2007 FIM MotoGP World Championship Le Mans, France May 20, 2007 Race Results (wet conditions): 1. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 28 laps, 50 minutes, 58.713 seconds 2. Marco MELANDRI (Honda), Bridgestone, -12.599 seconds 3. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, -27.347 4. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, -37.328 5. Alex HOFMANN (Ducati), Bridgestone, -49.166 6. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Michelin, -53.563 7. John HOPKINS (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -61.073 8. Loris CAPIROSSI (Ducati), Bridgestone, -81.241 9. Makoto TAMADA (Yamaha), Dunlop, -1 lap 10. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Yamaha), Dunlop, -1 lap, crash 11. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -1 lap 12. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, -3 laps 13. Alex BARROS (Ducati), Bridgestone, -1 lap, DNF, crash 14. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (KR-Honda), Michelin, -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 15. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, -3 laps, DNF, crash 16. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Michelin, -8 laps, DNF, crash 17. Randy DE PUNIET (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -20 laps, DNF, crash 18. Toni ELIAS (Honda), Bridgestone, -21 laps, DNF, crash 19. Carlos CHECA (Honda), Michelin, -22 laps, DNF, crash 2007 FIM MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 5 of 18 races): 1. Stoner, 102 points 2. Rossi, 81 3. Pedrosa, 62 4. Melandri, 61 5. Vermeulen, 55 6. Hopkins, 48 7. Capirossi, 38 8. TIE, Elias/Edwards, 35 10. TIE, Hayden/Hofmann, 30 12. Barros, 27 13. Checa, 20 14. De Puniet, 19 15. Nakano, 15 16. Guintoli, 12 17. Tamada, 11 18. Nieto, 5 19. TIE, Jacque/Roberts, 4 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Vermeulen reigns supreme in soaking French thriller Alice Grand Prix de France – May 20th Report Day 3 Vermeulen takes glory in France motogp Chris Vermeulen was the winner of a breathtakingly unpredictable Alice Grand Prix de Prance at the historic Le Mans circuit, with the heavy rainfall ironically ending a six year drought for Suzuki in MotoGP. The Australian had previously benefited on home soil in the first ever flag-to-flag race, and did even better on the 800cc to take his maiden victory in the premier class. His triumph also means that five of the last six Grand Prix winners have hailed from the Antipodean island. The race was an incredible display of the competitive nature of MotoGP, and provided fans with the sight of a number of first time leaders as the riders negotiated the changeable weather conditions and bike change choices. The opening laps saw proud moments for Randy de Puniet and Sylvain Guintoli, who led their home race with amazing rides. The French duo showed no fear amongst former winners and World Champions, and the sight of Guintoli at the head of the field on his own merit was a memorable one for his countrymen and Yamaha satellite team. Unfortunately the two both crashed as their gamble on staying out ahead of the majority of the field just failed to pay off. By lap 10 the track was completely wet, meaning that the riders were effectively obliged to change bikes in order to remain competitive. Carlos Checa and Toni Elias hit the deck before there was a chance for them to make the switch, and a chaotic pair of laps followed as the pack rearranged themselves. Some semblance of order was established when all the riders had moved to their wet bikes, with Vermeulen making the best of the situation to lead all the way to the end after a battle with previous flag-to-flag racewinner Marco Melandri. The Gresini Honda rider himself had an outstanding race, for his best result of the season onboard the Honda RC212V. He maintained a comfortable lead over third placed rider and World Championship leader Casey Stoner, who kept his nerve and saved himself from crashes in a tremendous display of his mastery of the Desmosedici GP7. The all-Bridgestone podium all had comfortable gaps between each other, and also from fourth placed rider Dani Pedrosa. Although not a fan of wet weather racing, the Spaniard certainly had a good ride from low down on the grid to add more points to his championship tally. A clearly delighted Alex Hofmann took fifth at Le Mans, his best result in MotoGP. Overtaking five time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will have been a moment to savour for the German, who pumped his fist in the air upon crossing the finish line. Rossi lost ground in the overall classification courtesy of a sixth place finish, having strayed wide in the difficult conditions on a pair of occasions. The Italian was passed by Pedrosa, Hofmann and Nicky Hayden as he struggled on the right hand corners of the Bugatti circuit, although the American’s crash with two laps to go effectively bumped up his rival to a top six place. One of the early beneficiaries of the bike change, John Hopkins ran wide whilst battling with Melandri and could not get higher than seventh, ahead of Loris Capirossi on the second factory Ducati. Makoto Tamada took ninth in his best result for Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha, ahead of his outstanding team-mate Guintoli who also achieved the same. 250cc Reigning 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo made it four wins from five in his title defence with victory from pole at Le Mans, extending his lead in the standings to 32 points. He broke free from the pack early on, but was reined in by a number of his quarter litre rivals as they tried to have a pop at the Mallorcan. On the opening laps he had to contend with 125cc World Champions Alvaro Bautista and Thomas Luthi, the latter having tasted victory in France in 2005 and 2006 when riding in the lower cylinder category. Neither were quite up to the task of following in the Spain’s No1 Aprilia rider’s footsteps, with both running off-track when challenging Lorenzo. One man who has proven that he can hang with the champion is Andrea Dovizioso, the only other rider to have won a 250cc race this season. The Italian led the way during a tense battle that also involved Alex de Angelis, although eventually Lorenzo played his trump card on the fast first section to power away from the duo, who completed the podium spots. Hector Barberá finished fourth after losing a few tenths due to tyre problems, ahead of countryman Julian Simon on the Repsol Honda. Marco Simoncelli, Mika Kallio and Alvaro Bautista completed the top eight, with the latter coming back from 19th after his off-track excursion to overtake Shuhei Aoyama and Anthony West. 125cc In a day of firsts in MotoGP, Sergio Gadea took his opening victory in the 125cc class onboard the Aspar Aprilia. The 22 year old has been something of the forgotten man in the team so far this season, having struggled early on whilst team-mates Gabor Talmacsi and Hector Faubel were winning races, but showed great poise as he kept his cool at the head of the field. Gadea had only really been troubled by poleman Mattia Pasini at the front, and the almost inevitable sight of the Italian pulling his bike off to the side of the track to with mechanical problems as had happened on three previous occasions- gifted the Spaniard a slight cushion on his rivals. Almost immediately after Pasini’s retirement World Championship leader Lukas Pesek kicked into gear and moved up into second for the first time. The Czech rider held onto the position to extend his championship lead over Gabor Talmacsi to nine points. In a delightful result for British fans, Bradley Smith took his first World Championship podium from second on the grid. The 16 year old did an excellent job to hold of Pesek until the final stages, and never once buckled under the pressure of having a title contender on his tail. The 2006 Rookie of the Year will now have sky-high confidence as he looks for a repeat of today’s performance at future races. Talmacsi finished fourth on the second Aspar bike, ahead of Joan Olive and Pablo Nieto who had slugged it out over the preceding laps after working their way up through the crowded 125cc pack. