Red Bull Yamaha rider, John "Hopper" Hopkins a newcomer to the Moto GP this year, finished his 4th GP of the Season with his best result to date, in 11th place. Hopkins was competing against 19 other riders who on a combined average have 104 GP's each so Hopper with only 4 starts has excelled in his performance today.  Hopkins teamed up this weekend with the 2002 Red Bull Test Rider, the legendary Jean-Michel Bayle who finished the race in 14th place after only riding in the Saturday practice and qualifying session due to  Garry McCoy's withdrawal on Friday evening.  The race was red - flagged on the  21st of 28 laps  due to rain.

 

John Hopkins - 11th Place
World Championship Classification 15th - Fourteen points
 

"I felt really good racing today and on the starting grid I had my sights set on catching the guys 2 rows  ahead of me.  I had a really good start and it all got a bit wild going into the first chicane but I just put my head down and worked my way through the field. I had Jean-Michel on my tail in the first early laps but I was focused on the riders in front of me and I started to chase down McWilliams.  I moved up to 12th position and I was determined to chase down Sete Gibernau.  I thought I could take him on the back double apex so I planned  my move, got a good early line, held it tight and just flew on by.  I am finding that my strongest point on the bike is under braking.  I am so happy again to have scored points for Red Bull Yamaha.  This is my best ever result in the Moto GP and only my 4th GP ever. I turn 19 next week so it looks like the week is off to a good start for me."

 

Colin Davies  (Race Engineer - John Hopkins)
 

"We are pleased with Johns performance today and we are really happy with the race set up we have found for him. He continues to improve each race and this is his best result of the year, so yes I am pleased with the progress we are making."

 

Jean-Michel Bayle - 14th place - scoring 2 points
 

"I had some trouble at the beginning of the race with the grip of the tyres but as the race progressed I was getting faster and able to slide the bike some more. As I did not ride on Friday I was short on set-up time but its good that I finished in the points.  I really need some more time to set this bike up for myself and some more time on the track.  Today though, I did not want to do anything crazy or crash and I wanted to improve on my time each lap.  It is not so bad, 2 points but we still have some work to do with the bike and tyres."

 

Christophe Bourguignon  (Race Engineer - Jean- Michel Bayle)
 

"Very delighted with today session. It took him a few laps to get into the race but after lap 10 he improved almost every lap catching the riders in front of him.  Today Jean-Michel raced with a soft front and a medium rear Dunlop."

 

Peter Clifford - Team Manager
 

"A wonderful ride from both guys.  Not only was John Hopkins result excellent but his race pace equalled even those in front of him as it did at the last race at Jerez.  So this is real solid progress for John.

"Jean-Michel Bayle had a great ride today also and he clocked his fastest lap of the race on Lap 18 at 1'38.336 which shows he was getting quicker as the race progressed.  We are obviously very happy to continue with Jean-Michel Bayle as our test rider for the remainder of the year."
 

SATURDAY 18TH MAY - OFFICIAL QUALIFYING

Jean- Michel Bayle 18th 1.37.311
 

"I lost a bit of time at the start of the session as I had some problems with my front brake lever as the position was not right for me.  I then rode the second bike and it all seemed okay. I am pretty happy with the engine and chassis set up, my main concern however is with the tyre choice and we are working hard to find the right compound for tomorrow.  At the moment we are working to match the tyres and bike setting and find the best solution that will suit me for tomorrow."
 

Christophe Bourguignon(Race Engineer - Jean- Michel Bayle)
 

"We had problems early on with the front brake lever setting so we lost some time there early on but after this was adjusted we basically followed our plan for the qualifying.   Jean-Michel has done a fantastic job and it would be interesting to see what could be done if had more time on the bike. Tonight we will try to improve the set-up so he is more comfortable on the bike for the race tomorrow."

 

John Hopkins - 19th 1.37.707
 

"I was really pleased with my practice this morning but that did not convert to the afternoon session.    The mechanics have fixed the front - end problems from yesterday by lifting the rear suspension to give the front more weight so I am happy with how that feels.    I have found a harder compound Dunlop tyre which suits me here and I rode most of the session on that tyre today."   I need to work on the last section of the track and I aim to finish in the points again tomorrow."

