Voice le mans 2010 season issue 03 by SASTG

BLUE: PANTONE REFLEX BLUE RED: PANTONE 7427C GREEN: 356C

2010 season issue 03

FRANCE GP Le Mans

Equal opportunities so far in the Yamaha camp: one win each for Vale and Jorge

Yamaha loves Le Mans

Numbers&Co

The historic French circuit’s structure and bends should fit M1’s agility features A car racing shrine, sometimes open to bikes as well, Le Mans French circuit is traditionally favourable for Yamaha, that is usually able to take full advantage of its bike’s efficiency and legendary ease of handling. 2008’s French GP ended up with an all-Yamaha podium (this hadn’t happened since 2001 in Sachsenring, when 4 YZR 500 preceded all the other

bikes, and 5 of them were in the top six), while last year the asphalt condition variability (it got drier after start) has caused considerable trouble. Still Yamaha managed to get on the podium anyway, and it actually won, with Jorge. Iwata riders are actually regulars on the podium: just consider that there has always been at least one M1 on it in

the last two years’ races, with 20 wins and 6 one-two’s. One of these was in Misano in 2008, and all the others during last year (Motegi, Catalunya, Assen, Sachsenring and Misano again). The same goes for the current season: the two factory Yamaha have always got on the podium, taking turns on the highest step.

Since Valentino and Jorge have teamed up (in the last 37 GP’s that is), they have won 22 races (Jorge has won 6 and Valentino 16)

22 7

have achieved 7 one-two’s. On these occasions, Jorge was the first to cross the finishing line once, while all the other times it was Valentino.

have made 18 pole positions. 9 of them belong to Jorge Lorenzo (and let’s not forget that he scored his first three poles on the occasion of his first three races in MotoGP). Valentino has scored just as many. Colin’s pole position in China, 2008, must be added.

have achieved a total of 16 fastest laps: 5 were made by Jorge and 11 by Valentino.

Coming straight to this issue’s point PEOPLE

RACING

HERITAGE

TRACK

Tech3 team owner speaks

Tyres allocation: when impartiality is key

The first premier-class win

Telemetry anda data from the circuit

Adventure began in France

Bienvenue to Le Mans

Tyres planet

Poncharal’s way

2010 MOTOGP ROUNDS 11/04 Doha

Qatar

Valentino Rossi 25

02/05 Spain Jerez

Jorge Lorenzo 45

05/23

France Le Mans

06/06 Italy

06/20

06/26

07/04

07/18

07/25

08/15

08/29

09/05

09/19

10/03

10/10

10/17

10/31

11/07

UK Holland Catalunya Germany USA Czech Rep Indy S. Marino Aragon Japan Malaysia Australia Portugal Valencia Mugello Silverstone Assen Catalunya Sachsen Laguna Brno Indianapolis Misano Aragon Motegi Sepang Phillip Estoril Valencia Island

WORLD STANDING IN RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: THE LEADER

PEOPLE Yamaha’s satellite team owner

PONCHARAL’S WAY AS A YOUNG MAN HE USED TO SELL ICE-CREAM ON THE BEACH, NOW HE OWNS AND MANAGES THE TECH3 TEAM, THE NEARLY-OFFICIAL ONE. HERVÉ HAS BUILT UP A CAREER NOW, AND HE HAS LITTLE TIME TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE WILDERNESS AND HIS FRIENDS. 4. Is being IRTA President better then being Tech3 owner? How do you split your time between these activities? No. The most exciting and the most important job for me is to manage Tech3 activities, which is not easy as now we are present in 2 classes ( MotoGP and Moto2), So, from Friday morning till Sunday night, my race weekend is like a marathon; I don’t have time to see my friends any more: it’s a shame!!!

Yamaha and your bikes are actually the same as the factory M1s. Do you feel the pressure or is this a greater stimulus to do your best? And do you contribute to M1’s development? Yamaha is the best manufacturer and any satellite team dreams to work with them. I feel the pressure but it’s a real positive one. When you work with people like Mr. Furusawa, Mr. Nakajima or Mr. Jarvis and the whole Yamaha crew, you certainly don’t want to disappoint them and this is a great stimulus! I think that Yamaha is using Colin’s comments and feedback very carefully. They rate him as a very good test rider.

