With rain falling at the start of the race, it was Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso who got the holeshot to lead into the first corner ahead of Pedrosa, the two riders swapping the lead a few times before Pedrosa made his race-winning pass on lap fourteen. Once in the lead Pedrosa held his position at the front to win the race by 4.863 seconds – his first MotoGP victory in France. In second place was Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, the British rider overcoming the pain of a leg injury to claim his highest ever placing in MotoGP ahead of Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, who made a great comeback after a slow start to take the final podium position. First of the CRT riders across the finish line was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro in thirteenth place.

Cool and wet conditions greeted the grid for the French Grand Prix, with a track temperature of just 14°C recorded at the start of the twenty-eight lap race. The conditions resulted in all twenty-four riders selecting the softer wet tyre options front and rear for the highest level of warm-up performance, although some riders went out on the sighting lap with the harder option wets, before changing to the soft option on the grid due to the cold conditions. As the race progressed the rain ceased and the sun started to shine, causing a dry line to appear on turns two, seven and eight which caused variable grip levels in different sections of the circuit.

Pedrosa now leads his Repsol Honda teammate Marquez in the MotoGP championshop standings by six points, while a further nine points back and third in the standings is Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo.

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft, Soft Rear: Extra-soft (Symmetric), Soft, Medium (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)

Weather: Wet. Ambient 14-16°C; Track 14-20°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Well done to Dani for his second win of the season in what were difficult riding conditions at Le Mans, and I’d also like to congratulate Cal on his best ever MotoGP result at the home race for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. We always knew that Le Mans can present variable weather, so despite the rain today which made it quite challenging for the riders, I am happy that we still had an exciting contest. Another good crowd was present this year at Le Mans and the many fans that braved today’s wet conditions were rewarded with a fantastic MotoGP race.”

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Today’s race conditions made it quite difficult for riders with a very cold and wet track at the beginning of the race causing low grip, before a dry line appeared on some corners towards the end of the race which caused different grip levels on various sections of the circuit. This is the kind of wet race that really tests the riders and so our wet tyres had to handle the rapidly changing track conditions, particularly as the riders did not experience fully wet conditions until the beginning of the race and so perhaps didn’t have the ideal wet setup for the race. As we expected, Le Mans once again delivered a big variety in track conditions and our tyre allocation for this race weekend gave options for every situation.”

Source: Bridgestone Motorsport

MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa has become the first rider to win two races in the 2013 MotoGP™ season, coming from sixth position on the grid in mixed conditions at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans. He now leads the championship from Repsol Honda Team teammate Marc Marquez, who fought to the podium after a poor start as Britain’s Cal Crutchlow finished a GP career-best second.

For the second year in succession, the field was presented with a wet track for the start of the race, with all competitors duly electing to fit the soft compound wet weather tyres for both front and rear wheels, although this resulted in an extremely difficult final laps as the tarmac dried out.

Pedrosa’s ride to a first victory at Le Mans in the premier class was a calculated but exciting one. Having crashed in qualifying, he stayed out of trouble at the start and passed Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo. The Honda rider then caught Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso, who had fought into the lead from a front row start and continually re-passed Pedrosa whenever the latter made a mistake. The final swapping of places came at half distance.

The weekend was a memorable one for Crutchlow. On Saturday the Englishman sustained a fracture to the top of his shinbone, causing immense pain in the knee, but from fourth on the grid he made the most of the mixed conditions and stormed passed old teammate Dovizioso in the closing stages. The Ducati rider led for a chunk of the race and ultimately just missed out on a rostrum result as Marquez fought back from a poor getaway and a selection of off-track moments. The Spaniard therefore maintained his 100% podium finish record for 2013.

Nicky Hayden confirmed Ducati’s strongest day of the campaign to date by finishing fifth from GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista, but it was a somewhat disastrous afternoon for Yamaha Factory Racing. Lorenzo struggled to make an impression and slid down the order to seventh with major set-up issues, whereas Valentino Rossi – who had previously battled with his teammate – fell while under pressure from Hayden. The Italian recovered to 12th behind Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, whose temporary teammate Michele Pirro rose to eighth ahead of Tech 3’s Bradley Smith.

LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl finished tenth after suffering a small fall due to issues with his visor and general visibility. Aleix Espargaro again celebrated the top CRT spot in 13th, although the Power Electronics Aspar rider had to fight past Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and took advantage of a crash for teammate and local favourite Randy de Puniet. Gresini’s Bryan Staring, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Claudio Corti, Came IodaRacing Project’s Lukas Pesek and PBM’s Yonny Hernandez also all retired, but no rider suffered injury.

Moto2

Britain’s Scott Redding triumphed in Moto2™ for the first time as he won a rain-affected Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans today. It was a one-two finish for the Marc VDS Racing Team as Mika Kallio finished second, but there was disaster for numerous championship contenders who slipped out of contention.

Redding’s emotional victory makes him the first British rider to win at Le Mans since Alan Carter took the chequered flag in the 250 race of 30 years ago; his own previous career win had been in the 125 class at Donington Park in 2008. This afternoon’s success was no easy feat, as at the start the 20-year-old had plummeted to ninth position off the wetter, right-hand side of the track following heavy rain overnight.

Takaaki Nakagami led in the early stages from Pol Espargaro, with both Espargaro and championship-leading Tuenti HP 40 teammate Esteve Rabat falling in harmony at Musee corner, dropping down the order on Lap 3. Nakagami was left with a three-second advantage, but the Italtrans Racing Team man lost control at the same corner just four laps later as sprinkles of rain made for a greasy track surface.

The intermediary conditions contributed to retirements for no less than ten riders, including Mapfre Aspar Tech Moto2 pairing Jordi Torres and Nico Terol, Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi and the independently-funded Gino Rea, who had remarkably reached a high of 12th position from 31st on the grid.

A strong recovery ride from Redding saw him rise to the front on Lap 8, passing Johann Zarco who had delighted the French crowd by leading. Redding’s teammate Kallio looked to threaten as he typically grew stronger and pushed on in the second half of the race. Heavier rain towards the end threw a spanner into the works for Redding, but red flags flew on the 24th of 26 laps. As the result was declared at the end of Lap 22 (the last which all riders had completed), Kallio inherited second position despite being overtaken by Xavier Simeon before the stoppage. Nevertheless, the Belgian Desguaces La Torre Maptaq rider still achieved a first ever podium finish.

Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter and Came Iodaracing Project’s aforementioned Zarco were fourth and fifth from NGM Mobile Racing’s Mattia Pasini, JiR Moto2’s Mike di Meglio and Italtrans’ Julian Simon. Anthony West and Alex de Angelis completed the top ten for QMMF Racing Team and NGM Mobile Forward Racing, respectively, as reigning Moto3™ champion Sandro Cortese scored his first Moto2 points, in 13th place for Dynavolt Intact GP. In 15th, the final point was collected by Tech 3 Racing’s Frenchman Louis Rossi, who had won the Moto3™ race at Le Mans 12 months ago.

Moto3

Maverick Viñales won Sunday’s Moto3™ Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans from pole position, thus becoming the first two-time race victor of the 2013 season. The well-judged ride saw the Team Calvo rider head up an all-Spanish podium from previous race winners Alex Rins and Luis Salom.

Rain had been forecast for the race, but ultimately no drops would fall over the course of the 24 laps. Viñales enjoyed a clean start this afternoon, but it was Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger who – from a front row start – swept into the lead under braking for Turn 3.

It took Viñales two attempts to make the move stick, but he eventually edged back past Folger on the ninth lap. The German would soon drop to fourth place, behind Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Salom, as he overshot the Chemin aux Boeufs chicane. Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez finished inside the top five for the first time since Qatar, having overtaken front row starter Miguel Oliveira who lost control of his Mahindra Racing bike and crashed at the start of Lap 4. If any lap was a winning one for Viñales, it was the penultimate, as he delivered a scorching fastest lap of the race to extend the leading advantage to just under one second.

There were several touches between bikes and no less than seven riders failed to make the finish. Kiefer Racing’s Florian Alt fell just seconds after Oliveira had departed the race while GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 duo Niccolo Antonelli and Lorenzo Baldassarri, plus Marc VDS Racing Team’s wildcard Jules Danilo, made unforced errors. The biggest moment came on Lap 21, as Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin highsided at Chemin aux Boeufs while running seventh, landing across the bows of Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo and duly removing both men from the action.

