track temperatures being over 20°C cooler than they were for the same session last year. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL INVESTIGATES FRENCH SURFACE AT HIS FIRST OUTING ON DAY ONE Le Mans, 18th of May: The MotoGP World Championship continues its swing through the European heart of the schedule with a stop at the famous “24 Heures circuit du Mans” with LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl occupying the 11th position overall (1’35.201) in the first day of practices. In dry but cool conditions, MotoGP riders headed out for the first free practices to get ready for the fourth round of the championship this season in the Sarthe region of France and German rookie had to learn how to perform on this surface aboard the RC213V. Stefan: “It was a tough first day for me because it’s always difficult to arrive on a new circuit riding a new bike: actually I need one practice at least to get a base set up, the correct balance and a base ideal line. This morning was quite difficult for me considering the low grip conditions and I was struggling almost everywhere along the track. But in the afternoon we could really improve everywhere and I feel quite positive because we are closer to the P8. We can find something more in the overall package because we are not at 100% yet as I am struggling in the entry of the corners and I do not have enough front feeling”. More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Rossi, Hayden ninth and tenth in French GP free practice Unfavourable weather forecasts notwithstanding, the first day of the French Grand Prix race weekend gave the two Ducati Team riders the opportunity to complete both free practice sessions on a dry circuit. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden finished the day in ninth and tenth places, respectively, with both riders being affected by lack of grip, which prevented them from taking full advantage of the bike’s power. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 9th (1:35.112) “This afternoon we tried some bike settings that were quite varied, and we’re trying to understand what the right direction is for finding more grip on corner exits. So far, particularly when the tyre starts to wear, we’re losing a lot compared to the others. Our gap to the front is pretty large, and although the gaps in our group are quite small, there’s more time between us and seventh place than there was in Portugal. We’ll have to try to do better. We’re trying some different things and we’re working hard, so we’ll see how we do tomorrow.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th (1:35.132) “It wasn’t an easy day. The weather was a bit cold, but luckily it was dry. I struggled a little bit everywhere. Grip on the edge wasn’t very good, and any time I would get going okay, I would have a hard time stopping the bike and would run wide on entry. I haven’t had that problem much this year, and when you push wide, it also hurts the exit. We tried a couple of things but never really found a really good direction. We tried the hard tyre a little this afternoon just to check, because the soft tyre definitely feels like it’s going off a bit, but I wasn’t able to make it work that well. We’ll sit down tonight and have a good think about it and see what to do tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: Track details Opening date 1966 Last restyling 2002 Total length 4180 m Main straight 450 m Average width 13 m Right turns 9 Left turns 4 POSITIVE DAY IN LE MANS FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM The first track sessions of the French round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship were played out with dark clouds looming over the Le Mans circuit, but fortunately without the rain. Pramac Ducati sole rider Hèctor Barberà spent the morning and afternoon free practice sessions working through different set-up changes and tyre options in preparation for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Spanish rider wrapped up the day in eighth position having taken just over two tenth of a second off his morning time with improved set-up and claimed the highest speed on the Le Mans circuit for the sessions, clocking 309.2 km/hr aboard his Ducati GP12. Tomorrow the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France will see the final free practice session and the qualifying practice in the afternoon, a decisive session for the grid line up, which may take place on a wet track. Hèctor Barberà – Rider Pramac Racing Team – “Today has been a satisfying free practice session, confirming my liking of the French track. I can say that I really enjoyed myself riding on this surface. We started this weekend with the right foot and compared to the morning session, we have improved our lap time also in the afternoon. I’ve had a good feeling with my Ducati GP12 and I hope tomorrow doesn’t rain, because that would mean starting all over again.” Francesco Guidotti – Team Manager Pramac Racing – “I share Hèctor’s feeling: this has been a positive day. We started at the beginning this morning with clear ideas, arranging heights, rigidity and choosing the right tyres. We are also very happy to be the fastest Ducati on the field in the combined free practice time sheet, but now we are focusing on tomorrow’s qualifying practice.