Jorge Lorenzo stormed clear of Valentino Rossi to take his second win in a row in Le Mans this afternoon, making it three victories from three races for the Fiat Yamaha Team this year. Rossi overcame a few problems with both his bike and his shoulder to finish second, with Spaniard Andrea Dovizioso third.

Rossi started from pole and got a brilliant start to lead out of the first turn, in front of some 80,000 fans delighting in the balmy weather. Lorenzo has suffered lately when starting but recent work in testing paid off as the 23-year-old slipped just one place to third, before passing Pedrosa back soon after to retake second. The Italian and the two Spaniards soon stretched out a gap from the chasing pack and Lorenzo started to look menacing on his team-mate’s rear wheel, trying to pass a few times but failing as Rossi braked deeper and deeper.

It was not until lap twelve that the 23-year-old got by his team-mate and he quickly began to pull away, as the World Champion struggled to find enough grip on acceleration to stay with Lorenzo. The young Mallorcan eventually crossed the line 5.672 seconds ahead to take his first back-to-back wins in MotoGP and stand on top of the Le Mans podium for the second year running.

Lorenzo extends his championship lead to nine points from Rossi, whilst the Fiat Yamaha lead the Team standings and Yamaha the Constructors’. The next round comes at Rossi’s home fortress of Mugello, in two week’s time.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1st Time: 44′29.114
“I am so happy to win for the second race in a row, it’s the first time for me in MotoGP and it makes me feel very confident in myself. Finally I did a good start, which I’m really happy about, then I easily got past Pedrosa. Passing Valentino wasn’t so easy because he was braking so deep and I had to be very patient, something that I might not have managed one year ago! Finally I overtook him but I didn’t expect to be able to go away in that way, my bike and Bridgestone tyres just felt so good and it wasn’t difficult for me to keep this pace up. I have had a good time in Le Mans since I joined Yamaha; one second and two victories, so I think I can say I enjoy racing here in France! It is fantastic to be leading the championship but there is a long way to go and now we go to Mugello, a track that I love but where my rivals are very strong. Thank you to my team and everyone at Yamaha for this great weekend.”

Ben Spies – DNF
“It was a tough weekend and I made it tough for myself. Yesterday morning was my fault with the crash and missing a sessi on didn’t help. I need as much track time as I can get so to miss a whole hour isn’t good. I got a good start and after the first two laps I got into a decent rhythm. Capirossi and Colin started to come back to me a little bit and I was feeling quite confident. But I looked up and saw Capirossi lose the front at the third corner and as soon as I tipped in I lost the front too and I was down. It was a weird crash but luckily I didn’t pick up any further injury. Now I can take this week off and rest and go to Mugello to push at 100 per cent. It has been a rough last couple of races but I’m still confident I can be closer to the front when things are right and be doing a lot better.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“It is a strong word but this has been a disaster for us because we were expecting a lot. After Friday when we saw Ben learn the track even quicker than he did in Jerez we were very positive about his prospects and we know that Le Mans is one of Colin’s best tracks. It is obvious that Ben was struggling a little bit with his foot and unfortunately he crashed in the race and I am sorry for him because he was determined to try and get in the top ten. Colin got a decent and he just never looked like the rider at this track that we know he can be. We’ll analyse a lot of data to understand why we struggled and be as determined as ever to be back where we belong in Mugello. I’d like to congratulate Yamaha because once again they did a fantastic job and now we must improve to show our true potential with what is obviously an incredibly competitive YZR-M1 machine.”

Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo took a stunning second win of the season in Le Mans today, negotiating varying track conditions and a change of bikes to lead from the first lap to the flag and take the championship lead. It was a doom-laden day for his team-mate Valentino Rossi however as the world champion slid off early on and then had a ride-through penalty to compound his misfortune.

With the track still wet from a rainy morning all riders started the race on rain tyres, with the mechanics readying the dry bikes in pit lane in anticipation of an early change as the track dried out. Lorenzo, starting from second, slipped a place at the start but had passed both Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa by the end of the first lap to take the lead. By lap five a dry line had begun to appear and a few riders chose to make early pit stops to change bikes. The 22-year-old Spaniard however was feeling comfortable and had an excellent pace on his Bridgestone wets and so he stayed out, constantly stretching his lead. In the end he was the last of the front-runners to pit, a gamble which paid off brilliantly as he was by then nearly 34 seconds clear and was able to rejoin the race in the lead on lap 13. Once he had bit of heat in his slick tyres the youngster put his head down and kept his nerve for the remaining 15 laps and he eventually took the chequered flag an impressive 17.710 seconds clear of second-placed Marco Melandri.

