Valentino Rossi admitted he was thinking about Jerez 2011 when he caught Casey Stoner 𝔍early in Sunday's wet French MotoGP at Le Mans.

Then riding in only his second race for Ducati, Rossi had used damp conditi✃ons at Jerez to carve his way forwards from twelfth on the grid in the opening laps. Bu﷽t an over-ambitious pass on Stoner saw Rossi fall and take down the Repsol Honda rider.

Rossi rejoined, Stoner didn't.

Rossi's post-race attempt t🍌o apologise prompted Stoner's "Did your ambition outwe🍃igh your talent?" jibe - a quote that is now being modified ("Your talent outweighs your ambition") to sum up Stoner's shock retirement decision.

The Jerez incident was the most recent of several on-track clas🀅hes between Rossi and Stoner, including their thrilling 2008 Laguna Seca duel.

So when seventh-on-the-grid Rossi cauౠght runner-up Stoner early in Sunday's soaking Le Mans race, the Italian♐ admits his Jerez error was firmly on his mind.

"For me yes𒁃, yes, yes!" confirmed Rossi, when asked if he had thought about it.

"Unfortunately last year I had a special chance in Jerez to try for the podium and I did a mistake because I behaved a little bit like ♐a young rider and unfortunately I also took Casey down.

"ꦇThis time I was behind him I stayed behind. I knew heꦦ had a good pace and my thinking was to stay behind and try to go with him to [leader] Jorge.

"I was alwa⭕ys thinking about the mistake of last year, yes!"

Stoner, having listened to the Italian's ♉words, said he also sensed it was on Rossi's mind.

"I could actually feel towards the beginning of the race that Valentino was thinking about Jerez," he smile💛d.

"I heard Valentino getting on the gas very early and I expected to see a bi🌟ke coming up the inside but I didn't. So I knew immediately🎀 Valentino was thinking about it!

"But I knew also at the end of the race, when he got a second chance, he w🃏asn't going🌼 to think about it then."

Rossi had dropped back from Stoner due to fogging in his visor, then reeled the rei🍎gning double world champion back in again during the closing stages.

After two cautious passes saw🐷 Stoner cuꦉt straight back inside, Rossi secured second place - and his best Ducati finish - into the chicane on the very final lap.

"I tried to hold on and do♈ everything I could in the braking points, but we had nothing for him," saidꦰ Stoner.

Stoner is now eight points 🤡behind championship leader and Le Mans winner Lorenzo after four of 18 rounds, with Rossi in sixth place.

While Stoner (26) intends to retire at the end of this year, Rossi (33) said he🍨 wants to race on for a further two years.