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MOTOGP MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 / MAY 9, 2016 LE MANS / LE MANS, FRANCE P68 Michelin earned kudos for their quick response to straight-line wheel- spin that marred the Jerez race for so many, bringing an all-new construc- tion rear tire a step back towards the one used earlier in the year. To the dismay of many riders, especially Rossi, that tire was abandoned after heavyweight Ducati pilot Scott Red- ding's rear delaminated spectacu- larly in Argentina. While bad race- day weather meant that the planned switch to a harder-construction "safety" tire didn't come about at the South American track, by the next weekend in Austin a slightly softer- carcass version was introduced, with plans to use it for the rest of the sea- son. Until the Jerez race, where even winner Rossi complained of severe straight-line wheelspin even in sixth gear. For Le Mans, closer to their Cl- ermont-Ferrand base, Michelin took a step back, with a sort of halfway- house carcass offered as an alterna- tive to the existing softer-compound rear. "The compound is the same, but the construction is softer," said a spokesman. The riders approved from the start, with all except Rossi using it for their best lap times on day one. The Italian reported "still a little straight-line spin," but had yet to try the new alternative. Hopes that the MotoGP grid will grow from 23 to 24 riders next year have been put on hold, because of a shortage of machinery. Dorna had invited applications for one more rider, and although five teams had shown interest and three of those had been adjudged possible candi- dates, it all went wrong when simul- taneous discussions with the manu- facturers showed "a reluctance…to commit to making additional equip- ment available, at least for 2017." As a result, it had been "reluctantly decided to postpone a decision to a later season." Could two-strokes be making a come-back in grand prix racing, when the current Moto2 regulations end after the 2018 season? It's not impossible, according to Externpro technical director Trevor Morris, al- though it might take a little longer than that. While strokers might have fallen out of favor both for road and racing motorcycles, new two-stroke technology was there and under continuing development in the auto- motive industry, seeking ever-smaller and more efficient motors especially for hybrid vehicles. Externpro is a Dorna company in charge of supply and maintenance of the CBR600 en- gines supplied to all Moto2 competi- tors. The original contract with Hon- da was extended by three years to 2018 to allow time to find a replace- ment. Proposals for a replacement were invited from the industry, but so far there have been no concrete suggestions. "At the moment, almost anything is possible," said Morris. "Even two-strokes, which I have sug- gested as one alternative. But 2018 is probably a bit too soon." Pramac Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci made a strong return to Le Mans, his injured right hand still bandaged and undergoing frequent medical checks to ensure the stresses of riding were not causing further trouble. Nothing daunted, the Italian managed to get through to Q2 by placing second (to Aleix Espargaro) in the "junior" Q1 session. The fancied rider eventually qualified 10th, ahead of Espargaro, with identically mounted teammate Scott Redding 14th. Andrea Iannone is often criticized as crash-happy, but it's not always his fault, and an extraordinary spill on an out lap in qualifying took him completely by surprise. He was rid- ing slowly when a red warning light came on. "I knew it was to do with the water, but I don't know what ex- actly," he said. The next thing, he was down—sprinting from the last corner back to the pit for his other bike, but unsurprisingly too puffed and stressed to be able to improve on his lap time. He was already on the front row, third-fastest, so that didn't actually matter. A Ducati spokesman confirmed it was a water problem, "not the water-pump itself," and that a leakage onto the back tire had caused the crash. MotoGP 1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yam) 2. Valentino Rossi (Yam) 3. Maverick Viñales (Suz) 4. Dani Pedrosa (Hon) 5. Pol Espargaro (Suz) Moto2 1. Alex Rins (Kal) 2. Simone Corsi (Spe) 3. Thomas Luthi (Kal) 4. Franco Morbidelli (Kal) 5. Takaaki Nakagami (Kal) Moto3 1. Brad Binder (KTM) 2. Romano Fenati (KTM) 3. Jorge Navarro (Hon) 4. Aron Canet (Hon) 5. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) Briefly...