PREVIEW GP OF FRANCE
MELANDRI RETURNS TO LE MANS LOOKING FOR REPEAT OF
2006 VICTORY
 The
MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this weekend for
the Grand Prix of France, round five of the season, at the
historic circuit of Le Mans, constructed around a section
of the existing 24 Hour track in 1965. Famous mainly for its
car races, the Bugatti circuit is located around 200km south-east
of Paris and is a special event for motor sport fans from
across the north of Europe.
With events at the last round in China now firmly behind
them, the Team Honda GRESINI riders are looking ahead to France
with renewed optimism. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, and
indeed the entire team, are keen to improve both performance
and results after their Shanghai disappointment.
MARCO MELANDRI: "It's nice to be going
back to Le Mans, a circuit where I have a lot of nice memories
after my victory there last year. I like the circuit and it
should suit our bike a little more. It's still a little early
to be making predictions and we'll have to wait until we get
there to check out the weather conditions, which can change
quickly. The Bugatti track is full of hard braking and it
needs a riding style that favours braking and opening the
gas with perfect timing according to each particular corner.
There are a couple of hard acceleration points but there are
no really long straights and that should help. It's good fun
to ride here - especially when you win, like I did last year!
The technical conditions we find ourselves in now are a little
different to how they were last season but if we give it everything
then nothing is impossible. It will be important to work well
from the first free practice session in order to find a good
base that will allow me to squeeze everything I can out of
the Le Mans track."
TONI ELIAS: "Le Mans is a track I like
and I've had some good results there in the past. I actually
scored my first podium here back in 2001 when I finished third
in the 125cc race and I also won the 250cc race in 2003. Last
year we suffered a lot with the tyres because I couldn't get
them up to the right temperature. This year the tyre situation
is completely different and we should be in the right shape
to challenge at the front of the field again. The bad luck
at Shanghai is behind me now and I can't wait to get back
on track at Le Mans - it could be a decent chance to register
a good result."
THE CHALLENGE:
The 2007 World Championship is proving, more than ever before,
to be a battle between the tyre manufacturers. Bridgestone
have beaten Michelin three times out of four races already
this season, even dominating at circuits where they hadn't
traditionally done well in the past. But Sunday's race is
an even bigger challenge for the Japanese brand, with the
Le Mans circuit being just a short drive from their rivals'
Clermont Ferrand factory. In fact, it is Michelin who have
triumphed at their home circuit some 11 times from the past
12 premier class races here - including last year's win with
Marco Melandri.
Interesting fact: FAUSTO GRESINI was himself
a winner at the Grand Prix of France back in 1987: "It
was a wet race. The track was really slippery, there were
different types of asphalt and a lot of guys were crashing
but I managed to escape from the group and win," he recalls
about his wet weather win. Gresini's curious memory of Le
Mans, however, comes from 1985 when he clinched his first
125 title: "It was the first and last time in my career
that I made an agreement with another rider. I was fighting
for the title so Gianola said he would help me, but he didn't
- he tried to win the race! It was a lesson for me because
I had the potential to win it on my own anyway. That was the
day I learned that a rider must focus only on himself and
his own team."
CIRCUIT
Inaugurated: 1974
Latest modification: 2002
Length: 4,180 m
Width: 13m
Pole position: Left
Right corners: 9
Left corners: 4
Longest straight: 450m
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