Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a rain-riding masterclass at Le Mans on Sunday, the fourth round of the series, regaining the MotoGP World Championship lead with a superb performance in the treacherous riding conditions.

The Yamaha star, who hadn’t won a wet race until Jerez 2011, bolted from fourth to first on the opening lap, allowing him to focus on taming the track rather than battling other riders.

While title rival Casey Stoner waited for his tyres to generate heat, Lorenzo built a healthy lead – but conceded ground to the Repsol Honda rider during the middle stages.

Stoner cut Lorenzo’s advantage to less than three-seconds, but the Spaniard held his nerve and Stoner dropped away into the clutches of Valentino Rossi in the closing stages.

Lorenzo crossed the line almost ten-seconds clear of runner-up Rossi.

“It was really difficult to hold concentration today, in the dry it’s complicated but in the wet it’s even more,” said the 2010 world champion. “The race feels much longer and you have to remember where the corners are slippery. If you forget one you can crash very easily.

“My plan was to stay in first position from the first lap, because I prefer to stay alone in these conditions to keep more concentration than when you are battling with other riders.

“The whole race was a challenge and especially when Casey was catching me. It would have been easy to push a bit more and make a mistake at that moment, but I waited for a few more laps to see what happened then opened the gap again to win this fantastic race.

“A big thank you to my team who worked very hard in difficult conditions to make a set up that worked for me.”

Lorenzo’s second win from four 2012 starts put him back in command of the championship by eight points over reigning double champion Stoner, who will retire at the end of the year.

MotoGP results, French GP at Le Mans:

1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 49m 39.743s
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Team (GP12) 49m 49.648s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda (RC213V) 49m 51.041s
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 50m 9.104s
5. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 50m 12.220s
6. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP12) 50m 12.585s
7. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 50m 39.502s
8. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 50m 44.895s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Pramac Racing (GP12) 50m 47.589s
10. Alvaro Bautista ESP San Carlo Honda Gresini (RC213V) 50m 52.936s
11. James Ellison GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 51m 6.406s
12. Mattia Pasini ITA Speed Master (ART CRT) 51m 7.376s
13. Aleix Espargaro ESP Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT) +1 lap
14. Michele Pirro ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT) +1 lap
15. Yonny Hernandez COL Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) +1 lap
16. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) +1 lap
17. Chris Vermeulen AUS NGM Forward Racing (Suter-BMW CRT) +2 laps
18. Ivan Silva ESP Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) +2 laps

DNF:
Danilo Petrucci ITA Came IodaRacing (Ioda-Aprilia CRT)
Randy De Puniet FRA Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT)
Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (GP12)

Photo courtesy Yamaha