Maverick Vinales expecting 'special' MotoGP race at Le Mans as team-mate Aleix Espargaro hopes for 'results we deserve'

Maverick Vinales is predicting a “special” MotoGP race at Le Mans and thinks it will be one of the tracks where his Aprilia team are “strongest”.

Vinales is fifth in the MotoGP standings after four rounds on 63 points, with leader Jorge Martin on 92 points.

He has history at Le Mans having won at the track as a 125cc rider in 2011, and again in Moto3 in 2013, and in MotoGP on 2017.

“Le Mans is a track where I’ve always felt competitive,” said Vinales ahead of the race on May 12, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

“I have the feeling that this year will be special because of the level we have reached and because of the way I feel on the RS-GP24.

“I think Le Mans will be one of the tracks where we will be strongest. I’m arriving focused and motivated.

“The atmosphere in France is fantastic and so is the circuit. I can’t wait to see the Aprilia fans in the stands.”

Vinales’ Aprilia team-mate Aleix Espargaro is eighth in the MotoGP standings.

Looking ahead to Le Mans, he said: “I’m happy to be going to Le Mans, a legendary circuit where braking is fundamental.

“The weather is always complicated, so it will be a challenge from that perspective.

“It’s a track that I like, where I finished on the podium two years ago and in P8 and P5 last year. I can’t wait to get there and to begin reaping the results we deserve.”

At 34, Espargaro is the oldest rider on the MotoGP grid and there has been speculation over how much longer he will continue in the sport.

He has suggested he will make a decision over his future in the coming months.

“In these four races, which are super mythical, very important circuits, in Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Barcelona,” he told Marca.

“I have no hurry and Aprilia, I think Massimo (Rivola, Aprilia CEO) said that they would be the last to decide, so let’s be calm, enjoy these races. They are among the most beautiful on the calendar.

“The results, in the end, are what give you the strength to decide.”

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