The 2019 French GP is going to take place this weekend at the famous Bugatti Circuit. After winning the last race at Jerez, Marquez once again became the championship leader. Let’s see how things turn out in the next race.
Here are 5 things you should know about the French GP:
1) Le Mans has been hosting MotoGP every year since 2000.
2) The Bugatti Circuit, which hosts MotoGP, overlaps with the layout of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans from turn 1 to turn 6, also known as La Chapelle. The car track then continues into the surrounding areas for a total of 13.63km, more than three times the length of the Bugatti Circuit (4.185km), which is the shortest track on the calendar after Sachsenring (Germany) and Valencia (Spain).
3) The approach towards turn 9, also known as “Chemin aux Bœufs” (Bulls’ Path), is the hardest braking area on the track, where riders decelerate from 286 to 107kmph covering an area of approximately 300 meters over four seconds.
4) The Bugatti Circuit is characterised by the shortest straight on the championship’s calendar, only 450 meters, and one of the fastest corners, also known as Dunlop (turn 1), which riders approach at speeds beyond 200kmph.
5) Ducati clocked the highest speed ever recorded by a MotoGP bike at Le Mans: 316.6kmph (Iannone, 2015).
