MotoGP review: A look at Le Mans and the riders

Tuesday May 13, 2008
By Nick Horsburgh

SINGAPORE (espnstar.com) - This weekend will see the MotoGP action return to Europe after their Asian adventure in Shanghai. The venue for this, the fifth round of the season, is the historic Le Mans circuit in France.

The Track:

Although the MotoGP riders use just four of the 13.5 kilometres the famous circuit offers, the track is still recognisable as the site of many of motorsports’ most enduring scenes, especially the famous Dunlop Chicane. As a circuit, the Le Mans track is quite stop-start, with a series of long straights leading into tight, second gear hairpins. Also, like the full-length track used for the 24 Heures du Mans race, the shortened version also has a couple of chicanes to break up the longer straights.

The track was previously known as being quite slippery, but after resurfacing in 2004, the complaints have ceased. In terms of set-up, Le Man’s is quite simple. There is a lot of focus on braking stability for the braking zones preceding the hairpins, as these areas are the most likely overtaking spots.

The Riders:

After four races so far this season, we have already seen four separate winners and this trend could continue; as of the four riders currently in contention for the lead of the championship, only Italian Valentino Rossi has won at Le Mans in the MotoGP class and those wins came back in 2002 and 2005. Here is a look at the major championship contenders and their chances of Gaelic success.

Dani Pedrosa

22-year-old Spaniard Dani Pedrosa may not have tasted victory at Le Mans in the MotoGP class, but he did win the 2003 125cc race and both the 2004 and 2005 250cc Grand Prix, so he is very familiar with the track. In the MotoGP class, Pedrosa has placed in a respectable third and fourth place, missing out on the podium by just a single position last year in wet conditions, answering critics who had pointed out his previous difficulties in the wet. Pedrosa is in the lead of the championship, seven points ahead of fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.

Jorge Lorenzo

MotoGP rookie Jorge Lorenzo has had a checkered past at the Le Mans circuit, claiming victory in the 2007 250cc French GP, and a third place in the 2004 125cc event. The 21-year-old has had some problems at Le Mans since his 2002 professional debut in the 125cc class, with a 19th and a 10th place finish, as well as two retirements. To make life more difficult for the Spaniard, he will be riding with multiple ankle fractures thanks to a huge high-side accident in practice for the Chinese GP. However, Lorenzo rode to a superb fourth place that same weekend so although his injuries, in addition to his inconsistency at the circuit make him perhaps an outside chance for the win, there is little doubt the rookie will be fired up and desperate to close the gap in the championship race.

Valentino Rossi

Five-time World Champion Valentino Rossi aka “The Doctor” made his long awaited return to the top step of the podium last time out at the Chinese GP, and now that his partnership with tyre manufacturer Bridgestone appears to be working well, the question is, can he make it back-to-back wins? Rossi is the only one of the top four riders to have won the French MotoGP Grand Prix, with wins in 2002 and 2005. That said, he has been in the class for much longer then the other three. Although the 29-year-old Italian has taken wins at the famous circuit, he has failed to make the podium in the last two years, with a 6th place and a retirement respectively. Nevertheless, with The Doctor’s return to winning ways, many will be expecting him to be challenging for the win on Sunday.

Casey Stoner

Reining World Champion Casey Stoner has struggled this year after winning the opening race in Qatar and has been working tirelessly to solve his pace problems. Last time out in China, there were signs that Stoner’s hard work was paying off, as the Aussie rode to a strong third position, although he could not match the pace of the leading pair of Rossi and Pedrosa. The French GP has always been a consistent race for Stoner, finishing consistently in third or fourth position in his last three outings. Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, Stoner needs more then just a consistent finish at this year’s event if he wants to stay in touch with the championship leaders and mount a serious title defense. Stoner is a superb ride though and his domination of last year’s season shows that. If he can find a good set-up for the track, the Aussie will no doubt be fired-up to get his season back on track.