Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa arrive for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans with an eye toward maintaining a perfect podium record in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. Reigning world champion Stoner rides an 18-race podium streak into the iconic French circuit, while Pedrosa has been three-for-three in podiums this season.
The 55th running of the French Grand Prix at Le Mans is meaningful for both Stoner and Pedrosa. The 4.180Km circuit west of Paris is a scrapper’s track and not one that Stoner favours. That did not prevent him from taking his first MotoGP victory at Le Mans last year from the pole position to kick off a string of three wins in a row en route to his second world championship.
The 26-year-old Australian has been brilliant this year, but the season has not been without its challenges. The front end chatter that has affected every motorcycle on the grid has been frustratingly difficult to resolve. And Stoner has repeatedly been afflicted with arm pump. Yet he has overcome both to win two of the first three races, something he has not done since his 2007 title-winning season.
Pedrosa has been waiting a year to put the 2011 French GP behind him. Pedrosa got off to a lightning start in 2011, finishing third, second, and first in the first three races before heading to Le Mans. But his championship hopes were derailed when he fractured his right collarbone in a racing incident with the late Marco Simoncelli. His 2012 start has been almost as strong-he currently sits third in the championship-having shown versatility with podium results in differing conditions on different tracks.
Pedrosa has finished on the MotoGP podium in France, and won both times during his two 250cc World Championship seasons, which gives him optimism heading into the fourth race of the championship. Pedrosa has not gotten the lightning starts that have characterised his career, which he hopes to change in France, a track where passing is difficult and racing from the front is often the path to success.
Honda Racing Press Release
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