SRT duo aim to shine at French GP

AFTER a remarkable run in Jerez, fledgling outfit Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) eye another impressive performance at the French Motorcycle Grand Prix which starts tomorrow.

SRT duo Fabio Quartararo, who is only in his rookie season, and Franco Morbidelli exceeded all expectations when they secured a 1-2 in qualifying in Jerez.

Quartararo became the youngest ever pole sitter in the premier class, and the 20-yearold also topped the official test with a new all-time lap record at the Jerez circuit.

It was, however, not all smooth sailing in Spain as Quartararo was forced to retire from the race whilst in second position due to a problem with his shifter.

Le Mans will present another chance for the youngster to shine, this time with the support of an adoring home crowd.

“We can only draw positive conclusions from the Spanish GP. We took pole position, we were fighting for the podium and on Monday (after race) we were the fastest at the test whilst we were trying out many things for the coming races,” said Quartararo.

“It’s good to go to Le Mans after a great weekend like we had at Jerez. There will be a lot of fans at the French GP and that will give me extra motivation.

“But it also generates more stress and pressure as it’s my home grand prix but in the end it’s good to have a race where the fans are all behind me.

“I think the Yamaha YZR-M1 will be well suited to Le Mans because in recent years Yamaha have done well there. I believe we can get a good result.”

Yamaha factory riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales placed third and seventh at Le Mans last year while then-rookie Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah was 12th on Tech3’s satellite Yamaha.

It will, however, be a much different scenario for Hafizh at Le Mans this time as he has yet to find his rhythm since Tech3 made the switch to KTM machinery this year.

The 25-year-old remains without a point after four races and will be desperate to make progress in France.

“I’m really looking forward to Le Mans for the home GP of my team. I really like this track and have some good memories from last year,” said Hafizh, who finished second to Morbidelli in the rookie standings last year.”