Hopkins wants another podium in France

The American rider took a weight off his shoulders in the last race in China, finishing in third place for his first MotoGP podium and to move into fifth place in the standings.

Now Hopkins is aiming to keep his momentum going at Le Mans, where he qualified on the front row last year, before crashing out while fighting for a podium position.

"I really like the Le Mans circuit and it suits both the Suzuki and my riding style so I am hoping that I can follow up last week's podium with another," said Hopkins.

"The Bridgestone tyres are working so well this year and they should give us the grip we need to be as competitive as we have been so far this season.

"The result in China took a huge weight off my shoulders and I'm looking forward to France - I really like the track and I think we can have 'Le Monster' race."

Teammate Chris Vermeulen, still carrying a slight injury from his crash during qualifying in China, is also optimistic of a good result in France.

"My toes are still a bit sore from China, but that won't hold me back," he said. "I liked Le Mans last year - even though I didn't get much dry time there. I still need to get my qualifying right so I can give myself a chance of getting on that podium.

"The bike and tyres have been awesome this season and I am sure that they will be a big feature this weekend. The whole team are on a high and we need to keep that up as we embark on this long run of races over the next couple of months.

"There are a few tracks in there that should suit the Suzuki so we are hoping for some good results."