The Khairuddin-Ajo incident very much shook up the running order. Jakub Kornfeil was sixth for Redox RW Racing GP as San Carlo Team Italia’s Romano Fenati and Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder were promoted to seventh and eighth places. In 15th, German Philipp Oettl fended off fellow rookie, Marc VDS’ Livio Loi, to score his first ever point for Tec Interwetten Moto3 Racing.

Source: motogp.com

Cal Crutchlow produced the ride of his MotoGP career in Le Mans today to claim a heroic podium in the home race of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
Just 24 hours after a heavy practice crash left him with a fracture in his right leg, the British rider showed amazing skill, concentration and courage to finish second in a 28-lap race run in the toughest conditions imaginable.

Crutchlow was the lead Yamaha rider home at the end of a race that started on a perilously slippery and wet surface after heavy rain fell in the build-up. Visibility and calculating grip levels were major early challenges but Crutchlow quickly gained his confidence and he sliced through the field with some outstanding overtakes.

The 27-year-old stormed through from seventh to second with measured moves on reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso, an impressive feat considering how tough it was to master constantly changing conditions and grip levels on a rapidly drying track.

Crutchlow’s career best MotoGP result and first rostrum of 2013 was secured on lap 24 when he attacked former Tech 3 teammate Dovizioso and today’s outstanding performance moved the former World Supersport Champion into fourth place in the World Championship standings with four of 18 rounds completed.

A career best MotoGP result to date was also being hailed on the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage after Bradley Smith raced his YZR-M1 to a determined ninth position.

The slippery track surface had an immediate impact on Smith’s race. He suffered a big rear tyre slide while accelerating off the line and it was only the lightning reflexes of the 22-year-old that saved him from a fall.

He dropped right to the back of the field but despite only having very limited experience of the YZR-M1 in wet conditions, Smith’s recent attempts to smoothen his riding style proved vital this afternoon.

Smith quickly established a fast rhythm and as his confidence grew he was able to deliver a fantastic fight back into the top 10. His rousing recovery to ninth moves him to the brink of the top 10 in the World Championship classification on 17 points.

Cal Crutchlow 2nd- 55 points:
“I’m really happy to get my best ever result in MotoGP and the whole team did an incredible job and deserves this result. We showed our fast pace in the dry, we showed our pace in the wet and I think everybody is aware we are not here through luck. It’s even better and more important because this is the home race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy sponsors the event. So to be the best and only Yamaha on the podium feels really good. My start was not the best and it took me a bit of time to get temperature into the tyres. But once I managed that I felt really comfortable. When I saw Andrea and Dani opening a small gap to Valentino I had to make a move because I was afraid they would be too far ahead to try and catch later in the race. And when I saw Marquez recovering time on my pit board I had to pass Andrea otherwise he might have caught both of us during the last laps. I’m really happy with how things went, especially after the crash yesterday. The wet track obviously put less stress on my body but it was tough riding injured in such tough conditions. From now on I just hope we can be injury free and go to Mugello to put on the same show as we did here today.”

