The Spanish GP had both Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team riders Manuel Gonzalez and Keminth Kubo sustaining arm problems. Gonzalez received physiotherapy and is feeling more motivated than ever to make a strong comeback at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit. Kubo is still recovering from his arm pump surgery. He was declared unfit to ride earlier this afternoon and will be replaced once more by Stefano Manzi, who also substituted for him at the Spanish GP.
Gonzalez‘s race in Jerez was impeded by a sudden pain in his arm, holding him back from showing his true potential. After having undergone physiotherapy, the Spanish rider felt fit enough to take part in the Catalunya Test. He concluded the test with a positive feeling and is curious to see if some of his findings will help him fight for more championship points this weekend.
Keminth Kubo underwent arm pump surgery last week but had to have a follow-up procedure due to swelling of the arm. Following his second operation, he has undergone a medical check this morning after which he was declared unfit to take part in the French GP. The Thai rider is understandably very disappointed about the prospect of having to sit out the weekend. As Le Mans is a new circuit for him, he would have loved to get to know it better.
Back-up rider Stefano Manzi made a great comeback to the Moto2 World Championship last time out in Jerez when he also replaced Kubo. The Italian only had track time on the Saturday and Sunday morning to prepare for the race but showed his experience in the intermediate class. He scored an encouraging 13th place coming from 26th on the grid. This time he will be able to take part in the Friday practice sessions, so he is hopeful that he can make further steps this weekend.
The Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit was built in 1965, just a few kilometres from the city of Le Mans. MotoGP made its first visit to the iconic French track in the late sixties, and it remained a fixture until 1996. After some safety modifications, the 4.2km-long circuit was added back to the calendar in 2000. Its lay-out of five left and nine right corners places the emphasis on late braking, hard acceleration, and rear-end traction, which makes for some great battles.
