French MotoGP: Heroic Jorge Lorenzo in dreamland after second

Jorge Lorenzo reckoned he was in dreamland after he claimed a stunning second place finish in Le Mans today.

Still severely hampered by the two fractured ankles he suffered in Shanghai just 16 days ago, the Spaniard looked to have no chance of fighting for a podium as he slipped down from fifth on the grid to 10th at the end of lap one.

But he produced an incredible surge through the field, picking off the likes of Colin Edwards, Dani Pedrosa, Chris Vermeulen, Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins with ruthless overtaking moves.

By lap 20 he was gifted third when Casey Stoner’s luck deserted him again as his factory Ducati suffered an engine failure approaching the first corner on lap 21. And he then easily disposed of bitter Spanish rival Pedrosa and now trails Fiat Yamaha team-mate and eventual race winner Valentino Rossi by just three points.

The 21-year-old said: “Firstly I want to say congratulations to Yamaha because it’s fantastic to have three on the podium and it demonstrates how strong our bike is.

“After the weekend I have had, with the crashes and so much pain, I can’t believe I’m here! All last night I worried about this race because I really thought it might be too hard. It was a dream to finish sixth or seventh, especially when I could only manage 11th in the warm-up.

“I knew I had to try however and on the grid one of my mechanics reminded me that my rivals were just the same ones as in Portugal; this was a good motivation! I had some problems at the start and it’s clear that we need to work on these, but after a while I found my rhythm and once again I was able to make my way through the field and pass some riders.

“I think the rain helped me for the first time in my life because everyone was a little bit slower for a few laps, but second is unbelievable and I think I look a bit happier this afternoon! Now we have to work as hard as possible to heal my injuries and improve my physical condition, so that we can be back to our best in Mugello.”