Tech3 ready for home GP at the legendary Le Mans circuit
Posted on May 11, 2015 by Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Bradley Smith will fly the flag for the Tech3 Team at it's home race in the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France this weekend and will aim to storm to two top point scoring finishes. Round 5 of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship will occur on the famous 4.2 kilometre Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit which is built around the world-renowned 24-hour track. The tight and twisting circuit features a straight of 674 metres as well as 5 left and 9 right corners and can accommodate up to 100,000 enthusiastic fans for the 28-lap battle on Sunday.
Smith will intend to make it five strong results on the bounce as he looks to ride to glory at the team's home track and consolidate his position of 7th in the world championship standings. Having concluded a successful post Jerez GP test last week, the 23-year-old rider will use his knowledge to battle as close to the factory riders as possible.
Bradley Smith: – Championship: 7th – Points: 36
"Next up for us is the awesome Le Mans race which is certainly one I look forward to, especially as it's the team's home race, plus Monster Energy sponsors this event. The track itself is quite narrow and features some tight first gear corners plus the stadium section at the end of the lap can be tricky, so we must ensure we get everything set up and ready as soon as possible for the race. The Jerez weekend was a bit of a challenging one, however I still managed to battle through to 8th and we then found the solution to our issue in the test on Monday. Therefore, I am confident of clinching a top result aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the 28-lap race on Sunday. Last year was quite a tough one for me at Le Mans, but I am determined to continue my strong form so far this season and as the crowd is always so ecstatic and passionate about our sport, I will do my best to give them something to cheer about!"
Hervé Poncharal - Team Manager:
"This weekend is the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team's home race at the fantastic Le Mans circuit and it goes without saying that we are excited and ready to put on a good show for our superb fans. The atmosphere is always incredible at the circuit and with the race being sponsored by our title backer Monster Energy, we have extra motivation to do a great job on Sunday. Both riders had a good race in Jerez, with Pol finishing 5th, which was a great result at the first European GP of the year and Bradley cleverly rode through a tough weekend and finished with a solid 8th position. Plus, he was able to improve his feeling during the post race test on Monday. Therefore, we can optimistically look towards round 5 of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship where we expect to have both guys in the top half of the field and also fighting to finish in the leading satellite position. Pol had a superb performance last year where he qualified in 2nd and finished in 4th and Brad has had some strong results so far this season, so we are sure they can do well this weekend. The only thing that we have to hope for is good weather and a huge, cheering crowd to support us!"