MotoGP Le Mans: Race preview

Home hero and World Champion Fabio Quartararo heads the ranks as MotoGP returns to historic Le Mans.

It’s what we’d been waiting for since the start of the season, and at Jerez it was finally delivered: a showdown between the top two in the 2021 championship and the duo tipped to fight it out again for the crown this season. In the end, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Quartararo couldn’t quite find an answer for Pecco Bagnaia’s Ducati Lenovo, with the Italian back to his serene best and back on the top step for the first time this season. Now it’s home turf for the reigning champion as we head for the Shark Grand Prix de France though, so will we get a repeat or can the rest close that fairly sizeable gap behind the duel last time out?

Last year, the weather brought a different challenge and one that was met by the second Ducati of Jack Miller as he made it back-to-back wins in a flag-to-flag spectacular. The year before a Desmosedici was also victorious, in the full wet, as Danilo Petrucci took to the top step. A Ducati – or more than one – was on the front row each time too, with the Borgo Panigale factory showing all-weather pace at the venue and that a threat in itself… but we’ve never seen Bagnaia on full song – the form he found from the latter half of 2021 – take on Le Mans, so that may well be a hand Ducati have not yet been able to play at the track.

Another home hero, Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco will also be pushing to the maximum, having been on pole and the podium at the venue but never the top step. That’s true of more than just Le Mans as he searches for that elusive first premier class win, but on home turf he’s come close and this year the Frenchman will be one to watch again. An inconsistent start to the year