MotoGP 2017 – Round Five – Le Mans – Grand Prix de France
MotoGP riders reflect on Le Mans MotoGP 2017
Images by AJRN
Maverick Vinales P1
“Keeping up with Johann in the early laps of the race was hard, he was really fast and with the full tank we were not so strong as him. He was exiting from the corners really good and really fast. Then his tyre started to drop a little bit and our tyre started to work good on the rear, and lap by lap I was feeling better. Until the end, in the last lap, I gave everything I had here in the French GP and, honestly, I’m so happy and so pleased. The team was working on an incredible level this weekend, I hope we can continue like that. For sure the tyres were working really good here, we hope we can work like this also in Mugello.”
Johann Zarco P2
“The result feels so good and there are many words that I could use, but today has been just great. The conditions were perfect for me in the race with the soft tyre and it was fantastic that I was able to run the pace that I did and to also lead a GP again. I had one flashback of Qatar in my mind, yet, everything was better here than there! Vinales passed me on the 7th lap and from that moment I was just happy to stay with him, and he was fast, but I think that this was the key for me to getting the podium. Rossi was also strong, but its a bit complicated to fight in Le Mans because the track is tight, so I was thinking that even though 3rd at the time was fantastic, if they fight like that, maybe something will happen and I can get a better position, and this came true.
“My result is super and it was so much fun today. The crowd made a lot of noise and there was positive energy. I didnt feel it at the time, but now I realise that they brought me to the top and now I need to enjoy this moment. I’m a rookie and I am not looking at the Championship and the most important thing is to finish races and collect points, and today I got 20, which is fantastic. I am living in the present and enjoying every round, so if this 2nd place gives me a good advantage in the standing, then I will take it.”
Dani Pedrosa P3
“I’m super happy about this podium because I knew it would be quite tough to manage the race well starting from the fifth row on the grid. The thought of getting through that first chicane at the back of the pack meant a lot of pressure. It was a demanding mental exercise to try and be fast but not crash, being aggressive but calm! But in the end I got a good start, entered the first corner quite well, and quickly settled into a good rhythm. I recovered some positions and also touched with Cal along the way. I’m sorry for that but really it wasn’t intentional. I had just moved past Dovi and wasn’t going to pass Cal in that corner, but he made a little mistake that opened the line slightly, so I got trough on the inside and we touched. I’m happy nothing really happened there. After Marc crashed, I kept pushing but I was two seconds behind the Yamahas. I was starting to feel some chattering, and I decided to stay calm as I didn’t want to make a mistake. I think we had a good race and a very good result for the Championship. It’s just a shame that this weekend we couldn’t do well in qualifying, but we’re working with the team very well and the feeling with the bike is improving little by little. We just have to continue on this path for the next races.”
Andrea Dovizioso P4
“In the end today’s fourth place was a good result, and maybe I could even have tried to fight for the podium with Pedrosa, but I can’t be fully satisfied. We probably took home the best result possible because towards the mid-race point I had to slow my pace: as I was pushing hard in several points of the track I was losing strength in my right forearm and I wasn’t able to keep up the same intensity for the whole race. In the final stages my pace was quite good and I managed to lap quite easily in the low 1’33s and stay ahead of Crutchlow until the flag.”
Cal Crutchlow P5
“I was struggling today to turn the bike with the harder front tyre, it was really difficult and I was losing a lot of time in the mid-turn. But I felt quite good in the braking zone and I’m happy enough to finish in the top five. At least we finished and that was important after not doing so in the last race. My target today was the top six and we finished in the top five, so I’m pleased enough. At Mugello I’ll be aiming for the top six again, although there are a lot of guys riding fast at the moment, and I’m hoping the new tyre might suit me a bit better.”
Jorge Lorenzo P6
“Considering my position on the grid and the result of the warm-up, we have to say that it was quite a positive race for us. It’s true that the gap to the winner was pretty big and in some parts of the circuit I was losing a lot, but in general my pace was quite consistent and I didn’t make any errors. In the end we scored a good sixth place, my best result this year after the podium at Jerez, but we must continue to work hard. On Tuesday we’ll be out on track again at Montmeló for a couple of days to try and improve the bike more.”