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place on June 3rd at Mugello. More, from a press release issued by Chris Vermeulen’s publicist: That Magic Moment In all elite sports there are days that can define a career. Young Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen may have just enjoyed his day of reckoning, in France, at the famous Le Mans circuit. Under enormous pressure, after a weekend where every little thing went wrong, the twenty four year old started from 12th on the grid and rode the race of his young career to take the cheque flag and secure his first ever Grand Prix victory. “I don’t know how you improve on your first Grand Prix win, may be win the world championship hey!” he contemplated. In heavy rain, the Rizla Suzuki rider came into the pits, changed bikes and set about ripping the Le Mans track apart. At one stage riding five seconds a lap quicker than Valentino Rossi. “I saw my gap increase. Initially it was really difficult we didn’t have any wet testing here, no wet practice, so the bike wasn’t set up perfect but it was good enough. I had to compensate in some areas.” Vermeulen said. Vermeulen secured a second place finish in the wet at Phillip Island last year. Today confirming he is the Rain Man. “I hate riding in the rain. Funny hey. But I do hate it. It takes a lot of concentration and it’s not fun at all. You put it on its side and hope like hell it grips. “I felt comfortable then I saw my gap come down and I saw it was Marco (Melandri) and he is the guy who beat me at Phillip Island and I was waiting for him to come real fast. I made a few mistakes and he didn’t come past me and I thought ok he must be on the limit” The twenty four year old fighting off the challenges of his rivals and Mother Nature. “There was more and more rain coming and it was getting slippery. I was out of the seat a few times. I couldn’t even hold it full noise down the straight it was aquaplaning.” Vermeulen has catapulted himself to fifth in the championship with two Australian’s now sitting inside the top five. Along with his mate Casey Stoner, Australians have won four of the first five Grands Prix of the season. “I was just thinking, get through to the next corner really, not even the next lap. I didn’t think about winning the race. To be honest I was pushing hard until the last two or three laps and then it was just bring it home.” The Queenslander added, “I wasn’t thinking this is going to be my first Grand Prix win. I was thinking stay upright and bring it home. I’ll look like an idiot if I fall off now.” It’s an historic day all round for the team and the rider. It was Suzuki’s first win since four stroke racing was introduced and the first time two Australian’s have stood on the podium in the MotoGP era. All this on the day that Suzuki’s first ever Grand Prix winner, Aussie Jack Findlay passed away at that age of 72. “That’s sad news but I am over the moon for Suzuki. We haven’t had a win under the four stroke era and hopefully it will be the first of many and hopefully I can stand up here with John (Hopkins) one day.” For today, it’s a time to savour. Tomorrow it’s back to work with a day of testing. The only difference is that Chris Vermeulen is now a grand prix winner. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Victorious Vermeulen leads Le Mans 1-2-3 for Bridgestone Round 05 – France – Race Le Mans, France – Sunday 20 May 2007 Bridgestone-shod riders dominated this afternoon’s rain-soaked French Grand Prix as Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen claimed a well deserved debut MotoGP victory ahead of Honda Gresini’s Marco Melandri and Ducati’s championship-leading Casey Stoner to score Bridgestone’s second 1-2-3 of the season. In just 24 hours in Le Mans, Vermeulen transformed his twelfth place qualifying result into a sensational victory over 28 tough laps in torrential wet conditions. Melandri challenged Vermeulen for a large portion of the race but settled for an equally impressive second place, the first podium of his 2007 campaign and his first on Bridgestone tyres. Casey Stoner extended his championship lead to 21 points after a competitive ride to third place, his fourth podium of the season. Pramac d’Antin’s Alex Hofmann claimed his best ever GP result with a fantastic fifth place while there was disappointment for local hero Randy de Puniet who suffered the misfortune to crash out from the lead of his home GP after 8 laps having thrilled the French fans with a duel alongside fellow French rider Sylvain Guintoli. Bridgestone-shod riders have now taken four victories in five races this season to equal the highest number of wins in a season which was achieved in 2006. Suzuki has also become the third manufacturer to win on Bridgestone tyres after two Honda victories with Makoto Tamada in 2004 and nine wins with Ducati since 2005. It was also the first ever MotoGP victory on Bridgestone tyres in wet conditions. Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager Motorcycle Sport Department “We are very pleased with the overall result this weekend after what was an eventful and difficult race for all riders. We are thrilled to see the fourth win on our tyres this season and our congratulations must go firstly to the Suzuki team and especially Chris Vermeulen for his tremendous debut victory. Thanks to Marco Melandri and Honda Gresini, as well as Casey Stoner and Ducati for such exceptional results today. Their efforts have helped us score the second Bridgestone 1-2-3 in just three races. An additional special mention must go to Alex Hofmann for a strong fight to fifth place, his best ever result, to make it four of Bridgestone’s teams in the top five. Finally, it was a great to see Randy lead his home GP but unfortunately he was unable to get a fitting result. All in all, I think we can reflect on a job well done this weekend in a wide range of conditions and it has been especially enjoyable to take our first ever win in France in such fashion.” Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “I am really happy for this weekend’s performance because our slick tyres were competitive in the dry practice sessions and we were looking good in race trim. In the end though, we were faced with very different and difficult wet conditions. We were able to use our latest specification wet weather tyres and could reap the benefits from the wet tyre test we carried out in Jerez in March. I think we would have been well placed to score a good result whatever the conditions this afternoon, but the competitiveness of our wet weather tyres was particularly satisfying. We have put a lot of work into our wet tyre development and today’s result – our first win in wet conditions – shows that we have found a good direction. The season is long and technical development is ongoing for race and qualifying tyres. We have a two day test session here in France from tomorrow and we look forward to continuing in this positive direction.” Chris Vermeulen Suzuki Race Winner “I am very happy for myself, the team and everyone involved this weekend. We had a few problems on Friday morning but we were progressively getting quicker during the weekend. I am sure even if it had been a completely dry race we would also have performed well. The conditions were tough and it was difficult to know exactly how hard to push. There were some guys passing me and a lap or two later they were down the road. I was sliding around a bit and then the rain started to fall a bit harder and I decided to come in earlier to change to bikes and of course to the Bridgestone wets. It was earlier than most, but I knew that this track does not dry that quickly and that it would remain slippery. I just stuck my head down and tried to get as much heat into my Bridgestones as I could. It felt really good for first 8 or 9 laps until the rain got heavier and heavier and in the end I couldn’t even hold full throttle down the straight. I am over the moon with my first MotoGP win, so thanks to Suzuki for a great wet bike set-up and to Bridgestone for competitive wet weather tyres.” Bridgestone Race Results P1 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 50m58.713s WINNER P2 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 51m11.312s +12.599s P3 Casey Stoner Ducati 51m26.060s +27.347s P5 Alex Hofmann Pramac d’Antin 51m47.879s +49.166s P7 John Hopkins Suzuki 51m59.786s +1m01.073s P8 Loris Capirossi Ducati 52m19.954s +1m21.241s P11 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki 51m50.572s +1 lap DNF Alex Barros Pramac d’Antin 50m05.770s +1 lap DNF Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 13m35.554s +20 laps DNF Toni Elias Honda Gresini 12m00.579s +21 laps Weather: Wet. Air 13°C, Track 16°C, Humidity 73% More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: Vermeulen and Rizla Suzuki win at Le Mans! Chris Vermeulen raced to his and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s first Grand Prix win at a rain-soaked Le Mans today. Vermeulen rode an almost faultless race in the wet after heavy rain started to fall over the 4.180km French circuit. He entered pit-lane at the end of lap nine to change to his wet-weather prepared Suzuki GSV-R. Within two laps he hit the front and never looked under threat all the way to the chequered flag, the impressive Australian finishing the race over 12 seconds in front of the second-placed man Marco Melandri. World Championship leader Casey Stoner finished third to give Bridgestone tyres a clean sweep on the podium. Vermeulen now moves up to fifth place in the MotoGP World Championship with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP going up to third in the team’s championship. John Hopkins looked like he was going to follow up his podium at China last time out with another one today. He produced a number of stunning laps including the fastest lap of the race to move into first place on lap nine. After he entered the pit-lane on the next lap to change to his wet bike, he was unable to sustain his momentum and also suffered with a few issues with the set-up of his GSV-R. Hopkins brought his bike home in seventh place for his fourth top seven finish of the year, a result that puts him into sixth place in the overall classification. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now stay in France for a day of testing before the MotoGP circus moves across Europe for round six of the championship, to be held at Mugello in Italy on Sunday 3rd June. Chris Vermeulen: “I’m absolutely over the moon! I am really happy for myself, my crew and everyone involved in the team. We’d had a difficult weekend coming into the race as not everything quite went to plan – but we were getting quicker and quicker and I’m sure if it had been dry today we would have improved more. The conditions were slippery to start with and it was difficult to know how hard to push. Some guys came past me and then a lap or so later they crashed! It started to rain quite heavy and I decided to come in and change my bike. I came back out and just stuck my head down and tried to get the tyres up to heat up as quick as possible. The bike felt really good in the rain, but as it got heavier it made it hard to hold the bike in top gear down the straight – there was so much water it was just spinning the rear! Tom O’Kane my Crew Chief – and the rest of the guys gave me a really good wet bike today as we hadn’t done much wet testing with the new 800. The tyre choice was spot-on and the bike was certainly good enough to win on!” John Hopkins: “Firstly I want to say well done to Chris and well done to Suzuki for standing on top of the podium. It is certainly an achievement to stand on the podium two races in a row; hopefully we can carry that streak on together. As for the race we chose one of the hardest slick rear tyres that we had, so I had to take it easy to get it up to temperature. Once it was there and I had confidence in it I was able to go from 12th to first in a short space of time. Everything was going fine until it started raining harder. I think we made the right decision when to come in to change the bike. I tried to get used to riding in the wet and it all seemed to be going alright, but we had some minor adjustment problems that hindered us a bit. At the end of the day I kept it on two wheels and finished the race with some good points. We will take the positives from this weekend and although I am disappointed to finish where I did after all the hard work we put in in the dry, it’s now time to move onto a lot of tracks that I enjoy and continue this podium streak for Rizla Suzuki!” Paul Denning- Team Manager: “Well done to Chris, to the whole team and to Suzuki for producing a motorcycle that is capable of producing podiums in both wet and dry conditions. It may have looked a bit ‘on the edge’ on television in some of the corners, but Chris assures us that he had it all under control out there. I will take his word for that as it was him out there and not me! He showed again his true level of bike control and talent. This should give him the confidence to push towards the front in all conditions over the busy weeks ahead. “Seventh was not so bad for John, but I really feel for him given that his performance level was that of a podium finisher all weekend. He had some small issues with the wet bike, but he had shown his determination to get to the front and win a GP by coming from 12th to first in a matter of laps before the rain really started. “We still have a lot to do in the test tomorrow and we hope it dries up enough to get through that programme. The whole team is certainly on a high at the moment and is heading towards Mugello looking for more of the same.” Alice Grand Prix de France Race Classification: 1. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 50’58.713: 2. Marco Melandri (Honda) +12.599: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +27.347: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +37.328: 5. Alex Hofmann +49.166: 7 JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1’01.073: World Championship Classification: 1. Stoner 102: 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 81: 3. Pedrosa 62: 4. Melandri 61: 5. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 55: 6. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 48: More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER STONER EXTENDS POINTS LEAD AT SOAKING LE MANS, CAPIROSSI OUT OF LUCK Ducati Marlboro Team rider Casey Stoner extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP World Championship with a superbly judged ride to third place in atrocious conditions at Le Mans this afternoon. Team-mate Loris Capirossi had a much more difficult ride to eighth in the soaking wet conditions because of a bike problem. The race started with light drizzle falling at some parts of the tricky French circuit, Stoner keeping out of trouble in the midst of the leading pack while some of his rivals were riding like it was the last lap, several of them crashing out. When heavier rain started falling at one-third distance riders came into the pits to swap to bikes fitted with rain tyres. Stoner maintained his composure despite the treacherous conditions, slipping to seventh at one point but then moving forward, getting the best out of his second GP7 and its Bridgestone rain tyres to take third place on lap 17. Capirossi had his work cut out starting from the fifth row of the grid but the Italian charged through the pack to move into fifth place before the heavier rain came. However, when he swapped bikes his number-two GP7 didn’t have exactly the right engine mapping for the rain and he was unable to keep improving. CASEY STONER, 3rd place, World Championship leader on 102 points “I was surprised to stay upright really! I thought it was going to be difficult to finish because a lot of people were slipping off for what looked like no reason. In the first part of the race it was light rain and there were a lot of people going fast but a couple of corners later they’d be on the ground, so you weren’t too sure how hard to push. We got through that part, got on the wet-weather tyres at the right time and from there just tried to play it smart. I felt like we did that today, we did everything right. I went back to eighth or ninth or something – I couldn’t really see my pit board with all the rain – then at the end we managed to pull back up to a podium position and bring it home. The Ducati and the Bridgestones seemed to work really good in the wet, considering we haven’t had time to get used to them in the rain. I did have a few issues with rear grip, so I hope it’s wet tomorrow so can do some more wet testing.” LORIS CAPIROSSI, 8th place, 7th overall on 38 points “I’m very sad because I had the chance of a good result in the rain. I changed bikes at the best moment, swapping over a lap before the others and I found myself up front with Chris [Vermeulen, the race winner] but I soon realised something was wrong because the bike was very difficult to ride. The engine mapping wasn’t right, the team had made a mistake. It’s a real shame and even if I understand that this kind of thing happens I’m obviously not happy. I had to defend myself as best as I could and it wasn’t easy because I risked falling every time I braked. Now we just have to look forward to the next race”. LIVIO SUPPO, Ducati MotoGP project manager “That was another superb race from Casey, it’s great to get a podium in such tricky conditions. He was very smart to come in to change bikes at the right moment and he didn’t take risks when he didn’t need to, he showed so much maturity. The bike worked well and the Bridgestones were very good, that’s why they had all three guys on the podium. We have to apologise to Loris because we made a mistake – the engine mapping on his second bike wasn’t exactly right for the conditions. We are very sorry that he wasn’t able to get a better result because of this but sometimes these things can happen.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: MELANDRI STORMS TO SECOND PLACE The Le Mans circuit continues to be a talisman venue for Marco Melandri. Having won the race here last year, he today stormed to the second step of the podium in a dramatic race which was interrupted by rain. Like in Australia last season the MotoGP riders were forced to contest a ‘flag-to-flag’ race, the increasing intensity of what started as light rainfall on the grid obliged them to enter the pits and change to their second bikes, fitted with rain tyres. Marco and his team-mate Toni Elias started out on slick tyres and rode cautiously over the opening laps, with the track in dangerously damp condition. On the 10th lap Melandri came in to pit and then returned to give chase to race leader Chris Vermeulen, with the Italian hunting him down in second place but unable to repeat his effort from Phillip Island, when he passed the Australian to win the race. Marco now lies fourth in the championship on 61 points, a single point behind Dani Pedrosa in third. Toni Elias was one of the only riders who didn’t change tyres after suffering the misfortune of a crash on the seventh lap, just before the rest of the field came in to switch bikes. MARCO MELANDRI (2nd in the race, 4th in the championship on 61 points): “I’m really happy. It was such a difficult race but good fun at the same time. Over the first few laps I tried to be careful because the track was slippery and not all that wet. It was a risky situation and there were a few crashes. I waited for a while before I came in because the track conditions were changing lap after lap and then when I saw Hopkins come in I decided to follow him. The bike worked really well in the wet from the start even though we’d only done one wet lap in preseason testing. I’ve got a good feeling with the front, the Bridgestone tyres worked really well and I was able to bring it home in second. I closed the gap to Chris but in the end I didn’t want to push too hard and take unneccessary risks. In Australia last year I was able to beat Chris but today it was his turn and I’m satisfied because it’s been a while since we’ve been on the podium. This is a really important result.” TONI ELIAS (crashed, 8th in the championship on 35 points): “The situation was difficult from the first lap – the rain was falling and I was thinking about when was the right time to come into boxes when I crashed. It’s a real shame. I took a hard blow to my back but more than that it hurts to have missed out on the points again and I’m sorry for the team. We’ll stay here to test and work more on the tyres and the bike.” Team Honda Gresini will stay on at Le Mans for two days of tests. