Le Mans

(afbeelding)

• Marc Marquez starts from pole for the second time in his first four races in the MotoGP class. If he finishes on the podium at Le Mans he will become the first rider since Max Biaggi in 1998 to have four podium finishes in his first four races in the premier-class.

• Jorge Lorenzo is in second place on the grid – his 14th successive front row start. Lorenzo has won at Le Mans three times in the last four years.

• In third place on the grid is Andrea Dovizioso – the first front row start for the Ducati Team since Nicky Hayden qualified in third place on the grid at Jerez last year. Dovizioso has had seven podium finishes at Le Mans across all three GP classes – more than at any of the other circuits on the grand prix schedule.

• Cal Crutchlow heads the second row of the grid to continue his record of being the top satellite-team rider in qualifying at every race in 2013.

• In fifth place on the grid is Stefan Bradl, who finished fifth last year at Le Mans in his first wet weather race in the MotoGP class.

• Dani Pedrosa is in sixth place on the grid, after having been on the front row at the last 15 successive races, a sequence that started at Assen last year. Third place in both 2006 & 2009 are the only podium finishes for Pedrosa at Le Mans in the MotoGP class.

• Heading the third row of the grid is Alvaro Bautista, who has finished in the top ten at the last fourteen races.

• Valentino Rossi has qualified in the middle of the third row. Rossi has finished on the podium at Le Mans for the last three years.

• Bradley Smith has qualified in ninth place on the grid – equalling his best qualifying result so far in the MotoGP class.

• In 11th place on the grid is Aleix Espargaro, which is the third time this year that he has been the highest-placed CRT rider in qualifying.

• Home rider Randy de Puniet is in 12th place on the grid, which is his best qualifying result so far in 2013.