News 27 Aug 2014

Lorenzo eyes Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix repeat

Back-to-back Phillip Island wins on the radar for Spaniard.

Source: Yamaha Racing.

Source: Yamaha Racing.

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is confident he can vie for the 2014 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix victory, despite the dominance of Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda so far this season.

Last year’s Phillip Island winner is confident he can contend again come October, particularly after dominating the 2013 race which he describes as one of the most chaotic MotoGP races of his career.

His incredibly talented countryman Marquez has blitzed the 2014 season so far winning 10 times, but Lorenzo recalls the point-perfect form of six-time winner Australian Casey Stoner at the Phillip Island Circuit.

“I never won in MotoGP because Casey was so fast and so talented there, sliding around so quick and so constant that we couldn’t beat him,” Lorenzo said. “So finally I got my first victory in MotoGP in Phillip Island and I was very glad. I won there in 2007 in my last year in 250s, probably my best race because I won by 20 seconds to the second rider.”

Lorenzo’s premier class career began the year after Stoner started his record-breaking run at Phillip Island and although the Spaniard won in Australia in 2006 and 2007 in the 250cc class, Stoner’s affinity with the seaside circuit made adding to that success close to impossible until last year.

Lorenzo said last year’s Australian race, where regulations forced riders to pit for a second bike fitted with new tyres midway through the race, was unlike anything he had experienced in his career.

“It was unbelievable when we had this problem with the tyre and we knew we couldn’t finish the race with just one tyre,” Lorenzo said. “When we had to change the bikes in the pit lane from one slick tyre to another slick tyre, it’s never happened in history, so I thought this was very crazy. It was the only option and the best option, so I think they made a good decision.”

The next round of the world championship will take place this weekend at Silverstone in the United Kingdom where Marquez will look to get back to his winning ways.

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