It was a day of stark contrasts on the opposite side of the garage, with Rossi forced to make an incredible four visits to pit lane. The Italian was in second behind his team-mate when he elected for an early bike change, coming in to swap onto his second M1 on dry Bridgestones after just five laps. The change went smoothly but the track was still damp in places and he went down on the next lap whilst trying to warm his tyres up. He returned to the pits next time around to swap back onto his other bike, with the rules stipulating that he had to keep one wet tyre with the second bike change, but a problem with his pit-limiter meant he was penalised for speeding on exit and forced to return once again two laps later to perform a ride-through penalty. His final visit to the garage came on lap 11 when he changed once again onto a fully-dry machine, but by then he was some two laps adrift and he finished in 16th.

Lorenzo’s 25-point haul takes him into the lead by one point and he now has 66 points to Rossi’s 65. Stoner has the same points as Rossi but lies third as the Italian has more second places, and Pedrosa follow in the standings. With just nine points separating the top four the next round in Mugello is sure to be a thrilling spectacle.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1 Time: 47′52.678
“Never in all my dreams did I imagine this situation today – winning the race and leading the championship. This season I have been much more calm and careful and so I was really upset after the crash in Jerez because I didn’t expect it! Today has made up for that though. I had a very good pace with both types of tyre and the strategy of our team worked perfectly. I felt happy to stay out on the wet tyres for such a long time and in the end I think we changed at exactly the right time for our race; there was some luck on our side but we were also strong, calm and careful and this paid off. It was the first time in my life that I’ve had to change bikes during the race and I was very nervous, but it went smoothly and I was able to rejoin in the lead. I’m sorry for Valentino because it was bad luck to crash, but now we are nearly on the same points and it seems like the championship is starting again! I want to thank my team because they were very clever today, I’m so happy to be here and to have won a third MotoGP race.”

James Toseland 9th 17 points
“That was pretty eventful and my team did a great job for the change of bikes. I’ve never been in a flag-to-flag race before and it is definitely different. There’s no time to lose concentration in the pits because everything is still happening so quickly. And when you go out on a damp track on slicks you can’t lose focus. The team told me they were going to put ‘OK’ on the board as soon as the first person came in, and though nobody was coming in around me, I felt I came in at the right time. It’s always a risk because there were a couple of corners where it was still quite damp, but for two-thirds of the track you definitely needed slick tyres. My pace on the slicks at the start was really good and I was seventh at one point. But I was on the soft front tyre and it kept getting hotter and hotter and the stronger front harder tyre was what I needed. When I was trying to stay with Colin at the end I just didn’t have the front grip unfortunately. It was nice to be fighting up there again but on the other hand a bit frustrating because I think we could have had a seventh. It’s not the best finish but I really feel we have made a step forward here and my team is working great. As long as we can keep working like this I’m really looking forward to the next few races.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“Unfortunately a race that promised so much for us ended a little disappointingly, but Colin and James still did Tech 3 proud in our home race, which had extra significance because of our 20th anniversary. We have to think that we missed something big. We’d said that top five would be a dream but we could see from Colin’s brilliant pace in the dry that had he started better when it was wet he could have had another podium in Le Mans. Colin struggled with some issues in the wet but as soon as he switched to the dry bike he was the fastest rider on track at some points and for sure a top three was a possibility. It’s a pity for him but he showed his potential in the dry. I’m really happy with James. The whole weekend he has shown a big improvement compared to the first three races and it was by far the best race of the season for him. We knew he wasn’t going to recover from the problems of the winter so quickly, but step-by-step he is showing his true potential. Hopefully for Mugello we won’t have any rain and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team can get a strong result.”

