May 17, 2017
Marquez and Pedrosa Aim to Maintain Momentum at Le Mans
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) arrive at Le Mans this week aiming to maintain momentum after dominating the last two Grands Prix in Spain and the USA.
Two weeks ago at Jerez, Pedrosa won his first race of 2017, chased all the way by Marquez. A fortnight earlier, Marquez won at COTA, while Pedrosa finished a fighting third. These recent successes have pushed the Repsol Honda pair closer to the championship lead, with Marquez just four points behind current leader Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) and Pedrosa just six points further back.
Two victories from two races highlights Honda’s continual forward progress with the latest version of the RC213V, which has won three of the last four riders world titles and four of the last five constructors titles.
The Spanish Grand Prix was a historic weekend for motorcycle racing: the 3000th Grand Prix race, Repsol Honda’s centenary victory in four-stroke MotoGP and Pedrosa’s 30th MotoGP win. Now the racing moves to one of motorsport’s most historic venues.
Le Mans has hosted motor-racing events since the 1920s, although the Bugatti circuit, used for the motorcycle Grand Prix, wasn’t opened until the 1960s. This Sunday’s French GP will be the 30th Grand Prix to be staged at Le Mans. The track has been the French round’s permanent home since 2000. Honda has an enviable record at the venue, with 12 victories achieved with its NS500 and NSR500 two-strokes and its RC211V, RC212V and RC213V four-strokes.
The Bugatti circuit is quite stop-and-go, with numerous slow-speed corners, which prioritize braking and acceleration performance. However, the track’s first corner is very different from the rest of the track – it’s an ultra-high-speed right-hander that tests machine stability and rider nerve to the maximum.
Twenty-four-year-old Marquez has won twice at Le Mans: the Moto2 race in 2011 and the MotoGP race in 2014, which was part of a remarkable run of ten consecutive victories that took him to his second consecutive crown in the class of kings. Last year he started from the front row but slid off in the race, bravely remounting to claim a useful three points in 13th place.
Pedrosa has taken victories at Le Mans in all three categories: in the 125cc class in 2003 and the 250cc class in 2004 and 2005, all of which led to his three world titles in the smaller categories; and in MotoGP in 2013. Last year Pedrosa finished fourth at the track in the midst of a challenging season, due to MotoGP’s change of tire brand. This year the 31-year-old has been reborn, thanks to Honda’s new-configuration engine, a new chassis and Michelin’s latest tires.
This year’s Le Mans round will be particularly interesting because the entire circuit has been resurfaced. Several riders evaluated the new asphalt during a one-day test before the Spanish Grand Prix. The day was partly rain-affected, so the Repsol Honda Team decided not to waste one of their allotted test days. However, Honda’s top independent team rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda RC213V) did take part. The Briton and other riders reported that the new asphalt offers much-improved grip.
Crutchlow has made a rapid start to 2017, scoring a podium at round two in Argentina and a fourth-place finish at the subsequent Grand Prix of the Americas. At Jerez he qualified third, completing a Honda lockout of the front row alongside pole-sitter Pedrosa and Marquez. In the race Crutchlow was challenging in the lead group when he crashed out. Last season the former World Supersport champion won two MotoGP races and this year he seems even more competitive, due in part to continued support from the Honda Racing Corporation. His Le Mans record includes a best of second in 2013. Last year he was one of eight riders to crash in the race, one reason why the circuit has been resurfaced.
At Jerez, Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) was looking good to maintain a full-house of 2017 top-ten finishes, until he was taken out by another rider. The 22-year-old Australian has shown much-improved pace this season, thanks largely to Honda’s new-configuration RC213V engine, which gives him increased confidence and control when he is riding. Miller, who won his first MotoGP victory last June, is also a Le Mans winner – he took victory in the 2014 Moto3 race, on his way to second place in that year’s Moto3 World Championship.
Team-mate Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) was also going well at Jerez until he too fell. The former Moto2 World Champion stayed on at Jerez for a day of testing, along with the rest of the grid. Rabat worked closely on electronics settings and travels to Le Mans confident of taking another step forward.