Bradley Smith 9th – 17 points:
“Today was a really good learning experience. I’d hardly ridden the YZR-M1 in the rain before, so to get 28 laps under my belt in really tricky conditions was obviously an experience that taught me a lot. During the race I was able to ride a lot smoother and I hope I can carry over something from this experience to the dry in the future. I’m a little bit disappointed with the start of the race. I had a problem with the clutch in the warm up but we were sure it was just because this was my first start in the wet but apparently it was not. But after the first 10 laps to the end of the race I had a very good pace and I’m happy with the improvement made during the whole weekend with ninth position in qualifying and also ninth in the race. That’s my best MotoGP result and gives my confidence another lift, so now I’m really looking forward to going to Mugello, which is a track I can’t wait to ride a MotoGP bike on. Congratulations also to Cal. He rode an awesome race and in an important race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy it was great to see both of us having such a positive result.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“That was a very special race for everybody connected to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Seeing Cal get a fantastic second place in France and with Monster Energy a title sponsor of the event is incredible because there is always quite a lot of pressure on us to perform. I remember in similar conditions last year both of our guys were fighting for the podium but ended up in the gravel, so I did not feel too comfortable before the start of the race. It has not been an easy weekend with the weather conditions and Cal’s big crash from yesterday, and we even had some doubt that he would be able to participate in qualifying but he did a great job. It was easy to make a mistake in those very difficult conditions but the way he cut through the field gave Tech 3 fans a lot to cheer in the race. Cal is doing an amazing job this season and today once again he showed what a top talent he is. He took his opportunity to get a podium and to get a career best result was a great reward for him and all his crew. I’m also very pleased with the great job Bradley did. He had another strong weekend and was improving in every session and he recovered incredibly well from a bad start. He hasn’t ridden the YZR-M1 much in the rain but he built up his pace and confidence and the most important thing was for him to finish and gain some vital experience on this conditions. I’m sure Monster Energy got some great exposure from Cal and Bradley and now we can’t wait for the next challenge in Mugello.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow stole the show yet again today, delivering a drama filled performance and a heroic qualifying effort to take fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. The 26year old took a huge tumble in the fourth free practice, bringing out the red flags whilst medical staff attended on track.

The British rider’s amazing determination and bravery was once again on show as having paid a flying visit to the circuit medical centre he was immediately back out on track, fighting for another front row start in qualifying practice two.

Crutchlow rode through obvious pain and looked certain to have secured a brilliant third place when former teammate Andrea Dovizioso improved his lap time to just six thousands of a second faster, relegating him to the second row of the grid in fourth for tomorrow’s race.

Teammate and fellow British rider Bradley Smith continued to show his calm concentration and steady improvements as he lapped the Le Mans circuit today on his YZR-M1.

Having performed well enough to join the second qualifying session the young British rookie stayed out on track during the 15 minute heat whilst the majority of rider spitted for fresh rubber and enjoyed an empty track.

In the hunt for the best possible grid position Smith was able to lay down a best time of 1’34.222 seconds for ninth on the grid, just over a second from pole and just 0.213 seconds from nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi in eighth.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 1’33.609 – 9 laps:
“I can’t be disappointed to have qualified in fourth position after how the day went. Unfortunately it was another difficult one for us and for sure the crash in free practice four didn’t make things easier. We’ve struggling the whole weekend in a few areas and I still don’t feel completely confident with the setup of the bike, so we have some work to go through tonight. I’m also feeling very sore after the crash and the medical staff diagnosed that I’ve got a small fracture of the right shin but that will not prevent me from giving 100% in tomorrow’s all-important home race for my Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team!”

Bradley Smith 9th 1’34.222 – 10 laps:
“I’m definitely happy to qualify on the third row today. We made some great improvements throughout the whole weekend getting consistently faster during each session. Nevertheless I’m embittered about the gap to the fastest because it’s just over a second and my aim was to be a little bit closer, but probably I would need to worry if I’m completely satisfied after finishing ninth. Anyway, I want to say a big thanks to my team because they prepared a fantastic bike for me that gave me more and more confidence with every single lap. I’m really looking forward to putting on a good show in front of the French fans during tomorrow’s 28 laps lasting race.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

The biggest race of the MotoGP World Championship campaign for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team started in positive fashion for British duo Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith at the historic Le Mans track today.

This weekend’s race is not only the all-important home encounter for the French-based Tech 3 squad, but the popular Le Mans event is sponsored once again by Monster Energy, the high profile American energy drinks company that is the title backer of Crutchlow and Smith’s MotoGP effort.

In extremely cool conditions this morning, Crutchlow was sixth fastest in a closely fought FP1 that saw the top nine covered by less than a second. In higher temperatures this afternoon, Crutchlow remained in sixth position, despite improving his pace by well over 0.5s. A best lap of 1.34.512 was only 0.477s off the best time, the second session proving to be another close affair with the top nine split by just over 0.7s.

Smith was 15th this morning, the British rider getting to grips with the world renowned Bugatti track while also working on the set-up of an updated YZR-M1 chassis which he tested with such positive results in Jerez recently.

He was able to improve by almost 1.5s in FP2 and he rocketed up into 11th place on the rankings with a best time of 1.35.362 that gave the 22-year-old a huge confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s 28-lap race.

