here are still improvements to be found for the Italian legend, but Rossi wants to be competitive from the off at Le Mans – with a new track surface one unknown that could prove an extra challenge, as well as the weather. Rain is also always a possibility in the French GP, and despite his prowess in the wet, the ‘Doctor’ hopes it stays away to give them more valuable dry track time.

"After the difficulties during the Jerez weekend, the Le Mans GP will be very important. It is true that we are still first in the championship standings, and this is nice for us, but we need to improve the bike to be really competitive." Said the nine times world champion

"The test in Jerez was important and we understood some positive things. Now we will have to work well from the first session in Le Mans and we have to try to be immediately competitive."

:We are feeling positive and we want to get back to working on the bike right away. I also hope that the weather conditions will be good, we need to test the bike in dry conditions." He added

Finding Jerez a tough track and happy to get such a good result in front of the home fans, Marquez said it was mission accomplished – with Catalunya marked as the point on the calendar to attack once more. Pushing, always – but inside the limit with one eye on the standings.

“First of all I’m happy to be here in second, normally here in Jerez is one of my most difficult tracks. " Siad the deffending champion "But this year I was really concentrated and able to push until the last two laps, when I said ‘ok, second place’."

"The rear tyre for me was working quite well, the first two or three laps it took time to warm up but my limitation was the front tyre…my riding style pushes a lot in braking. It was quite difficult, but I’m happy to be here on the podium, four points behind the points leader…we’ll see in Le Mans, tomorrow we also have an important test here." He added

"After Argentina, Austin was a great weekend…and here I knew it was one of the most important weekends of the year. I’m proud of my team and my level in this circuit. Today the mentality was to push – but inside the limit! After Argentina we looked lost, Yamaha looked unbeatable…maybe in Le Mans it will reversed again! We will see. Our target was to be in these positions until Catalunya, because these aren’t my favourite races.”

No mean feat for a rookie, the German keeps improving – and having spent the Jerez test working on fine-tuning some of his weaker points, Folger is ready to push hard at Le Mans to give the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team some home glory to celebrate.

"I am really looking forward to the fifth round of the World Championship which will take place at the legendary Le Mans circuit." Said the Rookie

"It’s the home Grand Prix for the team so of course, it’s a special race and there will be a lot of fans supporting us trackside in France. The circuit has recently been resurfaced so we will be able to experience the new asphalt, which I am excited about."

"I remember that it was a bit bumpy in the last few years and I had some trouble with this, plus I had a few crashes." He added "However, it’s going to be great this year because I really like this circuit and combined with the fact that there will be new tarmac, it will be fun."

"I hope that we can continue working in the same way that we did in Jerez, and I will do my absolute best to get a strong result for the team in France."

It was also a trip to parc ferme as top Independent Team rider for the reigning Moto2™ World Champion, and next up is his home race in Le Mans - targeting another trip to the winner's enclosure, this time on the podium.

"I feel so happy about our performance today. Jerez is a complicated track and all of the riders were really close in qualifying so it has been a challenge here." Siad the Frenchman

"At the beginning of the race, my feeling was great and I felt very comfortable, plus I had the confidence. I was able to overtake some of the top guys and then when I was second, I still felt good."

"However, I almost crashed twice, which allowed Marc to overtake me and from that moment I was wondering what would happen." He added "I could not push anymore on the front because I was really on the limit and so I wasn’t able to follow the top two riders."

"I remained in third for a long time, but when Jorge overtook me, I was thinking that I could manage the gap, yet he was more consistent than me in the last eight laps. The target is to be on the podium or as close as possible to it, so we did the job today."

"I am happy and now I will take a good rest so that I can be strong again for my home race in two weeks. I am positive about going to Le Mans and this is perhaps why I am thinking that everything is going well now, so maybe the most difficult time is yet to come. The best way to control the pressure that I will feel in France is to enjoy every moment, live in the present and appreciate our work."