MotoGP – Jorge Lorenzo still uncertain for the French GP at Le Mans … –

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Jorge Lorenzo still uncertain for the French GP at Le Mans…

MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo still uncertain for the French GP at Le Mans ... -

The fifth stage of the MotoGP season takes place this weekend at Le Mans: some will go for the passionate atmosphere, others to encourage the French or their opponents. But the admirers of Lorenzo, injured, may be at their expense.

From this Friday May 16, the Continental Circus will thrill with all its fury the 4180 m of the Sarthoise track and its numerous stands (read). The opportunity for the many French aficionados to experience "live" the battles at loggerheads between the best world pilots of the three categories !

A unique event, all the more highlighted this year by the quality and the suspense reigning in each category: if the 250 skips the French drivers (but not the show!), In 125 Mike di Meglio can create the event while in MotoGP, Randy de Puniet and Sylvain Guintoli rely on the Bugatti track to revive !

Because in the premier class, the race for the crown promises to be daunting: the leading trio (Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Rossi) stand by only nine points and these three exceptional drivers have each won a round since the start of the race. season !

And if we expected no less from Dani "Asimo" Pedrosa and star Valentino Rossi – five-time world champion in the premier class – we have to admit that the repeated performances of young rookie Jorge Lorenzo are speechless !

"He is strong, fast and impressive with the M1", says in particular of him Jeremy Burgess, the illustrious chief engineer of Valentino Rossi:"no matter how he behaves off the track, he is a true top competitor once in the box and on the bike !"

Great animator of this start of the season, the Mallorcan, double world champion 250 (read), forges race after race his legend in the Pantheon of motorcycle sport: for his first four races in MotoGP, three pole positions, one victory and three podiums mark out. the breathtaking journey of Valentino Rossi’s "teammate" !

Ultra fast in qualifying, the driver with 22 Grand Prix victories even had the luxury of breaking track records set by the Doctor himself and winning an event (read) before his illustrious teammate! With him and Max Biaggi, Jorge Lorenzo also becomes the only driver to have won the reluctant M1 since the advent of the four-stroke !

A perfect trajectory, all in panache and with just the bit of false modesty which augurs high claims: last year, Casey Stoner did not say at the same time not to think about the championship, before marking it with his footprint ?

Unfortunately for the Spaniard with 41 podiums, the honeymoon with his Yamaha could end there: wanting to push too hard to keep up with the pace in the free practice of the previous Grand Prix, the n ° 48 was awarded a impressive cabriole, with fracture of the malleolus of the right ankle and severe pain for the left one…

Courageously, the Yamaha official decided to brave the pain by participating in qualifying (where he achieved the fourth fastest time!), Then by taking the start of the Chinese race, which he finished in fourth position (read).

Would the will and determination of this admirer of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa be stronger than the blows of fate? Unfortunately for him and his fans, it turns out not: upon his return from Shanghai, Jorge Lorenzo was taken to the Universitari Dexeus Institute (Barcelona) for a closer examination of the injuries sustained during his violent high side..

And the verdict is final: the famous Dr Xavier Mir (who already operated on Lorenzo for compartment syndrome just after his victory in Portugal) found another fracture in his right ankle and a ruptured ligament in his left ankle: a diagnosis that does not require surgery, but which forces Lorenzo to immobilize both ankles and use a wheelchair…

This unforeseen setback could call into question the participation of the new Spanish prodigy in the Le Mans race this weekend: requiring a lot of rest, the injuries of the n ° 48 had to be examined again at the beginning of the week in order to be able to give (or not) the green light for the race…

Determined to run, the Mallorcan nonetheless remains lucid about his ability to defend his chances: "hopefully I’m recovering properly and will be ready for the next Grand Prix. Of course I will not be 100% but at least 60%, which should be enough to run again. I’m sure to get there with a lot of motivation !", slice, determined, the 21-year-old pilot.

Present at the recent motorcycle show in Barcelona, ​​the double world champion even had to be carried to go and inaugurate a Yamaha "Replica Lorenzo" scooter: "I’m not made of another dough, I’m a real person who works to make his dreams come true", he simply replied to those who saluted his courage: finished the presumptuous Lorenzo of the 250, place for an almost endearing driver and above all with unfailing motivation !

A will and tenacity which will not reassure his closest rivals in the championship, like Dani Pedrosa, also injured in the ankles in 2003: "there are several types of fractures and in my case I had to be absent for five months, while he returned to the track two days later", notes – comforting – the current leader of the world championship.

"If the bone is not affected and has not changed position too much, it should recover quickly", assures the HRC pilot, who suffered too much from the comparison with Valentino Rossi to have today to endure the one with this bulky compatriot !

Because on and off the track, the Mallorcan is attracting the graces of more and more fans, to the chagrin of a Pedrosa lacking charisma and a Rossi who certainly only moderately appreciates having to share the star…

The two pilots will not find out until Friday whether Lorenzo will be able to participate in the race: after further medical examinations, the pilot and his team have decided to take part in the first tests to determine if the Spaniard is able to take the start: "we hope that Jorge will be sufficiently recovered to fight in France", confided yesterday Daniele Romagnoli, his team manager."Currently we just have to wait for Dr Mir’s latest results and see how he will feel on the bike on Friday.".

Whatever the case may be for those who will have made the trip, the outstanding participation of n ° 48 cannot mar a spectacle that promises to be beautiful: of course, the weather can come and play spoilers, but the roar in direct from the 800 force-fed horses alone is worth the trip !

And for fans of the brand with three tuning forks, frustrated at not seeing their Spanish idol, Yamaha Motor France will distribute several thousand flags (to be collected in the village near the stands on Saturday) and the possibility of making two laps of the legendary Bugatti framed. by Christophe Guyot and Philippe Monneret to the owners of R1, R6 and Fazer.

See you on May 16, 17 and 18 in Sarthe and Monday 19 in Paris for the timeless turn by turn signed Site !

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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