MotoGP World Championship 2012 – Grand Prix de France – Preview Moto3

NEXT STOP FRANCE FOR THE BANKIA ASPAR TEAM

Weather sure to play a decisive role again as series heads for Le Mans

The fourth round of the Moto3 World Championship takes place this weekend at the legendary Le Mans circuit, venue of the world famous 24-hour car race. The permanent short track that forms part of the longer street circuit presents the BANKIA ASPAR Team will a difficult challenge due to its 'stop and go' nature, which puts a lot of set-up focus on braking, hard acceleration and rear grip. As well as a series of chicanes the circuit also features a short main straight of 674m, which heads into one of the fastest and most exciting corners in the world - no doubt set to be the scene of plenty of drama on Sunday.

It promises to be an easier challenge for the minor category riders on their new Moto3 machines than it was on the old 125cc bikes, given that mistakes tend to be paid for less dearly on the four-strokes – especially in wet weather, which looks certain to be a feature of this weekend, just as it was last time out in Portugal.

The BANKIA ASPAR Team will aim to set up their KALEX-KTM machines as quickly as possible for a circuit they have no testing data for, with the added target of introducing a clutch update if possible. Héctor Faubel and Alberto Moncayo have had contrasting fortunes at this circuit in the past but both have plenty of reasons to look forward to the fourth round of the season.

Héctor Faubel: “Le Mans is a circuit that holds happy memories for me. I have been on the podium there a few times but the most special was in the 250cc class in 2009, when I finished second behind Marco Simoncelli, a great rider who is sadly no longer with us but who we remember fondly. Hopefully we can make some improvements here this weekend. We are not picking up the results we need at the moment but we are working hard. We have seen a KALEX-KTM on the podium but it was a long way behind the winner and we need to react.”

Alberto Moncayo: “My record at Le Mans is not good because I have never been able to get my head around the track. Having said that there are other circuits where I have traditionally struggled, like Valencia, but in testing with the KALEX I was fast so that makes me motivated to get to the circuit and start working hard with the team. In the meantime my fans can check out my new website www.albertomoncayo.es”.