Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo will try and turn the page on his Jerez disappointment by claiming a fourth victory from six Le Mans starts.
The Yamaha star took pole position in Spain but was unable to match the pace of Honda's Dani Pedrosa at their home race - and was then bumped out of second at the final corner by rookie countryman Marc Marquez.
All of which means Qatar winner Lorenzo arrives at round four having slipped to third in the championship, but just four points from leader Marquez.
“Now we travel to France, to Le Mans, a special circuit which is a very different track to Jerez. I am looking forward to racing there. I arrive with a lot of motivation after the Jerez results,” said Lorenzo, who was left fuming by Marquez's pass but conceded he should have been more defensive.
Lorenzo joined his MotoGP rivals for a day of testing after the Spanish race, when he addressed some of the performance issues suffered in the race.
“Perhaps we expected better [at Jerez] but we struggled much more than we expected because of the extreme heat on the track. Fortunately we worked a lot on the test day afterwards to solve little problems. That session helped us to understand what the main problems had been on the Sunday.”
The #99 also used the test day to make a decision on the M1 chassis options available and, unlike team-mate Valentino Rossi, looks set to use the latest design at Le Mans. Lorenzo won last year's wet race by almost ten seconds over Rossi, then riding a Ducati.
“I've always had very good results at Le Mans and it brings me good memories. Last year in fact, I got a victory in the wet by a great distance over the rest. I rode a perfect race, without making a single mistake and in terrible track conditions,” recalled Lorenzo.
“I have won many times in France and think it's a good track for both me and the Yamaha M1.”
Having been unexpectedly beaten by the factory Hondas at Jerez, at track favourable to the M1s in winter testing, Yamaha team manager Wilco Zeelenberg is eager to gauge their Le Mans level.
“Le Mans is also one of the tracks that the Yamaha suits really well. I think it will be interesting to see what the level is on that circuit and if we are able to fight for the victory,” said the Dutchman. “That's what we were missing for the last two races and we will try hard to seek this in France.”
The Yamaha star took pole position in Spain but was unable to match the pace of Honda's Dani Pedrosa at their home race - and was then bumped out of second at the final corner by rookie countryman Marc Marquez.
All of which means Qatar winner Lorenzo arrives at round four having slipped to third in the championship, but just four points from leader Marquez.
“Now we travel to France, to Le Mans, a special circuit which is a very different track to Jerez. I am looking forward to racing there. I arrive with a lot of motivation after the Jerez results,” said Lorenzo, who was left fuming by Marquez's pass but conceded he should have been more defensive.
Lorenzo joined his MotoGP rivals for a day of testing after the Spanish race, when he addressed some of the performance issues suffered in the race.
“Perhaps we expected better [at Jerez] but we struggled much more than we expected because of the extreme heat on the track. Fortunately we worked a lot on the test day afterwards to solve little problems. That session helped us to understand what the main problems had been on the Sunday.”
The #99 also used the test day to make a decision on the M1 chassis options available and, unlike team-mate Valentino Rossi, looks set to use the latest design at Le Mans. Lorenzo won last year's wet race by almost ten seconds over Rossi, then riding a Ducati.
“I've always had very good results at Le Mans and it brings me good memories. Last year in fact, I got a victory in the wet by a great distance over the rest. I rode a perfect race, without making a single mistake and in terrible track conditions,” recalled Lorenzo.
“I have won many times in France and think it's a good track for both me and the Yamaha M1.”
Having been unexpectedly beaten by the factory Hondas at Jerez, at track favourable to the M1s in winter testing, Yamaha team manager Wilco Zeelenberg is eager to gauge their Le Mans level.
“Le Mans is also one of the tracks that the Yamaha suits really well. I think it will be interesting to see what the level is on that circuit and if we are able to fight for the victory,” said the Dutchman. “That's what we were missing for the last two races and we will try hard to seek this in France.”
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