Stoner Fined by French GP Officials for De Puniet Incident

After a Saturday qualifying session in the MotoGP (or in any other racing series, for that matter), one might think that the best of action to come will be in the Sunday race, since all riders are fired up to end the racing weekend on a high. In France, the Sunday became much more interesting from the early hours of the morning, during warm-up.

And it was pole sitter Casey Stoner who made the headlines this morning, as the Australian had a little altercation on track with Pramac Ducati’s Randy de Puniet that eventually got him a EUR 5000 fine from the MotoGP officials.

The Honda rider was during one of his quick laps in the session when suddenly de Puniet’s (much slower) Ducati crossed his path. The Aussie couldn’t control his temper and not only gesticulated angrily, but also became rather physical with the Frenchman, who obviously responded back. After the race officials investigated the matter, only the former was fined.

In the end, it all finished well for the Honda rider, who continued his incredible form this weekend by setting the fastest time of the warm-up session.

Reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo did not experience one of his best race preparations at Le Mans, as the Spaniard lost the rear of his bike in a right-hander and crashed out in the gravel. And as if that wasn’t enough, his Yamaha caught fire shortly afterwards and was severely damaged, causing Lorenzo to return to the track on his spare machine. He finished the morning in 11th place.