Stoner talking up Le Mans prospects
Added on Thursday, May 20th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Stoner talking up Le Mans prospects
Casey Stoner is going to Le Mans in bullish mood this weekend, believing that Ducati can get a strong result at the French circuit and make up lost ground in the championship race.
Le Mans has never been a circuit that has suited the Ducati in the past, with the team only securing two podiums there in the past, but Stoner believes that the GP10 addresses the problems that Le Mans posed previous Desmosedici’s in the past.
“Because of the “stop and go” nature of the circuit at Le Mans you need a bike that is very stable on the brakes but also agile and quick in corner exit, especially in the slow sections,” he explained. “In the past we have usually managed to be fast and run at the front but we’ve never come away with the results that we would have liked. This year I think we can have higher expectations than the past two seasons there and we will certainly give our best to meet them.”
Team manager Vittoriano Guareschi was equally optimistic about the team’s chances, adding:”We have never produced amazing results at Le Mans but this year I am expecting a good race from both our riders – partly because for various reasons in the past we probably haven’t capitalised on our potential there and also because we are more competitive in general now. Casey and Nicky [Hayden] are in great shape and the GP10, with its more linear power curve, will put less stress on the tyres at this track and should also be easier for the riders to handle around this track.”
