Posted on 08 November 2010. Tags: Estoril, Father, Jorge Lorenzo, valentino rossi
| Jorge and his father |
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We have just come from the other side of the world and unfortunately it has been too busy for us after Malaysia and the Australian GP to make a full Insider for this week’s race in Estoril. Jorge and Valentino really wanted to share some of their feelings and latest experiences, so we are happy to still have a little news for you.
Jorge Lorenzo
“Since I became World Champion my life has been amazing! It was a lifelong dream and to have achieved is still almost unbelievable. After Phillip Island I returned to Mallorca and I had an incredible welcome from the people, with a procession through the streets of Palma, with thousands of people there to greet me. It was a beautiful night. It was also the first time to see my family and to be with them. I don’t really cry, but when I was reunited with my father I was close to tears, because he is the one who started me on this path.
My team and I are looking forward to the last two races, we can relax and think about racing, which was really impossible while we were still concentrating on the championship. We couldn’t take any risks! Now I am just riding for the moment and it is a great feeling. Estoril is one of my best tracks, I’ve won from pole there for the last two years, so we will try to do that again. Then we finish in Spain, close to my home, so I am looking forward to seeing all the fans there. After Valencia we start immediately working on 2011, together with my new team-mate Ben, and I can’t wait to get started. Till then we have one more thing to focus on and that is the Manufacturers’ title, it is within our grasp and I hope to help us achieve this and the Triple Crown.”
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Valentino Rossi |
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Valentino Rossi
“It is hard for me to put into words how I’m feeling as I come to these last two races for Yamaha. It has been a beautiful seven years and I am sad to say goodbye to my M1! More than anything I want to have good final races and I want to thank Yamaha by helping them to win the Manufacturers’ title. They are not two of my best tracks but anyway we will do our best! My shoulder is okay, I will have the operation immediately after Valencia and I hope to be okay for next season. I think Valencia will be an emotional time for me and my team, and we will do everything we can to make it the best possible ‘goodbye’”.
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Posted in Articles, News
Posted on 11 October 2010. Tags: crowned, Fiat Yamaha, japan, Jorge Lorenzo, motogp, valentino rossi, World Champion
| Valentino Rossi |
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Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2010 MotoGP World Championship on a day that saw Valentino Rossi return to winning ways in Malaysia. Third place for Lorenzo – his thirteenth podium from fifteen races so far this year – was enough to make him only the second Spanish rider ever to win the premier-class crown. Rossi meanwhile put on one of the displays of his career after dropping to 11th at the start, taking his 46th win for Yamaha on the number 46 M1.
Lorenzo got a brilliant start from pole and set off in front with Andrea Dovizioso in tow, whilst Rossi, starting sixth, slipped right back through the field in the charge to turn one. A few corners were enough to let the Italian know that all was not lost today however and he quickly began to pick off his competitors, scything through the field to make it up to third by just the fourth lap.
By now Dovizioso was putting pressure on Lorenzo and on lap nine the Spaniard gave way to the Italian, knowing that finishing safely was more important than the winner’s laurels today. Next time around Rossi passed his team-mate and set off after his compatriot, despatching Dovizioso in turn at exactly the same point on the next lap. Dovizioso mounted one more challenge four laps from the end but Rossi, still the reigning World Champion for a few more minutes, was determined to stand on top of the podium and eventually crossed the line 0.244 seconds ahead. The win moves Rossi up to third in the championship, one point ahead of Casey Stoner.
It was Lorenzo’s day however and third place for the 23-year-old was enough to seal him an emotional first premier-class title to add to his two 250cc crowns. It was a special moment for the Mallorcan, who has won seven races this year and finished off the podium only twice in a remarkable display of consistency that shows him to be a deserving champion.
Valentino Rossi – Position: 1st Time: 41’03.448
“This is a wonderful moment for me, I am so happy to win like this and take my 46th win with Yamaha on ‘my’ M1. It was one of my worst starts and for a moment I was really worried, but within a few corners I understood that I could go for it, because my bike felt great today thanks to a small change we made in warm-up, Jeremy’s idea really worked! I rode so well and it was a fantastic race, one of the best of my career I think. I wanted this 46th win so much because as everyone knows it’s a special number for me! Thanks to my team because everyone worked so hard this weekend and I think this is a great repayment for everyone. To win like this, from 11th at the first corner, is a great feeling. Finally I want to say congratulations to Yamaha and to Jorge; he has been fast all season, at all tracks and in all conditions and he deserves to be the World Champion.”
