HOPES HIGH FOR REPSOL HONDA TEAM AT LE MANS The Repsol Honda Team travels to the famous Le Mans race track this week in preparation for round three of the MotoGP World Championship. Hopes are high for the factory Honda squad at the Grand Prix of France, with both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso eyeing a podium finish at the technical 4.185km (2.6-mile) circuit. For Pedrosa this will be a landmark weekend as it marks his 150th Grand Prix race in all classes of the Road Racing World Championship. It’s a remarkable total he will reach at the age of just 24 years and 236 days on Sunday, and the Spaniard will be the youngest rider ever to pass this threshold. The current record holder is Marco Melandri, whose 150th GP was at Misano in 2007, aged 25 years and 26 days. All of Pedrosa’s Grand Prix starts – 46 in the 125 class, 32 in 250s and soon to be 72 in MotoGP – have been made on Honda race bikes. Pedrosa comes into this important GP off the back of a heartening ride at the Grand Prix of Spain just over two weeks ago where he led for almost the entire race and came within metres of taking the win. Le Mans is a track that Pedrosa likes and his record at the Bugatti circuit is a strong one. He has been on pole position in the MotoGP class three times out of four since his debut in 2006, and in the smaller GP classes won the race three years on the trot from 2003 to 2005, first in the 125cc class and then in 250s. A MotoGP win has so far eluded him at Le Mans, and Pedrosa will be determined to put that right this weekend. On the other side of the Repsol Honda garage, Dovizioso is also targeting a second podium of 2010 to follow his third place at the opening round in Qatar. The Italian also has strong form in previous seasons at Le Mans having won the 125cc race in 2004 and notched up five consecutive podium finishes between 2003 and 2007 in 125s and 250s. Dovizioso is confident the progress he made during the test following the last race at Jerez will allow him to fight at the front of the race onboard his factory Honda RC212V this weekend. Last year’s race at Le Mans was an eventful one. The race was declared wet and the MotoGP riders duly started on wet Bridgestone tyres before picking their moment to swap to slick tyres as the track slowly dried. It was the Repsol Honda pair of Pedrosa and Dovizioso who provided the excitement in final few laps, with Pedrosa setting a series of fastest laps and chasing down his hard-charging team-mate to steal the final podium spot on the last lap. That race was also a reminder that the weather in Le Mans often play its part over the race weekend, and the Repsol Honda Team will be prepared for a variety of conditions as practice begins on Friday afternoon. The 28-lap Grand Prix of France begins on Sunday at 14.00 local time (GMT +2 hours). DANI PEDROSA World Championship position 3rd 29 points “After the Jerez race I’m looking forward to arriving in Le Mans and continuing with our recent progress. We were able to complete a good weekend in Spain, being fast from the first practice and building up to the best set-up possible for the race. This is the pattern we have to achieve again in France. Le Mans is one of those circuits where you need to be prepared for any track conditions because the weather can play a big part during the weekend. In fact, last year’s wet-dry race was a good example of this. So it will be very important to make maximum use of the practice sessions and be ready to set the bike up for a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures. Le Mans will also be my 150th Grand Prix in the World Championship, and I would really like to mark this with another great result there.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO World Championship position 4th 26 points “I’m looking forward to racing at Le Mans this weekend. It’s a circuit that I like and where I always tend to get good results so I’m confident for this race. After the improvements we found during the Monday test in Jerez, I think we will be very competitive. In fact we will use the new chassis we tested in Jerez and I’m very positive about our potential. Le Mans is a slow racetrack. It looks easy on paper but in reality it’s quite a tricky place to interpret, and riding at maximum pace is a good challenge. There are many variations of camber and elevation changes that make things difficult – and this is what I like about it. Last year I fought for the podium and I lost out on the very last lap so my motivation is high for this race. I’m confident we can fight with the front riders this year.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: The third round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship will see Rizla Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista competing at the famous Le Mans circuit in France this weekend. Following the floodlit extravaganza of Qatar and the hedonistic atmosphere of Jerez, the MotoGP cavalcade now heads to one of the most heritage-laden tracks on any motor-racing calendar. The 4,185m Bugatti circuit that is used for MotoGP was completed in 1966 and uses a part of the world-famous Circuit de la Sarthe that has hosted the 24-hour race since 1923. The twisty layout of the circuit is in complete contrast to an incredibly fast first turn that is taken almost flat-out in top-gear. The French GP is always a colourful and lively affair with as many events happening off-track as there are on. Capirossi and Bautista have both had limited success at Le Mans and will be looking to make amends for that this weekend. Capirossi was on the podium at the French circuit in 2006 and has never finished outside the top 10 in a completed race there. Bautista has never scored a podium finish at Le Mans the only track on the calendar that he has raced at where he has failed to achieve such a feat. Bautista will hopefully be fit enough to race at Le Mans on Sunday despite breaking his clavicle bone in a training accident last week. He underwent a successful hour-long operation and his surgeons have given him the all-clear to compete in France. Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday 21st May for the first free practice session of the weekend. This will be followed by a second session on Saturday morning, with an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 28-lap race will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT). Loris Capirossi: “I really need to get on track again as it seems like the season is yet to get going, it’s amazing to think we’re almost in June and we’ve only done two races! With such little action it is difficult to judge where we are at the moment, but the one-day test after the last race in Jerez was very good for us and we made some positive steps. Le Mans is always a gamble because you never know what weather to expect – we have heard it should be good but you can’t always guarantee that so we will need to be ready for anything. On thing is for sure, I am ready to get back to work and excited about the prospects we have ahead and I hope Alvaro is ready to ride, he is improving all the time and we need two strong riders.” Álvaro Bautista: “It seems like it has been a long time between the Jerez race and now and I want to get going again. Unfortunately for me I had a small accident last week and broke a bone in my shoulder. It has been repaired and although it is quite painful I am totally focused on the weekend ahead. Le Mans is not one of my favourite tracks and it is the only one that I have not had a podium at, so it would be great to change that as soon as possible! I was on pole there in 2009, but only finished fourth, so I need to try and break that record. I was 10th at Jerez and although I was top rookie I still want to do better. I didn’t get a very good start in Spain and I have to work on that, I did some practice in the test so I hope I will be able to improve in time for the race. Anyway, these are details the most important thing is just to ride the bike, I will do my best” More, from a press release issued by Honda: LEGENDARY LE MANS VENUE WELCOMES HONDA MotoGP MEN Le Mans arguably the world’s most famous motorsport venue welcomes the motorcycling World Championships onto its hallowed tarmac for the 22nd time this weekend. France’s motorsport Mecca has been hosting the French Grand Prix on and off since 1969, and in recent years has been the scene of some thrilling races, several of them influenced by rainy conditions. Indeed three of the last four French GPs have been run on a wet or damp track! Honda has enjoyed much premier-class success at Le Mans, with ten victories achieved by Fast Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi, Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri. This year Honda’s six RC212V riders will be doing everything they can to continue that record of success, while keeping a very watchful eye on the weather. The Repsol Honda team of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) is chasing its first victory of 2010 after scoring a podium finish at each of the first two GPs of the year, Dovizioso taking a third-place finish at the season-opening Qatar GP on April 11 and Pedrosa scoring a second-place finish at Jerez on May 2. Following his strong showing at Jerez, Pedrosa has high hopes for Le Mans, where he has scored three GP victories (125 in 2003, 250 in 2004 and 2005), with each of those successes leading to world title glory at the end of the season. Pedrosa also has strong Le Mans form in the big class, having taking three pole positions on his last four visits to the track. If Pedrosa can turn that speed into another victory on Sunday, it will augur well for his 2010 championship challenge. Dovizioso has also tasted glory at Le Mans winning the 2004 French 125 GP, which led him to that year’s 125 world title and will be gunning hard for another visit to the podium, especially following a successful post-race test at Jerez. Dovizioso will use the revised RCV chassis he evaluated during those tests. Le Mans is a big weekend for Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V), France’s only rider in the premier category. The former 250 challenger goes well at the circuit, having scored four 250 podium finishes at Le Mans between 2002 and 2005, but he has yet to repeat that success in the big class. Nevertheless, de Puniet is feeling confident following a successful day of testing at Jerez, during which he worked at honing the chassis set-up of his RC212V. He also focused on improving his starts, after a less than perfect getaway in the Jerez race left him with so much work to do. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) is also in positive mood and looking to continue the upward trend of the last two races. The Italian had a challenging winter readapting to Honda machinery after two years with other manufacturers, but he has now found a good direction, which allowed him to secure an encouraging eighth-place finish at Jerez. Melandri won the wet-and-dry 2006 French MotoGP race for Honda and has since finished on the Le Mans podium in 2007 and 2009. Team-mate Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) is learning fast about MotoGP. The Italian rookie has showed his racing prowess in his first two outings in the class and is now getting the hang of squeezing extra performance from his RCV. During the Jerez tests he worked at improving braking stability, which is of huge importance at Le Mans, a track dominated by slow corners. Fellow rookie Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) also has much to learn about MotoGP. With so little off-season testing time available due to new cost-cutting regulations, every extra lap for Aoyama and the other rookies is crucial, which is why the reigning 250 World Champion reckons the post-race tests at Jerez have helped him so much. Another dogfight of a race is expected from the new Moto2 World Championship. The Moto2 race at Jerez was an edge-of-the-seat affair, with the lead changing on innumerable occasions, the Honda CBR600-powered machines all so equal on performance. Winner at Jerez was Toni Elias (Gresini Racing Moto2, Moriwaki), but Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP, Suter) finished second to maintain his lead in the series. This will be an extra special weekend for Tomizawa, winner of the historic first Moto2 race in Qatar, because he now lives in France during the season, nearby his French team, where the technical department is run by former HRC crew chief Gilles Bigot. French fans should find plenty of home hero interest in Moto2, with three riders in the class: Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing, Suter), former 125cc World Champion Mike Di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Valentin Debise, (WTR San Marino Team, ADV). Interwetten Honda 125cc rider Marcel Schrotter scored his first points of the season at Jerez aboard his RS125R and goes into the French GP in confident mood, despite having never raced at Le Mans. The 125cc class is ultra-competitive and the young German will need to get in as many laps as possible during practice and qualifying if he is to challenge for a top ten finish in the race. Schrotter has excelled himself in several wet-dry races and the unpredictable Le Mans weather conditions will not dim his enthusiasm. Honda’s premier-class success at Le Mans covers almost three decades and a variety of riders and bikes. In 1983 Fast Freddie Spencer won Honda’s first 500cc success at the track aboard Honda’s NS500 triple. Between 1985 and 2000, Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan and Alex Crivillé all won 500 GPs with Honda’s NSR500 V4. And since the switch to four-stroke MotoGP, Valentino Rossi, Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri have won at Le Mans with the RC211V. Legendary for its 24-hour races, Le Mans hosted its first bike GP in 1969. The Bugatti circuit, very different from the much longer 24-hour car circuit, returned to the GP calendar in 2000 after an absence of four years, during which time the French GP was run at Circuit Paul Ricard in Provence. Since 2000 the event has built a huge following in bike-mad France, with tens of thousands of bikers making the two-hour trip to the Sarthe from Paris. Le Mans underwent safety modifications before the 1999 GP, partly as a result of Alberto Puig’s injurious turn-one crash during practice for the 1995 French GP. The daunting right hander was tightened and the Musée left-hander was also modified to lower speeds. Further modifications have been carried out during subsequent years in an ongoing programme of improvements. The track’s character is very stop-and-go, with plenty of slow turns where braking and acceleration performance are primordial. Riders and their engineers therefore concentrate on honing their machines’ stability during braking, as well as improving rear-end traction for the numerous hairpin exits. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “After the Jerez race I’m looking forward to arriving in Le Mans and continuing with our recent progress. We were able to complete a good weekend in Spain, being fast from the first practice and building up to the best set-up possible for the race. This is the pattern we have to achieve again in France. Le Mans is one of those circuits where you need to be prepared for any track conditions because the weather can play a big part during the weekend. In fact, last year’s wet-dry race was a good example of this. So it will be very important to make maximum use of the practice sessions and be ready to set the bike up for a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures. Le Mans will also be my 150th Grand Prix in the World Championship, and I would really like to mark this with another great result there.” Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says: “I’m looking forward to racing at Le Mans this weekend. It’s a circuit that I like and where I always tend to get good results so I’m confident for this race. After the improvements we found during the Monday test in Jerez, I think we will be very competitive. In fact we will use the new chassis we tested in Jerez and I’m very positive about our potential. Le Mans is a slow racetrack. It looks easy on paper but in reality it’s quite a tricky place to interpret, and riding at maximum pace is a good challenge. There are many variations of camber and elevation changes that make things difficult and this is what I like about it. Last year I fought for the podium and I lost out on the very last lap so my motivation is high for this race. I’m confident we can fight with the front riders this year.” LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says: “Of course, Le Mans is a big event for me and the team. You always want to do your best in every race, but having so many fans urging you on is an extra boost, so I want to get the best possible result for all the people who support me all year round. I think we can have a better race at Le Mans than we did at Jerez. We made some good improvements to the bike during the tests at Jerez, so I want to say a big thank you to my crew for all their hard work. I like Le Mans it’s quite stop and go and there’s a lot of hard braking into the hairpins, which I enjoy.” Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) says: “Things are looking much more optimistic after the last race at Jerez and I was happy with the test we did there on the Monday. I think my feeling with the Honda RC212V is much better compared to the first two races and we are starting to learn about the things we need to change to improve it. We’re heading to some circuits where we have no winter testing data so it will be more difficult for everybody to find a set-up. You also have to consider that the weather can be decisive at Le Mans so is important to find a race setting as quickly as possible in practice. Le Mans is traditionally my strongest circuit in MotoGP I won there in 2006, I was on the podium in 2007 and 2009 and only just missed out in 2005 so I have lots of good memories of France. Naturally I’m not going to Le Mans feeling totally convinced we will come away with a great result but I feel confident that I can put up a fight, like I did at Jerez, but this time higher up the order.” Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) says: “I was a little disappointed to have an extra weekend off because I wanted to race straight away. I’m confident after the work we did at Jerez, especially the test because we improved a lot under braking and that will be decisive at Le Mans. I can’t wait to go racing again and I head to France in high spirits and hopeful of improving on my race from Jerez. I had fun in Spain and even though I would have obviously preferred to finish at the front of the group I was fighting with it was a great battle. Maybe with a little more determination I could have finished seventh and if I could make that my objective at Le Mans it wouldn’t be bad. It isn’t one of my favourite circuits but I always seem to have done well at Le Mans, including one of my best results of the 2007 season, a second place in 2008 and a victory last year, so I am confident. You never know what will happen with the weather but with the new track surface it should be less of a concern.” Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Hiroshi Aoyama says: “I expect a lot from Le Mans. I know the track and don’t mind it, but the weather is very critical there. It is always dry/rain/dry/rain and never all dry or all wet. But the layout of the track is very close to the Motegi track with a lot of stop-and-go sections and that suits the Japanese riders somehow. We have tested a lot in Jerez the day after the race and I have a much better feeling with the bike now. I hope the feeling will be there from the first practice on and to improve during these sessions to be strong in the race. Nevertheless I never had a podium there, so we will have to wait and see what happens.” Moto2 RIDER QUOTES Technomag-CIP rider Shoya Tomizawa says: “This is my team home GP so I am quite happy about that. Beside this, I like the Le Mans layout and my only worry so far is what kind of weather we will get, because last year it rained a lot and this year I would prefer to race in the dry. This weekend may be different from Jerez because no one has been to Le Mans with a Moto2 bike, so the target is to have a good race, finish and score points.” Gresini Racing Moto2 rider Toni Elias says: “We can expect another crazy Moto2 race, I think, because there are a lot of hairpins and slow corners at Le Mans, which means there will be some big battles on the brakes. I hope that everyone understands that the race is more than 20 laps, not just one or two laps! My injuries get better every day, so I hope that I can race with less pain than I had at Jerez.” Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 rider Thomas Luthi says: “The Le Mans track is not bad for me. I already had several successful races there, my last win included. But this last win was another story as it was in 125cc and a long time ago. My target is to be part of the front group. I will not focus on anything else than riding in the leading group. Once you are there really anything can happen in Moto2.” Honda 125cc rider quotes: Interwetten Honda 125 rider Marcel Schrötter says: “I have never been to Le Man s before, also not as a visitor. I hope I can keep improving there and my target is to ride faster. I was too grim in the last two races and expected too much. I hope I can get rid of that in Le Mans. My target is again to gain more points in the championship and I will try to improve in each session. I heard that it’s usually wet in Le Mans. Rain is not a problem for me though. My first win in the Junior-Cup was in the Wet and last year at Sachsenring, when I had a wild card ride, I started the race from front row on the grid and that was also in the rain. Riding under rainy conditions can be fun. I am looking forward to Le Mans.