MotoGP, Le Mans: for Rossi a Mission (Im)possible

The World Championship lands in France for the first round of the season after that of Jerez. This is the eighteenth consecutive time that the French track hosts the series, the first was in 2000. Le Mans is without doubt one of those tracks that smiles on Honda with seven wins to date, the same number as Yamaha, which won the two latest editions with Jorge Lorenzo.

The Majorcan has a special relationship with the Bugatti track, and has reached the top step of the podium on six occasions, once in 250 and five times in MotoGP. In 2016, the current Ducati rider won with a 10”654 advantage over Valentino Rossi - the biggest gap to second that Lorenzo has ever achieved in a dry race.

In France, the Doctor aims to leave the disappointment of Jerez behind him. He was won at Le Mans on three occasions,but the last was back in 2008, nine years ago. From 2012 to today, the French round has seen only Spanish rider dominate, the last non-Spaniard was Casey Stoner in 2011.

As for local riders, their best performance was a fourth place scored by Olivier Jacques in 2003. Frenchman have scored a total of three podium finishes in the reigning class at this track, as well as Jacques there was Raymond Roche's second place in 1985 and third for Christian Sarron in 1987.