Miguel Oliveira: “It was a nightmare to manage”
Late Le Mans crash denies Miguel Oliveira of seventh place on MotoGP comeback.
Miguel Oliveira was on course to complete his Le Mans MotoGP comeback with his best yet Pramac Yamaha result - until falling victim to the same corner that claimed factory star Fabio Quartararo and team-mate Jack Miller.
Like Miller, Oliveira picked the correct strategy of starting on wet tyres and, amid the chaos of bike swaps, penalties and crashes, found himself as high as second, behind eventual winner Johann Zarco.
Then hunted down by the Marquez brothers, Oliveira - still not at full fitness after missing three rounds with a shoulder injury - was also later passed by Pedro Acosta, Maverick Vinales, and Fermin Aldeguer.
Seventh would still have eclipsed Oliveira’s only previous finish of 14th this season, but his race ended with a crash at the final corner, 8 laps from the chequered flag.
“It was a shame not being able to finish the race, because it would have been great to get some points and in such a crazy race it would have been a plus,” said Oliveira.
“It was a lottery, but we knew that some rain was going to come, it was just a matter of time and see how much rain was going to fall. And it paid off.
“In the rain everything was better physically, not as hard and demanding, but as soon as it started to rain more I had absolutely no rear grip.
“It was really hard to stay on the bike, all of a sudden the bike would snap, making things very difficult.
“It was a nightmare to manage that. When I crashed, I was slow, and nonetheless I could not avoid it. It was a shame.”
Alex Rins - who also started on wets but made an early pit stop for his dry bike, then switched again when rain returned - was the only Yamaha to reach the finish, in 12th place.
"It's hard to comment on a race where we walk away with nothing despite doing everything right [strategically],” admitted Pramac team director Gino Borsoi.
“With a forecast that guaranteed rain but a sky that held back until the last moment, making the right calls was incredibly difficult.
“Even though his race ended the same way [as Miller], I want to say well done to Miguel, who was running a fantastic race despite a tough weekend physically.
“He even climbed to second at one point. That says it all.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