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: The MotoGP World Championship enters new level of intensity this weekend as the Grand Prix de France at the historic Bugatti circuit in Le Mans kicks off a run of seven races in a little over two months before the summer break. The Ducati Marlboro Team, which has proven to be competitive on different tracks with both riders, is looking to make the most of the potential of riders and bike as Casey Stoner aims to recover lost ground in the championship and Nicky Hayden targets a continuation of his positive early season progress. Le Mans, widely known as a typical “stop and go” circuit, has proven to be a challenge for Ducati in the past although the factory has celebrated podiums there on two occasions, with Stoner in 2007 and Capirossi in 2006. However, the new specification GP10 machine has given the Ducati Marlboro Team plenty of reason for optimism as they look to tackle the unique demands of the French circuit this weekend. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team “Because of the “stop and go” nature of the circuit at Le Mans you need a bike that is very stable on the brakes but also agile and quick in corner exit, especially in the slow sections. In the past we have usually managed to be fast and run at the front but we’ve never come away with the results that we would have liked. This year I think we can have higher expectations than the past two seasons there and we will certainly give our best to meet them.” NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team “Le Mans is probably the most difficult circuit on the calendar for me because I think it is the only place I’ve never been on the podium or the front row at, so it will be interesting to see how we go this year. As I have said a few times we have made a good start to the season and put two good races together but we have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working because our objective is to consistently perform at a high level and close the gap even further to those front guys. The last couple of tenths are definitely the hardest to find but I feel comfortable with the bike and the team, I’m enjoying myself and I feel confident about the rest of the season.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “We have never produced amazing results at Le Mans but this year I am expecting a good race from both our riders partly because for various reasons in the past we probably haven’t capitalised on our potential there and also because we are more competitive in general now. Casey and Nicky are in great shape and the GP10, with its more linear power curve, will put less stress on the tyres at this track and should also be easier for the riders to handle around this track.” THE TRACK Located in the Sarthe region, a couple of hours’ drive from the capital city of Paris, Le Mans is renowned for the 24 Hour automobile race. The Bugatti circuit, which is very different to the actual 24 Hour circuit, plays host to the MotoGP race, having returned to the calendar back in 1999. Considered a “stop and go” circuit, Le Mans is riddled with slow corners but also features one of the fastest on the calendar, which comes at the end of the start-finish straight. A host of hairpins and chicanes call for balance and control under repeated heavy braking as well as corner speed and good acceleration on exit. With nine right-hand corners and only four left-handers the track is also a major test for tyres. LE MANS TRACK FACTS Circuit Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2008), 1’34.215 – 159.910 Km/h Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2008), 1’32.647 – 162.617 Km/h Circuit Length: 4,185 km MotoGP Race 2010: 28 laps (117.18 km) MotoGP Timetable 2010: 14:00 Local Time Number of laps: 28 Race distance: 117.180 PODIUM 2009 : 1st Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd Marco Melandri, 3rd Dani Pedrosa POLE 2009: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2009), 1’33.974 – 160.320 Km/h More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: ON THE WAY TO LE MANS FOR THE THIRD GRAND PRIX OF THE SEASON There was expecting an immediate redemption after the problems had in the first GP of the season, and partly had it in the last GP. At Jerez de la Frontera, both riders of the Pramac Racing Team did not disfigured, concluding the race in the seventh position with Mika Kallio and fifteenth with Aleix Espargarò, it was an unlucky race for the young Catalan who has damaged his bike after a fall. The final place of the Finnish rider was very important because he had start the race from the last position on the grid, and he had battled lap after lap overtaking opponents ahead of him. Now we all go to France on the Le Mans track. The circuit of Le Mans is one of the fixed stage of the Championship, Sunday the twenty fourth French Grand Prix will take place on the track made famous worldwide thanks to the endurance races that employ riders and drivers for 24 hours. The Pramac Racing has always had an uneasy relationship with this track, having scored just one podium here in 2004 when the Pramac’s brand logo was on the hulls of the bike of Max Biaggi. Following that season, there were mixed results on the circuit with some withdrawals and some position far from the top riders. Last year the team was ranked fifteenth with Canepa, and a retired result for Kallio after he had covered eleven laps. It is from the Finn rider that the Team expert a good result so that he can continue to get results that he can certainly reach. Mika has always had a good feeling with the French track; here he has achieved two podium when he was riding a 125cc bike, a second place in 2006 and third in 2005. Paolo Campinoti – Team Principal Pramac Racing Team “I am very satisfied for the result that both riders have obtained in Jerez, Mika was the protagonist of a splendid comeback that give us good feelings for the rest of the season and confirms its great value as a rider. Aleix had some problems, but he has proven to be very fast on the track and that he had a great