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Tech 3 Yamaha make fast start to home race preparations The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team’s all-important home race at the legendary Le Mans circuit in France kicked off in positive fashion today, with Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow posting competitive times on the opening day of MotoGP practice. Italian Dovizioso made an impressive start to the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France when a lap of 1.35.065 placed him third on the timesheets in this morning’s opening session. Concentrating on improving grip in cool and cloudy conditions and working on tyre endurance, Dovizioso was able to knock almost 0.5s off his time in this afternoon’s second session and his quickest lap of 1.34.585 secured him a place inside the top six on combined times. Dovizioso is confident with further improvements to his YZR-M1 machine for tomorrow’s final practice and qualifying that he will be capable of challenging for a podium place in Sunday’s 28-lap race. Le Mans has been a happy hunting ground for Dovizioso and it is the track where he has enjoyed the most success in his Grand Prix career, having collected an impressive seven podium finishes. Crutchlow also enjoyed a satisfactory start to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team’s home event and the 26-year-old was only 0.025s behind Dovizioso in seventh position on the combined timesheets. Crutchlow’s brilliant form in the opening three races of 2012 has seen him make the best start to a MotoGP campaign for a British rider since 1988 and after clocking a time of 1.35.318 this morning, he improved his pace by over 0.7s in the second session. This weekend is only Crutchlow’s second visit to the historic Bugatti track and he dedicated his time to building up his experience of the stop and go circuit while concentrating on gaining better turning performance with his YZR-M1 machine. Andrea Dovizioso 6th 1.34.585 43 laps: “I am very happy because the dry conditions meant we could concentrate on working on the set-up of the bike and my feeling has improved a lot with the Yamaha. I was third fastest this morning but I did two good practice sessions worki ng a lot on the race set-up of the bike, particularly with the endurance of the Bridgestone tyres. My best lap time came with 23 laps on the rear tyre, so this is very positive and shows that my pace for the race is not bad at all. We just need to fine-tune the set-up of the bike tomorrow but we don’t have any big problems where we have to think about making some big modifications. I would like to improve my feeling a little bit with the front tyre and I hope it will be dry tomorrow and we can continue improving the bike. But even if rains we are already in a good point to be fighting for a really good result in the race on Sunday.” Cal Crutchlow 7th 1.34.610 41 laps: “We have a couple of small problems but nothing that I don’t think we can fix ahead of the race. I can’t get the bike to turn into the corner as I’ d like and I’m losing a little bit of time in that area. We will have a sit down tonight and see if we can come up with a set-up that will improve the turning. To be honest, Le Mans is not the best circuit for me and it is quite difficult. I’ve only been here once before and I crashed in the race last year, so a big part of my job today was just trying to gain some more experience with the layout. It was still a positive day and I am really close to Andrea and Ben, so with an improvement to the turning of the bike, I’m sure I can be even more competitive. The weather might not be as good tomorrow but I am ready for anything and determined to do the best job I can for Tech 3 and Monster this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies took to the Le Mans circuit today for the first two practice sessions of the French Grand Prix. Although dark clouds threatened to dampen the sessions, the riders were lucky to enjoy dry track time throughout. Lorenzo started the day missing some rear grip from his YZR-M1 on corner entry but was able to make some set up changes and improve in the second session to finish the day third in the combined times. Spies enjoyed a positive first day at Le Mans apart from a fast crash going into turn two midway through the second session. The Texan rider was unhurt and able to immediately continue the practice on his second bike. A consistently quick pace saw him wrap up day one in fifth place on the combined times. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 3rd Time: 1’34.136 Laps: 20 “This morning we had some difficulty entering the corners, I didn’t trust the bike so much. This afternoon we made some changes to the rear and it improved the feeling and the lap time a lot. I did a half race simulation and we had a good pace. We are now ready for a dry race but everyone says it is going to rain which will completely change the conditions.” Ben Spies Position : 5th Time: 1’34.467 Laps: 18 “Today was ok, to be top five both sessions is good after Estoril, especially here where I’ve struggled in the past. I made a small mistake this afternoon, got into turn one pretty fast and was too fast into turn two so couldn’t make the corner. I got on the second bike and was pleased we were still able to go fast as we had a lot of laps on the front tyre. The bike seems to be working pretty well here so we’ll keep going and see what we can do tomorrow.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “Not an easy first day of practice, this morning we struggled a bit with rear traction, especially during braking. We had the same issue in Estoril and we learned quite a bit there so we were able to make it a lot better. The handling improved a lot as a result in the afternoon. I think we need to make another step tomorrow but we are happy with the pace from the second practice.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “A good start for Ben today apart from an unfortunate crash in the second session, luckily he was unhurt so we could continue. Ben was able to do a lot of laps on a very used front tyre; this is encouraging for the race. Jorge made good improvements after struggling for rear grip this morning and we expect another step tomorrow. Let’s hope the weather forecast is wrong or today’s work will not be very useful!” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: MATTIA PASINI SETS THE 15TH TIME IN THE FIRST DAY AT LE MANS The circuit of Le Mans hosts the fourth round of the MotoGP 2012 season during this weekend. The Grand Prix began positively for Pasini and his crew. In the practice of the morning they worked on some initial modifications to the setting, so that they could achieve a better performance on the French track. In the afternoon, the Italian improved his time after few laps, making some further steps with the ART machine set-up. An outing to the gravel prevented him from working any further on the bike he prefers, therefore postponing any chages to tomorrow’s sessions, but being aware that more improvements can be made in the upcoming practices. Mattia Pasini #54 – 15th with 1’37.093 “The weekend started off really well. This morning we were kind of far with the electronics, but for the afternoon session we managed to improve and make some steps forward also with the chassis. We were fast since the beginning. I tried a hard tyre, but after few laps I didn’t have much front grip and I went out of the racing line: the bike then fell into the gravel and that made us throw away half of the session. However, I am happy, because we’re progressing little by little, and that’s our objective. The weekend is still long, we have to keep working in this direction and we’ll see how things go.” More, from a press release issued by Karel Abraham’s publicist: Friday in Le Mans: Twelfth position for Karel Abraham Czech MotoGP Rider Karel Abraham closed first day in Le Mans on 12th position reaching his maximum 1:35,787. Karel Abraham lost 2,047 seconds to fastest Casey Stoner. Karel Abraham “žWe tried a lot in the morning, but we must quit first practice earlier. I was feeling that bike is sliding, so I entered pit and we found that we had lost a cap of brake fluid tank. Fluid was leaking on the rear tyre. In the afternoon we tried a different set up and I felt better, I hope that we found a good way and we can improve it. We must hope that it won´t rain, Le Mans circuit has a couple of different surfaces and is very shifty on wet.” Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing “žWe had small problem in the morning with rear brake fluid tank. Karel touched the cap of tank by his shoe move it out. In the afteroon we tried different bike with different set up on the front. In the end we feel better, but it´s still not comfortable. Karel is losing too much in T3, he´s braking too soon. It´s the same problem we had at the beginning of this season. Tomorrow, we want to test the set up, which is close to set up of bike from last year. We will compare it to the bike from today and we´ll see how Karel will feel on it.” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master Moto2 Team: FRANCE GP: IANNONE SCORES THE TOP 10, DI MEGLIO FOURTEENTH Today’s practices set the beginning of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, the fourth event of the Moto2 2012 season. The day started positively for Iannone, who grabbed a spot in the top 10 in the morning session. In the afternoon, the rider from Vasto and his crew prepared some improvements for the setting of the Speed Up machine, making some steps forwards. With the time he set in FP2, 0.634 seconds faster than the morning, he secured the seventh position. The beginning of the home race weekend wasn’t one of the easiest for Mike di Meglio. The Frenchman and his crew tried out a few modifications to the set-up, with the objective to achieve a consistent performance. Mike and his technicians will value in which direction they need to keep working, in