From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

French Grand Prix at Le Mans May 14/15/16 2004

HONDA RIDERS NOW SET TO BUILD ON SPANISH SUCCESS

After a resounding 1-2-3 at Jerez two weeks ago, Honda’s main men are eager to carry on where they left off in Andalucia and establish supremacy as the European rounds of the 16 race MotoGP World Championship unfold. Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who won in Spain two weeks ago now heads the points standings with Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) lying second.

The pair now lead reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who kicked off the year with a win in Welkom in the opening race of the season. Gibernau and Biaggi will be looking to prevent Rossi’s title challenge from gaining momentum again in France. All three riders have tasted victory here before in the premier class – Gibernau last year, Rossi in 2002 and Biaggi in 2001. So sparks are likely to fly here.

Rossi has admitted that the riders he expects to be challenging for the title are Gibernau and Biaggi. On account of their experience and the fact that they were consistently fast last year on their Honda RC211Vs. Riding the same machinery this year, the duo have fulfilled the Champion’s prophecy so far and will be aiming to further cement his prediction at Le Mans.

But the 4.180 kms Bugatti circuit presents something of a challenge. It’s part of the famous road circuit that hosts the Le Mans 24 hour car race and was built in 1965 around the start and finish straight of the 24 hour circuit. The track was modified and shortened last year to improve safety and it returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2000 (the French Grand Prix had previously been held at the Paul Ricard circuit).

It’s not a favourite circuit for many of the MotoGP riders because of its stop/start characteristics. However, the fast uphill right hand bend between the grandstands en route to the chicane after the start/finish, still provides a breathtaking spectacle for thousands of fans. This will be of little concern to the riders though.

Le Mans is essentially a set of nine right-hand and four left-hand turns followed by short straights, and linked by one long pit straight, and it’s always proved a tricky track for set-up. Slow corners followed by flat-out acceleration onto the straights make it too easy for the rider to spend time with the front wheel in the air instead of in contact with the track. Bike set-up requires stability under braking allied to quick turn-in, plus a chassis that doesn’t allow for too much weight transfer under violent acceleration out of the corners.

After his win there last year Gibernau has warmed to the track. “Until last year Le Mans wasn’t one of my favourite tracks. I never seemed to get a good feel or race rhythm there. But last year everything finally clicked there and felt good and I won on a wet track. Now I should be okay there wet or dry.”

Max Biaggi has always been at home there. “Le Mans has always been good to me and I’m happy to go there. I think we should be able to get the right set-up quickly. We’ve still got a slight chatter problem but we know that Le Mans is less grippy than Jerez so it shouldn’t be too bad. I can’t wait and I’m very motivated.”

Biaggi’s teammate Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres is a big fan of the French track. “It’s a medium-fast track and that’s good for me,” said the Japanese. “I’m at my best in third and fourth gear turns and all the factors are in place for me to do well there.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) is less keen. “It was my first time there last year and it rained almost non-stop. It’s a stop/go track and not a favourite of mine. But if we find the right set-up, who knows…”

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) is looking to do even better than his recent third place at Jerez. “Things seem good at the moment,” he said. “My doctor has given me the green card so my condition is clear; I took my first podium for the team at Jerez last week and we are off to Le Mans where I scored my best finish last year. We had a good couple of days testing after the GP in Jerez and have sorted out a few things with the set-up of the bike. The team is really working well and we are all very motivated right now.”

And teammate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is as fresh as ever approaching this race. “Last year it was a tough weekend and an even tougher race,” said the American. “We made a bad tyre choice in the race and finished way down. That was last year. I’m really looking forward to having a big weekend in France and getting on pace right from the start on Friday morning. We had a good test in Jerez after the race last week and tried a whole load of things that should really help over this coming GP.
The competition is so tight at the moment that every little thing we can do which gives us the advantage will help.”

In the 250cc category, that has now been given a reprieve until 2009 after initial plans were in place to phase it out by 2006, things are as tight as ever with two different winners of the first two Grands Prix. Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) prevailed in Welkom, while Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) reigned in Spain.

Pedrosa, 125cc Le Mans race victor last year, is at home at the French venue. “In the last two years I was on the podium at Le Mans and, normally, when you enjoy in a track you can adapt yourself better to all changes.” The young Spaniard said. “I like to ride in Le Mans, it’s a track where you need good brakes and also good acceleration. It isn’t too technical, but you need to concentrate if you want to be fast.”

But it’s Randy de Puniet who heads the standings as he competes in his home Grand Prix. The Frenchman is eight points clear at the top of the table and if he can snatch his first win of the season in front of a home crowd, it could be just the boost he needs to consolidate his advantage.

But reigning All Japan 250cc Champion Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) showed at Jerez that he has all the aggression and speed required to shine in this class in only his first full season. In treacherous conditions he ran with top men only to crash through over-exuberance. At a track that’s easy to learn quickly like Le Mans – he could easily spring a surprise.

“I arrive at another new circuit for me,” Said Aoyama. “I only hope to be lucky, not like in Jerez. There I felt OK in wet conditions, but the race was a lottery. It was a pity because I was riding fast, but the most important thing is that I’m OK, without injuries. Two days of testing in Jerez were good for me to understand the bike much better.”

Rolfo is ready to go. “We stayed on at Jerez after the race for two days testing to work on the chassis to try and find the limits of performance before Le Mans,” he said. “I like the track, probably because very few riders like the place. If I remember well we had the same problems in qualifying at Le Mans that we have had at Welkom and Jerez in the dry. But we found good solutions to our problems for the race last year and finished third. I think this bike is not too far off where we need to be for the race this year.”

In the 125cc category Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) heads the overall rankings after a win in South Africa and a fighting fourth in Spain. His consistency has paid off with 10-point margin over second-placed Steve Jenkner (Aprilia).

Julian Simon (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) is the next best-placed Honda rider in 13th after two races and last season’s revelation Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) has yet to score points this year. This leaves Dovizioso exposed at the front, but the Italian now has ample experience in the class and he can more than cope with the pressure of leading a series in the early stages of a season.

He finished fifth overall last year and posted two second-place finishes. His maiden win in South Africa and a measured ride to fourth in Spain show his maturity as a competitor and Le Mans will be a useful place for him to build on this season’s early promise.

“I injured my finger at Jerez but it’s responding to treatment so I should be OK for Le Mans. Its not one of my favourite tracks but I finished third last year and with the bike running so well I hope to improve on that this year.” Commented the 125cc series leader.

Luthi is determined to resurrect his season in France. “I got ninth at Le Mans last year after a great battle with Azuma,” he said. “The track is so-so for me, some of it I like but some parts are not interesting. We must begin from zero with the bike the most important thing is to finish the race after the first two bad races where I scored no points.”