Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies eyeing a strong finish at the French GP – MotoGP News
Yamaha riders, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, seem to be pretty confident ahead of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. The Yamaha team, especially Team Director Massimo Meregalli and Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg, have backed their riders to put on a
good show in Le Mans, following great test results at Estoril.
Yamaha Team Director, Massimo Meregalli said while speaking to reporters, “We left Estoril with some good points from the test and some valuable information. We are going to Le Mans with good confidence to continue our strong performance.”
The Yamaha Team Manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, was happy with the post-race test held at Portugal following the race day. Team members and all the riders in the test were pleased with the good weather conditions for the test day. Zeelenberg was aware that Lorenzo
lacked pace in corners, quite uncharacteristic of the rider. However, he assured that after the improved settings on his bike following the Estoril tests, Lorenzo could go back to his old riding style of “fast corner entry”.
Meanwhile, Ben Spies will head into Le Mans hoping to end his DNF curse, which has followed the rider from Spain to Portugal. His last season at Le Mans was not great either, as he hit a rough high side in the last free practice session last year. He then
struggled through qualifiers and the race day with a swollen ankle, and things didn’t get any better for the American. His race ended in a disaster when he crashed in the seventh lap, earning a DNF in 2010 Le Mans.
Nevertheless, speaking to reporters, Spies revealed he was feeling quite relaxed taking a few days off after the Portugal GP. The 26-year-old, who made his first MotoGP appearance in at the 2008 British GP, was determined to leave a string of bad results
behind and start fresh at the French GP.
Turning our attention to Lorenzo, the defending MotoGP World Champion is ready to stretch his consecutive podium finishes in France. Owing to a great start to the 2011 season, which saw the Spaniard win the Spanish GP and finish second at both, Qatar and
Portugal, Lorenzo leads the 2011 MotoGP World Championship points table.
“I am coming back to Le Mans, a track I really enjoy and where I won last season. The people in Le Mans love motorbikes; they love the smell of fuel. We are on the top, but we should be focused on getting as many points as possible,” said the 26-year-old
while speaking to reporters.
Lorenzo currently has a 4-point lead over his fellow countryman, Dani Pedrosa, and the Yamaha rider will be the clear favourite to conquer Le Mans for a third consecutive time.
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