The Le Mans Bugatti circuit is a longstanding track on the MotoGP calendar. In layout terms the track is pretty easy to learn, but it isn’t as easy to lap consistently here as it looks, with some tricky corners and gravel traps to catch you out.

For a bike setup, you need something that’s stable under braking for sure, and has leaning characteristics that suit you for the long, sweeping and slightly odd shaped hairpins and chicanes.

I did find a setup that worked quite well and made it reasonably easy to lap the circuit consistently once I’d got used to the layout and breaking zones:

Here’s a setup for MotoGP bikes for Le Mans on MotoGP 23:

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 4
    • Oil Quantity – 1
    • Front Spring Hardness – 2
    • Front Swingarm compression – 4
    • Front Swingarm extension – 3
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 2
    • Swingarm connector – 4
    • Rear spring hardness – 3
    • Single shock absorber compression – 4
    • Single shock absorber extension – 3
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 1
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering plate position – 3
    • Rear swingarm length – 5
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 4-4-4-4-3-3
    • Final ratio – 4
    • Slipper clutch – 6
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 355 mm
    • Rear disc – 220mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 5
    • Engine braking – 4
    • Anti-wheelie – 5
    • Power mapping – 2

You do need strong braking here to avoid over-running the tricky corners, so use the thickest front brake disc you can whilst also keeping the bike stable under braking. Also some players prefer to use 1542 or 2542 for their ECU settings, running a lower TC value. I need a higher TC right now to get rid of that annoying understeer on corner exit.

But this is a nice baseline setup that seemed easy to ride round Le Mans once I got the braking points nailed.

Alternative Le Mans MotoGP Class Bike Setup

I did try another bike setup, but it didn’t feel as good for me at least. Less easy to be consistent with. But bike handling and setup preference can be subjective, so test it out to see what you think. It’s basically a mod of my template MotoGP 23 setup.

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 2
    • Oil Quantity – 3
    • Front Spring Hardness – 4
    • Front Swingarm compression – 3
    • Front Swingarm extension – 3
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 4
    • Swingarm connector – 3
    • Rear spring hardness – 2
    • Single shock absorber compression – 3
    • Single shock absorber extension – 3
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 4
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering plate position – 3
    • Rear swingarm length – 5
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 4-4-4-4-3-3
    • Final ratio – 3
    • Slipper clutch – 3
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 355 mm
    • Rear disc – 220mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 5
    • Engine braking – 4
    • Anti-wheelie – 5
    • Power mapping – 2

Again, didn’t feel as good for me around the weird corners at Le Mans Bugatti. Test it out and see what you think.

Moto2 and Moto3 Class Bike Setups For Le Mans

For the slower and less powerful Moto2 and Moto3 class bikes, check out my MotoGP 23 generic setups page, which has starter setups for both Moto2 and Moto3 bikes as well.

Bolt them on and test against the default game setup to see if you can find improvement. The Moto2 and Moto3 bikes are somewhat more forgiving than MotoGP bikes, and you’ve more time to see what’s coming and react to small mistakes.

Tips For Riding Around Le Mans Bugatti Circuit

As I mentioned, Le Mans can be a deceptively easy looking track, but it still takes some getting used to. It reminds me quite a bit of Motegi in Japan, in that it seems to reward a more patient and consistent approach, being early and cautious on the brakes, rather than aggressively trying to run deep into braking zones to find time.

Here are some extra tips for riding around here on MotoGP 23:

Turn 1/2/3 – This is the tricky right hand kink before you enter the Dunlop chicane of turn 2/3. On this game, your braking point on MotoGP bikes for this is about 1 second after you pass the blue crane on your right. Then apply the front brake in a straight line, and coast round this quick turn, before braking briefly again when upright to get slowed down for the left-right chicane. You can also use the rear brake on it’s own to get the bike tucked into the chicane better.

Update – slow in, fast out is definitely the best approach for the turn 2/3 chicane that delivers the best lap time, rather than trying to carry too much speed into this section. 

Hairpins – The turns 4/5/6 hairpins that follow the Dunlop Chicane are tricky as there’s gravel traps on the outside of all of them, so if you over-run you’re going to be crashing. Always err on the side of braking too early rather than too late for these corners, and never apply the front brake when leaning. You can sometimes briefly use a bit of rear brake on it’s own to tuck the bike into the sharp hairpins, but be careful with the pressure.

Turn 7/8 – This chicane that follows the short back straight has a slightly odd entry. Your braking point is just as you pass the final “Motul” sign on your right. Apply the front brake firmly but briefly, and then use the rear brake if needed to tuck the bike into the apex.

Turn 11 – The last corner, which is really 2 right handers rolled into one. Again it’s tricky on this game in clear conditions as the sunlight shines on the track and obscures the corner. On MotoGP bikes, it’s the very slightest dab on the accelerator after exiting the turn 9/10 chicane, before you need to left and lean in for turn 11. You can ride the kerbs a bit on this corner, but not too much.

Tyres – If you can get away with it, using a soft front tyre gives you a noticeable boost in front grip and better lap times in qualifying and the race.