MOTOGP
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 5 / MAY 15-17, 2017
BUGATTI CIRCUIT / LE MANS, FRANCE
P104
stretched trying to keep up,
running on straight across the
Chemin aux Boeufs chicane,
though without losing time.
It was a commanding per-
formance from Rossi, and as
he started the last lap in the
lead, it felt as though he had
done it. Surely, with all his
experience, he wouldn't let
this one go.
Then came his first mistake
of the weekend, running wide
under braking on the downhill
approach to the Garage Vert
corner leading onto the back
straight.
This was to be Yamaha's
500th GP win. Valentino had
already claimed Honda's
500th, back in 2000, when
Vinales was only five years
old. He wanted this one as
well, and more importantly to
increase his slender champi-
onship lead.
Rossi rapidly caught
Vinales—both on the same
medium-medium tire combi-
nation compared with Zarco's
daring soft-soft choice, and
firmly passed him at the first
chicane by the famous Dun-
lop bridge. Vinales seemed
The start was untypically calm for
Le Mans standards, as Johann Zarco
(5) bought the crowd to its feet by
leading out of the chicane.
