In a complete reverse of form from this time last year, Jorge Lorenzo and Marco Melandri were flying high at Le Mans, while Valentino Rossi was down - though certainly not out

Le Mans: A place that motorsport people should love because of the evocative race that is the 24 Hours, but for MotoGP people it's an odd place not high on the list of tracks to go to in one's lifetime.

But raceday can be bizarrely entertaining with Frenchmen trying to crash or win their home race at nearly all costs, the glimmer of warm summer sunshine, Yamahas that always fly around the Bugatti track, and, oh yes, the more than 70 per cent chance of rain.

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