"On paper Le Mans isn't particularly suited to our bike but last year Casey was on the pace in every dry practice session and managed a podium in a race that was badly affected by the weather," said Ducati
MotoGP project director Livio Suppo. "So we go to France feeling confident that we can do well with both Casey and Marco, who began to show in China that the great job done by the team is bearing fruit."
Despite finishing on the podium in Shanghai, reigning MotoGP world champion Stoner was disappointed to see
Valentino Rossi and
Dani Pedrosa disappear intro the distance after a tyre 'gamble'.
Stoner has a decent record at Le Mans, having finished on the podium in the wet 2007 event and finishing fourth place as a rookie in 2006.
"I haven't had outstanding results at Le Mans in the past but they have been good and I remember last year being really fast in practice and feeling confident for the race. Then on Sunday it rained but I still came away with a podium," confirmed Casey.
"The track itself is not the most exciting - it's more like a go-kart track, where the bike has to be really efficient on the brakes but agile at the same time and quick on the exit of the corners.
"At the end of the day though, whether you like a track or not, the objective is still the same - you have to work hard all weekend and prepare a competitive package for the race, something we generally always manage to achieve and have the knowledge to do again," he added.
Team-mate Melandri won the French Grand Prix two years ago and finished an impressive second last season, results that - combined with a breakthrough ride to fifth in Shanghai - have left the Italian confident for this weekend.
"Le Mans is a track with a lot of heavy braking and it cannot be underestimated because it is quite technical, with slow turns followed by some really fast ones," said Marco., "Even so I think I can do well there because I won in 2006 with the 990cc bike and last year I made the podium with the 800.