Smith’s vast improvement was reflected in the gap to Jerez winner Dani Pedrosa, who led the way in FP1 and FP2. Smith was over two seconds behind Pedrosa this morning but he ended the second session just 1.327s off the quickest pace.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th 1.34.512:
“We did not have our best day today and I’m not really happy with how things started this weekend. We experimented quite a lot with the bike and made it shorter and longer but we did not find an ideal setting yet. We have a lot of chatter and not too much grip, so clearly we are struggling quite a bit at the moment because the other guys seem to improve while I feel the same as on the first lap out there this morning. So we still have a lot of work to do tonight and we have to improve in several areas. I’m having an issue with the brakes but we are still confident for tomorrow and I am sure we can improve to put on a good show in such a big race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy.”

Bradley Smith – 11th 1.35.362:
“Today was a good first day in Le Mans. I started to feel a lot more confident this afternoon compared to this morning because there was extra grip on track thanks to the higher track temperature. We found almost 1.5s and that’s really positive. I like this circuit a lot, especially with a MotoGP bike and the differences compared to a smaller bike seem to be not that big compared to the other tracks I have experienced so far. I just have to understand the different braking points like in the first corner where I’ve already made three mistakes so far. But now I think I understood where the limit is. But it was a good day and we are closer than usual to the top after day one and I really feel confident with the new chassis, especially on new tyres, so we will work hard tonight and hopefully go straight into the second qualifying session tomorrow.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Cal Crutchlow has refused to speculate on his future, while the Le Mans paddock is rife with talk that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider could be replaced in the team next year.

With rumours having first emerged in the British press, Team Manager Herve Poncharal hinted to motogp.com this week that the possibility of Crutchlow leaving the team is genuine, as the Englishman is the only rider to hold a contract until only the end of 2013. The suggestion is that Moto2™ front-runner Pol Espargaro could be a favourite to replace him.

“I don’t know,” Crutchlow said during Thursday’s press conference in France. “I have nothing to say on it. There’s not anything I know at the minute, so we can concentrate on the job on hand which is to race this weekend and race next weekend, until Herve tells me (something). Until Herve tells me I’m not riding the bike, I won’t not get on it.”

Crutchlow also clarified comments made by himself about his current situation, with Poncharal having debated the possibility that his rider had unfairly critisised the equipment available to him:

“I’ve said that my package is good, but my package is not this year’s latest package. My package is last year’s, so it’s definitely good – I’ve said that – but Herve also said that I had an option to sign a two-year deal with him, but if he hasn’t signed a contract with the manufacturer then what do I do? He could have put me in Moto2™ the second year…so I think it’s great that I only signed for one year.”

Later on Thursday, Crutchlow spoke with motogp.com commentator Gavin Emmett during a live Q&A session, in which he outlined his personal targets for the remainder of 2013.

“I expect we’ll be on the podium soon – the sooner, the better,” he said. “We can start building up towards the end of the season. Last year, the worst bit was the middle, but I had a strong end to the year. I think, in MotoGP, for a satellite rider to win a race is very difficult. I think you have to get a little bit lucky but I would take anything as it comes. However, I believe in my own ability and I believe there is no reason why – at a certain point of the year, when things are going well – we can’t be there. I’m adamant of that and that’s the way it is…doing it is a lot more difficult that just saying it, though.

“I think we’re doing our job at the minute, which is to be the top satellite rider. We’re very close to the factory guys, if not being a lot of the factory guys now and again. We can’t do much more than that, we really can’t. The only guys that are beating me are the factory guys, but I’m not to know…if I jumped on their bike would I go any faster? I don’t know. I might go slower, for all I know! It’s a situation that you can never control.

“You just have to do what you do but, if I can get some podiums I think the run will then start. That’s what I hope, anyway.”

Source: motogp.com

The united press fielded the inevitable question at the pre-Le Mans press conference about how Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo are getting on, following a heated rider briefing earlier in the day, that had been planned before Jerez, yet was brought to peoples’ attention due to the previous race’s last-corner incident.

Repsol Honda Team’s rookie championship leader Marquez was joined by last race winner and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo, his teammate Valentino Rossi, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, as well as Power Electronics Aspar’s local rider Randy de Puniet as proceedings kicked-off at the pre-race Le Mans press conference.

