Leaving aside a DNF at Assen that wasn’t his fault (courtesy of Alvaro Bautista), what was Jorge Lorenzo’s worst finish in the 17 MotoGP races held so far this year? Second place. That tells the whole story. Taking 6 wins, Lorenzo was incredibly consistent. Consistently fast.
This is the young Spaniard’s second MotoGP crown, and with the retirement of Casey Stoner this may be just the beginning of a career that could eventually match those of some of the all-time greats. At just 25 years of age, Lorenzo already has 23 MotoGP wins and 60 podiums.
Speaking of all-time greats, Valentino Rossi will return to Yamaha as a teammate of Lorenzo’s next year. Lorenzo was not intimidated by Rossi in the past, so we doubt this will change things much. Lorenzo is the man to beat for the foreseeable future.
Next season we’ll have MM on the second honda. He could upset things. Well, as upset as things can get when it’s 3/4 of the good bikes gone to spanish riders. Deserving, yet dull.
Jorge showed a lot of maturity this year, riding within his limits and finishing consistently, week in and week out. Congrats to him. He deserves the title.
I’ve said it here before, and I’ll say it again. I’ve never seen a rider ride as beautifully as Lorenzo. He’s just so smooth in everything he does. He never looks like he’s riding out of control or takng chances. He’s just smooth and fast. I can’t say he’s as exciting to watch as, say, Rossi of a few years back. Rossi took calculated risks that usually paid off, and that made him incredibly exciting to watch. But Lorenzo definitely deserves to start being mentioned in the same breath with Rossi, Roberts, Agostini, and the other all time greats. He probably could have had two or three more wins this year had the points race been closer, and had he needed to push it for championship points. Rossi is getting a run for his GOAT title in my mind.
Agreed. Lorenzo is so smooth that it looks like he’s not working at all. Congrats to Jorge on a fantastic season!
Just a shame he has the personality of a houseplant! Hopefully Marquez joining the premier class and Rossi back on a competitive bike next year and more podiums for Crutchlow will bring some fun and games back to Moto GP!
I disagree about the personality. I think he’s a respectful guy who knows he won a title in a very talented field this year with Stoner, Pedrosa. I bet he can twist off pretty good when he’s not at work. The guy likes to haul ass on bikes, how bad can he be?
If Yamaha doesn’t catch up or pass Honda on speed, it may be hard for Jorge to win the title again. Dani has tasted what it’s like to win in that class now.
Congrats Jorge …. terrific season. I really don’t think he has much to fear from Rossi anymore. I think Val has lost the fire. I would think he should have more fear of Pedrosa who had nearly an identical season this year with the exception of the drop in the last race (while leading) handing the title to Lorenzo. I still think on points Lorenzo would have won the title but it sure would have been interesting to have it come down to the final race of the season.
That’s always been Pedrosa’s problem…he’s just not consistent enough. He tears it up several races in a row, then crashes. he could stand to take a lesson from Lorenzo, and be content with the occasional second or third place finish when the bike isn’t handling at it’s best or when the tires are worn. Losing 5 points is a lot better than losing 25 points.