The Fiat Yamaha Team heads to the historic circuit of Le Mans this weekend after a largely successful start to the season that has seen them take two pole positions, two wins and three podiums as a team in the first three races. Valentino Rossi arrives in France in perfect shape, leading the World Championship by a comfortable eleven points thanks to his stunning win in Jerez. Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile is targeting a return to his form of the first two races after a disappointing home race.

Le Mans has traditionally been one of Yamaha’s best circuits and last year saw a clean-sweep of the podium from the Japanese manufacturer with Rossi on top, Lorenzo second and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards in third. Rossi also won there with Yamaha in 2005 and has one other French victory to his name as well as six podiums in his illustrious career. Last year’s victory was his 90th and he celebrated by giving Angel Nieto a pillion ride, having equalled the Spanish legend’s win tally. This year sees him approaching another milestone; last weekend’s win was the 98th of his career and another win in Le Mans will see him set up an incredible possible 100th win at his home race in Mugello. Rossi and his crew are adamant after the last race that they have found the right set-up for the 2009 M1 and the new Bridgestone control tyres to allow them to fight for victory at every round and the 30-year-old Italian will be aiming to do just that this weekend.

Lorenzo turned 22 the day after Jerez and the brilliant young Spaniard is hoping to celebrate in arrears this weekend, after crashing out of his home race when challenging for a podium. With one win already under his belt this season the Mallorcan has shown that he has the form to challenge the established order and he will want to banish the memories of Jerez this weekend by bouncing back to his best. Last year saw Lorenzo pull off one of the performances of the season by riding to second behind his team-mate despite two fractured ankles, which he had sustained just two weeks before in Shanghai.

The French track is one of the least technical circuits on the calendar, with the first part being the most complicated where the high speed turn one, one of the fastest in MotoGP, is followed by a number of tight chicanes. The rest of the track is made up of short straights and hairpins, calling not just for balance and control under hard and repeated braking, but a neat and swift transfer from full braking to full acceleration on the exit of the corners.

Valentino Rossi – “Special memories”
“My memories of Le Mans last year are amazing because it was my 90th career victory and I made the lap of honour with Angel Nieto on my bike with me, because I equalled his record. Also there were three Yamaha’s on the podium, which was very special. Things are great in our team at the moment, we made a big step forward in Jerez; my bike was fantastic and it was great to win again. Le Mans is a very different track but the Yamaha is always fast there; this year a lot of things have changed but I hope we will still be quick! It’s good to have a rest between races after two together and now we will arrive in Le Mans fully relaxed and ready to work on maximum power.”

Jorge Lorenzo – “Another story”
“Le Mans is the next stop and the first after my crash in Jerez. I was very sad about what happened there but now it is another story, everything begins again and I must try to do things step by step. The team and I need to improve after Jerez and main target is to get back on the podium. I am fit and I like Le Mans, another historic circuit. For someone like me that loves films, Le Mans is a mythical place, close to one of the most beautiful cities in the world! I have had some difficult times there, and last year wasn’t easy because I crashed twice during the weekend, but in the end the result was good. I’ve been on the podium in each category and I will remember forever the incredible Yamaha podium of last year. It was amazing! I can see now Valentino, Colin and I enjoying the moment with all the Yamaha people smiling! I hope this year we can repeat that moment. I will also remember that podium because it’s the only one where I was on crutches!”

Davide Brivio – “Targeting consistency”
“Last year at Le Mans was great, Valentino won the race and we had three Yamahas on the podium. We’re coming there in good shape and once again our priority is to remain on the podium because this consistency is what’s going to be important for the championship. Of course if there’s the possibility to win we will try as well! We have great memories of the track and now we hope to make some more this year.”

Daniele Romagnoli – “Moving on”
“Le Mans was very good for us last year, especially considering that Jorge was not in great physical condition. Jerez was a great disappointment but now we’re keen to move on to France and hopefully we will be able to forget the bad memory from Spain! Le Mans generally suits our Yamaha very well so we hope that we can make the most of it.”

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 98 (72 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 213 (153 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 52 (42 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 21
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 23 (2 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 114 (20 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 31 (5 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Le Mans: Record Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2008, 1′34.215

Le Mans: Best Lap D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2008, 1′32.647

Grand Prix Results: Le Mans 2008
1. V.Rossi (Yamaha) 44′30.799
2. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +4.997
3. C. Edwards (Yamaha) +6.805