Le Mans, France - Yamaha teammates Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi continue their battle for MotoGP supremacy in the third leg of the 2010 season at Le Mans on Sunday.
Lorenzo approaches the French Grand Prix in pole position, the Spaniard’s win in Jerez last time out giving him a four-point lead in the riders’ standings after Rossi took the opening race in Qatar.
Lorenzo, who came out tops in difficult conditions in Le Mans 12 months ago, said: “Last year I won in Le Mans in an amazing and crazy race.
“I hope the fans aren’t waiting for a repeat this weekend!”
In an interview with the sport’s official Web site, motogp.com, he added: “Of course the weather is always a risk in Le Mans, but I hope for sun.
“I’ve been on the podium twice there, last season and when I won my second 250cc title, so I am looking forward to trying again. I’ve had almost three weeks since Jerez and I know that I am ready for this second European race.”
He refused to accept the tag of favorite, saying: “Despite our victory in Jerez and taking the lead in the world standings, I continue to think that I am not the favorite because the season is very long and it has only just started.”
Rossi had a race to forget in Le Mans last season, the world champion trailing in 16th, but his overall form at the historic French venue is excellent, with three MotoGP victories here.
He is feeling bullish after recovering from an injury sustained in a training accident.
“My shoulder is more or less recovered now, so I hope I will be back to full strength in Le Mans,” Rossi said. “Despite the disaster of last year’s race, Le Mans is a good track for me and Yamaha always goes well there. The biggest problem is the weather, but after last year, I think we deserve a sunny French GP.”
Rossi added: “We’ve made a good start to the season, with the win in Qatar and then another podium, but we have also struggled with the bike in some areas, so we need to try to improve our performance. We had a good test after Jerez, so I hope that we will be able to use that information to start strongly here.”
Agence France-Presse
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
Lorenzo approaches the French Grand Prix in pole position, the Spaniard’s win in Jerez last time out giving him a four-point lead in the riders’ standings after Rossi took the opening race in Qatar.
Lorenzo, who came out tops in difficult conditions in Le Mans 12 months ago, said: “Last year I won in Le Mans in an amazing and crazy race.
“I hope the fans aren’t waiting for a repeat this weekend!”
In an interview with the sport’s official Web site, motogp.com, he added: “Of course the weather is always a risk in Le Mans, but I hope for sun.
“I’ve been on the podium twice there, last season and when I won my second 250cc title, so I am looking forward to trying again. I’ve had almost three weeks since Jerez and I know that I am ready for this second European race.”
He refused to accept the tag of favorite, saying: “Despite our victory in Jerez and taking the lead in the world standings, I continue to think that I am not the favorite because the season is very long and it has only just started.”
Rossi had a race to forget in Le Mans last season, the world champion trailing in 16th, but his overall form at the historic French venue is excellent, with three MotoGP victories here.
He is feeling bullish after recovering from an injury sustained in a training accident.
“My shoulder is more or less recovered now, so I hope I will be back to full strength in Le Mans,” Rossi said. “Despite the disaster of last year’s race, Le Mans is a good track for me and Yamaha always goes well there. The biggest problem is the weather, but after last year, I think we deserve a sunny French GP.”
Rossi added: “We’ve made a good start to the season, with the win in Qatar and then another podium, but we have also struggled with the bike in some areas, so we need to try to improve our performance. We had a good test after Jerez, so I hope that we will be able to use that information to start strongly here.”
Agence France-Presse
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com