Lorenzo commented that he understood Marc’s actions, yet was keen to clarify the use of the new points system: “When you see some space, you try it! I have nothing against Marc. But we are not using this points system, and I’d like us to use it. I think you can become a more logical rider – I only changed in 2005 because I was penalized.” Marquez’s stance was: “If you do that on the first lap or in the middle I can understand a penalty. But on the last lap….I think fans like it.”

There were laughs as Lorenzo joked about the two sharing a flight back after the race, only one seat apart, saying: “There are almost 300 people on the plane and we are next to each other. It was funny. Then we shook hands [for the first time after the incident]. Like I say, I have no problem with Marc, I just want to improve the safety of my sport.”

Marquez, who comes straight off the back of his controversial last corner move on Lorenzo in Jerez last time out, is wary that possibly wet conditions could make things more tricky: “It could be difficult in rain conditions, especially for a rookie rider. I’ve already tried the bike in rain conditions and you can really push a lot. We’ll try to do our best and be close to the front.”

Pedrosa, who stormed to a convincing win at his home race, is awaiting the first practice tomorrow before making any predictions: “We’ve done many poles at Le Mans, but it’s always a tricky weekend because of tyre choice. It’s kind of a difficult place. I’ve got back the good feeling with the bike and we had a good test the Monday after Jerez, but I don’t know how much dry or wet time we’ll have.”

Lorenzo, who convincingly won at Le Mans in the wet last year, is happy to be back: “It’s always a pleasure to be here. Also, for my riding it’s a good track and I think the Yamaha should be good. In Jerez we had issues with the front, but we tried many things in the test, and it’s colder here, so I hope we should be ok.”

Le Mans is one of the places Rossi tasted rare success whilst still on a Ducati, and is hoping for more of the same with his Yamaha M1: “We’re still working on the best balance of the bike, as I’m still struggling under braking. But I like this track, and the weather will be very important. We have a few things to try tomorrow and will see how the bike works in the lower temperature.”

Crutchlow, for whose team this is the home Grand Prix, is expecting an improvement over Jerez: “The Yamaha maybe works well in the cold, as we’ve seen in morning sessions before. We need to look at the bike and strategy. I’m pleased with my bike, and if we could get a good result it would be great for the team’s home GP.” And on speculation about his future he remained tight-lipped: “There’s nothing I know at the minute, but will focus on race to race.”

De Puniet will be aiming to fight for that CRT top spot that has so far eluded him, in front of his home support: “For me this GP is very important, not just because it’s my home race, but I also need to start my season. My teammate is very fast, and I need to do very well to beat him at the end of the year. The biggest thing this year is the new rear tyre, which helps a lot.” He also responded to questions regarding his link with Suzuki: “I can’t say anything now, but I am speaking with Suzuki, and it could be a good opportunity. If I can help develop the bike at the same time and focus on this season it would be good – but my focus in with Aspar.”

Source: motogp.com

MotoGP

Following scorching track temperatures and a racing temperament to match in Jerez, MotoGP™ ascends to Le Mans for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France to continue on-track track rivalries.

After a dominant display in tricky conditions last time out, Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa will be one of the favourites for this weekend, whilst many eyes will be peeled on how Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo will react to his now infamous last corner incident with Repsol’s Marc Marquez. With both riders separated by a tiny margin, any on track meeting is set to be a hard-fought affair.

Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi will look to get back to his podium form he showed in Qatar, whilst Monster Energy Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow will be aiming to beat the Italian at his team’s home Grand Prix. Crutchlow was in great form last time in Jerez despite suffering from pain after two heavy crashes, and will be an outside podium favourite. GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista is currently winning the battle of the satellite Hondas, yet LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl will look to put last weekend behind him, and rediscover the front end feel he seeks to be competitive.

Tech 3’s Bradley Smith may get a boost from the team’s local support, whilst the Ducati Team of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden will line up on their regular Desmosedici GP13s, despite trying the “lab bike” in the test after Jerez. Ignite Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies is still recovering from issues relating to his injured shoulder, and will be replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro. Unlike in Jerez, Pirro will not ride the “lab bike”, but Spies’ actual GP13 machine. His teammate Andrea Iannone had arm-pump surgery last week, and has a slightly damaged knee, yet will hope to be close to 100 per cent for the French round.

Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro will be hard to beat as top CRT considering the form he is in, yet with teammate Randy de Puniet buoyed by his home support it could prove his toughest weekend yet. Fellow ART rider, Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham, will have recovered sufficiently from his broken collarbone to take part, whilst final ART rider Yonny Hernandez aims to overcome the set-up issues which led to his crash in Jerez.

All other CRTs will be riding with the latest Magneti Marelli software upgrade brought to the Jerez test last week. This means that wheelie control and anti-jerk strategy will be improved for NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards and teammate Claudio Corti, the Avintia Blusens pairing of Hector Barbera and Hiroshi Aoyama, Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and Lucas Pesek, as well as PBM’s Michael Laverty and Gresini’s Bryan Staring.

Moto2

The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans sets the scene for another Moto2™ battle, as Tuenti HP 40’s Tito Rabat and Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding fight it out for top spot in the championship.

Rabat, fresh from his first ever victory last weekend, will be looking to continue that good form, though will be hard pushed by Redding, who is looking ever-more like one of the championship favourites. Whether Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro will be in podium contention remains to be seen, with the Spaniard not content with the new specification front tyre that was brought in from the Jerez round.

He will be hard pushed by Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s countryman Nico Terol, who will be aiming for his second victory of the season on the Suter machine. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter has been a silent performer so far this season, and will undoubtedly be hovering close to a podium place, while Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami will hope to take his outright pace in practice through to the race.

Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio, Desguaces La Torre SAG Maptaq’s Xavier Simeon, Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco and Terol’s teammate Jordi Torres will no doubt be top-ten contenders, whilst Tech 3 Racing’s Louis Rossi will hope to discover some of the magic that helped him win last year’s Moto3™ race in his home town. Gino Rea will be returning to the class as a wildcard with his own Gino Rea Race Team on an FTR, whilst Petronas Raceline Malaysia will field a wildcard in the form of Hafizh Syahrin, who did very well in the Malaysian GP last year.

Moto3

Le Mans is the setting for another round of on-track sparring as the Moto3™ grid arrives for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France this weekend with Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales leading the championship ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom.

Viñales and Salom look in fine form, whilst Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Rins will be aiming to make up for his crash in Jerez. He will however remain the man to beat, having been one of the quickest men across the race weekends so far. Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who scored a podium in Jerez, will be looking for more outright race-pace, as he felt his podium had been gifted to him, rather than his bike showing the competitiveness he seeks.

Salom’s teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin will be aiming for his first podium of the year, whilst Ambrogio Racing’s Brad Binder comes off the back of his best result to date in fourth. The South African is looking strong so far this year, yet will face a challenge from Miguel Oliveira, who is currently spearheading the Mahindra Racing project in seventh in the championship.

Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo, Redox RW Racing GP’s Jakub Kornfeil and Mahindra’s Efren Vazquez will also be ones to watch. Two Frenchman will be taking part as wildcards in the form of ACR’s Christophe Arciero on a Suter, and Marc VDS Racing Team’s Jules Danilo, who will line up next to regular Livio Loi.

Source: motogp.com

Bradley Smith’s latest blog has been posted up on his official website, reflecting on Jerez and also on his latest off-track happenings: getting settled into his new home in Andorra and working out what to do with his receding hair! As typically articulate, informative and entertaining as ever…

Where do I start? The race in Jerez, moving house, the bills or the extreme new haircut. It’s been that couple of weeks since flying back from Texas. So let’s start with the Spanish Grand Prix.

The more and more I ride in MotoGP the more I realise that you have to listen to what your bike is saying. In the cooler morning warm-up it was allowing me ride around one minute 40 s but in the hotter conditions in the race it clearly told me to ride in the one minute 42s. It’s like a game of chess in the end, try not making mistakes and staying in the hunt and attack when the guys in front start slowing up. Both Pirro and Espargaro where going back wards at the finish and I thought it was time to pounce and take ninth but it was finally tenth.

