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This event took place 23/05/2010
See event results from motogp.com
Guest Speaker
Neil Spalding
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Neil Spalding is one of the top world authorities on MotoGP technical development and the author of MotoGP Technology, the definitive and official analysis of the technology behind the sport. In addition to writing the annual technical review appearing in Julian Ryder's official MotoGP Season Review, he is also the technical editor of Motocourse, the annual review of motorcycle and GP racing; the technical specialist for the UK's MCN, and contributes to a wide range of motorcycle magazines and publications world wide.
Neil will be joined by Julian Ryder at our opening reception.
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| Le Mans - Fun we had in 2010 |
| Click to enlarge, mouse-over for captions. |
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| We welcome contibutions of photos and will link your galleries if you wish |
| Le Mans - Fun we had in 2009 |
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Event report
Grand Prix De France 2010
We have been coming to Le Mans since 2005, and it is fair to say that while we have liked the event as staff; it hasn't had the same appeal as the larger European events.
This year, all that changed. This was without a doubt the best Le Mans we have ever attended, and an event that has left us wondering why it isn't that popular? It certainly helped that the weather was incredible throughout (a bit of a rarity in Le Mans!), but what really made it work was the friendliness of the people, the amazing atmosphere on and off-track and the efficiency of their wonderful tram system, which the locals are justifiably proud of.
Most of our customers have now learned the benefit of arriving on Thursday to get the most of the weekend; and the majority dropped into our Thursday evening 'happy hour' (which lasted about 2.5 hours!) where we were perched comfortably in our outdoor terrace drinking those lethal Affligem or Witbiers... Julian Ryder and Toby Moody were spotted stalking by (our central location along the tram line helps...); and we roped them in for a beer or 5. We were later joined by our guest speaker Neil Spalding; and then by one of the paddock insiders (and Danny Webb's manager) Steve Burgess. A great way to start the weekend!
Friday those who made it up to the track got to do the pit walk - this wasn't as crowded as we expected, and it was possible to get to the ropes in front of any pit and see the crews in action. Of course when the riders came out to do autographs, things got a bit jammed!
On track Friday there were no great dramas -- apart from the usual rumours and innuendos flying about. We tend to ignore these and let excellent reporters such as David Emmet of motomatters.com fill us in on the background. What we took in was the great weather, the shops, the atmosphere and the chance to explore one of the most historic tracks in MotoGP. Our old friend Jules Cluzel delighted the French by setting the Moto2 fastest time; and Rossi set the fastest MotoGP time, setting up a great Friday night debate...
Our traditional Friday night opening reception was well-attended by a capacity crowd of 34. An excellent repast and unending flow of beer and wine helped to lubricate a fascinating evening highlighted by our guest speaker Neil Spalding. Neil, who is a walking technical encyclopaedia, gave an insightful talk on "What's happening with Honda", including such tidbits on how they are 'gluing' carbon-fibre portions to the metal frames to change the flex characteristics on specific tracks... Even if you are a total technical Luddite, Neil can deliver a talk which makes you feel like an expert at the end.
We were delightfully & unexpectedly joined (that is we didn't advertise this!) by Toby and Julian. Pretty much the entire dinner - and long afterwards - various topics flew around the room, from subjects such as Honda's long term strategy, the possibility of Rossi moving to Ducati (and just where *are* all the top riders going to end up next year? And before you ask, no one really knows!), the prospects of Bradley Smith, the possibility of BMW joining the grid in 2012, and much more... A few snippets can be seen on our YouTube site. Scintillating stuff! Steve also helped with some inside track on Danny, Scott and Bradley. Britiain has some good riders coming up through the ranks!
One of our Australian customers turned 50 a few days earlier, celebrating on the Eiffel Tower. So a copy of Julian's MotoGP Season Review book signed by all the speakers was a must. Announcing this to the crowd, a woman from England mentioned that HER 50th birthday happened to have been the same day, and they celebrated on the Eiffel Tower... Fortunately we had a second copy of the book to hand. Later (and I might add at this point I was demanding proof!) a customer from South Africa mentioned that the reason their party was in Le Mans was to celebrate his mate's 50th (although they spent the actual day on the track at Silverstone). Yes, we had a 3rd book... Just when we thought all the dust was settled, minutes before they departed our company Monday morning, our Danish customers, due to wed next week, revealed the wedding was scheduled the day before HER 50th birthday... Perhaps a new niche web site 50thBirthdayMotoGP.com? :-)
The night ended on a question: what was the prediction for the MotoGP winner at Le Mans? I started by saying Rossi, Julian and Toby came down for Lorenzo, and Neil went with me on Vale. Needless to say, when Rossi took pole on Saturday, I was feeling a bit smug!
