Source: Supplied.

Movistar Yamaha’s defending MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of the Grand Prix of Argentina on Sunday after what was a difficult weekend overall for the Spaniard.

Starting from third on the grid, Lorenzo launched off the line well and grabbed the holeshot into turn one, but quickly found himself shoved down the order to seventh. He took his time to get his Michelin tyres up to temperature and with 16 laps to go and the front-runners flying away, he tried to push.

For the second time in the weekend, Lorenzo found himself in the gravel at turn one at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit after losing the front of his Yamaha M1. While Lorenzo was unharmed, his bike was in no state to continue the race and Lorenzo withdrew from the race. For the first time since the San Marino GP in 2015, Lorenzo left a MotoGP World Championship weekend without points.

“It was a weekend to forget,” Lorenzo reflected. “We had problems during the practice sessions and finally we got a first row in qualifying and a good start, but with these conditions and wet patches in some corners I wasn‘t comfortable. I think it was my fault. As a rider I didn‘t feel comfortable enough to stay in the first group and I saw them risking so much.

“I made a mistake in the first corner, which was more complicated, it was the corner with more wet patches and I went in a little bit too wide on this particular lap and just lost the front and couldn’t continue. This is racing, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You have to accept it and think positive, just forget this race and think about the future.”

Thanks to his victory in Qatar, Lorenzo still holds fourth in the overall standings but once again has ground to make up in the championship. After two rounds in 2015, Lorenzo was fifth in the championship and recovered to take the title, his current position by no means a disaster.