Marco Bezzecchi
The French Grand Prix has seen some classic moments over the years at the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, so MotoGP News has looked at some of the top five moments.
The French Grand Prix has been a staple of the MotoGP and Premier Class calendar since the 1960s, having alternated on numerous occasions between the Le Mans circuit and Paul Ricard.
It has also been held at Magny Cours once in 1992 and the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro in 1978 and 1982. The race has been held at the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans since 2000, which is a section inside the main Circuit de la Sarthe track that features 11 corners.
With that in mind, here are some of the best moments from that track over the years, including some classics from Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Maverick Vinales.
2003 – Sete Gibernau vs Valentino Rossi
The weather at Le Mans can always be unpredictable and in 2003 this was the case when midway through the race it was red-flagged due to the conditions. This meant a 13-lap dash until the end, which happened between Sete Gibernau and Rossi.
Rossi led into the closing stages but at Turn 7, Gibernau managed to take the lead. Rossi responded with a move into Turn 11 but went wide, allowing Gibernau back through. Rossi would try again at Turn 13, but it wasn’t enough. Gibernau took his third career victory at the iconic circuit.
2006 – Marco Melandri wins from fifth on the grid
After a weekend of unpredictable weather, the riders would be faced with a dry race on Sunday. This was to the delight of everyone apart from the Bridgestone runners, who had dominated the morning warm-up session in the wet.
Drama ensued at the first chicane when Rossi brushed the back of Dani Pedrosa’s Honda, causing him to run wide and hit Randy de Puniet, who then fell from his Kawasaki and struck Gibernau and Colin Edwards. Marco Melandri would emerge as the leader from fifth on the grid, although it wasn’t for long as John Hopkins cleared him along with Pedrosa and Rossi, who recovered from his earlier excursion.
Hopkins would later lose control of his Honda under braking at Turn 10, leaving Rossi and Pedrosa out to battle for the lead. It wouldn’t be for long though, as Rossi parked up with a technical issue and left the lead to Pedrosa.
Pedrosa would later be put under pressure from Melandri, who outbraked the Spaniard into Turn 1 with four laps left to run. Pedrosa never recovered the lead, getting passed by Loris Capirossi on the final lap for P2, while Melandri would become the first double winner of the season with his victory at Le Mans.
2009 – Jorge Lorenzo’s wet masterclass
The 2009 edition started in the rain, but the riders quickly switched to slick tyres. Rossi was the first to make the switch to slicks but fell at Turn 7, switching back to his original bike before getting a ride-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Jorge Lorenzo timed the crossover perfectly, pitting on Lap 12 and emerging in the lead. He would go on to win by 17 seconds ahead of Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa.
2017 – Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi last lap epic
Rossi was once again at the centre of a battle, this time with teammate Maverick Vinales. The Italian was leading the dry race while under pressure from Vinales, who was going for his fourth victory in MotoGP.
The close race lasted all the way until the final lap, when Rossi made a mistake at Turn 8 which enabled Vinales to come through. After making a desperate lunge for the lead into Turn 11, Rossi fell and that allowed Vinales to coast without pressure into the final corners for the win ahead of Johann Zarco and Dani Pedrosa.
2021 – Jack Miller wins despite penalty
A brief spell of rain turned into a downpour five laps into the 2021 race, which saw leader Jack Miller run off the track at Turn 11. Everyone piled into the pits, with Marc Marquez emerging as the leader before he fell at the end of the eighth lap.
Miller was in second place, having recovered from his earlier excursion behind home hero Fabio Quartararo, but he was handed a double long-lap penalty for speeding in the pits.
Even though it looked like victory would be out of reach, Miller passed Quartararo on Lap 12 and went on to win his second race in a row. Zarco took second place, while Quartararo finished in third place and took the championship lead.
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