Bridgestone MotoGP™ Race Preview – Round 4: Le Mans, France 15 May 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric). Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative). MotoGP™ heads to the sacred motorsport arena of Le Mans this weekend with the 4.185 kilometre Bugatti circuit playing host to the fourth round of the 2012 season. The layout of the Le Mans Bugatti circuit features many slow corners connected by a series of straight sections and the second half of the circuit comprises mainly right-hand turns that require the provision of asymmetric rear slicks. The dynamic forces placed on tyres at Le Mans are the least severe of any circuit on the calendar and as cool conditions are often encountered, Bridgestone will bring its soft and medium compound front slicks. At the rear, the soft asymmetric rear slick – featuring Bridgestone’s extra-soft rubber on the left shoulder and soft compound rubber on the right – makes its first appearance in 2012 and will be offered alongside the medium compound rear slick. To ensure adequate tyre warm-up in wet conditions, the main wet tyre for Le Mans will be the soft compound option. Perhaps owing to its stop-and-go layout and susceptibility to unsettled weather, Le Mans has a reputation of delivering exciting racing and for the previous six years only one rider starting on pole position for the French GP has gone on to win the race; Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner in 2011. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Le Mans is a special place to visit with the large crowds and history of the venue combining to create a unique atmosphere and over the years the French GP has provided some very challenging races due to the poor weather conditions encountered at this time of year. Once again this weekend we will provide two of the new specification front slick tyre to each rider which at Le Mans will be available in the medium compound. “I am happy to hear that the surgery on Colin Edwards’ collarbone was a success and I hope to see him back in action soon. I would also like to welcome back Chris Vermeulen to the paddock as Bridgestone and Chris share some great memories together in MotoGP, particularly his victory at this circuit in 2007.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Due to its layout and usually low track temperatures, Le Mans is a race where softer compound tyres are required to generate the necessary levels of grip. The circuit has quite a stop-and-go nature with a series of slow corners punctuated with two straights and though lateral loads placed on the tyres are relatively low compared to other circuits, the tyres provided need to offer good stability under braking, particularly at the end of the straight sections. “The second half of the lap is mainly right-hand turns, causing an imbalance in the temperatures generated across the tyre and so asymmetric rear tyres with comparatively harder rubber on the right shoulder are provided at Le Mans. The weather at this circuit is also very unstable and can have a significant impact upon bike settings and tyre choice.” More, from a press release issued by Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: REA SWITCHES TO SUTER It hasn’t been an easy decision to take but Team Gresini have opted to switch to a Suter chassis for their Moto2 project for the remainder of this season, starting this weekend at Le Mans. The French Grand Prix will therefore be more like a test for Gino Rea, who faces the twin challenge of racing at the Bugatti circuit for the first time in his career on a completely new motorcycle. Gino Rea “I am very pleased that the team have decided to change to the Suter chassis, which I think will prove to be a very positive step for us in the long run. It is not going to change my fortunes overnight because we have a lot of work to do in terms of adapting my riding style and setting up this new chassis to work with the Showa suspension. However, it is the start of something new for us and I think we can start to make progress from here. Obviously I don’t know this circuit so that is something else to overcome this weekend but I am very much looking forward to racing at Le Mans for the first time. I had some trouble with my knee at Jerez and Estoril so I have let it recover for a few days but now I’m back into hard fitness training. The circuit looks nice, I have done everything possible to learn it, from watching videos to playing it on the Playstation and with the added motivation of a completely new chassis to work with I am really looking forward to it!” Fausto Gresini “We have taken the decision to switch to Suter because our objective is always to improve and give our riders the opportunity to perform to their maximum potential. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was one we had to take. Now we start a completely new project from scratch and this Grand Prix will be more like a test but we go into it with belief and determination to give it our maximum. Hopefully this move will give Gino the chance to show his true ability on track.” More, from a press release issued by Team Thai Honda Gresini Moto2: WILAIROT SWITCHES TO SUTER It hasn’t been an easy decision to take but Team Gresini have opted to switch to a Suter chassis for their Moto2 project for the remainder of this season, starting this weekend at Le Mans. The French Grand Prix will therefore be more like a test for Rattapark Wilairot, who is still nursing an injury to his right hand suffered at Estoril. However, “Feem” is ready and excited to be making his debut on the new bike. Ratthapark Wilairot “Portugal was not so easy, everything there was difficult – even the weather! But as always everybody in the team tried to give 100 percent to me and the bike for every session. I tried to change my riding style to the bike but I still had the same problem with the front and rear. In the race at Estoril I had a problem with my right hand which meant I couldn’t use the brake a lot so I have been visiting the Clinica Mobile at Imola and working hard on my fitness. For Le Mans we are making a good change to Suter. I have tried to watch videos to learn how to ride it but the first time won’t be easy so I just hope that we have less problems than before. I have a good feeling with this circuit, you need a lot of technique to control the bike. We have to wait and see what the weather does but I feel we can do well and change our recent result.” Fausto Gresini “We have taken the decision to switch to Suter because our objective is always to improve and give our riders the opportunity to perform to their maximum potential. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was one we had to take. Now we start a completely new project from scratch and this Grand Prix will be more like a test but we go into it with belief and determination to give it our maximum. Hopefully this move will give Feem the chance to show his true ability on track.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2012 FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX ROUND 04 MAY 18/19/20 LE MANS, FRANCE PREVIEW MOTOGP, MOTO2, MOTO3 HONDA MOTOGP RIDERS TAKE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD TO LE MANS Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa arrive for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans with an eye toward maintaining a perfect podium record in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. Reigning world champion Stoner rides an 18-race podium streak into the iconic French circuit, while Pedrosa has been three-for-three in podiums this season. The 55th running of the French Grand Prix at Le Mans is meaningful for both Stoner and Pedrosa. The 4.180Km circuit west of Paris is a scrapper’s track and not one that Stoner favours. That did not prevent him from taking his first MotoGP victory at Le Mans last year from the pole position to kick off a string of three wins in a row en route to his second world championship. The 26-year-old Australian has been brilliant this year, but the season has not been without its challenges. The front end chatter that has affected every motorcycle on the grid has been frustratingly difficult to resolve. And Stoner has repeatedly been afflicted with arm pump. Yet he has overcome both to win two of the first three races, something he has not done since his 2007 title-winning season. Pedrosa has been waiting a year to put the 2011 French GP behind him. Pedrosa got off to a lightning start in 2011, finishing third, second, and first in the first three races before heading to Le Mans. But his championship hopes were derailed when he fractured his right collarbone in a racing incident with the late Marco Simoncelli. His 2012 start has been almost as strong-he currently sits third in the championship-having shown versatility with podium results in differing conditions on different tracks. Pedrosa has finished on the MotoGP podium in France, and won both times during his two 250cc World Championship seasons, which gives him optimism heading into the fourth race of the championship. Pedrosa has not gotten the lightning starts that have characterised his career, which he hopes to change in France, a track where passing is difficult and racing from the front is often the path to success. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) has not gotten the full measure of Honda RC213V in his first season with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team. Weather is one of the culprits. The previous two races were complicated by wet weather, which prevented the Spaniard from increasing his comfort level on the motorcycle that has won two of the first three races. Le Mans could certainly continue the trend of inclement weather, which makes setting up his motorcycle with limited dry track time that much more of a challenge. Bautista has one year’s experience in the MotoGP class at Le Mans, having missed the 2010 race. But in his last year in the 250cc class, he started from the pole and finished fourth. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) finished second in Le Mans during his strong early season run that led to the 2011 Moto2 World Championship. The young German rider has three finishes in the top nine in his rookie MotoGP campaign, having finished seventh in Jerez, a track similar to Estoril. Still, he arrives in France having to learn how to tame the track on the much more powerful Honda RC213V. The emphasis here is on braking, specifically braking into the corners where the front tyre is put under great stress, a technique which Bradl is quickly learning. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda), another MotoGP rookie, comes to Le Mans having improved his finishing position in each of his first three races, culminating with his first MotoGP points in Estoril. The development of the FTR-Honda CRT machine has been done entirely at the race track since the start of the season. Pirro and the team were hopeful of making a development step at the post-Estoril test, but rain washed out that opportunity. Le Mans is not one of his favourite circuits, but his early season progress on similar tracks makes him confident that his upward path can continue. After a worrying off-season dominated by concerns about his vision, Spaniard Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol Suter) has begun the season stronger than ever. The 2011 Moto2 runner-up has two wins and a second in the first three races, as well as two pole positions. He’s coming off his best race yet; a win in Estoril from the pole. That win put him in a good frame of mind for Le Mans, a venue that he sees as similar to the Portuguese track. It was at Le Mans where he won his first Moto2 race last year, the first of seven wins. And it is at Le Mans where he hopes to continue his dream season. The only other rider to win a Moto2 race in 2012 is Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex). The Spaniard sits second in the Moto2 championship having had a season nearly as successful as Marquez’s. Espargaro celebrated his first Moto2 win in his home race in Jerez, a win that he sandwiched between a third in Qatar and second in Estoril. Espargaro has fond memories of Le Mans, having won there on a 125 in 2010. Le Mans also has a special hold on Swiss rider Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Suter). Luthi won his first ever grand prix at Le Mans in 2005 aboard a Honda RS125 and he repeated the win in 2006. Other than a fifth place finish in the Qatar season-opener, Luthi has been on the podium every time out, with thirds in the next two races. Luthi had led every race this season, finishing less than half a second from victory in Spain and less than a tenth of a second out of second in Estoril, where he led from laps two through 19 before being passed by Marquez and Espargaro on the same 20th lap. Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda) earned a thrilling first grand prix win with a last lap pass in Le Mans last year in only his fourth 125cc grand prix. Vinales is amongst the riders who likes Le Mans. The track plays to his style, with hard braking and fast acceleration. He’s hopeful that the similarity to Estoril is reflected in his results; he finished second in Estoril by .055s. Team Italia FMI – FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati was the revelation of the early part of the inaugural Moto3 season. The Moto3 rookie led his first race in Qatar, then won his second race in mixed conditions in Jerez by an astounding 36s. The margin of victory was the largest in the smallest displacement class for nearly 25 years, since San Carlo Honda Gresini team owner Fausto Gresini won the 1987 Swedish Grand Prix by 37s over Bruno Casanova. Fenati’s strong start hit a speed bump when he failed to finish in Portugal, but that has not affected his preparations for Le Mans. Like most tracks on the 2012 calendar, Le Mans is another that Fenati will be seeing for the first time. But that was no different than Qatar and Jerez, where he had great success. Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda), like Fenati a grand prix debutante, will also be visiting Le Mans for the first time. He has been training for Le Mans on his computer, and will also call on the vast experience of team manager Emilio Alzamora; the 1999 125cc World Champion, aboard a Honda RS125, finished on the Le Mans podium three times during his career. In his first grand prix season Rins continues to look for consistency. He announced his presence by taking the pole in his second race in Jerez, which he followed up with a fourth place finish and less than a second from second place. In Estoril he learned how competitive the Moto3 class can be by engaging in an 11-rider fight en route to a seventh place finish. Le Mans first hosted a motorcycle grand prix in 1969 on the 4.422Km Bugatti Grand Prix Circuit, which was built in 1965 around the much larger 13Km 24-hour track. Le Mans alternated with a number of other circuits up until 2000 when it became the permanent venue of the French Grand Prix following extensive rider safety enhancements. Honda’s first win at Le Mans came in 1983 with Freddie Spencer, who won the 500cc World Championship that season and again in 1985, when he also won Le Mans. In the 20-year history of the French GP in Le Mans, Honda has 11 wins, with Spencer’s fellow Honda world champions Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan, Alex Criville, Valentino Rossi, and Casey Stoner also winning in the premier class. Marco Melandri and Sete Gibernau also raced Hondas to victory in the premier class in Le Mans. The now 4.180Km circuit