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Jorge Lorenzo |
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Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 3rd Time: +6.035
“This is a dream come true for me today, I can’t really believe it yet; I need five minutes on my own just to relax, enjoy the quiet and take in what I have done! This is something I have always wanted and something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, so it is the most incredible moment for me. It is difficult to find the words to thank everyone, I am just so happy, but I have to say thank you to Yamaha, my team and everyone who has made this happen. I started very well today, I didn’t lose any positions but then Andrea and Valentino came past me and I wasn’t riding as well as I could have, so I didn’t want to push too much. Anyway I knew that winning the race wasn’t the most important thing this time. I had to just put myself on autopilot and get the points I needed. Now we can relax and enjoy the last three races of the championship, but first of all we are looking forward to celebrating tonight!”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“What a race! It was a fantastic race and great weekend because we had a difficult day yesterday and could only qualify sixth, but the team did a great job to change the bike and Valentino felt very comfortable in the race. He rode very well, making the fastest lap in the race and coming from 11th position and 2.5 seconds down on the leaders on the first lap. This milestone 46th win was a great way to celebrate Valentino’s amazing time with Yamaha. It’s a wonderful day for Yamaha all round because Jorge is the World Champion so we say congratulations to him, he’s been very strong this year. All of our team are very happy today! Now we’re looking forward to Australia, another great track for Valentino, and we hope his victories are not over with yet with Yamaha.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“This is a wonderful day for our team and I can’t believe what an amazing first year I have had with Jorge in MotoGP! Jorge has proven over and over that he is a winner and our tactics this season – to always go for the podium – have paid off and here we are, World Champions! As usual Jorge was clever today and he knew that he had to be careful, as he has been many times this season, and it was the right move. He has won seven races and been on the podium many more so it really has been a wonderful season. Thank you to everyone for working so hard and well done to Jorge.”
Fantastic fourth for Spies in sweltering Sepang
Ben Spies strengthened his bid for a top six MotoGP world championship finish today, the Texan riding to a fantastic fourth place in scorching hot conditions at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Spies rode a tentative first four laps while he gained confidence in the left-side of his hard compound Bridgestone rear tyre, the 26-year-old’s pace still quick enough to keep him fighting in the top six.
Once confident he could push to his true potential, Spies was able to reel off a series of fast laps to hunt down and pass fellow American Nicky Hayden on lap eight. Spies continued to increase his pace and his times were only bettere d by Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso at the front of the field. Having quickly left Hayden trailing behind him, Spies then produced a stunning series of laps to close down a two-second deficit on Marco Simoncelli.
He caught and passed the Italian on lap 14 and was again able to quickly establish a gap that Simoncelli had no chance of closing as he streaked away to finish top non-factory rider. His tenth top six finish of an outstanding rookie season puts Spies 13-points clear of Hayden in the race for sixth overall in the 2010 rankings with three races remaining.
It was an eventful 20-lap race for Colin Edwards, the 36-year-old looking to carry on the momentum gained from his season best fifth place in Japan a week ago. A minor braking issue hampered Edwards in the early laps and once he’d adapted his riding style to compensate, he then battl ed a front-end grip issue. He was embroiled in an exciting four-rider tussle when he crashed at turn four on lap ten. His Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team worked frantically to repair his YZR-M1 machine, Edwards returning to the track to try and score 13th place. Unfortunately his efforts were unrewarded as he missed the cut-off for scoring points by just one lap.
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| Ben Spies |
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Ben Spies – Position: 4th Time: +13.676
“I got a reasonable start but I suffered with the left side of the rear tyre not coming up to temperature as quick as I’d hoped. But once it did it worked great and I was able to fight my way through to another really strong result. I was behind Nicky for a while and got stuck there but once I got by him I was reeling off 2.02s to get into fourth and I was happy with my race pace. I knew I couldn’t get third and that was a little frustrating because looking at the times of the top three, if I could have got away with them I really feel I could have been there. I know Lorenzo wasn’t pushing like his life depended on it with what he had at stake but I could have been closer to the front. It was still a good race for me and I made some good passes and I’m looking forward to Phillip Island now. Finally, I’d like to congratulate Jorge and Yamaha. Jorge has been fantastic all season and he definitely deserved to win the title. He hasn’t made a mistake and I’m really looking forward to working with him in 2011.”
