Saturday pm - 'Not the End of the World,' Says Casual Jorge
Jorge Lorenzo shows no signs of following the wussy advice I offered earlier today and withdrawing from the French grand prix, despite the black ritual of the daily crashes that he's experiencing, on top of the ankle injuries that he is already carrying.
"It's not the end of the world," he casually told journalists in his post-qualifying press conference. This from a man who is sitting in a wheelchair and has to unzip a cast from his right leg every time he wants to put on his leathers.
"We crashed yesterday and we crashed today, but in the past I've suffered more," he said. "We are second in the championship, and we are doing bad things here this weekend. But we are fifth on the grid, and so I am happy."
Lorenzo's manager Dani Amatriaín says that no pressure is being applied to the rider either from himself or from Yamaha to compete tomorrow. It's all down to Jorge, an extraordinary 21-year-old who talks about his daily crashes as though he were discussing chess moves.
However, for a knowledgeable opinion on whether Jorge should race or not, it's worth reading the comment to this blog (
CLICK HERE) from Dennis Noyes, journalist, ex-racer, and one of the best-informed observers of the world racing scene.
Saturday pm - Toseland Is Set for the Top Six Again
James Toseland's gritty qualifying performance today, when he finished seventh fastest, only 0.749 seconds off pole, puts him back in contention to fight for the top six placing he scored in the opening two
MotoGP rounds of the season at Qatar and
Jerez.
Le Mans is an important event for Toseland, because although he has not previously raced here, its point-and-squirt nature and short 2.6-mile lap makes it easier for him to learn than some other tracks. He therefore wants to harvest points here to protect his sixth place in the championship table.