character, is not easy to get back on track to prove your worth if you know that you have been lapped some times. My hope is that both drivers will improve their positions in the starting grid and that both can be protagonists of a great race, we are aware of their value, and we will work to offer them a perfect bike for this track. ” Mika Kallio “The result of Jerez has given me enormous confidence for this season, I wanted to send a signal to those who always supported me even in difficult times and I think I did. I’ve heard a lot of trust around me even after the bad Saturday qualifying laps, starting in last place is not exactly the best thing, but I had a great race pace that allowed me to close in the seventh position. I would like to confirm this position even in the next Grand Prix, even managing to get a better starting position. I have a fairly good feeling with this track of Le Mans, where I had good results in the past: I got the podium twice, I was second in 2006 and third in 2005. In both occasions I was driving a 125 cc. Last year, unfortunately I had some problems throughout the weekend, I started in fourteenth position, I was able to move up to tenth position but on the eleventh lap I retired from the race. ” Aleix Espargarò “I look forward to the Sunday race to try to finally get a result that can repay the trust and confidence that the team has placed in me during the beginning of this season. The weekend in Jerez has been unlucky and difficult for me, I slipped both in qualifying and in the race, undermining the work done on my bike to get a good result. I still wanted to prove that I could be fast on the track, so I went back on track even if I had been lapped several times. I raced in Le Mans just three times till now getting a ninth place as best result in 2008 driving a 250 cc. I hope to have an immediate good feeling with the track so that I can try to have better lap times. ” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports: The FIM MotoGP World Championship arrives at Le Mans this weekend for the third round of the 2010 campaign, the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, as the battle for an early advantage at the top of the standings in all three categories continues. Jorge Lorenzo currently sits in prime position in the MotoGP class following his fine win at Jerez and the French circuit of Le Mans is one at which he has enjoyed great success in his two premier class seasons to date. Last year the Fiat Yamaha rider won an eventful race that started as a wet contest but ended on dry tyres, and it was a result that was the start of a run of six straight podium finishes. Having finished second the year before, the Spaniard will be in confident mood as he looks to stretch what is a narrow four-point lead over team-mate and rival Valentino Rossi. The reigning World Champion also has a strong pedigree at the circuit, despite last season’s 16th-placed finish there. Rossi has three premier class victories at Le Mans (2002, 2005 and 2008), and will reignite his duel with Lorenzo and company. Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa will want to close the 16-point gap from his present third place in the standings to top spot by at least repeating his podium finish from last year’s race, and second place at Jerez three weeks ago will have placed him in a more than positive frame of mind. The Spaniard’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso has started the season strongly with a podium in Qatar and a top-six finish at Jerez, and in France he will want to get on the podium for the first time in the premier class, having just missed out last season. Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden’s hunger for a top-three finish will also be strong after consecutive fourth places in the opening two rounds of 2010. Randy de Puniet’s home GP will provide plenty of motivation for the LCR Honda rider, who at present is the highest placed private team rider in the Championship ahead of Colin Edwards of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team. Edwards has twice been on the podium at Le Mans, the last time being 2008. In eighth place in the standings Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) will be desperate to score big points and place higher than his best-ever finish of third, which came in his Championship-winning season of 2007. Level on points with him are Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech3) who makes his MotoGP debut on the circuit, and Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) who has been on the podium three times in MotoGP at Le Mans including a win in 2006 and second place last year. His team-mate Marco Simoncelli, Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) follow in the standings. Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) will ride despite having just had surgery on a broken collarbone, with Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) also hoping to build on his single point so far. Moto2 Leading the standings in Moto2 is Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa of the Technomag-CIP team, having taken a win and a second place in the first two races. The strong start stands the 19 year-old in good stead, and he will be hoping to improve significantly on his failure to finish last year’s 250cc race in his only previous World Championship outing at Le Mans. Hot on his heels is Toni Elías at just seven points adrift, and the Spaniard has enjoyed some success at the track in the past having won there in the quarter-litre category in 2003 one of three career podiums at the site. Interwetten Moriwaki rider Thomas Lüthi occupies third in the standings heading into the third round, and with two wins (both in the 125cc class) at Le Mans he knows his way around the layout well. A podium finish at Jerez last time out means he will be one of the favourites to be challenging at the head of the race. Jules Cluzel’s desire to please his home fans combined with his eagerness to maintain pace with the Championship leaders will see the Forward Racing man going hard, whilst Alex Debón (Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo) will also be determined after the disappointment of a DNF at Jerez and will want to consolidate if not improve on his fifth place in the standings. Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2), Sergio Gadea (Tenerife 40 Pons) and Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR) are all top-eight riders with their eyes on the podium. Mapfre Aspar riders Julián Simón and Mike di Meglio will compete on the Suter chassis for the first time this season after the Spanish team decided to switch to the Swiss frame last week, and there will also be a wildcard entry, Belgian rider Xavier Simon, who will ride a Moriwaki chassis under the banner Holiday Gym Franchises. 125cc Nico Terol leads the chase for the 125cc crown after just two rounds, and the Bancaja Aspar rider finished last year’s race at the track in ninth place but was on the podium the season before, so he knows what it takes to score valuable points at Le Mans. Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) sits seven points behind Terol in the standings and will lead the charge of others looking to break the Championship leader’s early run of form. Coming in off the back of a win at Jerez, where he beat Terol to the victory, Espargaró will aim for higher than his previous best of fourth at Le Mans. Esteve Rabat (Blusens STX) is enjoying his best start to a season and is closely followed by Bancaja Aspar rider Bradley Smith inside the current top four. The Brit took his first World Championship podium at Le Mans three years ago and was fourth at the circuit last season, and will be hoping for further improvement as he seeks to make up the deficit to team-mate and rival Terol at the top. Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) will be refocused after the disappointment of a fall at Jerez, whilst Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) also failed to finish at his home GP last time out following an unfortunate end to his race with a faulty exhaust. The young Spaniard has taken both pole positions so far this season, and will ride through the pain of a recovering injury sustained in his tumble. Three wildcard riders will also race; Gregory di Carlo, Kevin Szalai (both Equipe de France Vitesse Espoir) and Kevin Thobois (Xtreme Racing Team), all three on Honda machinery. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: With a win and a podium each so far this season, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi will arrive at Le Mans this weekend with high hopes of continuing their victorious start to the season. The Fiat Yamaha pair lie first and second in the championship after two races, with Lorenzo four points ahead of Rossi following his magnificent home victory last time out. The Spaniard turned 23 two days after Jerez and the memory of his first home MotoGP win was still fresh in his mind as he celebrated his birthday at home in Barcelona, following a successful one-day test. He cannot help but feel confident for another good weekend in Le Mans, where last year he kept his head to win by 17 seconds as the weather wreaked havoc on all around him, and the season before he finished second despite riding with two broken ankles. The Mallorcan has one other win at Le Mans, in 2007 on the way to his second 250cc title. The French Grand Prix in 2009 on the other hand is one that nine-time World Champion Rossi would rather forget, plagued as he was by a catalogue of mishaps and visits to pit lane before limping home in 16th position. His previous record at the famous French track is exemplary however, with two wins for Yamaha in 2008 and 2005, as well as one other win and six podiums in all classes. Another two weeks off has given him time to fully recover from the shoulder injury that hampered him in Jerez and he will be back on top form and shooting for the top this time out. Le Mans is most famous as home to the iconic 24-Hour race but the MotoGP also draws a huge crowd every year. The first part of the track is the most difficult in what is not a particularly technical circuit, with the high-speed, uphill turn one giving way to several tight chicanes. The remainder of the track is made up of short straights and hairpins calling for a set up that yields both balance and control under hard and repeated braking and a quick transfer from full braking to full acceleration on the exit of the corners. Jorge Lorenzo – “An amazing and crazy race!” “Despite our victory in Jerez and taking the lead in the world standings I continue to think that I am not the favourite because the season is very long and it has only just started! I am very proud however because Jerez was my first victory at home in MotoGP. Last year I won in Le Mans in an amazing and crazy race. It was a very complicated because of the rain and drying track, but I think that everybody in our team did an unbelievable job, above all on Sunday. I know that I used everything I had, from the very first laps right to the end. I hope the fans aren’t waiting for a repeat this weekend! Of course the weather is always a risk in Le Mans, but I hope for