MERCURIAL FRENCH GRAND PRIX THE FIFTH STOP OF 2021
In the fifth round of the MotoGP ™ World Championship 2021, the series will drive to the classic Le Mans Bugatti circuit in northern France.
The Suzuki Ecstar team are on the hunt for a podium at the French Grand Prix this weekend after Joan Mir finished in the top 5 on a difficult fourth lap at Jerez and Alex Rins suffered a DNF.
Le Mans has given reigning champions Mir, who won here in 2017 but finished 11th last year, mixed results. Likewise, Rins didn’t finish the 2020 French GP, but in the past he has had multiple top 10 MotoGP finishes and a Moto2 win in 2016.
Located in the Sarthe region of France, Le Mans is synonymous with motorsport of all kinds thanks to its long history of events. The Bugatti track used by the MotoGP ™ field was built in 1965 and can be used as a “stop & go” track with several tight corners and fast flowing sections are called.
Curiosity – French GP: Along with Phillip Island, the French GP is the one where drivers spend the least amount of time at full throttle; only 16% of the entire race.
Shinichi Sahara – Project Leader & Team Leader:
“During the last race in Jerez we suffered a bit, mainly because Alex had a DNF, although Joan managed to keep a good pace and get a decent top five result. It was not an easy race for us, it was difficult to deal with the tires and the conditions, but we had a test day in Jerez on the Monday after the race and that was very positive. We have worked on a lot of areas and found a lot of useful information that we hope to use in the upcoming races. Now we are at Le Mans and we are ready to try again to get good results for our two drivers. The weather here is always quite mixed and it often rains, we have to take that into account! “
Joan Mir:
“I enjoyed the test at Jerez and am ready to take another step here at Le Mans. We can have a little trouble on this layout as our bike struggles on paper on stop & go tracks and also because the weather can make everything more difficult. But of course we want a strong finish and as many points as possible, so I’m looking forward to getting back on my bike and doing my best. “
Alex kidneys:
“After the fall in Jerez, I felt like my shoulder was a bit sore, it’s the same one that I hurt last year so of course I was a bit worried. I drove on the Jerez test in the morning but finished early so I could go home and get my shoulder checked. No other damage was found so I just underwent some treatments to alleviate it before Le Mans. This is a track that can be unpredictable, but I’m looking forward to racing again and want to give my team a nice finish. “