Rossi: I definitely have a score to settle.

After burying the nightmare of tyre troubles at Shanghai one year ago with a stirring second place in China last Sunday, Valentino Rossi is looking to settle another score from a turbulent 2006 at Le Mans next weekend.

Engine trouble at the French circuit robbed the Italian of what looked like a certain victory last May and he is keen to continue a much-improved start to 2007 with another significant points haul, as he seeks to reel-in Ducati's Casey Stoner - winner of three of the first four rounds.

"I definitely have a score to settle at Le Mans after what happened last year, when I should have won the race!" said Rossi. "Anyway, everything is different now and I'm very determined and looking forward to this next race. Our Yamaha has always gone well there and until the problem of last year it was really flying. I'm very happy to go back to Europe and this next run of races is over some of my favourite tracks, where I know I'm always strong. It's a very busy time with seven races in just over two months but it's also a key part of the championship and I'm ready to race at 100%

"China was encouraging for us because our bike worked perfectly in qualifying and then also in the race, when we expected more problems. I think our bike is very, very good and although we lack a little bit of top speed this won't be such a problem at the next few circuits as it was in China. I think we're in good shape."

The French Grand Prix is the first of a run of six races in just eight weeks on European soil before the series heads to the United States for its final date before the summer break. It represents an intense period for the teams and Fiat Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio believes Rossi and team-mate Colin Edwards are now primed to launch the kind of consistent assault that will be crucial in terms of championship honours.

"This is the start of a very important block of races that will have a huge bearing on how the championship develops before the summer break," said Brivio. "It's a tough schedule for the whole team because we only have three weekends without a race in two months so it's a key part of the season and it puts everybody to the test. We said before China that we were going there to defend and then go on the attack in Europe. That is still our plan but this is an unpredictable season with a lot of strong rivals on the track so there is always a ‘but'!

"Le Mans is a circuit that has been good to us in the past and it will be extremely interesting to compare the level of our bike with our competitors there just because it is so different to anywhere we have been so far. It doesn't have the long, fast straights of Qatar, Turkey or China but, even so, we know our competitors will be strong. This is a strange season because the new 800 machines and the strong competition between the tyre manufacturers make it impossible to forecast what will happen in each race. Our target for Le Mans and the races that follow it are just to stay as close as we can to the top, finish regularly on the podium and take our chances to win races when they come along."

2007 is the year to settle scores.... GOOOOOOO!!!!!!! vale....

Honda: "We got it wrong"

Honda have admitted they were not ambitious enough in their performance targets for 2007. The world championship-winning manufacturer have struggled since MotoGP's switch from 990cc to 800cc bikes, prompting Honda HRC chief Satoru Horiike to admit they are lacking power.
"We must recognise that we made a mistake when we set out targets - our bike needs a more powerful engine," he told Motosprint magazine.
"The level we set ourselves for the first year of 800cc was not right. We thought that the 800cc bikes would take longer to be faster than the 990s, but they did it straight away.
"Our bike is not at the level it should be at this point in the season. Our top speed is improving, but it is not enough."
Defending champion Nicky Hayden has suffered a miserable start to the season on the Repsol Honda, and team-mate Dani Pedrosa is also struggling.
Ducati have positioned themselves as the dominant force so far thanks to enormous straight-line speed, while Yamaha kingpin Valentino Rossi also finds himself in title contention.

I kind of blocked 2006.. So I really don't remember wich circuit Valentino crashed on and stuff.. Normally I keep record of everything.. but I couldn't last year

But now I do, Was it the race where the Yamaha broke down in one of the last laps?

Le-mans is Rossi territory, the Ducati won't be able to stretch its legs properly and is poo round corners

Le-mans according to me will be....1-Rossi2-Pedrosa3-Edwards

Stoner warns against overconfidence
By Pablo Elizalde Friday, May 11th 2007, 16:23 GMT
Casey Stoner has warned his Ducati team not too get too confident, despite their dream start to the 2007 season.
The Australian rider is leading the championship after having scored three wins in four races, and will arrive at next week's French Grand Prix with a 15-point lead over Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi.
Stoner, however, is not getting carried away yet, and has vowed to keep on working hard to stay on top of the standings until the end of the season.
"So far, this season is pretty much a dream come true," said Stoner. "Now we've got to keep our heads down, make sure we don't get too confident, keep putting in the hard work and maybe things will pay off.
"In China everything worked out just perfectly again, though it was a very, very difficult race. We'll have to wait and see what happens at Le Mans. I've always been around fourth there, in fact I've finished fourth three times from the last four years.
"Le Mans is definitely for the brave with a lot of out-braking going on, plus there's a few good chicanes to sort people out. I normally go well there in practice, I just don't get it right in the race, maybe this year we can change that."
In contrast, Italian teammate Loris Capirossi is looking to bounce back from a disappointing start to the season at Le Mans.
The veteran rider is currently eighth in the standings, 56 points behind Stoner.
"I haven't had the luckiest start to this season but I am really looking forward to all the races coming up because I know they will give me a chance to get some points back," Capirossi. said.
"Casey has proved that the GP7 is a winning machine and this year's Bridgestone tyres are very good, so I am confident I can perform well over the next few races.

Le Man is def Rossi to win, Full Stop, Come on Vale Go

yeah last year in le mans vale was 4 seconds ahead of the field
but then 8 laps to the end his engine broke

yamaka never realy said what happend (or maybe I just missed it..)
I heard storys about a valve ripping off..
and some said probably vale pushed the kill button....

i don't want to remember last year's race....

vale is sure to win on sunday...he has a score to settle after all..

let's hope stoner finishes off the podium..

mugello and catalunya that follow have both big straights.