Jorge Lorenzo Triumphs In Rain, Valentino Rossi Has Best Finish In Years
[caption id="attachment_12744" align="alignright" width="300"
caption="Jorge Lorenzo won the Le Mans Grand Prix and took over the
points lead."][/caption]
In the first race since Casey Stoner
announced his
retirement, things turned bad for the Australian rider, as
Yamaha's Jorge
Lorenzo won the Le Mans Grand Prix and took over the points
lead from the retiring rider, according to Cycle News.
Wet conditions at Le Mans may have been a major factor in the race,
as Stoner's bike was clearly having trouble in the rainy
conditions. After the race, Stoner said his motorcycle tires
were taking some time to warm up in the rain.
The rain was a boon for Valentino
Rossi, however, who finished second after passing Stoner late.
Rossi scored his best finish ever for the Ducati Marlboro team and
his best since October 2010 - which was also in the rain.
"I want to race in places where it rains a lot, especially," Rossi
joked after finishing second for the first time since the
Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril on Halloween 2010. "No, in this
condition I know have a special chance to try for the podium, so
it's very important I try to be quiet and ride at the maximum."
With all the attention paid to Stoner and Rossi, Lorenzo's win was
comparably quiet. The Yamaha rider jumped out to an early lead and
never looked back. His win, combined with Stoner's third place
finish, meant the Yamaha rider is now the points leader.