has a number of slow corners connected by short straightaways, with the second half right-hand biased, which mandates the use of asymmetric rear tyres. There are 13 corners in all, nine rights and four lefts, with the longest straightaway of 674m. The Honda technicians will set up the motorcycles with an emphasis on stability under the repeated hard braking, with riders standing up their motorcycles on corner entry to make the best use of the thick part of the rear tyres. The other challenge is the weather. The late spring date always brings some measure of rain, which complicates machine set-up if the race is held on a dry track. And the often cool temperatures make it imperative that riders get heat into their tyres quickly. MotoGP Rider Quotes Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner says: “The past two tracks have not historically been my best, but I’ve managed wins at both of them, so I’m hoping we can go to Le Mans and be competitive again. I’ve had some mixed results there in the past. The track layout is unique, it’s a little stop-start with a lot of braking and I think this year both the Hondas and Yamahas will be competitive there. It was disappointing that the weather in Estoril on Monday prevented us from testing. We need to work on the chatter issue we have on the bike, so let’s hope we have some dry sessions from day one in Le Mans so we can get out on track and work on it.” Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “Le Mans is a hard circuit, quite similar to Estoril, a stop-and-go track where you need to prepare a bike with good stability, traction and acceleration. In the past I’ve felt comfortable riding there. I had good results in 125cc and 250cc, but not really perfect in MotoGP, so I have something small inside me I want to achieve. Last year I did the fastest race lap, but I couldn’t keep the pace before the crash, so I want to do better this time. We’ve had three good races so far. I’m riding well, but I missed something in all of them, especially on the first laps, where I’ve been stronger in the past. I need to put everything together and if we get better starts, we will start winning races.” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says: “The weather at Estoril finally afforded us some dry track time and we were able to make some changes to the bike and get a good rhythm together before the race. At the start we were struggling for feeling with the front Bridgestone, but gradually it improved. In the race I was struggling in T4 because the bike did not feel great in corner entry so I was just focused on holding my position. Now we go to another circuit where the weather is always unpredictable so we have to be ready to adapt. With the data we gathered in Portugal I think we can take another step forward and find a few important tenths to close the gap to the guys in front of us. I don’t really like this circuit, unfortunately. Le Mans has a lot of direction changes, short straights and the worst thing is the low grip levels and cool track temperatures. I have never finished on the podium here in the 125 or 250 classes, but hopefully we can have a good race this weekend and improve on the results from Estoril.” LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl says: “Le Mans is another good circuit which I like and last year I gained the second position in the Moto2 race. However, as I said for the previous rounds every track is different from the past because the MotoGP bike is another story. I am quite confident we can proceed with our good results: On this surface you must find the right setup in braking and you use the front tyre more than the rear one. It’s important to pick up the bike faster. We shouldn’t struggle with rear grip issues here. Estoril was a different layout and the asphalt was not excellent. I had a look at the weather forecast, probably we will have another rainy weekend so I must remain focused”. San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda rider Michele Pirro says: “The memory of picking up our first points at Estoril is still fresh in my mind and I think it is a nice confidence boost for myself and all the guys in the team, who have been working tirelessly on this new project, which we all believe in. We have achieved our first objective and now we need to focus on developing from here. Unfortunately the post-race test at Estoril was cancelled so we missed the opportunity to try some new things but as usual we remain upbeat and look to make up for it this weekend at Le Mans. The circuit is definitely not one of my favourites but that doesn’t matter one bit. We have to try our best to improve and close the gap to the top guys in the championship.” Moto2 Rider Quotes Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol – Suter rider Marc Marquez says: “Le Mans is a similar track to Estoril, based around braking, getting into the corner and then getting on the gas. Although every track has its complications, we will be trying to start calmly and find the best setting for the race, which is the most important thing. I have some good memories of the track from last season, although this year is sure to be different. I hope that everything goes well over the weekend, as I am more comfortable on the bike every time and very motivated after winning in Portugal.” Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex rider Pol Espargaro says: “We have a very good feeling with the motorbike, with the team and we are working so good for the championship. As far as the French Grand Prix, I don’t know because it’s in Le Mans, all circuits are different, there are many riders different in front. It’s very difficult to predict one result here in Moto2. But I’m sure that we must be in front for the championship; we are so consistent. Three podiums in three races it’s so good for us and we have to work more to take the second victory there.” Interwetten Paddock Suter rider Thomas Luthi says: “It’s a very good start, I’m very happy with the start of the season and with the podium as well. It was quite a good race and I was a long time leading the race and that’s a good feeling for sure. So I’m just looking forward to Le Mans and I think we can keep up the pace and we’ll be stronger in the future.” Moto3 Rider Quotes Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda rider Maverick Vinales says: This is a circuit that I like a lot, above all because of the win last year. Le Mans is a good track for me and fits my style, with strong braking and fast acceleration. I think that Honda will have to get on the case, just like us, as hard work is needed. We arrive in France happy to be up there with the frontrunners, with the confidence of Qatar back again. Now we need to make some steady improvement.” Team Italia FMI – FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati says: ”I will race at Le Mans for the first time and I’m very excited to discover this track that has made a lot of history in racing cars and motorcycles. I cannot wait to try out the asphalt and the French curves to discover their charm. I am sure that I will like the track a lot and look forward to putting the Estoril race behind me.” Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda rider Alex Rins says: “We have to keep pushing ourselves as we have been up to now, as the team have been doing a fabulous job. When we arrive at Le Mans we will need to try to adapt to the track as soon as possible and get a good result. As I haven’t ridden at the track before, what I have done is visualise it playing a computer game; when I get there, Emilio [Alzamora] and José Carrión will take me for a couple of laps to give me some advice for doing as well as possible on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Ducati Team heads to “stop-and-go” Le Mans circuit Having encountered at least one day of rain during every winter test and in every race so far except for Qatar, the two Ducati Team riders hope for a weekend with stable weather conditions at Le Mans as they continue working on the setup of the GP12. Friday will find Valentino Rossi back on the track where he finished on the podium last year, and with the Portuguese post-race test having been cancelled due to bad weather, he’ll start with the settings he used at Estoril race, with the goal of improving upon his seventh-place finish there. Nicky Hayden also hopes to do better than in Portugal, and although he doesn’t count the French circuit among his favourites, he thinks some of its characteristics could be a good match for his Ducati. VALENTINO ROSSI, Ducati Team “It’s a shame that we lost the post-race test in Portugal because we would have continued our development work, and as we had very recent data from the race, we could have made some interesting comparisons. Still, this won’t influence us much from a technical point of view at Le Mans, as any updates would have arrived later anyway. In France, we’ll prepare for the race by working on the bike like we did at Estoril, starting from the base setup that we’re now a bit more familiar with and trying to continue with the settings one step at a time, in such a way that we reach Sunday at the maximum of our current potential. Le Mans is another place where the weather can be challenging, particularly at this time of year, but it’s also the track where I had my best result with the Ducati last year. We’ll see how it goes, but we’d like to do a little better than we did in Portugal.” NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Team “I certainly wouldn’t say Le Mans is my favourite track on the calendar, but there are some things that I like about it. Sometimes it lacks grip somewhat, which I don’t like so much. On the other hand, it has a fair amount of hard braking, and I think some of those parts should suit our bike well. It will also be interesting to be at a different type of track compared to what we’ve seen so far this year. It’s a shame we didn’t get to test in Portugal because it certainly would have been nice to try a few things, but we’ll get to France, see what kind of weather we get, and try to get a good result.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “Le Mans is a bit strange, a classic stop-and-go track that’s very different from Estoril. This will give us an opportunity to check the work that we’re doing on the GP12’s setup: Valentino used it all weekend at the last GP, so we’ll continue like that in an effort to also make progress at Le Mans, where he had a really nice race last year. Though this isn’t one of Nicky’s preferred circuits, he’ll also use the experience he has gathered while using this setup on the GP12 since the start of the championship.