5. What’s the best and the worst part of being Tech3 owner? The best of course is when you get good results : you forget about how tired you are, you’re the happiest man in the paddock and you want to invite everybody to celebrate! But the worst is when you struggle to find sponsors, doubt you will make it for the following year; and also the worst of the Worst is when you rider is crashing and you dont know if he’s OK... 1. How long have you been working in the premier class (500/MotoGP)? How long have you been involved in motorsport? I’ve been working in the Premier Class since 2001 but I’m involved in motorsport since 1980. 2. What was your first job? Selling ice-creams on the beach. 3. When was Tech3 team born? The economic crisis hurts satellite teams: is it true for yours too? Tech3 was born in 1989. Of course we are worried but we’re working hard to reduce our total costs (less winter tests, less GP tests) Moreover, riders understand the economical situation and have agreed on salary reduction! We have also re-thought our organisation (flight cases for the freight, pit complex, lighter etc...) And of course we are preparing with FIM, DORNA, MSMA & IRTA the evolution of the new MotoGP class that will be launched in 2012. We have high expectations…

9. Le Mans is a friend-track for Yamahas. Do not think about luck: what do you expect from Sunday, May 23rd? In Le Mans the weather always plays a big role, but a podium there like in 2008 would definitely be like paradise !!!

HIS NICKNAME IN THE PITBOX IS “CHEF” BUT MARY SPIES CALLS HIM “FRENCHIE”. HE LOVES SPENDING AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE IN THE NATURE WITH HIS BICYCLE, KAYAK, MOTORBIKE OR WAVERUNNER. A REAL SPORTSMAN! 6. What are the three best qualities of Ben and Colin? Any funny episodes? There’s a great atmosphere in the box: Colin and Ben get on very well together, they help each other and laugh a lot at the hospitality!

Le Mans... in 3 words

HP: “Le Mans is Myth, Motorsport and International”

7. Your team’s riders always look very satisfied with you. How can you tune into people so different from each other? A good team manager should be very flexible to adapt to his surrounding. You should be like a “chameleon” and, for sure, you don’t deal with a Texan guy like you would with a Japanese one! It’s up to you to understand the difference between people. I enjoy this part of the “game” a lot because it’s a nice challenge!

in your best memories

HP : “I’ll never forget when I won Guidon A.C.O. in 1981, and the first (and only) time I raced in the legendary 24 Hours: I was wearing number 24”

8. You have a very close relationship with

MY PODIUM Hervé Poncharal’s favourites CARS

1) Chevrolet Corvette Cabriolet 1957 2) Citroen C4 WRC “ Loeb Replica” 3) Peugeot 908 “ Le Mans Winner”

FOOD

MUSIC

1) Italian food (pasta, ham, pizza..) 2) Spanish food (tortillas, tapas...) 3) French salads and my mum’s soup!

1) Progressive Rock (70’s & 80’s) 2) French Rock music (I love Zazie!) 3) “A curious thing” from Amy Mc Donald

RACING Briefing FAQs to Bridgestone THE MARK Why are some of tyres marked with a white band? The decision was made early on in the 2009 season to provide a method that would allow the media and the fans to easily distinguish between the two available slick tyre compound that can be used at each GP. This resulted in the softer of the two compounds being marked with the white line - similar to Bridgestone’s activity in F1 whereby the softer slicks are painted with a green line.

TYRE PLANET

THE RIMS

FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON, BRIDGESTONE IS THE SOLE TYRE SUPPLIER FOR THE WHOLE MOTOGP. THOMAS SCHOLZ, BRIDGESTONE MOTOGP CHIEF COORDINATOR, EXPLAINS HOW THE TYRE ALLOCATION PROCESS WORKS.

MotoGP World Championship has become “mono-tyre”, in the sense that, since 2009, Bridgestone supplies tyres to all riders. This entails a significant commitment for the Japanese giant, given that they also are an exclusive tyre supplier in Formula 1. So, ensuring equal and fair allocation of tyres to each ri-

the specifications available at each GP. «Our data from 2009 told that six rear tyres for each specification was far too much, so the riders accepted the proposal to reduce the number of rear tyres to five for each specification – five of spec A and five of B». said Thomas Scholz, Chief Coordinator

this season, as there are some distinct differences between the compounds on offer this season, as was displayed in the opening round at Losail. Scholz explained: «The 2010 tyres, soft and medium, are different from 2009. The two different rear tyre specs are a single tyre compound and an asymmetric one. We have soft,