I was 50 seconds behind the winner in Texas and 44s seconds down in Jerez. I’m not over the moon with that distance but it shows progression and we are getting better and better even if it miniscule. We are not going backwards but I would have liked a better performance at a track I know. It shows in the slippery conditions like Jerez I’m still a rookie, still learning about different scenarios in different conditions. I have to accept it’s part of the learning curve. The carbon disc brakes are a prime example.

It’s amazing how the brakes work. With steel discs you squeeze it from the very beginning and then you hammer it on and the stopping is constant. On the MotoGP bike with carbon discs when you first grab the lever it does not seem to work and then all of a sudden bang and it really grips up. You have to get stronger in your arms and make sure you keep your body weight back. Suddenly you able to use almost the same braking distances and stop on a MotoGP bike with speeds of 210 mph as I did on a Moto2 bike with a top speed of around 170 mph. It’s amazing feeling that has taken time to get used too. You have to learn to use them at the right point when the bike is stable.

You feel like you want to go over the handlebars all the time. At the braking point I have to lock my arms as straight as I can possibly get them. Also I’ve started gripping the tank with my knees and forced myself to stay backwards to keep me further back. After three races I’ve still not figured it out 100 per cent but we are getting there which is a good thing with Le Mans next on the schedule.

Between Texas and Jerez I moved out of the family home in Oxford to Andorra. It’s another change in my life and an important step. You have to grow up at one point although I don’t like to admit it. I’m really proud of my new place and soon as the snow disappears I’ll be out on the trials bike up in those mountains.

I just can’t believe just how much stuff you have to buy to make a house. I just thought a couple of beds, a fridge and tele would be perfect but didn’t have a clue about sheets, duvets, pillow cases, kitchen utensils and cups . You name it and I’d forgotten about it. The bills are mounting up.

To celebrate my new independence I decided it was time for a Mohican haircut, using everything I’ve got before inevitable baldness strikes. My hairdresser told me there is only one hairstyle I can have. While I can do something with it I don’t mind doing something extreme because time is running out fast.

Source: bradleysmith38.com

Dorna Sports announces today an agreement with BT Sport for the exclusive broadcast rights to the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship, starting from the 2014 season, to be shown across all its platforms in the UK and Ireland.

The five-year agreement will see MotoGP as premium programming in the thrilling line up of top sports on the new BT Sport channels. Motorcycle racing’s premier Championship will be part of this exciting new venture and will join other headline properties such as the Barclays Premier League and Aviva Premiership Rugby.

MotoGP fans won’t miss a minute of the action as race weekends will be covered in full starting from the free practices on the Friday and including full coverage of Moto2™ and Moto3™ as well as the elite category MotoGP.
Coverage will be hosted on-site with additional studio coverage from BT Sport’s state of the art facilities at the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London.

BT Sport will create an exciting second screen experience, giving fans the ability to see races from the riders’ perspective and with more interactive features showing off the most technologically advanced bikes.
This will give the UK audience a whole new MotoGP viewing experience, immersing them in every aspect of the Championship.
The MotoGP line up will be further enhanced by additional motorcycle-related programming in between Grand Prix weekends.

BT Vision and YouView viewers will be able to catch up on any live action they miss as BT Sport will make the programming available on demand, on television and on digital.
BT Sport will be heading into the world of MotoGP at full throttle, with extensive promotion across all media outlets including outdoor advertising, newspapers and magazines, as well as cross-promotion during its flagship football and rugby coverage.

Manel Arroyo, Dorna Sports, Managing Director, commented: “We’re proud that MotoGP will be part of such a huge and exciting project as BT Sport. I’m sure that BT Sport will provide the in-depth coverage that MotoGP deserves and in turn MotoGP will provide the sporting drama and excitement to help launch BT Sport as a major player in the TV market. Our new partnership comes at the perfect time, with British riders flourishing in the Championship and we look forward to our British fans being able to follow every single minute of the action.”

Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, said: “The agreement with MotoGP is really exciting. We want BT Sport to offer a wide range of sports that appeal to many different audiences and MotoGP is a thrilling sport with a massive and committed fan base in the UK and Ireland. We believe existing fans will be thrilled with our comprehensive coverage and how we intend to develop the Moto GP brand and think we can also help the sport win many new fans.”

Source: Dorna Sports / motogp.com