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Gosselies, Belgium – 16th May 2012: Mika Kallio and Scott Redding head for this weekend’s Grand Prix de France at Le Mans confident of a return to form, after tyre and handling issues saw them finish ninth and eleventh last time out in Estoril. Chatter issues mid race plagued Kallio, halting his progress through the field from 17th on the grid, while Redding was unable to capitalise on his front row start after using up his tyre chasing down the leading group. The Marc VDS duo are keen to make amends this weekend and both head to France with confidence restored following a successful two-day test at the Navarra circuit in Northern Spain earlier this week. Part of the Circuit de la Sarthe, on which the legendary 24 Heures du Mans car race is run each year, the Bugatti circuit is dominated by second gear corners and short straights, demanding a bike that is stable under braking, but with good acceleration out of the low-speed turns. For the second year running the Elf logo will be prominent on the bikes of Kallio and Redding, which will also run a special red, white and blue colour scheme at Le Mans this weekend. The Elf logo and the one-off livery are part of an agreement that will see the French oil and lubricants giant as the primary sponsor of the Marc VDS Racing Team for five races this season, starting with the French Grand Prix this weekend. Mika Kallio #36: “The test at Navarra was quite positive. I did a race simulation on the second day and the bike felt the same for the duration, not different on almost every lap like in Estoril. Le Mans is a different circuit, so we will need to confirm everything there on Friday, but it’s certainly looking promising. Le Mans is another stop start sort of track, with some heavy braking areas and mostly slower corners, not to mention weather that often plays a big part during a race weekend. I need to improve in qualifying, to start the race from closer to the front of the grid. If I can do that this weekend then I think a top five finish is possible.” Scott Redding #45: “We didn’t get the result we were looking for last time out in Estoril, but that was mainly down to going with the wrong tyre for the race. It’s something we need to think about this weekend at Le Mans, where the racing is likely to be even closer because of the characteristics of the track. We had a good two days testing at Navarra, where we definitely made some improvements to the bike, so I’m pretty confident we can bounce back with a good result this weekend in France.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “We had some issues in Estoril, which is why we decided to test at short notice in Navarra before heading to the French Grand Prix in Le Mans. The weather conditions in Spain couldn’t have been better and both Mika and Scott managed to make improvements to the set-up of their bikes over the two days. Now we head for France, which is an important race for us. For the second year running we welcome Elf as title sponsor for the French Grand Prix, where we’ll run with a very distinctive red, white and blue livery. Elf have been a strong supporter of the team since the start and I hope we can repay their commitment with two good results this weekend at Le Mans.” More, from a press release issued by Blusens Avintia Racing: Maverick Viñales is coming back to the track where he got his first win in the world championship Maverick will always have fond memories of the circuit of Le Mans as it is where he got his first pole and and also where he became internationally famous as he won the race against Nico Terol in the last bend of the final lap passing him in the most incredible way. He was a rookie back then and it was only his fourth race. Things have changed since then and he is now coming back to Le Mans on second position of the provisional ranking of the world championship only two points away from the lead and as the favourite for the title. Both the team and Viñales himself are expecting a great result there but they are also aware that it is compulsory to remain concentrated and to manage the whole weekend to be competitive. Maverick Viñales: “As you can imagine, the circuit of Le Mans is somehow special for me. This is where I got my very first win in the world championship and from then on my whole professional life has changed. As expected I can hardly wait to get started on the French track. We are in a good position we got a win and are only two points away from the championship leader. I think we can do a good job but we have to wait and see how the training practices and our strong rivals are going.” More, from another press release issued by Blusens Avintia Racing: Maverick Viñales is coming back to the track where he got his first win in the world championship Maverick will always have fond memories of the circuit of Le Mans as it is where he got his first pole and and also where he became internationally famous as he won the race