As Yamaha Factory Racing heads to France for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, Jorge Lorenzo arrives trailing championship leader Casey Stoner by just a single point and looking to take back the lead.

Having sat on Stoner’s rear wheel for the last two races and having taken two premier class victories and one in the 250cc class at Le Mans, he has reason to believe a win is in his grasp. His teammate Ben Spies on the other hand, who has not had the start to the season he had envisaged, heads to Le Mans aiming to get his championship back on track.

The French track should suit the Yamaha’s handling characteristics, with the ideal Le Mans set up requiring optimum balance and control under repeated hard braking. Yamaha has scored four victories at Le Mans since the start of the four-stroke era in 2002, trailing Honda by one, which has five.

Jorge Lorenzo

"We arrive in good shape having always been in the first two positions in the three races of the year so far, I want to keep this going in Le Mans. Last year we struggled, especially in acceleration but I feel that this year is going to be a little different. It’s a good track for my riding style so we will try to fight for the win again but always thinking about the Championship."

Ben Spies

"I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike again this week. My confidence has been rebuilding well now we’ve found a good set up that works so I think we can make another step and improve our performance again at Le Mans.


Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager

"After three strong races and a very close Championship so far we are looking forward to going to France. We had a tough race last year and struggled a lot but the year before was a strong victory. Jorge likes the track so we are curious to see how the 1000cc bike behaves this time as we have traditionally performed well there. We hope to return to the successful rhythm Yamaha has had at Le Mans."

Massimo Meregalli, Team Director

"Last year was not a perfect weekend for Yamaha at Le Mans, a track where traditionally we have been very strong. This year we arrive with a very competitive package so we are confident that we can perform well."

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