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Colin Edwards |
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Colin Edwards – Position: DNF
“That wasn’t an easy race at all. Right off the line I felt good and made a couple of passes but I understood from the start that I had small problem with the front brake. At one point I nearly ran into the back of Ben and that made it really difficult in all the hard braking points and there are plenty of those at this track. On ce I adapted to that I was having some issues with the front tyre. I’d had a couple of moments over the weekend but after about four laps I was struggling to hold a line. I was still pushing hard because I was in a good fight when I crashed at turn four. I don’t know whether it was the brake or the tyre or a combination of both that put me down but it was one of those where I was waiting for it go. I wasn’t going to give up, run wide and let a load of people fly by but just lost the front. I went back out to try and score some points but unfortunately I was one lap short of being classified. I wasn’t going to get in the way of Valentino, Andrea and Jorge, so I got out of the way and that lap cost me a finish. Finally I’d like to congratulate Jorge and Yamaha. They’ve been an awesome combination. He’s been the fastest rider all year and he’ll be the man to beat next season that’s for sure.”
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“On behalf of everyone in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, I’d like to congratulate Jorge and Yamaha for their fantastic achievement this season. Jorge has demonstrated all year that he has been the fastest rider and his consistency has been very impressive. It was also a good day for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and once again Ben was outstanding. He wasn’t as fast as he would have liked to be in the early laps but once he found his rhythm he was easily the fastest rider behind the top three. Once again he made some really exciting overtakes and I think a big crowd here today enjoyed watching Ben. It is a big shame for Colin because he deserved more for all his efforts this weekend. Unfortunately he crashed while pushing hard to improve his position. We fixed his bike so he could try and get some points and I want to thank Colin for going back out and trying his best for the team. It was unfortunate that he just failed to co mplete the required number of laps but we can look forward to both Ben and Colin having a successful race in Australia next weekend.”
Posted in Articles, News
Posted on 10 October 2010. Tags: 2010, Jorge Lorenzo, Malaysia, motogp, Sepang, World Champion
Jorge Lorenzo wins 2010 MotoGP World Championship at Sepang in Malaysia.
Jorge Lorenzo has won the 2010 MotoGP World Championship after finishing third in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.
With Dani Pedrosa missing the race due to injury, the Fiat Yamaha rider, winner of seven of the 15 races so far this year, only needed to claim ninth place to become champion with three rounds still to go.
Lorenzo led the early stages of the race before settling for a safe third behind team-mate Valentino Rossi (1st) and Andrea Dovizioso (2nd).
Rossi stopped to shake hands with Lorenzo as he celebrated on track. Lorenzo held a card saying ‘Game Over’.
Lorenzo later got his Spanish flag caught in the rear chain on the slow down lap and had to seek assistance from marshals.
Lorenzo is Spain’s second premier-class champion, after Alex Criville in 1999. His title is Yamaha’s fifth since the switch to four-strokes in 2002 – the others being won by team-mate Valentino Rossi (in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009).
2010 is Lorenzo’s third season in MotoGP, all of which have been spent with Fiat Yamaha.
The 23-year-old Mallorcan recently signed for two more seasons at the factory M1 team. Lorenzo will be joined in the team by Ben Spies next year, when Rossi’s moves to Ducati.
Lorenzo previously won the 250cc world championship in 2006 and 2007.
Posted in Articles, News
Posted on 19 June 2010. Tags: Jorge Lorenzo, Silverstone
| Jorge Lorenzo |
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Jorge Lorenzo broke his 2010 pole duck in Great Britain today with a strong showing at Silverstone, having qualified second for the three previous races. The sole Fiat Yamaha Team rider, whose team-mate Valentino Rossi is recovering from a broken leg at home in Italy, beat Randy de Puniet and Dani Pedrosa to the pole spot, with both challengers crashing out in an action-packed final two minutes.