order to get ready for tomorrow’s qualifying practice. Andrea Iannone #29 – 7th with 1’38.697 “Today’s sessions didn’t go that bad. We are working hard to improve and to be competitive on the track. We still have some modifications to verify, we’ll see what happens tomorrow and the results we’ll score. I’d like to thank the team for their commitment.” Mike di Meglio #63 – 14th with 1’38.976 “Let’s say that this wasn’t exactly a perfect day. We made a few modifications on the bike, now we have to choose which ones we’ll keep and develop for the sessions of tomorrow. We’ll see what the weather is like, today we got lucky and it didn’t rain. We know what direction we have to take, now we only have to work and improve the pace with an eye on race day.” More, from a press release issued by Aspar Power Electronics Team: RANDY DE PUNIET LEADS CRT PACK AT LE MANS Aleix Espargaró unhurt after two crashes on opening day The ASPAR POWER ELECTRONICS TEAM continued their dominance of the CRT era on the opening day of the fourth round of the season at Le Mans, where Randy de Puniet was the fastest rider on the new machines. His team-mate Aleix Espargaró had to cope with the double setback of two crashes, one in each of today’s two free practice sessions, that saw him head to the Clinica Mobile with a headache at the end of the afternoon – although that may have come about more through his frustration than the impact of the fall. De Puniet, who is also struggling for fitness after injuring his back and ribs in Portugal two weeks ago, did not let his physical problems hold him back in front of his passionate home fans. The Frenchman was 13th fastest with almost a second advantage over his closest CRT rival although he is keen to improve his bike further, in particular in corner exit, ahead of Sunday’s race. Aleix hit the ground hard this morning when his rear wheel locked under braking, potentially due to a problem with the engine braking system, before losing the front in what he admitted was a loss of concentration this afternoon. 13th Randy de Puniet (1.36.438, 18 laps): “It hasn’t been a bad day and we’ve been fortunate that it didn’t rain. We made some changes to the electronics and suspension and even though I am not 100% I am the fastest CRT. I did a run of six laps and my times were consistent. On my best lap I lost half a second because of a slower rider but our biggest problem right now is not with the bike it is with my condition, which will be difficult to improve. I didn’t have any injections today because I wanted to see how my body handled it and hopefully I’ll be able to hang on until the race.” 17th Aleix Espargaró (1.37.585, 32 laps): “We have started out on the wrong foot here, with a crash this morning that left me with a sore head and that contributed to me losing my concentration this afternoon. In the end I crashed again and now I need to get some rest and some good sleep tonight to recover. We made a mistake this morning by running the harder tyre when the track was still cold and it’s a shame because other than the two crashes I was riding well and could have improved my lap times. If it is dry tomorrow I should be close because with the new front tyre I’m always quicker.” More, from a press release issued by QMMF Racing Team: West tries two different chassis versions Rosell learns another new track Team QMMF riders Anthony West and Elena Rosell had a very buys first day of practice at the French Grand Prix. Whereas Rosell, the only female rider in motorcycle Grand Prix racing, concentrated on learning yet another track, her Australian teammate West had the monumental task of trying two modified chassis versions in one day. The first one that he tried in the morning came from manufacturer Moriwaki, with less stiffness for more feedback in the corners. The second one was a chassis version the QMMF Racing Team technicians had modified themselves, with a different pivot position to make the riding position higher and with a different fuel tank in order to get more of the rider’s weight towards the front of the bike. Anthony West 23rd in 1.39,560 “I tried two completely different bikes today, with different chassis, different set-up and a different riding position. The chassis that I used this morning, which was an update from Moriwaki with changes to the stiffness, allowed me to do consistently good and decent lap times. I was quite happy with the bike even though it was not perfect. I still ran into the same problem of not having enough weight on the front, of not being able to turn properly and of losing the front all the time. It would have been nice to try and make an improvement on the set-up, but in the afternoon, we had to test the other frame, which was a version that the team had modified with a lower pivot position and a different weight balance. The guys worked really hard between the sessions to change the bike completely, they were flat out without lunch in order to be ready in time. Unfortunately, this bike felt wrong, it felt like I was at the limit all the time. But there were also some good points, which we hopefully can adapt