The getaway to Sarthe will leave a good memory KTM. The Austrian brand first achieved the feat of putting its two young RC16s directly into Q.2 and in the race, they finished in the points. Better, while four Ducatis broke down and an Aprilia gave up the ghost, the orange motorcycle rode without worry towards the finish.
Pol Espargaro finished twelfth in his French Grand Prix just ahead of his teammate Bradley Smith. In Austin the Englishman was 82 seconds behind the winner Marc Márquez. This time, the Spaniard was only 52.6s away from a Casa Particular in Viñales triumphant. Progress is there and it has accelerated since the arrival of the new engine in Jerez, only a fortnight ago. A mechanism that has already proven to be reliable and efficient.
The only problem, in fact, was the pilot Pol Espargaro. And he is the first to regret it: “ I wasn't feeling well on Sunday. I had stomach pains since Saturday, I had slept very little and in the morning I took coffee and medicine to help it go away. But it didn't work, the cure was even worse. I already had this in Argentina and I need to consult to find out what it is. ».
« In these conditions, I finished twelfth and took four points. But I could have done better. With twelve laps to go, I was physically at the end and my lap times collapsed. Then my teammate caught me and it gave me a boost. I gave it a try which even allowed me to achieve my best time in the race ».
« Overall, this weekend was good. The third row was a good performance but we need to improve further to do better. We learn quickly and we progress quickly. We strengthen ourselves at all levels. We have seen Ducati and an Aprilia break but at KTM, we have never experienced any reliability issues with the gearbox or the engine. Despite our little experience, we never broke a single engine ».
In two weeks, it will be Mugello: “ I've always been fast there, with any bike. I like this layout. I hope the KTM will appreciate it too, it will be good to do as well there as in France. We will have technical developments, Mika Kallio will have done tests. If he thinks these parts are good then we will have them for Mugello ».
For its part, Bradley Smith took thirteenth position at Le Mans. The two official drivers from Mattighofen are twenty-first and twenty-second in the championship with the same number of points: 6.
#FrenchGP Le Mans: MotoGP ranking
1. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 43m 29.793s
2. Johann zarco ENG Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)*
43m 32.927s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 43m 37.510s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 43m 41.016s
5. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 43m 43.312s
6. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17)
43m 53.795s
7. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)*
43m 55.526s
8. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 2.396s
9. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 44m 15.577s
10. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)
44m 18.125s
11. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 19.829s
12. Espargaro Pol ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 44m 22.454s
13. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 44m 22.972s
14. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)*
44m 25.225s
15. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)
44m 36.671s
Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1)
DNF
Alex Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)
DNF
Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) DNF
Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17)
DNF
Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16)
DNF
Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) DNF
Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16)
DNF
Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) DNF
