MOTOGP FRANCE PREVIEW – LEMANS BECKONS

Round five presents another weekend of opportunity for the Repsol Honda Team as Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro arrive ready and rested after a grueling Spanish GP.

It’s off to the Le Mans circuit in France for the fifth chapter of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship. Best known for hosting the 24-hour race, the French track has been a happy hunting ground for the Repsol Honda Team in recent years. In 2019, Marc Marquez claimed Honda’s 300th premier class win as he took his first back-to-back wins of the season. Then in 2020, rookie Alex Marquez put on a masterful wet-weather performance to earn his debut MotoGP podium in Repsol Honda Team colours.

Marc Marquez’s return to Jerez was an overall positive as he reduced the distance to the race winner after a complicated weekend. Continuing this trend of closing the gap to the front is again Marquez’s primary objective for the weekend as his recovery and return to competition moves forward. In previous visits to Le Mans Marquez has achieved four podium finishes, including three wins.

During the last edition of the Grand Prix of France, Jack Miller, fresh winner of the Spanish GP, was also one of the main protagonists. The Australian was fighting for the podium until a few laps from the end when a technical problem forced him to retire (and spoil a trip to New York News). After his success two weeks ago, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider aims to be just as competitive this weekend.

The same goes for Francesco Bagnaia, second at Jerez and current leader of the Championship standings. The Italian rider, who has scored three podiums since the start of the season so far, hopes to continue with his momentum and consolidate his championship lead with another good result in France.

After the first four rounds of the 2021 MotoGP season, Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team are second in the manufacturers’ and teams’ standings, respectively.

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st (66 points)
“I’m really excited to be back in action this weekend. In the last two Grands Prix, we’ve been able to get some good results on tracks where we’ve suffered in the past. I hope we will continue to be as competitive also at the next two circuits, which are more favourable to the characteristics of our bike. Last year at Le Mans, I managed to qualify seventh, even though I struggled with the low temperatures in the early stages of the weekend. I felt strong, but the rain then disturbed my race. We’ll see what the weather is like this weekend. My feeling with the Desmosedici continues to be very good, so I’m confident that I can do a good race also in the wet conditions”.  

Australian Government reckons news impacts