ENSURING EQUAL AND FAIR ALLOCATION OF TYRES TO EACH RIDER IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS AND IMPARTIALITY OF THE SINGLE TYRE SUPPLY SYSTEM AND IS MADE ON A RANDOM BASIS AND ON RIDERS REQUEST TOO, OF COURSE.

der is absolutely critical to the success and impartiality of the single tyre supply system, making the allocation process very important. But not only allocation is important: also strict monitoring and control of the allocated tyres is crucial to ensure that riders do not swap or exchange tyres from their allocations during a GP. Each tyre is allocated to a specific rider, and barcode imprinted onto the tyre’s sidewall allow both Bridgestone and the FIM to monitor each rider’s tyre usage at all times. It is forbidden for any rider to use a tyre that has not been allocated to him. The allocation of tyres is made on a random basis with no involvement of any representative from Bridgestone, the team or riders. But is based on riders requests among

of the Bridgestone MotoGP project. «For the front tyre they were not so happy for a couple of races about the total number of tyres they had available, especially when one compound tends to be much better than the other and the allocation is four and four. For this reason our proposal was that at the beginning (of the GP weekend) we give them three tyres of both specs. Then on Friday after the first free practice session the teams and riders have two hours in which to inform us which additional tyre they want to have. So it can be whatever combination of A and B they want if they are not quite sure which tyre will be the final choice for the race.», added Scholz. It is not just the allocation process which has changed

medium and hard of the single compound tyre, and we have medium, hard and extra hard of the asymmetric.The normal front tyres we are using in the MotoGP class are single compound tyres in a range of soft, medium, hard and extra hard. We don’t use multi compound or asymmetric compound tyres. It’s easier for the riders to use single compound front tyres because this is a very important factor – to be able to trust the front tyre and how it works, and the rider can understand it better. If we offer an asymmetric compound on the front this can take too long for a rider to adjust to, so we leave them,» concluded Scholz.

Who owns the tyres and the rims? All of the tyres are owned by Bridgestone and all of the wheel rims are owned by the teams. At the circuit a team brings the rims to the Bridgestone fitting area where the tyres are fitted. Throughout the weekend, as tyres are removed from rims and new ones fitted, Bridgestone retains all of the tyres, both wet and slick. At the end of a test or GP each tyre is accounted for and they are all returned to Bridgestone Motorsport’s MotoGP base in Speyer (Germany). A selection of tyres is sent to the technical centre in Tokyo for further analysis and data acquisition.

THE COSTS Who pays for the tyres? The tyres are supplied to the teams by Bridgestone, who do not get paid for that. They are supplied under Bridgestone official tyre supplier contract.

THE GAS How are tyres inflated? Bridgestone inflates tyres with compressed dry air to an initial pressure of 4 bar to seal the tyre onto the before deflating them to 2 bar.

THE TRAVELS What tyres do teams use transporting bikes between events? Bridegstone provides team with travel tyres (also used on showbikes). They just look like race tyres but do not contain the same level of material and construction technology.

HERITAGE

ADVENTURE BEGAN IN FRANCE

M1’S GRANNY: THE YZR

APRIL 1973, GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE. IT’S THE 1st RACE OF THE SEASON AND THE VERY FIRST YAMAHA 500 IS READY TO KICK OFF ITS CHAMPIONSHIP. YAMAHA WILL END UP WINNING ON ITS DEBUT DAY, AND THE RIDER WAS JARNO SAARINEN, THE UNFORGOTTEN FLYING FINN. The 1st winner in 500 class Nicknamed by his fellow countrymen “Paroni” (The Baron), Jarno Saarinen was born in 1945 in Surku, the ancient South Finland capital. Jarno started at 18 with ice track racing, he entered GP’s world in 1968 as a private rider, and in 1972 becomes a Yamaha rider. He was not official yet, but he bacame World Champion in the 250cc class, plus he classifies second in 350 cc. So in 1973 Yamaha hired him for their official Racing Team. He died in the same year in the tragical crash in Monza. In the 1969 World GP, Yamaha did not enter as a factory team, but continued to provide production road racers in response to market demand, and racing teams (mostly Yamaha importers) with Yamaha bikes performed well in the 250 class, winning the Manufacturers Championship and the Riders Championship for three years (1970, ‘71 and ‘72). 1973: THE TURNING POINT In April 1973, the French GP (which was hosted in Le Castellet circuit instead of Le Mans) was the opening round of World GP, and it marked the beginning of a new era for Yamaha. The Iwata company, in fact, returned to the World GP as a factory participant and, furthermore, on April 22nd, Yamaha entered the first race in the premier class, the famous 500. The riders were Jarno Saari-

nen, who had won the previous season’s 250 world title on a TZ250 bike, and Hideo Kanaya.

