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2007-05-16 Honda riders about Le Mans
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 The MotoGP season now enters its most intense phase with seven races over the next ten weeks and no one will be more focused on getting the most out of this gruelling period of racing than Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V). Dani has triumphed here at Le Mans on a 125cc machine in 2003 and the Spanish idol achieved two 250cc wins at the Bugatti circuit in 2004 and 2005. He also set the pole position here with a lap time of 1m 33.990 seconds in his debut MotoGP season and will be looking to achieve even more this weekend as he starts his 100th Grand Prix.
He currently lies third in the overall points standings after achieving two podium finishes and a fourth place so far. He was deprived of a finish in Turkey after getting knocked off in a first lap incident. Amazingly, he has now gone 12 races without a win – and in terms of Dani’s incredible success rate – this represents something of a barren spell.
But Dani is nothing if not determined and this weekend represents a perfect chance for him to get back on terms with the series points leaders Casey Stoner (Ducati) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha).
His team-mate and reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) will be equally keen to get his season back on the rails after a troubled start to his title defence. But the genial American, although currently ninth overall, knows he has the skill and the means to hit back here.
Nicky is not alone in describing the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans as ‘not a favourite’ in the way that say Mugello, Assen or Brno might be, but some riders like it. A ‘name’ track with a rich recent history, it’s a racing environment capable of producing entertainingly close racing. And with no winter testing conducted here pre-season, all riders will face a fresh challenge.
The 4.180km track is a compact circuit and although few riders claim to enjoy riding here, they all have huge respect for it. Le Mans requires courage in parts, a delicate throttle hand in others and absolute commitment in the many heavy braking areas. The track was built in 1965, modified and shortened in 2003 and then totally resurfaced in 2004 to the general relief of most riders.
Located 150 miles south-west of Paris, the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans employs some elements from the longer public roads circuit but remains modestly within its own confines. Turn one is a blisteringly fast uphill right with a following chicane that requires expert judgement to get right. Many rookie riders overshoot or brake too early allowing rivals past.
Much of the rest of the track is a succession of hard braking and tight exits that put a premium on machine balance. It might not be that technical – but it is a challenge. In all it comprises nine right hand turns and four lefts with two tight complexes before the flat out start/finish straight into turn one, which was modified last year.
Machine set-up requires stability on the brakes and chassis settings that allow quick turn-in but not at the expense of having to tame a wheelie-prone machine on the throttle out of the many slow turns. Many of the overtaking opportunities here are afforded under braking and the longest straight is only 450m long.
Nicky Hayden:
I really need get a good result for myself and for the team in France, and we’ll definitely be going all out for that. I wouldn’t say Le Mans is one of my favourite tracks, but that’s just because I’ve never had a very good result here, which can take the fun out of any track I guess. So I hope all that changes this weekend. We’ve still got some distance to go to get the bike working for me and put ourselves in a position to fight for wins, but the guys are right behind me and I know Honda’s pushing hard to improve the performance – and Michelin too.
Dani Pedrosa:
Le Mans is a circuit where I’ve had some good races in previous years so I’m hoping this visit will be the same. Since it’s the first time we will ride the new 800cc machines at Le Mans, our primary target will be to find the right way to set up the bike – especially the gearing because there are many sections of acceleration out of slow corners and it’s very important to have the best possible drive at these points. Let’s hope the weather stays clear and gives us enough dry track time to do this.
Marco Melandri:
I like it here and it should suit our bike a little more. It’s 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.
Toni Elias:
I’ve had some good results here 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 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. This could be a decent chance to register a good result.
Carlos Checa:
I’ve had good results here before. The engine power is not so important like in Istanbul and Shanghai so we have more chance of finishing near the front. I hope the weather’s good and we find the best solutions for the tyres because Bridgestone is very strong now. Michelin is working hard together with my technicians and I am pretty confident for the weekend. All the RC212V riders are suffering the same problems with the engine power and the front chatter and I’m sure that HRC can find a solution soon.
Shinya Nakano:
We didn’t have a good weekend last time out in China, but I know the team and I will bounce back for Le Mans. I’m hoping we’ll be much stronger on race tyres here as I really enjoy the circuit layout. Last year at the French Grand Prix I almost got pole, but was eventually bumped back to second. This shows I can do it, so I’m very much looking forward to getting on the pace from the very first practice session.
Kenny Roberts:
We’ve an updated version of the chassis we’ve been running and this one is nearer to the original centre position we started with – nothing drastic, only adjustments. Tyres have been an issue at some races but this week we are racing in Michelin’s back yard so we hope they’ll have something for us.
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