Jonas Folger P7
“In the end, it was a positive day, but especially for Johann who finished in 2nd and I am really happy for him. As for my side of the garage, we struggled yesterday and I qualified on the fifth row. However, we knew that my pace was good and better than 15th. The race was hard at the beginning because I was further back than where I wanted to be and it was not easy to overtake or build up a rhythm quickly. Yet, once I started running a good rhythm, I posted some really solid lap times. Now, I need to work on myself and analyse what I can do differently to avoid making mistakes like this, where I start from the middle of the field. I have to be stronger throughout the weekend and improve my pace in the first part of the Grand Prix, but overall I am pleased, we took some important points and the weekend ended in a positive way.”
Jack Miller P8
“I was a little fortunate today with some other riders having problems but in racing you have to be in it at the finish to get the best result and that’s what we did. Considering my physical condition I think I rode a good race despite struggling to pick the bike up on corner exit. I’m happy to be back in the top ten both in the race and the points but it’s only early in the season so there’s still a lot of work to do. I had a good weekend going until my crash in FP4 so now I’ll go home and rest my body and get ready to come back stronger in Mugello.”
Loris Baz P9
“We knew before the start that the key today was to bring the bike back to the garage. We were not able to solve the front end issues during the warm-up. But I made a good start and I tried to keep the best possible pace without making mistakes. I lost some time at the beginning trying to overtake Pol (Espargaro) because he was slower than me, but he was strong on the brakes and the KTM is quite good in acceleration. Once I passed him, I concentrated on keeping my pace and I was able to catch Iannone. We overtook each other several times and at the last pass, we both went wide. I’m happy with these seven points because we scored them on a circuit that is difficult for us. I leave this race satisfied; you can always do better, but today it was important to finish the race and score points.”
Andrea Iannone P10
“This race has been difficult and we are not in an easy situation, but we are a great and strong group, and we are managing to improve in every race and in every session. In each race this year we have improved on our time from the previous year, but we still need to improve more as the competitors have made even bigger steps forward. In today’s race I had some difficulties feeling confident enough to push the limits, but my priority was finishing the race and getting some points, so I settled for 10th place. We are encountering troubles with braking. We cannot reduce the speed effectively, and we need to focus on this aspect because it prevents me from overtaking at the braking points, as well as struggling with the traction when I the bike picks up. Also when the bike is loaded with full tank, it is more difficult to control. I don’t feel confident. We now have a considerable amount of data to verify. Hopefully it will help for Mugello.”
Tito Rabat P11
“This is a good result for me, the best of the season so far especially because qualifying was a disaster and the struggle I had to adapt to the bike in the variable weather conditions. What I learned today was that it is better to stay calm in the race and be in a position to see things more clearly. At the end the race I was able to be ahead of the Aprilias and KTMs and close to Andrea Iannone. Now I am looking forward to the test this week in Barcelona and then to Mugello for the race”
Pol Espargaro P12
“We didn’t make the race we should today so I’m not happy because I thought we could’ve done a bit better. This time it was my fault as I wasn’t at 100% physically and after 15 laps I was starting to feel a little bit weak so I lost a little bit of time every lap. It’s a shame but I am sorry for the team as we are making big improvements, the bike is getting better and better but still we need to show it and I was not able today so I will try harder at the next race.”
Bradley Smith P13
“First of all I have to apologise to the team as my start wasn’t the best one and I ran off track three times so I definitely left a few seconds out on track, but the bike felt good considering the limited dry track time we had. Over the weekend as a whole we took the opportunities with both hands going straight through to QP2 which was obviously the highlight. In the race we settled a bit further back but we stayed focused and finished with points – which is the target. We will keep on moving forward and scoring these points every weekend and picking up on improvements, learning a lot and learning from my team mate as I battled with him over the last few laps so I can see what he has with his package and what I have with mine. Overall we must be proud of ourselves this weekend and we will keep on improving like always.”
Sam Lowes P14
“Besides the position today, the gap from the top 10 is important, as it has narrowed compared to the last races. Obviously we need to keep improving. The difficulties were foreseeable because we are in MotoGP, but things are moving in the right direction. I felt good in the race. Only toward the end did I feel the tyre wear since I had to stress it more that some of the other riders who were ahead of me. With the tests next week, where we will have a lot to try, I hope that I’ll be able to take another step forward before Mugello, a home race for Aprilia.”
Sylvain Guintoli P15
“It’s a nice feeling to score a point in my home race. We didn’t have too much dry time to work here, and at the end I think we did a good job under the circumstances. I really enjoyed riding the GSX-RR around the Le Mans circuit. The public was fantastic. I ended the race not too far off of Andrea, which is a positive thing. My goal was to end within one minute from the winner and I almost achieved it. We have to continue working and adapting to the MotoGP riding style, but I really liked working with this team and also racing the Suzuki machine in Le Mans. It’s like a dream come true for me.”