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA TEAM HOPES DASHED IN FRENCH WASHOUT AT LE MANS Torrential rain in Le Mans today doused the hopes of the Fiat Yamaha Team as Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards struggled in the wet conditions and splashed home to sixth and twelfth respectively. An action-packed race, which saw seven riders crash out, was eventually won by Australian rider Chris Vermeulen, who took his first win in MotoGP. Black clouds gathered ominously over the MotoGP grid and a few spots of rain just before 2pm meant the race was declared wet. Despite this the riders chose to start the race on slick tyres, with the option of making a pit-stop to change bikes if the weather worsened. Edwards started from pole but was uncomfortable from the start and had dropped to the back of the field by the end of the first lap, before becoming the first to make a pit-stop and change bikes on lap four. Rossi meanwhile pounced from fourth on the grid and took the lead at turn two, holding it until he was passed by Yamaha rider Sylvain Guintoli and Randy de Puniet on lap six as the track became wetter. Rossi was one of the last five riders to come in and change after ten laps and things looked promising at first as he fought back to third but, having opted for a harder-compound wet tyre, he was unable to keep up the momentum as the rain grew heavier and slipped back through the field. Sixth place nonetheless gained him ten important championship points and he holds on to second in the standings. Unfortunately things did not improve for his team-mate; Edwards persevered to the flag but continued to struggle throughout the race and now slips to ninth in the championship. Valentino Rossi Position: 6th Time: +53.563 “Of course I’m very upset about this result because I had a very good feeling in the dry at the start. We made some good modifications to the bike, it was working very well and I thought I was going to be able to fight for the victory. Unfortunately the weather ruined it for us today! We made the pit stop and started the second part of race with hard rain tyres, because we thought it was only going to be light rain. Sadly we were wrong and when the rain got heavier my tyre was too hard for the conditions and I couldn’t push. I was very slow from then on and didn’t have any grip from the rear. In the last five laps it was quite dangerous as it was very hard to stay upright and I think I lost five or six seconds per lap at the end. We had hoped that this would be a track at which we could gain some ground on Stoner and it’s going to be a very hard battle from here because he is very fast, not just on the straights but everywhere! I want to congratulate Chris Vermeulen today because he rode a great race, I think he’s a bit of a magician in the rain!” Colin Edwards Position: 12th Time: +3 Laps “We encountered some problems that I’ve run into before – in Australia last year when I crashed in the rain and at the Jerez test this year. It’s hard to explain, but to me it feels like it’s related to the engine braking – when we’ve got less traction from the tyres in the wet it just seems to appear. I think even yesterday’s crash was down to something similar. Basically I try to put it into the corner but the rear comes round on me and it slides. Valentino and I have quite different styles – he holds the clutch in there a lot longer whilst I just kind of dump it and today it was a big problem for me. To be honest that wasn’t really rain racing for me, it was more like ice racing and it was impossible. At the start it was at its worst because being on a slick tyre with a damp track just exacerbated the problem. I came in early because in the circumstances I thought I’d gamble and hope it was going to chuck it down with rain, but a few laps out there on rain tyres when it wasn’t that wet wasn’t fun either. I came back in again, thinking maybe the tyre was too hard, and we tried a softer rain tyre and that was better in the end. I’m really sorry to the team and to everyone involved; I don’t like wasting my first pole and I had hoped for great things today.” Fiat Yamaha Team Davide Brivio Team Director “Today’s race was run in very difficult conditions, which is a pity when we had high hopes for both riders. Valentino was running well but when it started to rain we chose a tyre for light rains and then, unfortunately, the rain came down very heavily and very hard and it just wasn’t the right tyre for those conditions. This is why after he changed bikes he was very good but as the rain got heavier he started to go backwards. He did well to finish the race in this situation and get some points. For Colin, we don’t really know what to say but the conditions of today and the lower temperatures made it difficult for him and it was a day to forget after his great pole position. I think in the dry he could have had a good race but this sadly wasn’t to be. He was uncomfortable with the bike and from the start he wasn’t going well. All we can do now is move on from Le Mans, put it behind us and look forward to Mugello.” Results 1. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 50 minutes, 58.713 seconds 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini -12.599 seconds 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team -27.347 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team -37.328 5. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d’Antin -49.166 6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team -53.563 7. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP -1’01.073 8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team -1’21.241 9. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 -1 Lap 10. Fonsi Nieto (SPA) Kawasaki Racing Team -1 Lap 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 -1 Lap 12. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team -3 Lap NOT CLASSIFIED Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d’Antin 1 Lap Kenny Roberts Jr (USA) Team Roberts 2 Lap Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 3 Lap Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda 8 Lap Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 20 Lap Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 21 Lap Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 22 Lap Championship Standings 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 102 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 81 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 62 4. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 61 5. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 55 6. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 48 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 38 8. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini 35 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 35 10. Alex Hofmann (GER) Pramac d’Antin 30 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 30 12. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d’Antin 27 13. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 20 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 19 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda 15 16. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 12 17. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 11 18. Fonsi Nieto (SPA) Kawasaki Racing Team 5 19. Kenny Roberts Jr (USA) Team Roberts 4 20. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 4 Le Mans: Lap Record V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1’35.087 Le Mans: Best Lap C. Edwards (Yamaha) 2007, 1’33.616 More, from a press release issued by KTM: Hard-fought seventh place for Mika Kallio at Le Mans Red Bull KTM rider Mika Kallio showed both strength and determination at the French Grand Prix on Sunday in the 250 cc race, when he battled his way to a difficult eventual seventh place. The Finnish rider had to deal with handling problems when the bike was fully loaded with fuel and with a near accident with another rider that forced him into the gravel. In a day when luck seemed to escape the team, Kallio’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama also had his share of disappointments. Aoyama started well and for a while was able to ride alongside Kallio. Then a top 10 finish eluded him when the crankshaft of his motorcycle broke. “I had a really good start again and was in fifth position after the first corner,” Kallio reported after the race. He then ran into a problem that had previously given him difficulty. “The bike didn’t handle very well with a full petrol tank, and I had to brake earlier than usual,” he said. Kallio slipped back some places but was still confident of a good finish when he and Anthony West touched going into the first fast right hand corner of the circuit. Kallio ended up in the gravel and lost another four positions. “My brake lever was bent down which made it more difficult to ride. But I still tried to push and even got back up to speed after that, because as the fuel level went down and the bike got lighter it felt the way I like it.” In the closing stages it seemed possible for Kallio to finish in sixth slot but Simoncelli went on the attack and he was unable to catch him. Aoyama too was making steady progress up through the ranks. He was eleventh after one lap and by lap five had moved up to ninth. “I would have made further progress for sure but then the engine started to feel strange, it felt tight under acceleration and started to lose power. And just before mid-race, my bike simply stopped,” the Japanese rider concluded. Results 125 cc Race 1. Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41’50.112 2. Lukas Pesek, Czech Republic, Derbi, 41’50.590 3. Bradley Smith, Britain, Honda, 41:53.075 4. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 42’03.628 5. Joan Olive, Spain, Aprilia, 42’03.957 10. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, KTM, 42’09.220 13. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, 42’19.629 Steve Bonsey, USA, KTM DNF Promising start for Koyama in Le Mans fails to reward Red Bull KTM factory rider Tomoyoshi Koyama started the 125cc French Grand Prix with great flair from the front row of the grid and steamed into second and third place in the opening four laps of the race on the circuit at Le Mans. But all hopes of the Japanese ace to add another podium finish to his career faded when he ran into chattering problems with his machine. Koyama was unable to defend his position and dropped down the order into a tight pack of riders and eventually crossed the line in a disappointing 10th place. “At the beginning of the race, things looked really good. I was with the leading pack, and even though Pasini established an incredible pace right from the beginning, I really believed in my chance of a podium finish,” the Japanese rider said. Regrettably he then began to experience the chattering problems going into the corners and in mid corner. Knowing that he could not push as hard as he would have liked, Koyama then just had to settle down to make the best of the situation. The ever positive Japanese competitor still found it in himself to look forward positively, saying: “We’ve had this problem before and were able to solve it, so I’m sure we can fix it again for the next race!” Any measure of luck also escaped Koyama’s team-mate Randy Krummenacher of Switzerland. “I had a good start and I was immediately within the point rankings but then Zanetti hit me from behind and I lost three or four places,” Krummenacher said. The painful blow he sustained on the back of his thigh was enough for him to lose his rhythm for the following few laps. “Then I got it back together and ended up in a nice battle with Michi Ranseder. I caught him four laps from the end and managed to stay ahead of him!” Considering his misfortune with the other rider, Krummenacher crossed the line in a creditable thirteenth place. Despite a satisfactory start, the team’s American dirt track hero Steve Bonsey was again out of luck and crashed after three laps. He had to take some quick defensive action after another rider crashed in the first corner and found himself at the back of the field. “I then tried to recover as quickly as possible, but my rear tyre would spin at the corner exits, and I also had some chattering. After a few laps, I opened the throttle at the exit of the last corner too early, had a highsider and crashed. Another bummer!” Results 125 cc Race 1. Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41’50.112 2. Lukas Pesek, Czech Republic, Derbi, 41’50.590 3. Bradley Smith, Britain, Honda, 41:53.075 4. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 42’03.628 5. Joan Olive, Spain, Aprilia, 42’03.957 10. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, KTM, 42’09.220 13. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, 42’19.629 Steve Bonsey, USA, KTM DNF KTM Fans’ Grandstand brings a taste of Orange to French Grand Prix Despite an abrupt change in the weather, KTM and some 150 loyal fans succeeded in bringing a true taste of orange to the Le-Mans racing circuit at the French Grand Prix, celebrating the inaugural KTM Fans’ Grandstand. Organized in close co-operation with KTM France, the first ever KTM fans’ Grandstand, situated at the famous Garage Verte hairpin bend of the circuit, was the forerunner of more to come this season and in the future. Equipped with the signature orange t-shirts and KTM flags from the KTM fan packages, the band of dedicated followers made sure nothing was going to stand between them and their enthusiastic support for the Red Bull KTM factory team. The orange fans were supplied with a complementary breakfast from the KTM maintenance truck and were able to get up front and personal with their favourite machines at the KTM display area. The fans’ grandstand concept is designed to welcome dedicated members of the KTM extended family and to give them a sense of belonging to the ever expanding “orange community”. There will also be a KTM grandstand at the German and Czech Grands Prix and others are in the planning stage. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: MIXED FORTUNES FOR KAWASAKI AFTER THRILLING RACE AT LE MANS The French Grand Prix ended in disappointment for Kawasaki rider, Randy de Puniet, when he crashed out on the eighth lap, having taken his first ever lead in a MotoGP race in front of his home crowd. After a difficult start from eighth on the grid, de Puniet was pushed down the order but soon fought back, ploughing his way through the field in the early laps to take a confident lead, much to the pleasure of his countrymen, who were cheering him around the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans. The race was officially declared wet but de Puniet, like the rest of the riders, began on slick tyres. The weather worsened as the race progressed and, just he was about to pull into his pit garage to change bikes, the 26-year-old Frenchman lost control of his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR and ended up in the gravel. It was hugely disappointing, especially as he’d been dicing with fellow countryman, Sylvain Guintoli, at the front of the pack, delighting their home fans in the process. Fonsi Nieto, the World Superbike rider who’s been standing in for the injured Olivier Jacque this weekend, rode heroically in what was his 100th Grand Prix race. He completed the race despite the horrendous conditions and lack of familiarity with Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR. Numerous riders crashed out during the 28-lap race, enabling Nieto to finish in 11th place, with a total time of 51’50.572 and earning him five championship points! Due to his crash, Randy sustained a minor injury to his shoulder but otherwise came out unscathed. Unable to improve on his 19 championship points, he moves down the leader board to 14th place, overall. After a testing weekend at Le Mans, the team are looking forward to going to Italy in a fortnight, when MotoGP returns to Mugello for one of the biggest races in the calendar. Fonsi Nieto Position: 11th “Conditions couldn’t really have been worse for my MotoGP debut than they were today; it was possibly the most difficult race of my life, but as an experience it was definitely worth it. Today was also my 100th Grand Prix start; so to finish the race with five championship points was a nice present. The rain started while we were sat on the grid, and it was at this point that I decided to take is steady to make sure I finished the race, and hopefully in the points. This is what the team asked me to do and I did it. The experience of going into the pits to switch bikes was pretty unique, although I was a little bit nervous because I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I made sure I kept a safety margin from the start of the race as my first target was to learn as much as I could, by completing as many laps as possible and bringing the bike home. We achieved this objective. The welcome I received from everyone in the team has been amazing, and they have made me feel at home from the start. I would like to thank them for all they have done for me this weekend.” Randy de Puniet Position: DNF “I am so disappointed and I’m sorry for my crew, the team, Kawasaki and Bridgestone as they have all worked so hard. The race was declared wet from the start, but I think we all opted to start on slick tyres because the rain was not so heavy, just a few spots, and you can never be sure what will happen in these conditions. Once again I had some problems from the start and I lost some places in the run to the first corner, though I was feeling confident on the bike and I was quickly able to fight myself through the field and take the lead. And then the rain started to fall harder and I was about to come in to switch bikes when I crashed. Maybe I was too fast, I don’t know, but the result was that the rear came round on me at the Esses Bleus and down I went. It’s a shame because running at the front of the field in my home Grand Prix was a fantastic feeling. But, I learnt an important lesson today and I hope that I will have the opportunity to lead a race again this season, when I might handle things differently. We showed today that we’re in good shape and now we must look to securing a good result in the next race at Mugello.” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “We came to Le Mans with high expectations of Randy, because we knew our Ninja ZX-RR would be competitive here. Early on in the race it looked like Randy was going to fulfil these expectations; he was confident on the bike and very aggressive in carving his way through to the front of the field. Unfortunately he either got a bit too overconfident or misread the worsening conditions, and crashed out of the race on the lap on which he was due to return to the pits to switch to a machine with a wet set-up. But, once again, he has shown his potential and now he has some experience of leading a race, and we hope that the next time he finds himself at the front of the field then he’ll be able to better handle the pressure. As for Fonsi, he came here completely cold, never having ridden a MotoGP machine and with no experience on Bridgestone tyres. His approach and attitude have been fantastic all weekend, even in today’s extremely difficult race conditions. It was his first time on wet tyres, on a bike that he only rode for the first time on Friday, and yet he showed his maturity as a rider by keeping his head and finishing just outside the top ten. You can’t fault his performance this weekend. It is always a pleasure to come to Le Mans, with many fans cheering us on, and it is a shame that we couldn’t give them a better result today.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MELANDRI COLLECTS USEFUL POINTS HAUL IN DELUGE This was a rain-sodden MotoGP showdown that put nerve and skill at a premium and it was Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) who showed the required credentials to win from Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) with Casey Stoner (Ducati) third. With rain threatening, the lights on the grid went out and a crowd of 74,000 watched with some trepidation as the field barreled into turn one with specks of moisture dotting the competitors’ visors and screens. Stoner got the jump into the turn followed by American John Hopkins (Suzuki), but it took only four more corners before Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) took the lead. This would be a difficult race over 28-laps of this 4.180km track in conditions that worsened as the laps clicked down. The first half of this race was frenzied affair with riders pitting to change machines (and with them tyres) and pole-man Colin Edwards (Yamaha) was the earliest visitor to pit lane on lap four. As Rossi led across the start/finish straight (a scant 450m of it) conditions were plainly difficult. And it was the riders with the least to lose and the most to gain who put the power down early and gambled their way to the front. Alex Barros (Ducati) lay third with Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha) and Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) both, as dutiful Frenchmen, giving it everything in the treacherous conditions. With Edwards swapping bikes Rossi held a 1.8 second advantage over Barros, who was giving it everything in second. The Brazilian was followed by Stoner, de Puniet and Guintoli. But the native riders were restless and by lap six Guintoli led from de Puniet with Rossi losing momentum and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) moving up the order to fifth. On lap seven Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V), who was holding seventh from a front row start, crashed and this unleashed a torrent of activity at the front with Guintoli going down on the next lap, Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) on the eighth, and de Puniet shortly after the Spaniard. By this time the red and yellow striped flags were out to signal a significant deterioration in adhesion as John Hopkins led the pack. Those who had not pitted earlier now did so, including Hopkins and Pedrosa and this second tier of tyre swappers tended to do better (in the final analysis) than the first wave. By lap 12 it was Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) who held second place before overhauling Hopkins for the lead. Melandri then blasted past the American to take second with Rossi now third. Guintoli had nursed his machine back to pitlane to exchange his battered bike for a straighter version and he rejoined the fray in 13th spot, while Vermeulen led Marco by 1.6 seconds. Things were very wet now. Melandri was giving his all to reduce Vermeulen’s advantage and by lap 14 he had shaved the Aussie’s lead to 1.1 seconds. It was Vermeulen and the Italian first and second with Rossi and Stoner some ways behind in third and fourth, with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) fifth, Alex Hofmann (Ducati) sixth and Dani seventh. If the early laps were a maelstrom of activity, the second half of this contest was enlivened only by Melandri’s enthusiasm to catch Vermeulen. By lap 18 the tenacious Italian had carved the gap down to 0.5 seconds. Stoner in third was a considerable 15 seconds adrift of the protagonists, having taken advantage of Rossi’s difficulties in maintaining an economical line out of the turns in the deluge. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) crashed and splashed down at the Flip-Flop on lap 21 as his predecessor in the Konica Minolta seat, Makoto Tamada, now riding for Yamaha, was lapped. There was standing water on track now and Hayden was a man who made the most of the slippery tarmac taking Rossi, who ran wide again, for fourth on lap 22. Vermeulen though was clearly in charge. It took him a mere five laps to re-establish his authority on the event by giving Marco a 2.3 second hole to fill. Barring disasters he was going to take the flag. The disaster fell to Nicky. On lap 26 he crashed heavily while holding fourth. The Aussie Suzuki man took his first MotoGP win in style, wheelying over the line with Marco having settled for second. Championship points leader Stoner rode to a neat third place here at Le Mans, only the fifth round of an eighteen race series. Dani (who many believe finds racing in the rain a bother) took an eager fourth. Marco said, “It was an amazing race. From the start it was very difficult on slick tyres and many riders who are not normally in the top were really pushing. I didn’t push then. When it started raining hard I didn’t know when best to come into the pit and change to wet tyres because half the track was wet and half not so bad. When I caught Chris (Vermeulen) I didn’t want to pass him and decided to wait. But I have short legs and could not get my knee down onto the track to control the front and had a couple of big slides, one in sixth gear. So I decided to let Chris go.” Fourth-placed Dani said, “Well I’m really happy with the result because this was a very hard race and we came through strongly. We learned a lot from the previous wet race in Australia last year and this time the change of bikes was very quick which meant I could keep ahead of the riders who were behind me as I came into the pits. My team did a great job so thank you to them. Although it’s only fourth place I’m very happy today because I needed a good result like this in the wet and it gives me a lot of confidence.” The fallen, but comparatively unhurt, Nicky said, “That’s a shame for sure. We had a pretty solid fourth place there with just a couple of laps to go and the bike was feeling pretty good in the wet. But then as soon as I touched the brake at the end of the back straight it folded on me. I hadn’t even started back-shifting yet and before I knew it I was just picking up speed as I hit the ground it was a rough ride. It sucks, but it seems like no bones are broken and that’s a good thing, though I’ve damaged some cartilage in my ribcage.” Tumbler Checa said, “It was a difficult day in these conditions. I was comfortable early in the race and going into the chicane with a group of riders I saw Valentino (Rossi) on the outside and then Barros cut the gas early. I tried to avoid them by going inside but I arrived a little bit too fast and was not able to stop the bike and turn and lost the front. It is a shame, we had a very competitive package today.” Shinya Nakano, who slid off, said, “In the early part of the race it was difficult as the rain was starting to fall making it difficult to ride fast with the slick tyre, then I was hoping for more rain! When the rain really came down the team did a great job of getting me into the pits at the right time. Our pace was pretty good and I was overtaking a few riders, and then I was trying to catch the guys in front of me. I could see them, so maybe that meant I pushed too much. Eventually I lost the front going into one of the chicanes and I went down.” “The track was a little wet before the start,” said non-finisher Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V). “So we took a gamble and opted to run rain tyres hoping to get an advantage when the rain got harder. But the ran didn’t come soon enough and any advantage we would have got from the other riders going into the pits for wet tyres disappeared lap by lap. When the rain came I was in no position to benefit. Then on the last lap we had an engine problem and had to stop, so we scored no points.” Unlucky Elias said, “Within the first lap of the race conditions were difficult. When the rain started to get heavier I was trying to work out when best to go to the pit box for wet tyres. Then, suddenly, without any warning the bike went down. It was quite a heavy fall and my back is very painful. I went to the doctor for an x-ray and luckily nothing is broken. I am very disappointed because I haven’t scored points in the last two races.” The World Championship points table shows Stoner with 102 to Rossi’s 81 with Dani scoring well enough to stay in touch on 62 and Marco right back in the mix with 61 as the European rounds take in Mugello in Italy in two weeks time. The 250cc race was once again the property of Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia), although not without a stiff fight from his main rival. The Spaniard clashed with the typically remorseless Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) who set a fastest lap of the race on his final lap to achieve second place. Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) was third. Dovi said, “We are fast so I’m happy. But I’m not so happy when Lorenzo touched me in the middle of the race and broke my rear brake that made things difficult. Even so I pushed to the maximum on each lap and the last lap. So second it is not so good.” Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished fifth and said, “It’s been a hard race and the truth is that I already expected something like this. We’ve done a good job, the team has been really great and they have given their all. It could have been better than fifth, but we’ll try to improve in the next race.” Sergio Gadea (Aprilia) won the 125cc race from series points leader Lukas Pesek (Derbi) with the increasingly involved Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) third. Smith, incidentally, is the first British rider to make a 125cc podium since Robin Milton in 1989. Smith said, “The race was hard but the bike was brilliant. Things have been leading up to this podium finish and that’s all to do with the team who have been brilliant so a big thanks to them.” Mike di Meglio (Scot Honda RS125R) was ninth. He said, “I’m quite satisfied, this is one of my better results, but I think I could have made more of it because we had a good pace. Unfortunately De Rosa fell in front of me and to avoid him I had to slow down a lot and many riders passed me.” Honda rider quotes French GP Le Mans Race Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 2nd.”It was an amazing race. From the start it was very difficult on slick tyres and many riders who are not normally in the top were really pushing. I didn’t push then. When it started raining hard I didn’t know when best to come into the pit and change to wet tyres because half the track was wet and half not so bad. When Chris (Vermeulen) went into the pits I thought OK now I have to go in. We have never tested Bridgestone tyres here and only had one wet test in the winter. The team had a good set up on my spare bike and it felt good from the beginning. When I caught Chris I didn’t want to pass him and decided to wait. But I have short legs and could not get my knee down onto the track to control the front when I had a couple of big slides, one in sixth gear! So I decided to let Chris go.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th. “Well I’m really happy with the result because this was a very hard race and we came through strongly. We learned a lot from the previous wet race in Australia last year and this time the change of bikes was very quick which meant I could keep ahead of the riders who were behind me as I came into the pits. My team did a great job so thank you to them. At the start of the race I think many of the riders in front of me had hard tyres on because I was able to move forward in the first laps. Once the rain came it just got heavier and heavier, yet I was still able to improve on every lap. It was a case of just trying to get used to the situation because when I swapped to the other bike with the wet set-up, the gears, suspension and obviously the tyres were all different. Although it’s only fourth place I’m very happy today because I needed a good result like this in the wet and it gives me a lot of confidence.” Toni Elias, Gresini Honda: dnf crash. “Within the first lap of the race conditions were difficult. When the rain started to get heavier I was trying to work out when best to go to the pit box for wet tyres. Then, suddenly, without any warning the bike went down. It was quite a heavy fall and my back is very painful. I went to the Doctor for an Xray and luckily nothing is broken. I am very disappointed because I have not scored points in the last two races. “ Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: dnf crash. “That’s a shame for sure. We had a pretty solid fourth place there with just a couple of laps to go and the bike was feeling pretty good in the wet. But then as soon as I touched the brake at the end of the back straight it folded on me. I hadn’t even started back-shifting yet and before I knew it I was just picking up speed as I hit the ground – it was a rough ride. It sucks, but it seems like no bones are broken and that’s a good thing, though I’ve damaged some cartilage in my ribcage. It’s just hugely disappointing for me and the team but I can’t blame it on anybody but myself today. The bike was not bad in the wet – for sure it was moving around a little bit and some of the other riders took off but we definitely didn’t deserve that today. I guess that’s how it goes sometimes so we’ll just keep working at it and come back hard at the next race in Italy.” Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: dnf – crash. “In the early part of the race it was difficult as the rain was starting to fall making it difficult to ride fast with the slick tyre, then I was hoping for more rain! When the rain really came down the team did a great job of getting me into the pits at the right time. Our pace was pretty good and I was overtaking a few riders, and then I was trying to catch the guys in front of me. I could see them, so maybe that meant I pushed too much. Eventually I lost the front going into one of the chicanes and I went down. I’m so unhappy for the team as they did everything correctly, but it was a good experience to be going fast on the Michelin rain tyres and I had a good feeling with the bike. At the end of the day this sort of race is always a bit of a gamble. We shall give 110% for the next race at Mugello.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: dnf technical problem. “The track was a little wet before the start so we took a gamble and opted to run rain tyres hoping to get an advantage when the rain got harder. But the ran didn’t come soon enough and any advantage we would have got from the other riders going into the pits for wet tyres disappeared lap by lap. When the rain came I was in no position to benefit. Then on the last lap we had an engine problem and had to stop, so we scored no points.” Carlos Checa, LCR Honda: dnf – crash. “It was a difficult day in these conditions. I was comfortable early in the race and going into the chicane with a group of riders I saw Valentino (Rossi) on the outside and then Barros cut the gas early. I tried to avoid them by going inside but I arrived a little bit too fast and was not able to stop the bike and turn and lost the front. It is a shame, we had a very competitive package today.” 250cc. Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 2nd. “What’s pity for that contact with Lorenzo! If that happened I had great possibilities to be leading, considering that I made the fastest lap time and the lap record for the track on my last lap when I went faster to try to get the win. Without a back brake and a bent footrest it was difficult because my leg hurt at the end of the race and because I need a lot the back brake in fast turns. In our situation, and the difference in points between Lorenzo and us, this crash is a bad thing but this is also part of racing”¦ I’m not satisfied. I would have won because we had a good pace and the team has worked well. Now we go to Mugello for the next race, it will not be easy for us, but we’ll try.” Julian Simon, Repsol Honda: 5th. “It’s been a hard race and the truth is that I already expected something like this. I made a good start although I was passed by several riders before even reaching the first corner and I was last in the group. I passed Barbera to catch the leading group because they had a better pace. But then he passed me back in the back straight and I wasn’t able to reach the others. That is when the fight with Barbera started and I’ve been behind him until the end of the race. It was difficult to try to pass him in the last lap because I was lacking some top speed. But well, we’ve done a good job, the team has been really great and they have given it all. It could have been better than fifth, but we’ll try to improve in the next race.