to the other frame. We need to go back to the frame we had this morning with some of the settings we used on the second one this afternoon in order to keep more weight on the front and to keep it turning. If that works, we should have quite a good bike for tomorrow!” Elena Rosell 32nd in 1.42,953 “Today, my first priority was to learn my way around the track and also to learn how to cope with the bumps. It was not easy for me, because we still don’t have a good base with the bike. On every track, the same problems occur. It is difficult to learn a new track and to battle with your bike at the same time. But we keep on trying: I managed to improve by more than 2,6 seconds from the first to the second session and the main thing for us now is to see how the weather develops. Of course I am also following the development work of my team-mate Anthony West with keen interest. Some of the modifications seem to work, others not. I don’t know when I will get different chassis parts to try, but at the moment it would be pointless anyway I first have to learn the track!” More, from a press release issued by Mapfre Aspar Team: MAPFRE ASPAR RIDERS START MOTIVATED AT LE MANS Elias and Terol hope to take big steps on Saturday qualifying timesheet The opening practice sessions for the French Grand Prix took place today at Le Mans, with the Moto2 riders back in action after a two week break. Rain was threatened but in the end held off, allowing the intermediate class riders the opportunity to work on their dry setups. Fastest on day one was Briton Scott Redding. MAPFRE ASPAR riders Toni Elías and Nico Terol were amongst those back on track -at a circuit with fond memories for the former. Elías has won 250cc and Moto2 races for the Aspar Team at Le Mans, and is looking for improvements to help him do likewise this season. On Friday he put in many laps with the same front and rear tyres, in order to best prepare for race day. With new rubber at the end of the afternoon run, the Spaniard placed 11th and was 0.9s down on Redding. He hopes for a positive qualifying session on Saturday. Teammate Nico Terol continued to make steady progress, picking up pace despite riding solo for much of the day. He was fifteenth at the end of the day, in a position that would give him points if he maintains his pace on Sunday. Rain is predicted for the weekend, adding an extra bit of spice to proceedings at the French Grand Prix. 11th Toni Elias (1.38.858, 39 laps): “I am happy with how this first day has gone, because normally we are further back on Fridays. It seems like we are closer to the front here, even with a used tyre. I think that the test in Albacete was very positive, because we have a clearer idea about how to solve any problems that come up. It seems like sometimes you have to take a certain direction with this bike, which then turns out to be different. We saw how to proceed in such situations in Albacete. Tomorrow with a new tyre we can move further up the standings. If it rains tomorrow and Sunday is dry again, then I think that I have everything set. If it rains, then it wouldn’t be a bad thing for me to work on my wet setting.” 15th Nico Terol (1.39.101, 42 laps): “I was much happier in Portugal and felt good, with just a few difficulties at the beginning and end of the race. However, I went home much more satisfied, because I felt so much better on the bike. Now we are at a circuit where the times are tight and things went well in the morning. In the afternoon we continued working on our pace, with the race in mind. I improved my braking a lot and on how I opened the throttle. We have to polish a few things, because now we are getting closer and gaining extra motivation.” More, from a press release issued by Bankia Aspar Team: BANKIA ASPAR TEAM PREPARE STRATEGY AT LE MANS Faubel tries out various homemade solutions for problems with his Kalex-KTM The opening Moto3 practice sessions for the French GP at Le Mans were undertaken in dry conditions, with predicted rainfall holding off for the day and allowing the riders the chance to work in the dry for the Friday runouts. Early spots cleared up as the track temperature rose to 16ºC in the morning. In the afternoon, Maverick Viñales set the fastest time of the day -1.44.141. BANKIA ASPAR riders Alberto Moncayo and Héctor Faubel were trying out new things with their Moto3 machines. Moncayo remained more or less faithful to the strategy used for the previous round in Portugal, with some subtle modifications. His Friday contrasted with some big changes for Héctor Faubel, with the aim being to compare the performance of the two Kalex-KTM and draw conclusions. Moncayo ended the day 15th fastest in the combined timesheet, whilst Faubel was 19th. Both will be analysing data with the team in order to best equip the riders for tomorrow’s qualifying session for the French Grand Prix. 15th Alberto Moncayo (1.46.463, 25 laps): “We are trying out the same things as in previous races. The weekend has started out difficult, but we aren’t going to throw in the towel. I think that it is small things that are impeding our progress, rather than any huge issues. It will be a question of time before some things improve, but we still can’t completely understand why we are so far back. I am riding on my own a lot of the time, because riding in a group is deceptive. Maybe you can do that in qualifying, but not on a Friday. As we have so much work ahead, we shouldn’t be thinking about latching onto someone’s back wheel. Our pace is not great at the moment, so we could drop at least a second if we can solve 4 or 5 things.” 