MotoGP’s European leg begins at Le Mans Alice Grand Prix de France Monday 14th May Race preview MotoGP MotoGP returns to mainland Europe for round five of the 2007 World Championship, as the action hits the world famous Le Mans circuit at the Alice Grand Prix de France. The track once again marks a debut visit for the 800cc machines, with no preseason testing having been undertaken there by any rider. Things are already hotting up at the top of the standings in the MotoGP class, where Casey Stoner continues to lead the way after three victories from the opening four races of the season. The Australian was the winner of the most recent round, held at the beginning of the month in China, with another assured display onboard the Ducati Desmosedici GP7, and leads five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi by fifteen points. Stoner has not put a foot wrong when leading a race thus far in 2007, going especially well at tracks where he had already shown promise in his rookie season. He finished fourth last year in France, an ominous sign for his title rivals who if they hadn’t already- will be taking Stoner very seriously indeed as a championship contender. Valentino Rossi lies second in the standings, and his season so far has been a big improvement on the start to 2006. Avoiding the tyre problems which affected him in China last year and most recently at this year’s race in Turkey, ‘The Doctor’ was able to keep the gap between himself and Stoner to a minimum after the visit to Shanghai. He returns to the scene of one of his worst moments of his title-relinquishing year this week, and few MotoGP fans will have forgotten the sight of a distraught Rossi being driven back to the Yamaha garage after his bike broke down at Le Mans in 2006. The Italian has been on pole for five of the last six races, and has twice taken victory on French soil. 2006 Rookie of the Year Dani Pedrosa was supposed to be former 250cc star to shine on the 800cc machines, and watching former quarter-litre rival Stoner snatch away the limelight is sure to provide the Honda factory rider with extra motivation. The Spaniard is on a run of twelve races without a win, his longest barren spell since he won his first 125cc race in 2002, and will need to return to the podium spots after two races away if he is to keep touch with the leading two riders who are already beginning to open up a gap in the standings. Last year’s winner at Le Mans, Marco Melandri has picked up the pace in the last two races as he continues his adaptation to the Honda RC212V. The Italian is a proven race winner on his day, and the French track seems ideal for a rider who thrives on late braking and has suffered from a lack of power in recent Grands Prix. After achieving his first podium finish in Shanghai, John Hopkins’ stock is at an all-time high in MotoGP. The Rizla Suzuki rider had been on the brink of breaking the ‘curse’ on many occasions, and now leads Toni Elias and Colin Edwards in the classification. Loris Capirossi, Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen complete the top ten; level on 30 points. There will undoubtedly be another packed house at the ever-popular Le Mans venue, especially given the French presence in MotoGP. Randy de Puniet impressed in China during qualifying, and equalled his best race result with eighth on the factory Kawasaki. A question mark still hangs over the presence of his team-mate Olivier Jacque however, with the former 250cc World Champion having suffered a grisly injury to his right arm which required immediate attention. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit to race in Le Mans, but there will be a place for MotoGP’s rookie rider Sylvain Guintoli. The Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 rider has impressed with his steady debut performances this year, and will hope to make further progress at his home track. The Alice Grand Prix de France takes place on May 20th, with practice starting on Friday 18th May. 250cc After ending his perfect 2007 record in Turkey, Jorge Lorenzo bounced back in style at Shanghai to once again take pole and victory in 250cc. The Spaniard has won three of the opening four races of the season, and leads nearest rival Andrea Dovizioso by 23 points as he threatens to run away with a second successive title. Dovizioso has shown an aggressive attitude as of late, a lack of which critics had cited as the reason for his being unable to take more victories in previous races. The Italian was himself on the receiving end of some ‘roughing up’ in China, courtesy of reigning 125cc World Champion Alvaro Bautista at the end of the race. Dovizioso’s reaction is sure to be interesting, with Bautista also breathing down his neck in the classification. Separating the two, a new-found consistency from Alex de Angelis has meant that he has less podium finishes but also less crashes to his name in 2007. The Aspar team rider has taken fourth from the last three races to put himself ahead of team-mate Bautista in the standings, and on course for a successful first half of the season. Hector Barbera and Thomas