Rins Finishes P15 for Team ENEOS at 2024 MotoGP France

It was a tough race at the Le Mans circuit for Team ENEOS for the Michelin Grand Prix de France 2024. Álex Rins faced all sorts of challenges but persistence allowed him to finish P15 inside the points; teammate Fabio Quartararo was poised for a top-6 result in front of his home course, but a crash in Turn 9 ended his race prematurely.

Fabio Quartararo, Team ENEOS, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, 2024 MotoGP France

Fabio Quartararo, practice session with the standard Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP suit and livery, 2024 MotoGP France

Starting from P16 on the grid, Rins had two difficult opening laps, finding himself in P21 and battled Augusto Fernandez to hold his spot. He lost a spot but moved up two places due to other riders’ misfortunes, then engaged in a battle with Luca Marini for P19. Then things took a turn for the worse: he was given a long lap penalty for taking a shortcut at Turn 9. But Rins didn’t give up, and soon continued his matchup with Marini. After passing him, Rins was able to finish the race in P15, 30.936sec from the race leader.

“I struggled from the beginning to overtake riders in front of me,” said Rins. “I lost positions, then I was stuck behind Marini and couldn’t overtake him. The race was about gathering information and finding ways to improve.”

Rins at the starting grid, 2024 MotoGP France

Quartararo in action with the special Le Mans suit and livery, 2024 MotoGP France

Rins racing down the front straight, 2024 MotoGP France

Energized by the home grandstand and the French national anthem, Quartararo was fired up for a positive race, sporting a special Le Mans livery to celebrate with his fans. Starting from P8, he finished the first lap in tenth but was soon back to his original starting position after two riders crashed out. El Diablo rode to the limit with a group of riders fighting for third place, and with 16 laps remaining, Quartararo moved up to sixth following incidents with other riders. Though he was ready to defend his new position, he crashed in Turn 9 with 11 laps remaining, unable to finish the way he’d hoped.

Quartararo’s YZR-M1 with the special Le Mans racing livery, 2024 MotoGP France

Fabio Quartararo sporting a special Le Mans suit and livery, 2024 MotoGP France

“I’m normally not this happy after crashing at a race, but this was the first time we were really inside the top 6 and fighting well,” explained the Frenchman. “I was too motivated for the pace we had and unfortunately I crashed. Seeing the fans supporting me, I had to give everything I could.”

Following the Le Mans race, Quartararo remains 12th in the overall standings with 25 points; Rins holds 20th with 7 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP is ninth in the team championship with 32 points, and Yamaha holds fourth in the manufacturer championship with 28 points.