Jorge Lorenzo's victory in the French rain lifted the Spaniard above defending champion and Red Bull-backed rider Casey Stoner in the standings by just eight points. It sets things up perfectly for the weekend when MotoGP decamps to the Circuit de Catalunya, where both riders have won over the past two seasons.
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Stoner's [above] victory in 2011 was a reasonably comfortable one over Lorenzo, but things could be closer this time around with the Mallorcan always keen to impress a vocal home crowd. Stoner's fellow Red Bull man (and former Catalunya winner) Dani Pedrosa will also be keen to put in a strong performance in front of his own fans. In fact, all three will fancy their chances of securing the 25 points on offer.
Stoner has won the last four MotoGP races held in Spain, having added Aragón and Valencia to his 2011 Catalunya success, and he has already been victorious at Jerez this year. His third-place finish at Le Mans stretched his run of consecutive podiums to 19. His excellent current form continues in the wake of his announcement that he's retiring at the end of the season.
Another Red Bull-backed rider who is blazing a trail this season is rookie Stefan Bradl. The 2011 Moto2 world champion, who won last year's Barcelona race on his way to the title, scored a fifth-place finish in France – the best result by a Honda rider on non-factory machinery since Hiroshi Aoyama's fourth place at Jerez last year.
Valentino Rossi stepped onto the podium for the first time in a year in France, but the Ducati rider and his machine will face a very different test in the (expected) dry conditions this weekend. Tech 3 riders Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso will also be hoping to challenge for a first podium of 2012, while Colin Edwards returns from injury after missing Le Mans with a broken collarbone.
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