Stoner said he was "confused" by his loss of front-end feel

By Matt Roberts BBC Sport MotoGP reporter at Le Mans

Casey Stoner's MotoGP title dream lies in tatters after just three rounds of the season, the 2007 champion already finding himself 59 points adrift of Sunday's winner and early series leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Australian Stoner was left bereft and bemused after inexplicably dropping his Ducati on the third lap of the race at Le Mans in France, a virtually identical front-end lowside to the one he suffered - and later shrugged off as a personal mistake - at the opening race in Qatar.

"I haven't changed anything with my riding style but if I need to do something then we have to work out what and I can do it," reflected Stoner.

"Maybe it's because when I'm behind slower riders in the race I'm not able to put the same pressure on the front tyre. I'm not sure. I'm pretty confused at the moment to be honest so we need to sit down and work out what's best for the next race."

One option being mooted around the paddock on Sunday night was a return to the "screamer" engine Ducati had used since MotoGP switched to 800cc in 2007.

Pol Espargar� won the 125cc race to extend his championship lead

The "big bang" firing order they have reintroduced this season reportedly makes the Desmosedici easier to handle and the performance of other Ducati riders like Nicky Hayden, who has finished fourth at each of the opening three rounds, and rookies Hector Barbera and Aleix Espargaró, who were eighth and ninth respectively on Sunday, suggests it has been a successful move.

However, the mystery surrounding Stoner's sudden loss of front-end feel could in theory prompt a switch back for the Australian, although the new rule limiting each rider to six motors for the entire season may be a sticking point.

Aleix's performance capped off a good day for the Espargaró family, with younger brother Pol having taken a calculated victory in the 125cc race to extend his lead at the top of the championship.

Serial smiler Pol is becoming a serious contender for the title this year, having cast off the image of the innocent, fresh-faced 15-year-old who turned up in the paddock in 2006 - never more so than when jumping in the hot tub with a gaggle of grid girls at a sponsor party on Thursday evening.

Pol's main rivals at the moment are proving to be his compatriots, with Spanish youngsters currently occupying the top five positions in championship and Britain's Bradley Smith now sixth.

Espargaró's win in France, combined with those of Toni Elias and Jorge Lorenzo, completed a hat-trick of Spanish wins identical to that of the previous round at Jerez.

It is the first time there have been back-to-back winners in all three classes since 2002, when eventual world champions Arnaud Vincent (125cc), Marco Melandri (250cc) and Valentino Rossi (MotoGP) took the flag at both Sachsenring and Donington Park.

Kenny Noyes is making his debut at world championship level

With Elias now 18 points clear in the Moto2 standings and Lorenzo establishing himself as the man to beat in MotoGP there could be a distinctly Iberian feel to the rest of this season.

Thankfully, though, there is some resistance to the Spanish Armada.

At Le Mans a new name entered the history books as Kenny Noyes, born in Barcelona and raised in Madrid, became the first American to qualify on pole in the intermediate class since John Kocinski in 1990.

The American connection comes from his father Dennis, a veteran television commentator and easily the proudest journalist in Saturday's front-row press conference as his son sat alongside MotoGP luminaries Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

Kenny, who unfortunately crashed out of the race whilst battling for the lead, is making his debut at world championship level this season at the age of 31.

His maiden pole in just his third race was even more remarkable considering that he was down in 28th position after Friday's first free practice, having never previously visited the circuit.

Nobody was able to steal the limelight from the Spaniards on race day, however, and Lorenzo's consecutive wins, which were preceded by one for Valentino Rossi in the opening race, make this the first season Yamaha have started with three wins since 1980.

Stoner will be looking to end their run at Mugello, Ducati's home circuit, next time out on 6 June. The question is whether his title chances will return with a scream or end in a bang.

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