against Nico Terol in the last bend of the final lap passing him in the most incredible way. He was a rookie back then and it was only his fourth race. Things have changed since then and he is now coming back to Le Mans on second position of the provisional ranking of the world championship only two points away from the lead and as the favourite for the title. Both the team and Viñales himself are expecting a great result there but they are also aware that it is compulsory to remain concentrated and to manage the whole weekend to be competitive. Maverick Viñales: “As you can imagine, the circuit of Le Mans is somehow special for me. This is where I got my very first win in the world championship and from then on my whole professional life has changed. As expected I can hardly wait to get started on the French track. We are in a good position we got a win and are only two points away from the championship leader. I think we can do a good job but we have to wait and see how the training practices and our strong rivals are going.” More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team: Le Mans will be the place to be for the fourth round of the World Championship. The now classic race of the World Championship takes place at a very particular time for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team. Absent at the last GP in Portugal after Colin Edwards’s injury on this left collarbone, the team arrives on French soil with an old friend of the MotoGP. Chris Vermeulen will be Texas Tornado’s substitute. While the American rider continues his post surgery recovery which will lead him to be back on the saddle of his Suter-BMW at Montmelo, the Australian comes back to the circuit in which he won his very first MotoGP race (2007) with his number “7” on the furring. In Moto2, after the first three rounds Alex De Angelis is in 10th position on the Moto2 World Standing with 14 points while Yuki Takahashi is still in search of points. The rider from San Marino shows a constant progress in this 2012 season and Le Mans could be the turning point for him. For Yuki France con be the ideal circuit for him to get his season started: the Japanese rider has always qualified in front row and even finished second on the podium in 2011. The Grand Prix de France will begin on Friday at 10:10 am with the MotoGP FP1. One hour later it will be the Moto2 class’s turn. More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: Homecoming hero Johann Zarco and Team JiR head to Le Mans Coming off the back of Johann Zarco’s sensational fourth-place finish at Estoril, the young Frenchman is now heading home to take part in this weekend’s French Grand Prix. Despite riding in front of his home crowd for the first time on his MotoBI machine, the 21-year-old insists that he feels no additional pressure, but instead he’s looking forward to continuing the progress he’s made in the previous three rounds of the Moto 2 World Championship. Last year, in his pursuit of the 125cc title, Johann finished the race at Le Mans in fifth place. Gianluca Montiron These early rounds of the season are proceeding according to our working plan, this year Johann is expected to learn, and gain experience and the job done during winter giving the riders the chance of riding as much as possible is proving to have been very useful. The path ahead is still long and we don’t want to create any illusion in ourselves, concerning both Johann and the team’s other rider, the Brazilian Eric Granado, who is now facing his own battles in the Spanish Championship. To invest in young riders is always very demanding and difficult, we have found a good working relationship with Johann and I believe that in the next two years the results will become proportional to the investment. The project with Eric is even harder because of the different approach to motorcycle culture and the huge investments required to sustain such a demanding sport project in South America. For the French GP our machine will show a dedicated livery that will honour our rider’s colours and all of Johann’s personal sponsors. Johann Zarco I am still happy after the result at Estoril, but even though this is my home race and there may be some expectation from the French fans coming to the race, I don’t think I should move my target finishing position higher, so I’m not yet thinking about the podium. Instead I’m thinking more about following the leading riders for as long as I can in the race and learning more from them. This is how we will move forward with my understanding of the MotoBI. I know I can learn from these guys and that it will help me pick up the pace. It is more important that I get more confidence on the MotoBI and take things step-by-step. This is the best way forward, even though I would obviously love to get a podium in my home event. So, I’m not putting any pressure on myself, I just want to improve with the MotoBI. I enjoy the layout of the track, as there are some places where you have chicanes and then there are some fast corners. Turn four is special, as you don’t see the turn until you’re on it, so it really gets the adrenalin flowing! I’m planning to enjoy the weekend and I aim to be fighting with the best Moto2 riders in the world.