Round 4 of the 17 session 2009 MotoGP Championship takes the riders to the famous Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, France, with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi leading runner-up Casey Stoner (Ducati) by 11 points. Following a stunning win in the Grand Prix of Spain, Rossi returns to the French circuit where he captured his 90th win last year. Rossi also won there with Yamaha in 2005 and has one other French victory to his name as well as six podiums in his illustrious career. The 30-year-old Italian feels confident that the Fiat Yamaha team has found the perfect set-up between his YZR-M1 and Bridgestone control tires. Rossi strives to make Le Mans his 99th career win (his fourth at the French circuit) in the hope of setting-up a monumental 100th win at his home race in Mugello, Italy.

The apparent good form of the reigning champ is unwelcome news for the majority of riders that have struggled to dial-in their machines during this season’s shortened practice schedule and variable weather conditions, but Le Mans might serve as a turning point. After riders and teams voiced concerns over inadequate pre-race set-up time, the Grand Prix Commission has decided to return each of the three practice sessions to a 60-minute format, as opposed to the 45-minute rule imposed at the start of the season. The Ducati Marlboro team is one party hoping to capitalize on the extra time to revitalize its riders.

Ducati factory-rider Casey Stoner was able to hold onto third in Jerez despite struggling with front end traction through the race. Though the Australian secured his best result to date in the Spanish Grand Prix, the disappointing results from his teammate Nicky Hayden and the other satellite Ducati riders (Mika Kallio, Niccolo Canepa, and Sete Gibernau) prompted Ducati’s MotoGP Project Director Livio Suppo to make changes in the way the team approaches the electronics set-up and data analysis of the Desmosedici GP9. Livio Suppo explains:

“After the race at Jerez, which was fantastic for Casey but very difficult for Nicky, we had a few meetings to analyze our technical and organizational structure, with the goal of improving the all-round performances of our riders. We came to the conclusion that after starting the season with some of the Ducati riders unable to match their positive form in winter testing, maybe this is the right time to introduce some new technical ideas in terms of the electronics as well as boosting our track presence in order to provide all of the Ducati riders with better support. The GP9 is still a very young machine and for the first time in MotoGP we have five bikes on the grid.”

Nicky Hayden sits in the penultimate place in the point standings after taking 15th in Spain, a DNF in Motegi, and 12th in Qatar. In an effort to better adapt the American to the new Italian bike and improve its consistency Ducati Marlboro has hired former Ducati employee Juan Martinez as Nicky’s new Crew Chief. DMT Track Engineer Cristhian Pupulin, who was doubling as Hayden’s crew chief, will now spend more time purely analyzing the data collected by all of the Ducati riders in order to make accurate real-time adjustments. Three-time former World Superbike Champ Toy Bayliss also joins Ducati test rider Vittoriano Guareschi in Mugello where they are using the data from the opening three rounds of the season to further develop the GP9. This redoubling of team support may be what Nicky needs to shake his bad start to the season and find his riding flow.

Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile is also targeting a return to his form after a disappointing home race. The Yamaha Fiat rider led the points standings coming into Jerez, but crashed while in pursuit of Stoner’s third-place position with four-laps to go. The DNF was a heartbreaking present handed to the young Spaniard who turned 22 the day after Jerez. Le Mans will give Lorenzo the opportunity to heal his bruised ego, but after being served a bad hand can he still ride with the same zeal that lead him to win in Motegi? If last year is any indication, yes. Le Mans bore witness to one of the most impressive performances of the 2008 season when Lorenzo rode to second behind his teammate Rossi despite having fractured both of his ankles two weeks before in Shanghai. That sort of grit is why the Spaniard still has a strong shot at the championship. He is currently tied in third with Dani Pedrosa.

Jerez provided Pedrosa and the Repsol Honda team with the ride they needed to jump-start a 2009 season that has seen all the Honda riders plagued by RC212V performance issues. However, the Spanish rider and Honda have every reason to feel confident on the return to Le Mans. The Japanese manufacturer has won 11 of the last 15 premier-class races staged in France and Pedrosa was a hat-trick 125 and 250 winner at Le Mans from 2003 to 2005, scored a podium finish first time out in MotoGP in 2006, and took pole position last year. As something of a surprise podium-finisher in the last two rounds, another strong performance in Le Mans would go a long way in establishing the Spaniard as a real championship challenger. Fellow Repsol Honda teammate Andrea Dovizioso will also have an optimistic outlook coming into France.

Dovizioso had a shot at a top-three finish in Jerez, but ended eighth after running off the track. The 23-year-old’s mishap is a rare exception for the unusually consistent rider. The Italian ranks fifth in the standings as he heads into the French circuit that has hosted his 125cc win in 2004 and three consecutive 250cc podiums in the following years. He seeks to improve on his eighth-place finish in his 2008 MotoGP debut.

Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards is the leading non-factory rider in sixth. The American was still able to cling onto a hard fought seventh in the last round in spite of misjudging the hot Spanish track temperature and using a cooler setting. Cooler track conditions and the high possibility of inclement weather are expected for Le Mans. Bridgestone is offering the same soft and medium compound front slicks Edwards used to good result in Motegi and Losail, as well as soft wet tires in case it rains. Edwards finished third at Le Mans last year riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team, so whatever the conditions might be they should have a setting to see him through this time.

Randy de Puniet will be the local French hero this weekend. The LCR Honda rider will be full of confidence following his best MotoGP result in more than a year at Jerez. With superbly consistent pace, the Frenchman placed fourth and gave credence to the effectiveness of the LCR Honda Team’s recent developmental changes on their RC212V. De Puniet has not had much success at Le Mans while racing MotoGP. Last year’s ninth was a high note following two years of not finishing.

Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri took a stunning fifth at the Grand Prix of Spain, raising the only Kawasaki rider in the paddock to eighth in the standings. Despite losing factory support, the Italian is having a far better year than his abysmal 17th-placed run in 2008 riding the factory Ducati. We might just see Melandri return to the form which made him the runner-up in the 2005 MotoGP Championship and the winner of Le Mans in ’06.

Le Mans has been kind to Suzuki Rizla’s Chris Vermeulen. The Australian won his first and only Grand Prix victory at the legendary French circuit in 2007 while also finishing a commendable fifth last year. Vermeulen needs to put his last two 10th place finishes firmly behind him and focus on getting his Suzuki GSV-R up amongst the front-runners. Suzuki teammate Loris Capirossi tasted podium success at Le Mans in 2006 and is equally determined to put his machine at the front of the field. Capirossi scored a hard-earned seventh at Le Mans last year after running off the track and fighting his way back through the field.

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) have both been working on improving rear-end traction at recent races. And while their results haven't been up to expectations, both men are certain they are moving in the right direction and are looking forward to Le Mans which will allow them to usefully evaluate their latest set-up improvements.

Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda) scored his best MotoGP result so far at Jerez, proving that he is really getting to grips with his RC212V. Takahashi hopes to keep moving forward at Le Mans, where in 2006 he won his first GP victory, beating then 250cc teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

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Other MotoGP Rider Quotes

Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda – 4th, 41 points:
"After the Jerez race I'm quite happy to be going to Le Mans because this is another circuit I like and I hope we can go well there again. It's a track where the weather is often quite unstable and this means we usually have a busy weekend because we have to be prepared to set the bike up for a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures. Still, we have 15 minutes more practice time in each session which should help us with this, and it'll be interesting to see how our allocation of 20 tyres copes with the extra time too. Some of our rivals' machines usually perform well at Le Mans so we need to be really focused on getting our bike to work well here. Personally, I've had some good results at Le Mans, including a few victories in 125 and 250, so it's a circuit I where I have quite a lot of confidence. I hope to convert that into a good result this weekend."

Andrea Dovizioso - Repsol Honda – 5th, 30 points:
"I always look forward to racing at Le Mans and I'm determined to work really hard this weekend. I know that I have to improve and we also need to focus on getting the best out of our machine package. Dani's recent results in Japan and Spain have given me extra motivation because he's shown what the bike is capable of. I have always had good results at Le Mans so I'm hoping I can repeat those. The circuit is quite slow and narrow, and it has a lot of changes of direction - it's a technical track. The changes to the first chicane have robbed Le Mans of part of its fascination, which is unfortunate, but it's still a circuit I like. The only issue here is the weather, because it rains quite often and we've already had enough rain this year!"

Randy de Puniet - LCR Honda – 7th, 24 points:
"The Jerez weekend was simply perfect for me and the squad, but we must keep our feet on the ground. The championship is very long and it won't be easy, but it seems we are working in the right direction. I am seventh overall in the provisional standings and I will keep trying to get as many points as possible. Racing here in Le Mans is always something special and the fans are very warm with me. But I have to keep my focus and get as consistent as possible. This track is very interesting; I like all the stop-and-go braking points. My bike is quite competitive now but we will probably miss some acceleration at this track."

Loris Capirossi – Rizla Suzuki – 10th, 19 points:
"I have said before that I have been disappointed with the results so far this season and I want to be able to show just what the GSV-R and the whole team are capable of. We now have a bit longer to work on the bike with the increased practice sessions and hopefully we can iron-out the few things that we need to make us more competitive. I know that we can be closer to the front and challenging the top guys, we just seem to need that bit of luck and things to go our way for a change!"

Alex De Angelis - San Carlo Honda Gresini – 12th, 15 points:
"It has been a very difficult couple of weeks for me for a variety of reasons. After making a great start to the season with sixth place in Qatar we have struggled for set-up at Motegi and Jerez and I've had a couple of crashes, which are never helpful. Nevertheless, I don't feel like we are entirely to blame and I have absolute faith in myself and my team that we can get back to the pace we know we are capable of. I'm pleased we are going back to an hour for each practice session because it means we don't have to rush so much and take unnecessary risks in practice. At Le Mans we will work hard on our race pace but also try to secure a better starting position because I think it was this, as much as anything, that damaged our chances in Spain."

Toni Elias - San Carlo Honda Gresini – 13th, 15 points:
"I was very disappointed with the level of our performance at Jerez but we cannot turn back the clock and we simply have to take whatever positives we can out of the situation. The truth is that I think we are making progress overall and whilst we still may not be able to challenge where we want to be at Le Mans, the important thing will be to continue getting closer. Le Mans is a circuit I like and it suits my style because there is a lot of hard braking, but the reality is that if we don't find a good balance for the bike then it doesn't matter how much I like it! I felt comfortable there with the Gresini Honda bike in 2007, even though the race didn't go to plan, so hopefully I can get a good feeling again and it can be a positive weekend."

Yuki Takahashi - Scot Honda – 16th, 5 points:
“I love this track - it is not a coincidence that I got my first 250 victory at Le Mans. However, there is something curious... In 250s, one of my best points was how to deal with the hairpins, but in MotoGP it's an issue we have still to think about because we need to improve traction when we are accelerating out of the corners. This is very important at Le Mans because there are many slow corners, so we will be working hard on this side of machine performance."