19th Héctor Faubel (1.46.903, 29 laps): “We are working hard, with a new swingarm pivot that the team have fashioned themselves. We are also working on the engine braking to free up the bike on corner entry. I’m not too keen on it, but as it is the first time that we have tried it out we should keep looking at it. We aren’t where we want to be, but with some hard graft we will find the right way forward. I didn’t follow anyone and set my own pace. We will see if we make any improvements tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Le Mans, France – 18 May 2012: Scott Redding topped the timesheets and Mika Kallio was an impressive fourth fastest as the Marc VDS Racing Team enjoyed a flying start to the French Moto2 round at the Le Mans circuit today. Fourth quickest in this morning’s opening practice, Redding delivered an outstanding performance in the second session to head the combined leaderboard with a best lap of 1.37.869. The 19-year-old was almost a second faster in cool and cloudy conditions this afternoon, the British rider taking full advantage of updates to his Kalex frame and Öhlins suspension to finish 0.078s clear of Thomas Lüthi. Today’s impressive result was an instant reward for Redding, who continued to work on a smoother riding technique that he began experimenting with during a productive test at the Navarro track in Spain earlier this week. Redding has worked closely with his Marc VDS Racing crew to calm some of his trademark aggression in a bid to conserve his Dunlop tyres over a race distance. The modifications to his riding style reaped immediate rewards with only two other riders able to lap within 0.5s of Redding’s pace today. Kallio also enjoyed a positive start to the fourth round of the 2012 Moto2 World Championship, the Finnish rider benefitting from a new ride height setting that increased his feedback from the Dunlop tyres. His best time of 1.38.394 was only 0.030s away from the top three and Kallio is confident he can significantly improve his pace tomorrow, having set his fastest time on a front tyre that he’d already completed 37 laps on. Scott Redding #45: 1st Position – 1’37.869 “Today was a really good start to the weekend and I’m really happy because I’ve spent the whole day perfecting a new technique to help me preserve the life of the tyres over a race distance. We know my weight is a disadvantage so I’m just working on staying relaxed and being smooth rather than be as aggressive as I usually am. I’ve been looking at some data with Mika because he has a lot of experience and he is so relaxed on the throttle but still fast, so I’ve been trying that style and it seems to be working for me and paying off. The Navarro test was a big help too because some of the updates on the bike have definitely improved it and given me even more confidence. I set my best lap time quite early and nobody could better it, so I’m going into qualifying tomorrow confident I can challenge for a front row. We have to see what happens with the weather but I’m looking forward to carrying on today’s form.” Mika Kallio #36: 4th Position – 1’38.394 “Fifth this morning and fourth this afternoon was the kind of start we wanted to make this weekend after the positive test in Navarro. We started with the same settings from the test and the bike worked well on this track too. We’ve lowered the bike and while I’ve lost some turning performance and agility in changing direction, the modification has given me the feedback from the tyres I’ve been looking for and that gives me more confidence to push in the corners. The gap to Scott is quite big but my best lap time was set with 37 laps on the front tyre and I think I can improve by a few tenths with a new front. The rear tyre is not the tyre that we expect will be good for qualifying also, so I’m confident I can be faster and pushing for a place on the front row.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “Today was just about the perfect start for us and I am really pleased because both Scott and Mika have been inside the top five in both sessions. It proved that our test in Navarro was worthwhile because it gave us the chance to test some modifications to the frame and suspension that we have not been able to try in the first three races. Clearly the changes have been an immediate benefit for Scott, and he was looking really confident and strong all day. Mika was also competing for the top three throughout and I’m sure he could have been closer to Scott. His best lap was set on an old front tyre and a rear tyre we don’t plan to use to qualify, so I’m sure he has some margin to improve. Now we have to see what happens with the weather because the rain can play a big part again, but in the dry we are looking very strong and competitive.