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TECHNOMAG & DERENDINGER-INTERWETTEN RACING TEAM MAGAZINE

May 2015 Round 5 French GP Preview

T.Luthi P4

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D.Aegerter P16

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R.Mulhauser P23

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WELCO

LE M

OME TO

MANS

Built in 1965 around the existing 24-Hour track, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit lies 5km south of the city of Le Mans and 200km south-west of Paris. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties but a serious accident to Spanish rider Alberto Puig in 1995 saw it struck off the calendar until 2000 whilst stringent safety improvements were carried out. Le Mans is a tight track dominated by first gear corners that place the emphasis on late braking and hard acceleration, whilst rear end traction is also a key area. With the capacity to comfortably accommodate up to 100,000 spectators, the Bugatti circuit also plays host to the 24 hour truck race, the FIA GP2 Championship, French Touring Car and GT races. Coeur du tracé accueillant les 24 heures du Mans, le circuit Bugatti a été construit en 1965. Situé à 5 km de la ville du Mans et à 200 km au sud-ouest de Paris, le circuit Bugatti a été le cadre de Grands Prix depuis la fin des années 60, jusqu’à ce que l’accident d’Alberto Puig en 1995 ne l’écarte du calendrier. Après que de nouveaux aménagements aient été menés pour assurer la sécurité des pilotes, le circuit Bugatti a retrouvé le MotoGP en 2000. Il s’agit d’un tracé étroit, avec de nombreux virages qui se négocient en première et qui imposent des freinages tardifs ainsi qu’une une bonne accélération. Pouvant recevoir jusqu’à 100 000 spectateurs, le circuit accueille diverses épreuves auto et moto d’envergure internationale. Der 1965 um die 24-Stunden-Strecke gebaute Bugatti Grand Prix Race Circuit liegt 5 Kilometer südlich der Stadt Le Mans und 200 Kilometer süd-westlich von Paris. Der Veranstaltungsort war seit Ende der Sechzigerjahre Grand-Prix-Gastgeber, aber aufgrund eines schweren Unfalls des spanischen Piloten Alberto Puig 1995 verschwand er bis 2000 aus dem Kalender. In dieser Zeit wurden die Sicherheitsmaßnahmen streng verbessert. Le Mans ist eine schmale Strecke mit vielen Kurven, die im ersten Gang gefahren werden müssen. Damit liegt der Schwerpunkt auf spätem Bremsen und hartem Beschleunigen, während der Hinterradgrip ein weiterer Schlüsselbereich ist. Mit einer Kapazität von 100.000 Besucherplätzen beherbergt der Bugatti Circuit auch das 24-Stunden-Truck-Rennen, die FIA GP2 Meisterschaft, die französischen Touring-Cars und GT Rennen.

TRACK DATA

POLE POSITION: RIGHT LENGTH: 4200 meters WIDTH: 13 meters 14 Corners ( 9 right, 5 left)

Le Mans Tyre allocation Moto2 Front Option 1 Fronts: 120/75R17 Medium ’1’ (Black ’Dunlop’ on Yellow) Option 2 Medium ’2’ (Black ’Dunlop’ on Silver) Rears Option 1 Rears: 195/75R17 Soft ’1’ (Black on Yellow ) Option 2 Medium ’2’ (White on black)

Simon Betney, International Event Manager, Dunlop Motorsport: “Le Mans is one of the lowest energy tracks so we are giving the riders the option to choose the softest tyres available for this season. Even though it was very warm last year the majority of riders went for the softest options so it will be interesting to see if they like the softer-still 2015 variants. The 2014 medium was versatile and well-loved so it riders would seldom choose anything else. The new medium is an improvement but the soft could give riders a whole new race strategy. While both retain grip levels through a race distance, the soft has a peak performance earlier in the race compared to the medium that can possibly bring an advantage towards the end. Hopefully we will see some exciting racing with varied strategies.”

SCHEDULE HORAIRES

FRIDAY 15 OF MAY 09.00 - 09.40 Moto3 FP1

09.55 - 10.40 MotoGP FP1 10.55 - 11.40 Moto2 FP1

13.10 - 13.50 Moto3 FP2 14.05 - 14.50 MotogGP FP2

15.05 - 15.50 Moto2 FP2

SATURDAY 17 OF MAY 09.00 - 09.40 Moto3 FP3 09.55 - 10.40 MotoGP FP3 10.55 - 11.40 Moto2 FP3

12:35-13:15 Moto3™ OP 13:30-14:00 MotoGP™ Free Practice 4 14:10-14:25 MotoGP™ OP1 14:35-14:50 MotoGP™ OP2 15:05-15:50 Moto2™ OP

SUNDAY 18 OF MAY 08:40-09:00 Moto3™ Warm Up 09:10-09:30 Moto2™ Warm Up 09:40-10:00 MotoGP™ Warm Up

11:00 Moto3™ Race (23 laps) 12:20 Moto2™ Race (26 laps) 14:00 MotoGP™ Race (27 laps)

1ST FRENCH GP AT LE MANS

1969

125cc Winner # «35 Jean Aureal

French 250cc Winner

#7 Santiago Herrero Spain

500cc Winner #1 Giacomo Agostini

Italy

by TECHNOMAG- DERENDINGER- INTERWETTEN

Illustration: Amaël Lemaitre and @kimu

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