YZR 500: THE BIKE The motorcycle that was entered as a part of the drive for a new technology was a YZR500 (2-stroke, 4-cylinder engine) with the development name of OW20. THE RACE The team competed against MV Agusta ridden by Phil Read (who

had previousely been the “face” of Yamaha). Saarinen was a great Finnish rider, known as the “Flying Finn”. In the previous year he had been champion on a TZ250. For Kanaya the French GP was the debut in 500 class. Saarinen won the race with blistering speed, over the 20-lap, 116.2 km course in a time of 45 min. 57 sec. while Kanaya (author of a memorable fight with Read, see picture) came third. In the second round of the series at the rainy Saltzburg circuit in Germany, Saarinen and Kanaya would finish one-two, and in doing so herald the start of a new era in GP racing.

A TRADITION OF GOOD OVERALL BALANCE The Yamaha YZR500 factory machine won its World GP debut race back in April 1973 at the French GP, breaking the domination of the MV Agusta machines. And, after winning the manufacturers championship the following year, 1974, Yamaha continued to compete in GP racing for thirty years with its evolving YZR500 factory machines. The OW20 prototype was not the product of a development project aimed solely at the GP500 class. At that time, in the latter half of the 1960s, Yamaha was looking at the U.S. market as one with big potential and since 1968 had been competing in America’s biggest motorcycle race event, the Daytona 200. At that time the Yamaha race machine for Daytona was based on the 350cc TR2, but as rival makers began introducing

“We won our debut race thanks to the bike’s good overall balance rather then to its acceleration”. 750cc machines Yamaha began developing a liquid-cooled in-line four-cylinder 700cc two-stroke machine dubbed the YZ648 from May of 1971. Retired Yamaha engineer Takashi Matsui recalls the start of the development project: «We were intending to eventually participate in the GP500 class so we started work on a 500cc model, but at the same time we had our eyes on Daytona. So we started developing a 700cc model simultaneously: we spent all of 1972 developing the finer details of the machines, coded as “OW19” (700cc) and “OW20” (500cc)». «About the OW20, we were told that our rivals put out about 102 HP, while our bike put out 95 HP. So, the reason we were able to win our debut race was surely a result of the machine’s good overall balance rather than its acceleration», concludes Masakazu Shiohara, head of the testing team at the time. Yamaha’s philosophy of pursuing overall performance and handling rather than depending simply on power output was already present from the first YZR500.

JARNO SAARINEN WON THE 1st RACE WITH BLISTERING SPEED: 116.2 KM IN 45’57’’ WHILE HIDEO KANAYA, AUTHOR OF A MEMORABLE FIGHT WITH PHIL READ, CAME THIRD. IN SALTZBURG, THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SERIES, THEY WOULD FINISH ONE-TWO.

1973

It was the year

Yamaha mounted the first Monocross suspension on the YZM2SO and won the world championship. It marked the beginning of a new era in the motocross world, production bike included.

The Dark side of the moon, one of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, is released. U.S.A. President Richard Nixon announces

the end of the Vietnam war. Soon to follow Loris Capirossi (the oldest ri- Yamaha won both Manufacturers’ der in MotoGP) Adrien Brody, and Rider World Witles with Dieter were Paris Peace Accords. And it’s just a matter of months before the Watergate affair begins. and Monica Lewinsky were born, Braun in the 250cc GP and with while painter Pablo Picasso, Jarno Kent Andersson in the 125cc class. Masao Furusawa was hired Saarinen, and Chinese-American In the 350 class won “only” the by Yamaha. Manufacturers Title. actor Bruce Lee died. A very long total solar eclipse occurs. During the entire 2nd The first handheld cellular phone call is millennium, only 7 total solar eclipses exceeded 7 minutes of totality. made by Martin Cooper in New York City.