The battle for this year’s Honda-powered Moto2 World Championship took a dramatic turn at Jerez, where Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex) lost his 100 percent perfect 2017 record by crashing out of the race, leaving team-mate Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex) to score his first victory in the intermediate class.
Thus Morbidelli comes to Le Mans having won three of the opening four races and still leading the championship. The 22-year-old Italian has been in masterful form since preseason testing, when his speed marked him out as one of the title favorites. He dominated in Qatar, Argentina and the USA, then slid off at Jerez in hot and greasy conditions.
The tumble cost Morbidelli a potential 25 points and allowed Thomas Luthi (CarXpert Interwetten Kalex) to close to within 11 points of the leader. The 30-year-old Swiss won his first GP at Le Mans in 2005 and has won two Moto2 races at the track, in 2012 and 2015, so he will be doing everything in his power to further reduce the gap on Sunday. Last year Luthi finished the French race in third place, one position and four seconds ahead of Morbidelli.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM) is contesting only his second season in Moto2 and with an all-new chassis, so his two podium results from the first four races suggest he will be a growing force as the season continues. The 22-year-old Portuguese rider currently stands third overall, ten points ahead of Marquez.
Marquez, the 21-year-old younger brother of Marc, has had a strong start to his third Moto2 season, challenging Morbidelli for victory in Argentina until he fell on the final lap. Marquez’s first Moto2 victory increases his grand total to five, in addition to the four he won in Moto3, three of which helped him win the 2014 Moto3 World Championship. Both Marquez and Morbidelli tested at MotorLand Aragon after Jerez, which brings them to Le Mans in better shape than ever.
Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46 Kalex) comes to Le Mans still buzzing from his brilliant second place at Jerez, the 20-year-old Italian’s first Moto2 podium, which moved him to fifth in the points chase, one point ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex) and two ahead of Luca Marini (Forward Team Kalex).
The current top ten in Moto2, in which all riders use identically prepared Honda CBR600 engines, is completed by Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing Suter), Lorenzo Baldassari (Forward Team Kalex) and Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing Tech 3).
Honda riders in the Moto3 class will be working hard to continue their stunning start to 2017, during which they have scored a one-two-three finish at each of the opening four races. Not only that, Honda riders also fill the top six places in the current points standings.
Nineteen-year-old Spaniard Joan Mir (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) leads the NSF250RW charge, adding a third-place finish at Jerez to his victories in the opening two races in Qatar and Argentina.
The Jerez race was typical of the edge-of-the-seat thrills provided by Moto3. The top five riders crossed the finish line separated by less than one second, with the finishing order in doubt until the last corner
Indeed 17-year-old winner Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) snatched victory from Mir and Americas winner Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda NSF250RW) at the final turn. Canet’s first Grand Prix victory moved him to fifth overall and brings him to Le Mans in optimistic mood. Last year the rookie finished fourth at the French track, just 1.3 seconds off the win.
Fenati was second at Le Mans last year, less than a tenth of a second behind the winner, so he too will have his eyes set on victory.
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) is third overall in the standings, just behind Fenati, having scored podiums at three of the first four rounds. Twenty-two-year-old Briton John McPhee (British Team Honda NSF250RW) is currently fifth. He finished second in the first two races but crashed out at Jerez. Eighteen-year-old Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) stands fifth after a podium result in the USA and a fifth-place at Jerez.
After Sunday’s racing the MotoGP circus heads south for the Italian Grand Prix on June 4, which is followed immediately by the Catalan Grand Prix on June 11.
Honda MotoGP rider quotes
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team:
“Le Mans is particular and different from many other layouts of the Championship. It’s a really narrow, short track with a lot of stop-and-go corners. To make an example, it’s the opposite of the Montmelo circuit [Circuit de Catalunya], but still quite enjoyable. The surface is new and we’ll discover it on Friday morning. The grip should be better and that’s positive for us riders and also for the fans, because it means a better show. We must wait and see how it goes there – this year it’s even more difficult to make any predictions. We just have to continue like we’ve done in the last races, working hard, with the right mentality, because the championship is once again very close.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team:
“After a great weekend in Jerez we now head to Le Mans in a very positive mood. The French GP is always challenging. To begin with the weather is usually quite changeable which makes it difficult to find rhythm in the practice sessions or to plan how to improve, run by run, because it may be too cold or the total opposite, very hot. The track itself is very short and the smallest differences in lap times can make a great difference in the standings. I hope the bike works well on the new asphalt. You need good acceleration and good braking, but consistency is the real key. We are working well with the team and we’ll try to maintain the same level there.”
Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda:
“I did not finish the French GP the last two years, so the goal is to end the race in a strong position and get some useful points for the championship standings. I felt strong in Jerez and I was very disappointed to not finish the race. I missed the opportunity to be on the podium. But we have to keep our confidence ahead this weekend. I got my first MotoGP podium at Le Mans in 2013 so this circuit suits my riding style, so I’ll be working as hard as ever with the team and with Honda to make sure that we are able to fight for the podium on Sunday.”
Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“Jerez didn’t turn out how we wanted it to, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. We had a positive test the day after, trying a few bits and pieces and that different front tire. I’m still really enjoying the 2017 engine – it allows me to focus better on my lines and so on so it helps me go faster. Le Mans could be good for us, even if the weather isn’t looking too great. But I don’t mind a wet track and I’ve had some good rides at the place, so we’ll go there aiming to give it all we’ve got, like we all always do.”
Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“Jerez was bad only because of the crash in the race, but I was happy with the fact that all weekend I was closer to the frontrunners than I’ve been since I stepped up to MotoGP. We also had a good test on the Monday, where I equalled my qualifying time on the race tire, so I head to Le Mans with some optimism. The weather is always a factor at Le Mans, but after a day wet weather testing with Michelin at Valencia; I’m ready regardless of whether it’s wet or dry. We’ve made a lot of progress with the bike over the last few races and I’m looking forward to continuing in this way this weekend in France.”
Moto2 rider quotes
Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“I like the Le Mans track and it’s one at which I’ve been quite fast during my World Championship career. I’m interested to see how the new tarmac will work, but we head there to do the same as always: work hard, put in a good practice and, hopefully, a good race. Hopefully the tests we did at Aragon will also help. We worked well there and I think we’ve made some improvements to our bike, so I’m happy about that.”
Thomas Luthi, CarXpert Interwetten:
“Every year since I won the 125 race at Le Mans I’ve been asked: Tom, why do you like the track? My answer is always the same: I don’t especially like the track, but I’ve had a lot of success there – my first GP win, the first track at which I won twice and so on. It’s strange because my riding style works better on faster tracks, but at Le Mans I think I found something special. Regarding this year, we will all have to try out the new asphalt and it will be interesting. I suffered a lot of problems at Jerez, only finishing eighth. It was a bad weekend for me, but I get some points back on Franky Morbidelli. So, full concentrated, it’s still a long way to... Valencia!”
Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Ajo:
“We are all looking forward to Le Mans after our second podium of the year at Jerez. Getting two podiums from the first two races with a new bike is an impressive result, so I have to thank everyone who is working so hard on this project. The bike is already working well and it can only get better. Le Mans hasn’t been the best track for me in the past, so we will have to work extra hard to get a result. The weather looks very changeable, which complicates things, but it’s the same for everyone!”
Honda Moto3 rider quotes
Joan Mir, Leopard Racing:
“We expect another tough race at Le Mans. The racing is even closer than ever in Moto3 this year, so every thousandth of a second counts. Three or four of us could have won the race at Jerez, and I think it will be similar in France. The important thing is to win when you can and try to be very close when you cannot. It’s easy to get caught in the pack, so you must ride with intelligence, not only with aggression. I’m looking forward to it: it’s a tight circuit, so we can expect a tight battle with lots of out-braking.”
Romano Fenati, Marinelli Rivacold Snipers:
“We come from a great result which gave us a lot of motivation but getting beaten at the last corner at Jerez has also left a bitter taste in our mouth. So, starting from FP1 we will try to work hard and well. Le Mans is an amazing track, rich in history, which gives me an extra boost.”
Jorge Martin, Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3:
“I like Le Mans: it’s a circuit which suits well my riding style. My past results don’t show it, but I surely now have the right package to do well there and a bike I can feel fully comfortable on. I trained hard this week and I want to keep battling at the front for the win.”
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