INTERVIEW: Jorge Lorenzo

At Sepang in Malaysia, during the first pre-season MotoGP test, Jorge Lorenzo and his M1 Yamaha were flying and the reigning world champion was the fastest overall by almost a full second. Lap times and positions were far from definitive, however. The second outing at Phillip Island showed new challenges on track, due to the wet and changeable weather conditions that prevented the riders from completing their testing program.

Among the surprises, the young talent of the Suzuki squad Maverick Vinales, who left Phillip Island with a big smile and the best lap time of the three days with a superb 1:29.131, set on day two and a convincing second place on day three. "The new seamless is very positive, we can lap more consistently and the bike is more stable in the corner exit," commented the Spaniard.

The Australian track also welcomed the return to competitiveness of Marc Marquez, who set the fastest lap time on the final day (1:29.158) and the second fastest of the three days. His Honda improved a lot at Phillip Island. "We still need to work on the balance of the bike, but we have found a base setup that works and also a base for the electronics," said a confident Marquez. "I managed to maintain a consistently fast pace, and this was the first time this preseason that I've started to feel good with the bike and the new tires. It was a pity that at the end of the session I lost the front and crashed," he added.

Marquez was not the only one who crashed though. The final day registered thirteen crashes, in fact. Among the victims was Danilo Petrucci, the fastest rider on day one in the wet, who suffered multiple fractures in his right hand, and also Jorge Lorenzo, who finished 9th on day three and in fourth place in the combined timesheets, with his best lap overall of 1:29.357s, 0.226s from the lead. His teammate, Valentino Rossi, was sixth overall with a best lap time of 1:29.404. The big absence at Phillip Island was Casey Stoner, and the fastest Ducati was the GP15 of Hector Barbera, with the factory riders finishing 10th and 11th of 16 riders. Another important element of this test, compared to Sepang, where the gaps were much bigger with Jorge Lorenzo separated by a second from his teammate Valentino Rossi, was that the times were overall much closer.

Part of that change in gap is related to the fact that Phillip Island features long left corners that can be tricky, as well as the fact that teams are still coming to grips with the new electronics. As Lorenzo himself stressed, “The new electronics are going to change the performance of the bikes a lot on other tracks. Someone can have an advantage at one track and maybe they have more problems at another. We have to understand how to be more competitive here to get the same advantage we had in Sepang.” After his half race simulation on day two, Lorenzo commented that, “Something is still missing in the middle of the corner and the front is not so stable.” On the contrary, Rossi was relieved to have closed the gap with his teammate and showed a consistent pace in the dry on day two. If Lorenzo seemed unbeatable at Sepang, he showed more weak points in Australia.

CW: Do you think that your position in the final results is realistic?

JL: "It was different from the superiority we showed at Sepang. On day two we had some problems and we worked hard to solve them. Things were complicated also the final day. I did my best lap time in the morning on a rear tire that already had done 24 laps. When we finally got a dry track and time to try that last new rear tire to set a decent lap time, Laverty crashed and I had to cancel that lap. I then decided to try a race simulation, but I crashed on the first lap because the track was very cold. I braked a little bit too hard for the grip of the front tire and I crashed, so I ended the test. Sepang, for us, has been an unbelievable test. Here things changed completely because the layout of the track is the opposite. Let's see what happens in Qatar."

CW: Have you decided which bike you will use? Which are the main differences between the two versions?

JL: "The 2016 chassis is different. At Sepang we didn't find any benefits so it was important to compare the two machines again in Phillip Island but there was not so much time. Anyway, I prefer the one equipped with a chassis more similar to the 2015 version. I think that we will exclude the other already in the Qatar test."

CW: Do you feel like the man to beat?

JL: "I can be the favorite or one of the favorites but just because I'm the reigning World Champion and I was the fastest at Sepang. When the red lights go out in the night of the Qatar GP, we will all start from zero points so in the end it's not an advantage."

CW: Do you feel like the number one rider in Yamaha?

JL: “I don’t think I am the number one. Both riders are treated equally in our team so in the end I don’t care if I am the number one or the number two, as long as I have the same material as my team mate.”

CW: Did it make you proud that Lin Jarvis said that, “R****enewing your contract is a priority for Yamaha”?

JL: "It was important that he stated this publicly and I hope that we can find an agreement soon as my wish is to finish my career in Yamaha. I said this many times. I haven't spoken with Yamaha yet but I will do it soon. It would be ideal to sign the contract before the opening round in Qatar. This would be also the best solution to reduce the pressure, but I know that it will be complicated".

CW: Jarvis said also that, “Ducati has made you a very tempting offer.” Would you be tempted to show your talent on a different bike?

JL: "Being comfortable in a team is crucial for me and I aim at becoming the rider with more world titles with Yamaha. This challenge gives me a lot of motivation and I'm confident I can achieve it. Valentino has clinched four titles with Yamaha, I have three crowns but I'm still 28 so I can make it. Of course, every rider is tempted by trying another manufacturer, but in me prevails the challenge to become a Yamaha legend and to retire with the same brand. Obviously we don't know what will happen in the future and all the manufacturers are working hard to try to win and they would like to have the best riders. Looking at the last seven years, I demonstrated to be one of the best rider: I won three titles and I finished second three times".

CW: Did you feel you were not valued enough last year?

JL: "I think people that really understand MotoGP have no doubts about my value because of my speed and the statistics that speak for themselves."

CW: How do you see Rossi?

JL: "He is very motivated and determined to keep working and fighting. Of course he is 37 so it's not easy to battle with young riders such as Marquez, myself, and also Pedrosa. Rossi finished second in the past two seasons so he demonstrated that he is competitive to fight for the title."

CW: And Marquez?

JL: "He is still one of the fastest, more talented, and explosive riders. Then, of course, winning a championship doesn't depend only on the rider. Some year you have the best bike, some years not, but finally a good rider has to adapt to all the situations (bike, tires, electronics, and so on). I think that he will adapt and he will be there fighting with us. If his bike will be very competitive, then it will be difficult to beat him."

CW: Was it a relief last year to see that the Honda-Marquez duo was not invincible?

JL: "When you see a rider winning his first world title at the debut and repeating the following year, it's easy to think that he can win five or six years in a row. It was important to beat him, because this remind you that nothing lasts forever and every season offers new opportunities. You cannot stay at the top forever, but in the same way you can also recover from the bottom. Everything can change so you don't have to stop working and trying to improve yourself."

CW: What impressed you more at Sepang, Casey Stoner or how fast the Ducati could be?

JL: "Ducati is a very competitive bike, but not only this year. They were very strong also at the beginning of the 2015 season. It's a winner bike and the fact that Casey Stoner arrived and went so fast after three years of stop showed that the project is really good and that this year the Ducatis will be dangerous."

CW: Would you like to see Casey back racing?

JL: "It would be great for the show, for the spectators, and also for us riders. I understand that this is not his wish, he is comfortable with the life he has and I don't know if he will change his mind for the future."

CW: With six test days already under your belt and three left in Qatar, how is your preparation going?

JL: "In my opinion the races will be more physically demanding this year because after a while the tires drop, and being less sophisticated, the electronics will not help us. We will need to consider this aspect in the rider's preparation because the final part of the race will be very demanding."