TRACK

BIENVENUE (WELCOME) TO LE MANS >>Telemetry & data of the circuit Le Mans Circuit

BRAKING POINT 7 initial speed 175 kmh final speed 90 kmh stopping distance 91 m braking time 2,4 sec max deceleration 1,0 g

3rd gear in

Raccordement

Length: 4.180 m • Width: 13 m Inaugurated in: 1966 Corners: 13 (4 left, 9 right) Max straight: 450 m Pole position: left

2nd gear in

87.6 kmh

4th gear in

5th gear in 6th gear in 4th gear in

108.4 kmh

1st gear in

023.9 kmh

177.6 kmh

‘S’ Bleus BRAKING POINT 6 initial speed 210 kmh 108.8 kmh final speed 140 kmh stopping distance 120 m 2nd gear in braking time 2,4 sec 221.9 kmh max deceleration 1,3 g 3rd gear in

MotoGP laps: 28 Race lenght: 117.040 km

BRAKING POINT 5 initial speed 270 kmh final speed 110 kmh stopping distance 232 m braking time 4,3 sec max deceleration 1,5 g

Weather and track conditions 16°- humidity 58%

2009 pole position Dani Pedrosa (Honda) • 1’33’’974

92.0 kmh

Le Musée

111.8 kmh

93.4 kmh

93.4 kmh 2nd gear in

183.9 kmh

3rd gear in

BRAKING POINT 3 initial speed 210 kmh final speed 90 kmh stopping distance 183 m braking time 4,5 sec max deceleration 1,2 g

wet - 19°

BRAKING POINT 1 initial speed 290 kmh final speed 130 kmh stopping distance 235 m braking time 4,7 sec max deceleration 1,4 g

2nd gear in

‘S’ Chemin aux Boeufs

2009 MOTOGP PODIUM Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) • 47’52’’678 Marco Melandri (Honda) +17’’710 Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +19’’893

Dunlop

3rd gear in

4th gear in 5th gear in

‘Chicane’ 3rd gear in

3rd gear in 2nd gear in

217.1 kmh

3rd gear in 281.2 kmh4th gear in 251.0 kmh 3rd gear in 2nd gear in

4th gear in 3rd gear in 2nd gear in

2nd gear in

111.1 kmh

1st gear in 78.2 kmh

Garage Vert

>> What about tyres?

«Le Mans is a slippery and smooth circuit and run at a time of year when the track temperature is low, so softer compound tyres are required to generate good grip. The circuit has quite a stopand-go nature, although the last part of the lap is high speed and requires absolute confidence and commitment. The lateral loads placed on the tyres are relatively low, but good stability from the front tyre under braking is crucial. The circuit has an asymmetric layout that uses the right shoulders harder than the left, especially on the exit of turn nine, so Le Mans is the first circuit that we are bringing asymmetric rear tyres to this year, in the form of the medium spec only. The soft spec rear tyre comprises soft compound rubber in both shoulders; the same as we used in Jerez». Mr. Torhu Ubukata - Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Dev. Dep.

DID YOU KNOW THAT? What we learnt travelling around the world > The 24Hours This track hosts one of the most legendary races in history, that is seamlessly raced since 1923. It was only canceled in 1936 because of the automobile industry strikes, and also during the World War Two years (between 1940 and 1948) > The whole GP on the radio Le Mans GP organizers are really very considerate with the fans. Each will be given a radio device, tuned on a channel especially

created for the event, that will broadcast all the relevant information , as well as interviews made with the riders during the weekend. 8 daily broadcasting hours will guarantee all supporters they won’t be missing a single moment of the GP of France.

BRAKING POINT 2 initial speed 205 kmh final speed 11 5 kmh stopping distance 138 m braking time 2,9 sec max deceleration 1,1 g

La Chapelle BRAKING POINT 4 initial speed 245 kmh final speed 80 kmh stopping distance 211 m braking time 5,8 sec max deceleration 1,4 g

LE MANS 2009

Valentino falls down and Jorge wins: after 4 GP’s the two Yamaha factory riders are leading the championship.

Valentino Rossi - 16th «My mistake wasn’t changing bike too soon, but falling in that corner, where I was very slow. This setback is very unwelcome. There are four very fast riders and two or three more that can fit in: this is a difficult championship, where bringing home points is fundamental». OUT OF THE POINTS AREA, A RECORD

> Prize to inventiveness For the third year in a row, a specialized French magazine (Sport-Bike) has organized a contest to award the most fun and original banners. Prizes are paddock passes, valid for the whole race day. Pictures of the winners will be displayed from Saturday at 17:00 in the magazine’s display area and then published in the magazine itself.