Valentino Rossi DNF
“It was a great shame, because for my team it was the best weekend of the season, where I was more competitive on the track, also in the wet, but especially in the race. For sure, for me this could have been the best result of the season. It was very difficult because the pace was always very high, but at the end I felt comfortable on the bike, I had a good feeling, so I tried to attack.
Unfortunately, on the last lap I made a mistake in turn 6 and I fell back a little, so Maverick could overtake me. I knew I had another chance, because we were very close and I tried to remain there, because in sector 4 I was good.
Sincerely, what happened during the crash, we don’t understand. Usually you have to pay attention to the front, but I lost the rear when I crashed. Anyway, I made a mistake, and it’s like this. It is a great shame to go back home with zero points.
First of all, I’m very sorry for missing out on the probable victory and also for losing the lead in the championship, because I lost points. For me, it still has been a good weekend, I was strong. Now we have to start thinking about the next race track, I hope to ride there like I did this weekend. We hope to continue like this.”
Aleix Espargaro DNF
“It was a difficult race. Starting so far back does not make things easy. Battling for the top 10 demands maximum concentration. I have to give 100% the entire weekend. In the race I was competitive. After overtaking Miller I was making up ground on Lorenzo and lapping very fast but unfortunately the engine failed just a few laps from the end. A real disappointment. We are working much better than our position in the standings would lead to believe. Unfortunately, this is part of racing. The team and I will continue to give 100% and to work nonstop as we have up to now.”
Marc Marquez DNF
“Of course today wasn’t the best for us. It’s a shame as I was really focused on trying to finish the race. Since yesterday, I haven’t felt totally comfortable with the front and and it seems like the first sector of the track wasn’t ‘my’ sector this weekend! I knew what my pace was and that the Yamaha riders were stronger today, but my target was to fight for four or fifth place and just be competitive until the end. I tried to be careful but then for some reason I lost the front very quickly. I didn’t expect this mistake but the good thing is that we’re not very far back, only 27 off the lead. I hope that I’ll have more confidence in the front with the new tyre Michelin is bringing. We have to work hard and try to recover but I look forward to doing better in the next races.”
Danilo Petrucci DNF
“I was unlucky this weekend. The qualifying did not go well and I had to start from P19 but I managed to start very fast. I was behind Lorenzo and I felt I had a good feeling with the bike. I tried to push and felt I could overtake him. Unfortunately I had a problem with the bike and I had to stop to save the engine. It’s the second time this year and I’m very disappointed. I want to make a great race at Mugello”.
Scott Redding DNF
“It’s a shame. Feeling were very good. It was a great weekend. I had so much confidence after Jerez tests and in free practice and qualifying I’ve done very well. The race start was good although in the first laps I had some grip problems. But I managed to keep my position as the race pace was very positive. It may seem strange but if I have to be honest I’m glad with this weekend because I found a great feeling. See you at Mugello!”.
Karel Abraham DNF
“It was a really great weekend that finished up in a really disappointing way. Our pace in practice was great, we qualified ninth, which was amazing, but I’ve been ill all through the night. I didn’t sleep, I had a fever and pain in my joints, I just felt horrible. I went straight to the Clinica Mobile this morning to get some treatment but then in the warm-up I had a small crash. I wanted to start the race but I still didn’t feel well. It was really hard. Actually the start was really good and over the first couple of laps I settled myself and I felt comfortable running with Lorenzo, Petrucci and those guys. Unfortunately I had a little technical problem with the gearbox. I thought I would be able to finish the race but the bike started to jump, I had a big one on the straight and three or four riders overtook me. I still wanted to try and finish but later that lap the bike got stuck in second gear so I had to stop.”
Hector Barbera DNF
“We were unlucky today. We think that something broke inside the engine. I only was able to complete three laps, so it is hard to get conclusions from this race. On the bright side, I was a little bit more aggressive at the start and I was able to gain some places, which is something we can’t do very often. After that I could pass some more riders, but in the fourth lap my engine stopped on the main straight. I also confirmed during the warm-up and during the few laps in the race that my feeling in dry conditions is much better now. During the test at Jerez we made a big step and now I can push the front. It’s just a shame that the results don’t reflect our progress yet. Now we head to Barcelona where I hope to improve my feeling with the front even more and where I want to get ready for Mugello.”
