Le Mans hosts the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend, after the one-two achieved by the Repsol Honda team riders at Jerez and the shared podium at Austin.
Pedrosa and Márquez have a combined eleven pole positions at Le Mans in all classes (two in 250cc and four in MotoGP for the former and one in 125cc, one in Moto2 and three in MotoGP for the latter) and six wins: one in 125cc, two in 250cc and one in MotoGP for Pedrosa, and one in Moto2 and one in MotoGP for Márquez.
After his victory at Jerez, the 53rd of his career, Dani Pedrosa is one away from matching Mick Doohan.
The two members of the Repsol Honda team are among the ten riders with the most victories in the premier class, with 30 each -one less than Eddie Lawson.
After four races and after two victories at the last two Grands Prix, Márquez and Pedrosa are 4 and 10 points, respectively, off the lead of the World Championship.
Marc Márquez
“Le Mans is particular and different from many other layouts of the Championship. It’s a really narrow, short track with a lot of stop-and-go corners. To make an example, it’s the opposite of the Montmeló circuit [Circuit de Catalunya], but still quite enjoyable. The surface is new and we’ll discover it on Friday morning. The grip should be better and that’s positive for us riders and also for the fans as it means a better show. We must wait and see how it goes there—this year it’s even more difficult to make any predictions. We just have to continue like we’ve done in the last races, working hard, with the right mentality, because the Championship is once again very close.”
Dani Pedrosa
“After a great weekend in Jerez we now head to Le Mans in a very positive mood. The French GP is always challenging. To begin with the weather is usually quite changeable which makes it difficult to find rhythm in the practice sessions or to plan how to improve run by run as it may be too cold or the total opposite, very hot. The track itself is very short and the smallest differences in the lap times can make a great difference in the standings. I hope the bike works well on the new asphalt. You need good acceleration and good braking, but consistency is the real key. We are working well with the team and we’ll try to maintain the same level also there.”