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inprogress2010

riders’ championship

45 20 25 1. Jorge Lorenzo 41 25 16 2. Valentino Rossi 29 9 20 3. Dani Pedrosa 4. Andrea Dovizioso 26 16 10 5. Nicky Hayden 26 13 13 6. Randy De Puniet 17 10 7 12 8 4 7. Colin Edwards 11 11 8. Casey Stoner 11 11 9. Ben Spies 8 10. Marco Melandri 11 3 11. Marco Simoncelli 5 (10); 12. Mika Kallio 9 (9); 13. Hiroshi Aoyama 2 (8); 14. Loris Capirossi - (7); 15. Hector Barbera 3 (7); 16. Alvaro Bautista 6 (6); 17. Aleix Espargaro 1 (1)

MIX

>>Numbers&Co

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

FROM A REFRESHING VICTORY...

Jorge has chosen quite an original way to celebrate his win in Jerez (it was his sixth in MotoGP, but the first conquered on the Spanish soil). “I had been thinking about this for a while, to make a dive in the water in case of a win. I knew you can do this in three tracks only: Jerez, Phillip Island and Valencia. But the water is freezing in Australia, plus there are white sharks” he explained.

This is the 47th edition of the French GP (Vitesse du Mans, raced in 1991 is omitted from this count). The tracks that have hosted the GP are 8: Albi (1GP), Rouen (1), Reims (2), Clermont-Ferrand (5), Le Mans (21), Paul-Ricard/Le Castellet (13), Nogaro (2) and Magny-Cours (1). Only the Dutch GP in Assen, with 61 edition raced, is older.

Lorenzo arrives in France with a slender four-point advantage over factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi - first and second in the opening two races.

JL is 4 points ahead

Jorge won 2 times

in Le Mans (last year 2 wins and in 2007, when he & his second World 2 podiums won Title in 250 class). He

...TO A STRANGE CHALLENGE The dive into the pond in Jerez has suggested a Spanish TV station an odd challenge. Centro de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo de Sant Cugat di Barcelona was chosen for a head-tohead competition between Jorge and Rafa Muñoz, the 50 butterfly world record holder. The latter though had to swim… fully dressed as a MotoGP rider! Discover who the winner was on TVE.

Jorge produced a stunning finish in Jerez to close down a near four-second deficit on compatriot Dani Pedrosa to win round two of the 2010 premier class series.

Maybe three years ago I would think something else and I would crash in the same situation as Jerez. I only focused on being fast and being faster than I was at the beginning and I did it and that’s why I caught them and won the race.

But there’s still a long way to go in this season, and Valentino knows it very well, because of his long experience in MotoGP, where changes are fast.

One week-end can change everything. One month ago Stoner was the fastest man, Lorenzo had an injured wrist and Pedrosa was struggling. Now Lorenzo is leading the championship, Pedrosa is fast again and Stoner is struggling.

arrived on the podium also in 2008 (MotoGP) and in 2004 (125 class).

Valentino Rossi scored 8 podium finishes in Le Mans. He won in 2008, 2005 and 2002 (MotoGP class) and in 1997 (125 class). He has 4 other podium finishes (in 2003, MotoGP class; in 2001 and 2000, in 500 class; and in 1998, 250 class). Jerez was the 27th win of Lorenzo’s GP career across all three classes , taking him equal in Grand Prix victories to Freddie Spencer, Eugenio Lazzarini and Pierpaolo Bianchi. This was the first time he has made a pass on the final lap to win a MotoGP race.

27 wins for JL

Le Mans is one of Colin Edwards’ more successful circuits, having twice finished on the podium – in 2005 and 2008. He also started from pole at Le Mans in 2007 – his first ever pole in Grand Prix racing. Last year he lost out at the start and dropped down to finish the first lap in 16th place before fighting his way back to finish the race in 7th.

2 podiums for Colin

EVENTS & PEOPLE «To me, Rossi looks like a guy who’s suited for acting. I would surely cast him in a comedy». ANTONIO BANDERAS. World

famous Spanish actor is a renowned sports fan. He owns five motorcycles himself and his passion for motorcycling led him to the ownership of a Moto2 team Jack&Jones.

«A lot of people go through life doing

things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it... it’s life. Anything that happens before or after... is just waiting». STEVE MACQUEEN. interpreting

Michael Delaney, the protagonist of Le Mans movie, which was filmed on the circuit during the 1970 24Hours. The actor loved racing and took part to a large number of races (cars and bikes).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JORGE! On Jorge’s birthday cake (prepared by his manager Marcos) a reference to his dive in Jerez couldn’t be avoided. This is the way the rider celebrated his 23 years.