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 9th. “The start wasn’t bad today and I tried to pass the riders in front of me in the third lap. However, just like in the practices, the right knee was hurting a lot, even more than in the beginning so I had trouble getting a pace that would allow me to pass them. Five laps later the pain was much less and I was able to keep a good pace. Bautista passed me in the last lap and I tried to pass him back but I had no more strength left to do it.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 11th. “I’m pleased with the way things went. My start was far from perfect but I tried to stay focussed and to regain some ground as quickly as possible. As the laps went by, I was improving my lap times gradually and was able to chase the riders in front me. When I caught up with Lai, I knew it wouldn’t be possible to open a gap over him. In the last three laps I gave my all and I was able to get my best result of the season. I have to thank my team because, once more, they did a great job.” Eugene Laverty, LCR Honda: 19th. “I scored one point but I am disappointed with my performance, I thought I could have challenged Fabrizio Lai for 12th place. The track was much colder today and I didn’t have the same feeling from the front end that I had yesterday. Plus the bikes in my group were faster on the straights.” Yukio Katayama, Scot Honda: Takahashi will not contest the French GP due to injuries sustained at the GP of Turkey. 125cc: Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “This has obviously been a mega-race for me. My start wasn’t great but I managed to get a good place in the first corner and I stayed behind Di Meglio. Then, he and some other riders went wide in a corner and I passed them. Pasini had opened a little gap, but then I was behind Gadea and I pushed hard until I got closer, though always a bit far behind. I only managed to get really close towards the end of the race and I know that I could have been fighting with them. The bike went perfect today, so I’ve been able to keep Pesek behind me. When Pesek passed me, I had to go a little wide in the corner. I don’t know whether his tyres were in better shape than mine or he was just faster than me, because he managed to escape. Then I thought that a place on the podium was enough for me and that we’ll have the chance to make it better some other day.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Scot Honda: 9th “I’m quite satisfied, this is my best result this season until now but I think I could taken more from the race because we had a good pace. Unfortunately De Rosa fall down ahead me and in order to avoid him I had slow down a lot and many riders passed me. I tried to recover the positions but the rear end of the bike was sliding and I had to modify my riding style for this but I couldn’t go faster. Anyway we have improved a lot and I’m sure we will continue to improve.” Alexis Masbou, FFM Honda: 12th.”At the beginning of the race I was confident because I had a good start and, after qualifying eleventh in practice, I was able to make my way amongst the other riders and quickly gain several positions. Eighth after lap one, I thought I could keep up the pace I had in mind and stay with the leading riders. But I encountered a slight problem with my bike. It didn’t have enough acceleration in first gear and I was losing ground. The other riders started passing me while I was closing on the leading group, together with Spaniard Joan Olive. I lost some ground and was no longer able to benefit from the slipstream from other machines. One should say that the weather conditions were very peculiar during the race, sunny at first and then cloudy with a high humidity level, and that was a nightmare for the mechanics. I¹m disappointed with my position because I gave it everything I had, the team and I did our maximum for a result with which I’m not totally satisfied.” Dino Lombardi, Kopron Scot Honda: 21st. “I made a good start, I was in the group of the row ahead me when Zanetti crashed and I lost positions trying to avoid him. I fought a lot with Aegerter and we touched each other many times, it was a hard fought race in which I tried to pass a lot of other riders. I’m quite satisfied, I hope to continue on this way.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 25th. “That was a very frustrating race for me I just could not get out of the group I was riding with. The problem was that riders passed me in unexpected places but that slowed us. I worked really hard during the race to make progress but if you pulled out of the slipstream to pass it was difficult to get passed some of the group and you had to get back in line. The bike was really good today, and the tyres. I got a good start but just couldn’t get away from the riders I was racing with.” Danny Webb, Molenaar Honda: 27th. “Up until now I have made progress in very race but this weekend I have just not adapted to this rack. It’s me, not the bike. I got a good start and a decent first lap but after that everything went downhill. I am really disappointed with my race.” Tito Rabat, Repsol Honda: Rabat did not start due to a broken bone in his left hand. The injury is the legacy of a high-speed tumble in Friday’s practice when he was hit by another rider. More, from a press release issued by Michelin: MICHELIN: ‘WE SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN SOFTER TIRES’ Michelin riders Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) and Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) finished fourth and sixth in today’s rain-lashed French GP at Le Mans to maintain their third and second positions in the 2007 MotoGP points chase. The race started in drizzly conditions, with all riders using slick tires, but after nine of the 28 laps heavy rain began to fall and riders rode into the pits to change to their number-two bikes fitted with rain tires. Rossi had led the early stages of the race but was unable to run up front in the rain, which increased in intensity with every lap, the opposite of what Michelin had forecast. “After the race it’s easy to say that we chose too-hard tires for most of our riders for the rain,” said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “It’s always a gamble, at Phillip Island last year when we had the first GP with mid-race tire changes we chose very well and won the race. Of course, you never really know what the weather’s going to do but we now know that we should have chosen softer rear tires for most of our guys. We definitely didn’t expect such heavy rain; we had guessed there would be lighter rainfall, so most of our riders used medium-range rears which weren’t the best for the waterlogged track. That’s why Valentino had to take wider lines into the corners, which allowed several riders to pass him. Dani chose a softer rear, because he usually uses softer tires, and although he isn’t very confident in the wet he was able to ride pretty fast today. “It’s a shame because I think we could have had a very good race if the conditions had stayed dry. Valentino and Dani came on very strong at the start, they were fighting up front, Nicky (Hayden, Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) was also riding wonderfully in the dry, Carlos (Checa, Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin) too, until he made a mistake when there were so many riders fighting close together and fell. It’s been a difficult day but this year’s championship is very long. The level of competition is very high at the moment, which is great for the sport, and we look forward to fighting for the win again.” More, from a press release issued by Team Roberts: LAST-LAP BREAKDOWN FOILS KENNY’S CUNNING PLAN Le Mans, France – May 20, 2007: Kenny Roberts Junior dropped out of a points-scoring position in today’s gruellingly wet French GP, when his engine stopped on the final lap of a race that started damp, and finished in a deluge. The 2000 World Champion had gambled on the weather, starting the race on full wet tyres while the rest of the field were on slicks. On a fully wet track, this would have given him an early advantage, and another chance to display his wet-weather skills. The rain did come, but not soon enough to play into his hands – by the time the track was fully wet, after one third distance of the 28-lap race, Roberts had already lost too much time. He did regain some as other riders stopped to change to bikes fitted with wet tyres, and he was circulating steadily in the points right up until the final lap. Then the engine stopped abruptly, and he was forced to retire, the chequered flag barely a mile away. It was a disappointing afternoon for the England-based independent constructors, running a chassis of their own design and manufacture, powered by a V4 Honda engine. The bad weather is expected to continue tomorrow, and as a result the team will probably not test after all. This is another unwelcome turn of events: with only one rider and a brand new and unique machine, they need all the testing time they can get. The race was won by Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), after earlier leaders crashed out in the treacherous conditions. KENNY ROBERTS – Team Principal It rained, but not soon enough for us. Then the engine quit on the last lap, in a big way, apparently. We’re waiting now to find out exactly what happened. For the future, we need more information and more time, and right now we’re not getting either. It looks like we won’t be testing tomorrow because of the rain. We need some help somewhere.