We’re happy to be the first to report that after much adieu, Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha Motor Company have finally signed a one-year extension to Lorenzo’s current rider agreement, meaning the Spanish rider will ride next year again as Rossi’s teammate for Fiat-Yamaha.
According to Italian website Motosprint, Ducati, in collaboration with sponsor Marlboro, have offered Jorge Lorenzo €7 million to ride the D16 next season. This value is twice as much as what Yamaha is offering Jorge, and allegedly €2 million more than what Lorenzo was asking from Honda.
With this being MotoGP’s last stop at Donington for the foreseeable future, the British venue seems to be putting its best foot forward. Agreeable weather, rabid fans, and close qualifying makes Sunday’s race and send off that much more enjoyable. It won’t be all clear skies though, Sunday’s weather forecast is showing some rain, and undoubtedly riders are practicing their bike swapping out in their minds.
With Jorge Lorenzo’s contract up at the end of this season, rumors are beginning to make their way through the MotoGP paddock about where the Spaniard will be racing next season. While Lorenzo has stated he would prefer to stay at Yamaha, he has also stated that he “knows what he’s worth.” For anyone playing MotoGP silly season, that’s an open invitation to assume that offers from Honda could have potential of becoming true.
Working at the Yamaha North American office must have paid off for Fiat-Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, as they take the first two spots on the grid for tomorrow’s start of the US GP.
“George” will start from the pole position, at Seca while he looks to gain the 5 points that Rossi holds over him in the MotoGP Championship standings. With Rossi in the second spot on the grid, they will be joined by the lone Ducati of Casey Stoner.
While in Laguna Seca for the US GP, Fiat Yamaha riders, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, along with Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders, Colin Edwards and James Toseland, stopped by the Yamaha North America corporate offices for a little press stop and corporate tour.
Wanting to make the most out of the trip, Yamaha put together a video that reveals the secret to their riders’ success.
If that title didn’t illicit a “huh?” from you, then let us be the first to say the MotoGP rumormill has kicked it up a notch now that we’re about a third of the way through the 2009 season. The first rumor up to bat is the talk that Red Bull, the maker of the energy drink with wings, is looking to sponsor a MotoGP team. Early speculation places Red Bull flying into premiere motorcycle racing with the factory Honda team, which is currently Repsol Honda.
That brings us to our next rumor in this double-header, Repsol is rumored to be considering a move to Yamaha next year. Displeased with the performance Honda has given them in bringing a Spanish MotoGP Champion into fruition, the Spanish Oil company is looking for new tune at the Piano making company. More bizzaro after the jump.
With a tenth of a second separating Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in yesterday’s qualifying, the Catalan GP was shaping up to be a MotoGP race worth watching. Adding to the intrigue was a course that is especially demanding on tires, and a heat wave that was sure to make the rubber selection ever more critical. Bridgestone brought to the track an asymmetrical tire compound that was expected to help teams, but with so many factors going on, race day was bound to get interesting.
The fans at the Circuit de Catalunya were given a treat of a race, that saw two riders battling it out until the very last turn. The end result is a three-way tie in the MotoGP Championship standings, and a season that is really starting to brim with excitement.
The fans at Mugello were treated to a great battle in qualifying action on Saturday afternoon with Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo upstaging his teammate Valentino Rossi on the World Champion’s home track of Mugello, by taking the pole position at the Italian GP.
It took Jorge Lorenzo just 1’38.933 to lap around the circuit at Jerez, and put himself at the front of the grid on Sunday for the MotoGP Spanish Gran Prix. The Spainard didn’t disappoint his home crowd, as he staved off the other local favorite, Dani Pedrosa.
The two riders have been in top form all week, and Pedrosa again demonstrated his improving form and fitness on the Repsol Honda RC212V , lapping just 0.051 seconds behind Lorenzo to take the second place spot on the starting line tomorrow. Completing out the front row is Casey Stoner, who was half a second behind Lorenzo at what he describes as his least favorite track.
Jorge Lorenzo really does have the hard life. It must be hard to go into your second season of MotoGP racing, and have people expect you to win the Championship. It must be hard being that good.
With only a limited number of tests scheduled on the new 2009 Yamaha M1, Lorenzon will have to spend the extra free-time figuring out what number to run in next year’s GP. High on the to-do list is retiring his “48” number plate for a new one. Lorenzo still has some time to decide between “23” and “99” before the start of the season in Qatar.
“We’ve done some tests to see how the two would be aesthetically, but the decision will be made further down the line. We will definitely make the choice in January.”
This officially makes MotoGP racing the worst job ever. With all the one-off ultimate performance bikes, tall leggy umbrella girls, and tough decisions like these, I don’t know why anyone would want to be a professional motorcycle racer. I guess it’s just for the money.
Source: MotoGP
Don’t work too hard Jorge, we wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.