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2011 MotoGP Le Mans Sunday race—Stoner's second win of the season in France

Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner sweeps Le Mans for second win of season.Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner scored a runaway victory in the French Grand Prix in Le Mans before a crowd of 88,000 in a race in which his flawless riding was overshadowed by the mistake of another.

Stoner's teammate Dani Pedrosa was in second place on the 19th of 28 laps when he had his front wheel taken out by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Simoncelli in a bold move in a left-hander. At the previous race in Estoril, Simoncelli had been accused of rough riding by Yamaha’s world champion Jorge Lorenzo, and others, and today’s incident did little to help his case.

The discussion about whether it was a clean racing move was decided almost instantly when race direction docked Simoncelli a ridethrough penalty. The Italian served his ridethrough on the 25th lap, dropping from second and 9.138 secs. behind the streaking Stoner, to seventh behind Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden and 39 secs. from the lead.

At that point Stoner had clear track ahead and sailed to his second win of the year. His first came in the season-opener in Qatar. It was also Honda's third win in four races this season.

“I managed to be a little bit aggressive in the first turn and make up some positions behind Dani (Pedrosa),� Stoner said. “Dani was being very cautious in the early laps, especially on the left hand side of the tire. I thought mine was a little warmer than his and I wanted to get past, but he was being very clever, very cautious and it was difficult to pass him.

“So when I did overtake I thought I could pull a bit of an advantage. But Dani was there the whole time and every time I upped the pace he tried to up it as well. And we got to a point where I was able to run those lap times consistently and he just wasn’t able to get there. I’m not sure if he was having some problems with his last injury, but I was able to take some advantage. And, of course, after that I started to relax a little bit.

“The race started to come into my way a little bit more and we were able to win the race.�

The margin of victory was 14.214 secs.

“But big thanks to the team, big thanks to everybody. It’s been an awesome weekend. From start to finish everything’s been amazing and I’m just really looking forward to the next race now, but it was good to get some points back today.�

Pedrosa was later diagnosed as having re-broken the right collarbone which was only recently approaching full fitness. He now has two free weekends before the next grand prix in Catalunya on June 5.

“I was having a good race, the goal was to ensure another podium and I had it in my grasp,� Pedrosa said. “But it counts for nothing. Simoncelli overtook me, I passed him back and I had the better line. He just came into me releasing the brakes and I could do nothing.

“I leave here with a broken collarbone and he with a ridethrough penalty; good for him," Pedrosa said sarcastically. "Yet again I come out worse off. We only just recovered from the nightmare of the last operation and now I’m hurt again. It is very unfair. I don’t deserve it."

With Pedrosa and Simoncelli no longer chasing him, Stoner had 15 secs. on Ducati Marlboro’s Valentino Rossi, who was having his best race on the Ducati Desmosedici GP11. But he had company from fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and the pair would wage war to the stripe.

Dovi took second from Rossi on the 26th lap and, though they battled to the end, it was the Honda rider second on the podium. Rossi took his first Ducati podium in third.

“Not so easy to fight with Vale, because in the brake he’s so strong,� Dovizioso said. “But we changed a little bit the set-up and I was strong in the brake. I knew the two corners Valentino was better than me, so I try to take a gap for the last two corners and I beat him. So it’s always nice to finish the race on fight and to win the fight.

“I’m so happy about the podium. I didn’t expect it from the middle of the race, because the first two riders went faster than us. We can be so happy about that. We still need to work more than now, because it’s not enough, but this is the championship, this is the race, and is important to points and make always improvement. I think in Barcelona we can be better.�

Said Rossi, “I’m so happy. The first podium with the Ducati is a great emotion, especially because arrive after a difficult period where we’re struggling a lot with my physical condition and also for understand more the bike. But coming better and better and the race today was very, very funny.

“I did a quite good start, some overtaking and after I hook my bike to Dovi and (Jorge) Lorenzo. We make a different setting and I was faster than in the rest of the weekend and in the end it was great, because I did some good laps for go with Jorge. I was able to overtake him, but after arrive Dovi. So another battle with him.

“We are on the good way, but still in some place we lose a bit too much. Unfortunately, the turn six, when I try to overtake Dovi-I think was the last lap-but unfortunately have another one; I wasn’t sure. But anyway, was difficult. Congratulation to Dovi and this third place is not like a victory, but similar, and thanks to all the guys at Ducati, because is great work together.�

Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, who’d crashed in the morning warm-up, was alone in fourth, 3.6 secs. behind Rossi in his first non-podium of the year. Lorenzo's finish allowed Stoner to close within 12 points, 78 to 66, after four of 18 races. Pedrosa sits third with 61.

On his run back through the field, Simoncelli passed Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies to take fifth on the final lap by .364 sec.

Then a gap of four seconds to the solitary Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) in seventh.

San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Hiroshi Aoyama was next, also by himself, with the four-way battle for ninth well behind. It went to Hector Barbera (Mapfre Aspar Ducati) over Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham (Ducati), LCR Honda MotoGP’s Toni Elias, and Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards finished two laps down in 13th, which was better than his teammate Cal Crutchlow, who crashed out of ninth the team’s home race on the sixth lap. Edwards had a small crash, then returned to the pits for some quick repairs before rejoining the race.

2011 MotoGP French Grand Prix Le Mans race results

1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda
2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Honda
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati
4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha
5. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) Honda
6. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati
8. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Honda
9. Hector Barbera (SPA) Ducati
10. Karel Abraham (CZE) Ducati
11. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda
12. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Suzuki
13. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha



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