Colin Davies (Race Engineer  - John Hopkins)
 

"We have found a good tyre choice for the race and we have found a solution to the front end problems from yesterday.  We are happy that John has improved on his time from yesterday and this morning and of course we would have liked him to qualify a bit higher but we are happy that he is always improving."

Peter Clifford - Team Manager
 

"An absolute superb effort from Jean-Michel Bayle.  I certainly did not think he could step on the motorcycle and be a mere 1.2 seconds from pole after only having half as much practice time as everyone else has.  It shows not only that he is a superb motorcycle rider but that the motorcycle and the tyres have great potential.  We of course wonder what Garry could do with this machine on the top of his form.

"John Hopkins made a great qualifying session this morning and was 13th for the hour, but it did not quite come together for him the same way this afternoon.  I am sure he will have a great race tomorrow."
 

McCOY OUT BUT BAYLE BOARDS THE RED BULL

Garry McCoy has pulled out of the French Grand Prix, at the end of the first day of practice realising that his broken leg is still preventing him from competing.

The pain in Garry's right leg has actually been getting worse over the last 2 races instead of better and Garry will now seek further medical attention before returning to the track.

Peter Clifford - Team Manager

"It's obviously terribly disappointing for all of us. We have been able to understand just a fraction of what Garry has been going through from the look of his face as he gets off the motorcycle. I'm very happy that he has decided on this course of action."

We are fortunate however to have Frenchman, Jean-Michel Bayle as our 2002 test rider and he will compete for us this weekend. Jean-Michel only last week tested for us at Mugello in mostly wet weather completing 108 laps, so he has first hand knowledge of how to handle the bike in inclement conditions. He has extensive track knowledge of this circuit and we are delighted to have him ride for us at Le Mans."

Jean-Michel Bayle

Date of birth - 01/04/69
Place of birth - Manosque France
First race - 1981
GP Debut - France 1992 (250)

Background
One of the greatest motocross riders in racing history. French junior Champion in 1985, he moved from the French National Championship to the World Motocross 250 title which he won in 1987 and 1988, before going to the United States where he beat the Americans at their own game, winning the AMA Supercross title and also the Motocross 250 and 500 titles.

GP Experience
Three seasons in 250 class prepared him for the move to the 500 class in 1996 where he was more at home and more effective on a bigger machine.

250 Class
1993 - 22nd - Aprilia Chesterfield Team
1994 - 8th - Aprilia Chesterfield Team
1995 - 15th - Aprilia Chesterfield Team

500 Class
1996 - 9th Team Roberts Yamaha
1997 - 18th Team Roberts Modenas
1998 - 16th Wayne Rainey Yamaha
1999 - 28th Team Roberts Modenas

2000 - 2002
2000 - Raced Endurance for Suzuki in all rounds of the World Championship. Won in Estoril, Portugal
2001 - Motocross - United States - testing only
2002 -Won the Le Mans 24 hour (April) - endurance Race - Suzuki GSXR - 1000 and will compete in the Bol-dor, endurance race September. Tested the YZR -500 for Red Bull Yamaha at Valencia in March and in May in Mugello, Italy.

FRIDAY 17TH MAY

QUALIFYING PRACTICE NO. 1

GARRY McCoy- 18TH 1.38.235

"My quickest lap today, lap 16 of 23 was on the soft Dunlop race tyres so we have some reasonable options for race day. We have to make a few set-up changes tonight. I am still having some pain in my ankle from my break at the Estoril test in February this year but hopefully things will improve for me on Saturday."


JOHN HOPKINS ­19TH 1.38.302

"Its my first time at this track and although I placed 19th, I've improved on my time from this mornings practice session by 1.4 seconds so I am happy with that. With some work on the front end tonight I know I can continue to improve tomorrow. At one stage during qualifying, the front end folded under me, in Turn 1 and it took all my physical strength to hold the bike up, so I guess I have learnt not to go into Turn 1 quite as hard as I had planned.

"I am learning the racing lines here with every lap and I used this session today to follow as many of the other riders as possible. Tonight, I plan to review my ride today and see where the opportunities are for me to improve tomorrow."