sun. I’ve been on the podium twice there, last season and when I won my second 250cc title, so I am looking forward to trying again. I’ve had almost three weeks since Jerez and I know that I am ready for this second European race.” Valentino Rossi – “Back to full strength” “My shoulder is more or less recovered now so I hope I will be back to full strength in Le Mans. Despite the disaster of last year’s race, Le Mans is a good track for me and the Yamaha always goes well there. The biggest problem is the weather, but after last year I think we deserve a sunny French GP! We’ve made a good start to the season, with the win in Qatar and then another podium, but we have also struggled with the bike in some areas and so we need to try to improve our performance. We had a good test after Jerez so I hope that we will be able to use that information to start strongly here.” Wilco Zeelenberg – “Looking to carry on our good start” “After Jorge’s brilliant win in Jerez everyone has had another long rest and now we’re excited to get back to work and carry on our good start to the season. There is a very long way to go and we won’t get too excited, but just try to continue in the same way. Le Mans has been a good track for Yamaha in the past and last year Jorge had a great win there in very difficult circumstances. Hopefully the race will be a little more simple this year, without the rain!” Davide Brivio – “Something to forget” “We have something to forget in Le Mans after last year, when it rained, we had some difficulties and took no points! In general however Le Mans is always a very good track for Yamaha and we have had some good results there in the past. We hope for good weather this time. We have started the championship very strongly and our aim now is to continue this trend and remaining close or at the top by taking as many points as possible. We really hope to do well here in order to put us on a good footing for the busy period of June and July, when the championship will really start to take shape.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP Preview – Round 3: France, Le Mans Tuesday Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium (asymmetric Med. only) The French Grand Prix is the first of the 2010 season for which Bridgestone have selected asymmetric rear slick tyres, in response to calls from riders during 2009 for greater use of the multi-compound slicks. The same asymmetric specifications are available as last year (medium, hard and extra hard), but by incorporating the improved-for-2010 soft and medium compound rubber, they each boast a wider temperature operating range which makes them suitable for a greater number of grands prix when compared to 2009. Only the harder of the rear slick tyre options in Le Mans is asymmetric though, combining soft compound rubber in the left shoulder with medium compound rubber in the right. The softer option rear slicks are the same as were used in Jerez and use soft compound rubber in both shoulders to cater for low ambient and track temperatures. The asymmetric rear slicks will provide added durability through the nine right-handed corners of Le Mans without sacrificing warm-up performance of the left shoulder of the tyres through the four left-handers. Last year the track temperature was just 19 degrees Celsius; a far cry from the 49 degrees seen in Jerez last time out. In Le Mans wet tyres are also important as the venue has a history of being affected by rain, so Bridgestone have selected the soft wet tyres for the French Grand Prix. Last year the race started wet but a dry line soon emerged, leading to a crucial decision for each rider as to how long to push their wet tyre tyres on a drying track and when to scramble into the pits to change to their dry bikes. In the end it was Jorge Lorenzo and the Fiat Yamaha Team who emerged victorious, ahead of Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa of the Repsol Honda squad. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Race day at the French Grand Prix has been affected by rain every year since 2005, so it seems reasonable to expect more this year! In contrast to last season though, we haven’t had a wet session since the first Sepang test at the start of February. Rain-interrupted races often produce unpredictable results, like Marco’s fantastic ride to second position in France last year, so I am looking forward to what I’m sure will be another exciting battle at Le Mans.” Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “Le Mans is a slippery and smooth circuit and run at a time of year when the track temperature is low, so softer compound tyres are required to generate good grip. The circuit has quite a stop-and-go nature which can bunch the field, although the last part of the lap is high speed and requires absolute confidence and commitment. The lateral loads placed on the tyres are relatively low, but good stability from the front tyre under braking is crucial. “The circuit has an asymmetric layout that uses the right shoulders harder than the left, especially on the exit of turn nine, so Le Mans is the first circuit that we are bringing asymmetric rear tyres to this year, in the form of the medium spec only. The soft spec rear tyre comprises soft compound rubber in both shoulders; the same as we used in Jerez. “The weather has historically been very unstable at Le Mans which of course has a significant impact upon bike settings and tyre choice. Our wet tyre compounds remain exactly the same as last year, and again we will bring the soft spec to France, so at least the manufacturers will already have setup data for this situation.”