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: Steady start at home for Johann Zarco and Team JiR at Le Mans Team JiR and Johann Zarco had a steady start to this weekend’s French Grand Prix Johann’s home race.The 21-year-old rider spent both sessions getting to grips with his MotoBI and trying to find a riding style that works with both the bike and the track.Despite a small crash today, the Frenchman is confident he can make big improvements in time for tomorrow’s qualifying session. Johann Zarco Final position: 19th Best lap: 1m 42.669s During first practice I was not comfortable on my bike, but I know my MotoBI is going well so I need to find a good riding style for this track, but it is not easy. In the afternoon I was ready to go faster, but since Portugal it’s harder to follow someone as they’re now worried about me as they know if I do follow them I can be fast! I saw Marc Marquez in front of me and wanted to follow him, but when I went inside on a corner to overtake another rider this guy touched me and we both crashed, so I lost some time in the pits. The team did a great job of repairing my MotoBI and late in the session the feeling with the bike was better and I was improving quite well, I think it would have been possible to be under the 39s bracket but then some rain came and I shut the throttle and was careful. In the last few laps I could push but it took time to warm-up the tyres and I could not improve. The positives are that I know it is possible to do better and I want to improve tomorrow I’m sure I can do it. It’s a technical track and if you can ride it well, you will be fast. That is what I’m looking for tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: REA GETS FIRST FEEL FOR SUTER AND LE MANS It was a day of debuts for Gino Rea as he completed his first laps of the legendary Le Mans circuit on a completely new motorcycle. After switching to the Suter chassis from this race onwards it was clearly an intense day for the young Brit, who is hopeful of making up positions tomorrow. Gino Rea. (30th 1′ 40″ 686) “It has been like a shakedown test for us because everything is new and different for me. We need to work hard to make the suspension work with the new chassis, find the right solution for the tyres but for today we improved from the morning to the afternoon and that’s important. The goal is to continue to do that tomorrow and continue to move forward.” Fausto Gresini “It has been a demanding day for Gino, who as well as learning a new circuit had to learn a new bike in the Suter. His position on the time sheets aside it has been an encouraging day because his feel for the bike is good and I think soon we will see his true potential.” More, from a press release issued by Team Thai Honda Gresini Moto2: WILAIROT MAKES SUTER DEBUT There was light at the end of the tunnel at last for Ratthapark Wilairot today, the Thai rider able to make his debut on a brand new Moto2 machine. The first day was always going to be challenging but already is confidence with the Suter chassis is good and he is positive about the prospect of making major improvements in the French Grand Prix Ratthapark Wilairot (26th 1′ 39″ 940) “I’m happy with the chassis and the bike. I have a good feeling with the front and felt confident today. At the moment I am struggling to get on the gas early enough coming out of the corner without running it wide so this is something we need to work on as well as some other small things but overall I am happy with the change and I think we have a lot of potential to improve.” Fausto Gresini “Like anything the first day on a new project is always difficult, with a lot of work to do in terms of setting up the bike and giving the rider confidence on his first day with a Suter. I think the change has already been for the better and the results will show through tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team Italia: MotoGP Moto3 Monster Energy Grand Prix de France Le Mans Circuit May 18-20, 2012 Weather: cloudy Temperature: 12 Co MotoGP Moto3: Positive first day for Team Italia in Le Mans The first day of free practice in France was characterized by low temperatures and a windy track. Team Italia enjoyed a positive first day of practice in Le Mans. In the two free-practice sessions, the two riders focus on testing different tyros and finding the best setup for their Honda-FTRs. Fenati, who rides on this track for the first time, took advantage of the two sessions to study the layout and learn the best trajectories on the French circuit. The young talent from Ascoli registered a 1’45″202, fifth-best. Fenny improved by over 1” in the afternoon. His crescendo will hopefully translate in a good position on the grid. Friday proved to be positive for Tonucci as well, as he posted a best time of 1’47″359 in the morning and improved to a 1’46″627 in the afternoon. Viñales was the fastest on track, with a 1’44″141 in front Salom (+0.632), Rossi (+0.736), and Oliveira (+1″044).