Luthi complete the top six in the class, with the latter impressing in his rookie year. 125cc Lukas Pesek’s maiden victory at Shanghai, a long time in coming for the talented Czech, put him at the top of the tree in 125cc. The Derbi racer holds a two point advantage over Gabor Talmacsi in an extremely tight top three completed by Hector Faubel. One rider finishing ahead of the other almost guarantees their leapfrogging in the classification, with Simone Corsi also waiting for any slip up in the top five. Rookie Pol Espargaro continues to attract plaudits in the category, and he completes the top six and continues his quest to become the youngest Spanish podium finisher of all time. Circuit Info Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties but a serious accident to Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995 saw it struck off the calendar until 2000 whilst stringent safety improvements were carried out. Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that place the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit is always an extremely popular venue with fans. More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MELANDRI RETURNS TO LE MANS LOOKING FOR REPEAT OF 2006 VICTORY PREVIEW GP OF FRANCE The MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend for the Grand Prix of France, round five of the season, at the historic circuit of Le Mans, constructed around a section of the existing 24 Hour track in 1965. Famous mainly for its car races, the Bugatti circuit is located around 200km south-east of Paris and is a special event for motor sport fans from across the north of Europe. With events at the last round in China now firmly behind them, the Team Honda GRESINI riders are looking ahead to France with renewed optimism. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, and indeed the entire team, are keen to improve both performance and results after their Shanghai disappointment. MARCO MELANDRI: “It’s nice to be going back to Le Mans, a circuit where I have a lot of nice memories after my victory there last year. I like the circuit and it should suit our bike a little more. It’s still a little early to be making predictions and we’ll have to wait until we get there to check out the weather conditions, which can change quickly. The Bugatti track is full of hard braking and it needs a riding style that favours braking and opening the gas with perfect timing according to each particular corner. There are a couple of hard acceleration points but there are no really long straights and that should help. It’s good fun to ride here – especially when you win, like I did last year! The technical conditions we find ourselves in now are a little different to how they were last season but if we give it everything then nothing is impossible. It will be important to work well from the first free practice session in order to find a good base that will allow me to squeeze everything I can out of the Le Mans track.” TONI ELIAS: “Le Mans is a track I like and I’ve had some good results there in the past. I actually scored my first podium here back in 2001 when I finished third in the 125cc race and I also won the 250cc race in 2003. Last year we suffered a lot with the tyres because I couldn’t get them up to the right temperature. This year the tyre situation is completely different and we should be in the right shape to challenge at the front of the field again. The bad luck at Shanghai is behind me now and I can’t wait to get back on track at Le Mans – it could be a decent chance to register a good result.” THE CHALLENGE: The 2007 World Championship is proving, more than ever before, to be a battle between the tyre manufacturers. Bridgestone have beaten Michelin three times out of four races already this season, even dominating at circuits where they hadn’t traditionally done well in the past. But Sunday’s race is an even bigger challenge for the Japanese brand, with the Le Mans circuit being just a short drive from their rivals’ Clermont Ferrand factory. In fact, it is Michelin who have triumphed at their home circuit some 11 times from the past 12 premier class races here – including last year’s win with Marco Melandri. Interesting fact: FAUSTO GRESINI was himself a winner at the Grand Prix of France back in 1987: “It was a wet race. The track was really slippery, there were different types of asphalt and a lot of guys were crashing but I managed to escape from the group and win,” he recalls about his wet weather win. Gresini’s curious memory of Le Mans, however, comes from 1985 when he clinched his first 125 title: “It was the first and last time in my career that I made an agreement with another rider. I was fighting for the title so Gianola said he would help me, but he didn’t – he tried to win the race! It was a lesson for me because I had the potential to win it on my own anyway. That was the day I learned that a rider must focus only on himself and his own team.” CIRCUIT Inaugurated: 1974 Latest modification: 2002 Length: 4,180 m Width: 13m Pole position: Left Right corners: 9 Left corners: 4 Longest straight: 450m