Alvaro Bautista DNF
“It shouldn’t be possible that for three races now we can work well all weekend and then in the race… I don’t know what’s going on. I got a normal start, I was in the group and on the way into turn six I was a little wide. It is normal to be off line on the first lap because there are so many riders together and sometimes you’re side by side. But on the way into the turn I lost the front and there was nothing I could do. We are doing a good job but we need to finish it off in the race. It is proving a difficult time for us.”
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager
“Finally the French GP is over and like anyone can imagine, I was emotional as well as a bit nervous, but Im sure that Johann was too! In the end, the race went better than anything we could have dreamed of. Johann had an unreal start, as usual, and ran an superb pace in the first six laps. He was running at the front and on his own, and that is a feeling that much be incredible for a rider. I must admit that we were slightly worried because we decided to use the soft front and rear tyres for both riders, and our main opponents, Factory Yamaha, used the medium compounds. We didnt experience a high track temperature throughout the whole weekend until today, so we were going into the unknown for the second part of the GP. When Maverick passed Johann, I was a bit relieved, because I thought that our rider would follow Maverick to see where he was quicker, how the tyres compare and whether he could stay with him or let him go. After two-thirds of the distance was completed, things were looking good because the gap back to 4th was increasing and even though Valentino was close to Johann, the possibility of a podium was really increasing with every lap. Valentino, who was very fast in the second part of the sprint, passed Johann and our man didnt try to challenge him as he just wanted to bring the bike home and get his maiden podium. As everyone knows, there was an incredible battle at the front and it was very unfortunate that Valentino crashed because it would have been a dream to have an all-Yamaha podium for their 500th Grand Prix win. Tonight we are happy because we have the celebration of the Yamaha milestone and there will be an extra nice feeling because of Johanns podium, but I am sorry for Valentinos outcome. On Jonas side, he recovered well but I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed. In the second half of the fight, he was posting really solid times as he matched Johanns pace, plus he was even a bit quicker at some points. Yet, at the beginning, he lost too much time and we have seen this in a few races already. However, the speed is there but we now have to work to find solutions for him. Thanks to both riders and the whole Monster Yamaha Tech3 crew, but especially to the fans who were amazing and it will be a weekend that we will never forget.”
Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager
“From the result, we have to be happy after 8th and 10th on the grid as you already have the feeling that maybe something more would be possible in the race, but it’s the reality we can now fight for points and between 10th and 15th. It’s the best result we have achieved this year. It’s great to see this. With Pol in 12th and Bradley in 13th, it means the whole weekend was very positive with the steps we have made, but of course we’ve never done a Le Mans race so of course it would’ve helped to have had four dry sessions to maybe lead to our race pace being a bit better but this is how it positively finished with points for both riders.”
Marc van der Straten – President, Marc VDS Racing Team
“My team of felines has proved exceptional once again. Tito rode a good race today in difficult conditions and we can see that things are coming for him. Jack showed today just how strong he his mentally, jumping back on the bike and racing hard after his huge crash yesterday. Before the race I told him that he had nothing to prove and could stop whenever he wanted. But he’s Jack, so he went to the end and secured us another great result, showing both his talent and his value once again. We can be proud of both of our riders today.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“It’s been a tough weekend for us. I have the feeling we needed more time to adjust the bike, compared to our competitors. Both on Friday and Saturday the weather has been very unstable, and this affected our work, not being able to improve the settings. We did our very best right up until Sunday morning to find some effective solutions, but we couldn’t deliver a setup that made the riders feel comfortable enough for a better performance. This is the reason why we had poor results today. Sylvain did a great job, his comments and feeling for the machine are very precise, and they will be helpful in its development. Sylvain will arrive at the next race with more experience, and Mugello is Andrea’s home track. I therefore feel really hopeful the Italian GP will be a totally different story for us.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Sadly this weekend we encountered some troubles in adapting quickly to the variable weather conditions, which did indeed affect our work and performance more than it did others. We couldn’t deliver a good package for the race to Andrea, which prevented him from being able to push as much as he would like. We have to be positive and look ahead. I hope the next races will take place in more stable weather conditions. Right now we have to work hard on the data to find the problem, and hopefully some solutions. For sure this is not demonstrating the potential that the rider and the machine can reach. We need to find away to make them work better together. Sylvain had a positive debut. Also for him, the conditions weren’t very friendly since he could only complete one dry session before the race, but he will continue to race with us in Mugello, so I believe that this experience will pay off in the near future.”
Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Manager
“The performance was definitely positive. Aleix was catching up steadily even if we paid the price in the race for less than brilliant qualifying. We need to improve this aspect as well as performance in the first part of the race. Overall, we had good performance here too and now we need to solidify that with results that are clearly within our potential. Sam did well, riding a good race this time in the mix with the others, demonstrating consistent progress throughout the weekend.”
Fausto Gresini – Aprilia Team Manager
“Aleix was really riding a great race, decidedly solid. Unfortunately, he started too far back because of practice being conditioned so much by the weather and that kept us from being out front straight away. But he was doing a really important comeback ride. We have never had a problem like this, but these things happen in racing. Now we need to react because we are truly not far at all from the leaders.”
Nicolas Goubert – Michelin
“Firstly, I want to send my wishes on behalf of Michelin and myself to Nicky Hayden and his family and hope that he makes a complete recovery from what appears to be a very serious accident. Nicky is an exemplary sportsman and a great person away from the track. He was the last Michelin World Champion before the single tyre rule and has a special place in the hearts of all at Michelin, so we all hope for some good news soon. This weekend was complicated by the wet and cold weather over the first two-days, so there was very little chance for the teams to set the bikes up or get tyre information and feedback. That said though it gave us valuable wet weather time and data and the tyres worked well in the wet and drying conditions and we saw some impressive lap-times. With the limited dry time the riders had before the race we never expected the excitement we got this afternoon. Again different riders chose different selections, highlighting the choice we are giving to all. The new asphalt showed good signs of grip when we tested here earlier this month and so it proved in the race. The tyres matched the grip and we saw the lap-record beaten many times, we also witnessed the durability of the tyres as the fastest lap of the race came at the very end. That individual lap time is impressive, but when it is added to the race duration record it becomes even more pleasing. The race was also exciting and up until the end you didn’t have an idea of where victory would go, so it was also a great show for the fans. Congratulations to Maverick on his victory and a special mention to Johann for making France proud!”
MotoGP 2017 – Round Five – Le Mans – Grand Prix de France – Race Results
- VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 25 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 43’29.793
- ZARCO Johann 5 FRA 20 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 3.134
- PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 16 Repsol Honda Team 7.717
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 13 Ducati Team 11.223
- CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 11 LCR Honda 13.519
- LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 10 Ducati Team 24.002
- FOLGER Jonas 94 GER 9 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 25.733
- MILLER Jack 43 AUS 8 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 32.603
- BAZ Loris 76 FRA 7 Reale Avintia Racing 45.784
- IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 6 Team Suzuki Ecstar 48.332
- RABAT Tito 53 SPA 5 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 50.036
- ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 52.661
- SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 3 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 53.179
- LOWES Sam 22 GBR 2 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 55.432
- GUINTOLI Sylvain 50 FRA 1 Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’06.878
- ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 0 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1 lap
- ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 5 laps
- MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 0 Repsol Honda Team 11 laps
- PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 0 Octo Pramac Racing 11 laps
- REDDING Scott 45 GBR 0 Octo Pramac Racing 21 laps
- ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE 0 Pull&Bear Aspar Team 23 laps
- BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 0 Reale Avintia Racing 25 laps
- BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 0 Pull&Bear Aspar Team
MotoGP 2017 – Round Five – Le Mans – Grand Prix de France – Championship Standings
- VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 85 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
- PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 68 Repsol Honda Team
- ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 62 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
- MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 58 Repsol Honda Team
- ZARCO Johann 5 FRA 55 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 54 Ducati Team
- CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 40 LCR Honda
- LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 38 Ducati Team
- FOLGER Jonas 94 GER 38 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
- MILLER Jack 43 AUS 29 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS
- PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 26 Octo Pramac Racing
- REDDING Scott 45 GBR 26 Octo Pramac Racing
- BAZ Loris 76 FRA 19 Reale Avintia Racing
- ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 17 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
- IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 15 Team Suzuki Ecstar
- BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 14 Pull&Bear Aspar Team
- RABAT Tito 53 SPA 13 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS
- BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 12 Reale Avintia Racing
- ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE 9 Pull&Bear Aspar Team
- RINS Alex 42 SPA 7 Team Suzuki Ecstar
- ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 6 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
- SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 6 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
- LOWES Sam 22 GBR 2 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
- GUINTOLI Sylvain 50 FRA 1 Team Suzuki Ecstar
