Le Mans is a must-see event for motorcycle racing fans, with the Bugatti Circuit swarmed during the French GP by thousands of enthusiastic spectators, undeterred by the weather and ready to cheer not only their home riders, but all the participants. Like Jack Miller, a true crowd favorite, and Miguel Oliveira, who after the crash in Argentina that kept him out of competition until now, returns this weekend to rejoin the field.
If the Portuguese rider ignited the French crowd on Thursday evening by unveiling the livery dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Alpine, main partner of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team, the Australian did it on track yesterday, claiming an excellent sixth place in the Practice session which, on a circuit where he has already won in the past, positions him not only as a direct qualifier to Q2 but also as a contender starting from tomorrow morning’s qualifying.
While Oliveira, still understandably far from his best physical condition, will need to use this French weekend to shake off the rust of nearly two months of inactivity, Miller immediately showed that the good feelings he had at Jerez — both during the race, before being stopped by a technical issue, and even more so during Monday’s test — have returned here too, on a track that alternates very fast sections with more technical ones.
The new engine spec, as well as other innovations brought to the track by Yamaha for both of its official teams, have proven to work well and to give the YZR-M1 an extra boost in competitiveness. Miller’s best lap of 1'32”077, just over four tenths off the fastest time of the day, suggests he could fight for the front rows in tomorrow morning’s qualifying, while his consistent race pace on used tires makes him a candidate to compete for top positions both in the afternoon Sprint and in Sunday’s GP. Oliveira, on the other hand, in his return process understandably complicated by a still suboptimal physical condition, set the 21st time, in 1'32”325.
French GP MotoGP Schedule: Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2, 10.50 Qualifying, 15.00 Sprint Race (13 laps) Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up, 14.00 Race (27 laps)
Le Mans is a must-see event for motorcycle racing fans, with the Bugatti Circuit swarmed during the French GP by thousands of enthusiastic spectators, undeterred by the weather and ready to cheer not only their home riders, but all the participants. Like Jack Miller, a true crowd favorite, and Miguel Oliveira, who after the crash in Argentina that kept him out of competition until now, returns this weekend to rejoin the field.
If the Portuguese rider ignited the French crowd on Thursday evening by unveiling the livery dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Alpine, main partner of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team, the Australian did it on track yesterday, claiming an excellent sixth place in the Practice session which, on a circuit where he has already won in the past, positions him not only as a direct qualifier to Q2 but also as a contender starting from tomorrow morning’s qualifying.
While Oliveira, still understandably far from his best physical condition, will need to use this French weekend to shake off the rust of nearly two months of inactivity, Miller immediately showed that the good feelings he had at Jerez — both during the race, before being stopped by a technical issue, and even more so during Monday’s test — have returned here too, on a track that alternates very fast sections with more technical ones.
The new engine spec, as well as other innovations brought to the track by Yamaha for both of its official teams, have proven to work well and to give the YZR-M1 an extra boost in competitiveness. Miller’s best lap of 1'32”077, just over four tenths off the fastest time of the day, suggests he could fight for the front rows in tomorrow morning’s qualifying, while his consistent race pace on used tires makes him a candidate to compete for top positions both in the afternoon Sprint and in Sunday’s GP. Oliveira, on the other hand, in his return process understandably complicated by a still suboptimal physical condition, set the 21st time, in 1'32”325.
French GP MotoGP Schedule:
Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2, 10.50 Qualifying, 15.00 Sprint Race (13 laps)
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up, 14.00 Race (27 laps)