Saturday was another perfect day, and most of our customers got a chance to enjoy the delightful new Le Mans tram system. Door-to-door from our hotel to the circuit in an air-conditioned tram, and just 20 minutes, irrespective of traffic! On track we had a couple of surprises: coolest of all in our view was our friend Kenny Noyes, the only American in the Moto2, taking pole position! The first time an American has sat pole in the intermediate classes since 1990! His dad Dennis was our guest speaker in Qatar, and we have been following his career this year. (Expect him to be our speaker at another event this year, possibly Aragon)
Gillian and Scott were on the thrilling 'MotoGP Team experience' package and got to spend the day as a VIP guest of team San Carlo Honda Gresini. With an inside view of the pits, the hospitality and of course the run of the paddock, there was little they missed! In the evening they were joined by VIPs Sharon and Kevin from Australia for a great dinner and evening wander through through the MotoGP paddock. We saw many MotoGP riders, and had chats with a few of them, as well as other MotoGP personalities such as Lucio Cecchinello, the founder and manager of LCR Honda, home rider Randy de Puniet's team. (And of course we met Randy). As someone instrumental in the development of the career of Casey Stoner, his insights were fascinating!
In Le Mans, a group set off for the medieval town and had a great meal and drinks at a classic French restaurant. With super atmosphere, and a spectacular town, this is about as pleasant a place to spend an evening as we can think of!
I should say a word about the fans at the track. Saturday evening there was a 'mechanical show' on the main straight - which consisted of some very young bikers doing a slalom sprint, stunt riders, a dragster, quad bike stunts and a lot of goofing around. Great fun, and the stands were packed - like at the motogp race! And the sound they made was incredible. But of all these shows, the one that really set them alight was a 15 minute gap in the programme which two streakers took advantage of and clowned around in 'full monty' to the absolute and noisy delight of the mob! We will suggest people stay Saturday in the future (there was also a rock concert after this show which we missed).
Race day if possible was even better weather. Many people ended the weekend with tans or minor burns -- this was great! In the 125cc, our sponsored rider Danny Webb, who had been happy enough to qualify on the second row (8th), had a misfire on the start and the engine stalled. He got it going immediately, but rounded corner one in about 26th... A brave and hard fight ahead saw him ultimately take 9th, proving to us that he is still a naturally very talented rider who just needs to get all the 'pegs in the holes' and will start jumping on podiums! Let's hope it is this year!
The Moto2 race was a bit of a bloodbath. As supporters of team Gresini, and long time fans of Tony Elias, seeing him on the top step of the podium for the second time in a row was awesome! We slipped out to park ferme to catch some of the champagne spray (that Tony is developing an expertise in!), along with a jubilant Gresini team. Our other favourite Moto2 riders did not fare as well. Jules Cluzel crashed while leading, to the agony of himself and the home crowd. We have known Jules for most of his GP career, and can understand what he must have felt like; but he can take heart in that he performed brilliantly all weekend. Another favourite, pole man Kenny Noyes crashed as well, obviously to disappointment, but also leaving in his wake substantially increased respect as a Moto2 contender.
However it was the MotoGP race that people will be talking about for some time. The race itself wasn't the most exciting, it has to be said, but three incidents will stand out and play a huge part all season. The first was Casey Stoner's crash early on. Pre-season we were predicting Stoner had a good shot to emerge the champion, albeit in a close-fought season. His 2nd DNF in 3 races however does not look good. Since we had some big Casey fans with our group, his departure from the contest was acutely felt. However, Casey may be down, but not out - he won Mugello last year, and would not be surprised to see him back on that step! Another key event was the inexplicable late mistakes of Dani Pedrosa, first allowing team mate Dovisioso slip past to snatch the 3rd podium place; but then in the same lap losing out to Nicky Hayden. We have a lot of respect and time for Dani, but have to confess to being huge Nicky fans, so this result was brilliant, if unexpected. However what will really be remembered is Jorge Lorenzo beating Valentino Rossi in a straight-up fight. Jorge put a pass on Rossi, then immediately opened a gap which would see him take the victory easily. Was this the moment that the motorcycle crown passed from the 'older' to the younger generation?
Only time will tell, but in our experience betting against Rossi is a dangerous game! Expect him to be out with all fangs in Mugello!
Sunday night we celebrated a fantastic Le Mans weekend with a gourmet meal at a tiny French restaurant that opens for us privately every Sunday after the GP. Impeccable service, sublime food and wine; and great conversation and laughter around the table, this was the perfect way to round out a perfect weekend! We can't wait to come back!!
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