After a confident opening day yesterday, Lorenzo’s rivals had caught up with him this morning and he was disappointed to find himself four-tenths down on Pedrosa in third. He was back on form this afternoon however, spending the first half of the session continuing to strengthen his understanding of the circuit before going into the lead with 20 minutes to go. He was edged off by de Puniet but, after coming in for a final set-up tweak, a fast flying lap with a superb final split propelled him back to the top of the standings where he stayed, as both his closest rivals ended their final laps in the gravel trap. Pedrosa’s first pole of 2010 is his tenth in MotoGP and the 36th of his career. He will be doing all he can to extend his championship lead when the British Grand Prix gets underway at Silverstone tomorrow afternoon.
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Jorge Lorenzo |
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Jorge Lorenzo – 1st, 2’03.308, Laps:26
“I am so happy about this first pole of the season, but I’m even happier about the fact that I felt so good on my M1 this afternoon. It is really important to be on the front row for tomorrow because this gives us the best chance of another podium. Today we did 18 consecutive laps with the hard tyre and then another eight with the soft, which is a good sign, but the track was quite cold today and it took time for the tyres to reach the right temperature, so we have to wait and see how the weather is for our final choice. I feel comfortable and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, although I hopeit isn’t going to rain. Thanks to all of my team for doing a great job today.”
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Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo
“I’ve said before that it’s sometimes better not to be on pole because then there’s less pressure, but today we are on pole and we’re really happy about it! Jorge worked very hard in the first 13 or 14 laps, pushing hard to learn the track and understand the limits, and this paid off for him. De Puniet and Pedrosa were fast but they both crashed, but Jorge was fast and finished safely. There are of course no points for pole and we have to see what tomorrow brings but it’s nice to have a rider who is fit and doing fast lap times and a bike that’s consistent. We’re hoping for another good race tomorrow.”
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| Ben Spies |
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Spies equals best qualifying result at cool Silverstone
Ben Spies equalled his best qualifying result of the 2010 MotoGP world championship at a blustery and cool Silverstone circuit this afternoon. The Texan will start the first British MotoGP race to be staged at the iconic Silverstone track since 1986 from seventh position after a dramatic conclusion to today’s qualifying session.
Spies posted a best time of 2.04.477 on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine to miss claiming a deserved second row start for the first time in his career by just 0.083s after he made a brilliant recovery from a heavy crash in this morning’s final free practice session. Spies aggravate d the left ankle injury he picked up in a crash at the Le Mans last month when he lost control at the fast Farm Curve left-hander.
But the crash did little to dent the 25-year-old’s confidence and at one stage it looked like his hard work and dogged determination would pay off as he occupied a top six place on the timesheets in the decisive final stages. But looking to improve his time on his final flying lap, Spies lost precious time when Randy de Puniet suffered a high-speed crash right in front of him at Farm Curve. Spies’ last lap though was still his fastest and he will head the third row of the grid in front of Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli.
Fellow American Colin Edwards had a difficult qualifying session, the 36-year-old unable to find a set-up that allowed him to push at his normal pace. Edwards will start from 10th on the grid having clocked a best t ime of 2.05.035 to finish just over half-a-second away from the top six.
Ben Spies – 7th, 2.04.477, laps:22
“Qualifying wasn’t too bad but I feel like it should have been a better outcome than what it was. I’m riding really hard and I was pretty close to being on the second row but I’d like the lap times to be coming a little bit easier. On the speed charts we’re down a bit and that is making it difficult and if I don’t get a good start it will make it hard to pass people. But I’m happy with my riding and the set-up of the bike and the lap times are consistent. I certainly tried as hard as I could and on the last lap I might have picked up another tenth to get on the second row but de Puniet crashed in front of me and that definitely cost me a small bit of time. My ankle is not too bad and shouldn’t be a problem in the race. I was actually going to come into the pits because th ere had been a few crashes and I was only doing 70 per cent of my normal speed when I got caught out. It can happen but I’ll be ready to give my maximum effort in the race.”
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Colin Edwards |
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Colin Edwards – 10th, 2.05.035, Laps:21
“That was really hard work and I just can’t ride the bike to the level I know I can. I’m just not comfortable and to ride as hard as I had to just for tenth, I’m not happy. There are guys that I beat easily last year that I’m struggling to match at the moment and it certainly isn’t through a lack of trying. It is hard not to get frustrated but I am doing my absolute best to improve and get some more speed out of the bike. But we’re struggling for engine speed and I can’t get a decent setting with the chassis. Tenth is not a position I’m happy to be in but I’ll give it my all in the race tomorrow because everybody at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 is working hard to improve the situation.”
Posted in Articles, News
