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. “
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