MotoGP's new generation set for battle at historic Le Mans

2008-05-15 09:03
After trips to Qatar, Spain, Portugal and China, the MotoGP World Championship is set for its fifth round, the Alice Grand Prix de France, which takes place on May 18th at the historic Le Mans circuit.

The top three riders in the premier class - current series leader Dani Pedrosa, Fiat Yamaha rookie Jorge Lorenzo and his teammate the five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi - are separated by just 9 points with a win apiece so far this year. The MotoGP category has seen four winners from as many races, with 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner having taken victory in Qatar, for only the second season since the switch to four-stroke machinery in 2002.

Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa has a respectable record at Le Mans, particularly in the lower cylinder categories. He won the French 125cc race in 2003, and also triumphed in the 2004 and 2005 250cc events. Since arriving in MotoGP he has placed third and fourth respectively at the track, last year answering critics that had cast doubts about his ability to ride in the wet. A podium at this latest round would continue his 100% record of rostrum finishes in 2008, the Spaniard the only rider to do so.

Lorenzo trails his rival by seven points, ending his own perfect podium run in China with fourth place. The result itself doesn't tell the full story of the Fiat Yamaha rookie's weekend in Shanghai, as the reigning 250cc World Champion rode for almost the entire weekend with multiple ankle fractures courtesy of a huge Friday highside. Whilst his less than 100% fitness obviously casts doubt as to his participation in Le Mans, few would be expecting the gutsy debutant to miss out on another opportunity to take the leadership of the World Championship.

Of the four riders in with a chance of leading the series upon departure from France, only third placed Rossi has tasted victory in a premier class Le Mans race. The Italian was triumphant in the 2002 and 2005 Grands Prix, but has spent the past two seasons outside the podium spots. He ended his longest MotoGP win drought since his maiden victory with a vintage display in Shanghai, taking maximum points for the first time since switching to Bridgestone tyres for 2008.

Stoner lies in fourth in the overall classification, returning to the podium in Shanghai after two races outside the rostrum positions. The Ducati Marlboro rider is hungry to return to winning ways and, like Pedrosa, holds a fourth place and third place in his two previous French visits as a MotoGP rider.

Behind the top four, Rizla Suzuki veteran Loris Capirossi is tied with rookie James Toseland on 33 points, with the latter set for an important race at another unknown track. The Tech 3 Yamaha team have strong links to France, particularly through Team Principal Herve Poncharal. This year the French connection for the outfit is even stronger, with their switch in tyre manufacturers to Michelin.

The man who ended Jorge Lorenzo's perfect run of pole positions, Colin Edwards is also representing Tech 3 Yamaha on their home soil, he heads Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden, MotoGP rookie Andrea Dovizioso and Kawasaki star John Hopkins in the top ten. Last year´s winner of the wet Le Mans race, Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen, currently lies in fourteenth place.


250cc

In 250cc, Mika Kallio holds a 21-point advantage over Mattia Pasini, with both having an impressive record of podium finishes thus far in 2008. Kallio has been on the rostrum at every race to date, including victories at Jerez and the most recent round in Shanghai. Pasini has only failed to place on the rostrum in Portugal, with a strong start to his quarter-litre category career onboard the Polaris World Aprilia.

Three different manufacturers are featured in the top four, with the KTM of Kallio ahead of Aprilia's Pasini and Hector Barbera and Honda's Yuki Takahashi. The JiR Team Scot rider took his first ever World Championship victory at Le Mans in 2006 and, two years and a series of injury setbacks later, is finally back on top form and in the fight for podiums in the class.

Takahashi's fellow Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama moved up to fifth with a second place in Shanghai, completing a Red Bull KTM one-two at the Chinese circuit. The top six is completed by expected title challenger Alvaro Bautista, who has been hit by a series of unfortunate events that have taken their toll on his points tally. The Mapfre Aspar rider finished eighth in Le Mans last season.


125cc

Despite crashing out of the 125cc race in Shanghai, Simone Corsi is still sitting pretty at the top of the lower cylinder category classification. The Jack&Jones WRB rider leads Belson Derbi's Joan Olive and his own teammate Nico Terol by nine points, with neither of his rivals able to take advantage as victory went to surprise package Andrea Iannone in China.

Mike di Meglio is just one point behind the second and third placed riders, riding the second Derbi machine to feature in the top four. He has a chance to take the lead in the World Championship at his home Grand Prix, a result that would be the perfect start to the race day action for local spectators.

Stefan Bradl and Sergio Gadea round off the tightly packed top six, which has no place for two of the expected title challengers at the beginning of the season. Reigning World Champion Gabor Talmacsi was finally back on podium form with a third place in Shanghai, but currently lies in eighth place, whilst perennial poleman Bradley Smith has just sixteen points to his name despite starting at the head of the grid for three of the opening four races.


Circuit Info

Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Grand Prix circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties but a serious accident to Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995 saw it struck off the calendar until 2000 whilst stringent safety improvements were carried out. Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that place the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit is always an extremely popular venue with fans.

This year the famous Garage Vert double-apex right-hander undergoes some slight modifications, meaning there will be new lap records in all classes.

Source: Dorna

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