#AragonGP MotoGP J.3 Jorge Lorenzo “I prefer this podium to that of Jerez”

Lorenzo had his best race in Aragon since he arrived at Ducati last winter. He managed to take command from the start, then lead the first fifteen laps of the race before climbing onto the third step of the podium.

Jorge started from the middle of the first row of the starting grid, between the two Yamahas of Maverick Vinales in pole position and Valentino Rossi, author of the third fastest time in qualifying. He made a perfect start ahead of Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Marc Marquez, while Vinales started less well and quickly found himself in fifth position.

Lorenzo's departure:

VAMOS!✳️🏁#AragonGP pic.twitter.com/0Q5aiTPLpn

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 24, 2017

At the front, Jorge was pushing hard, because he had chosen to start with a soft Michelin at the rear, while Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales had a hard one, and Dani Pedrosa had a medium one. Lorenzo brilliantly resisted the return of Marc Marquez until the sixteenth lap, when he was overtaken by his young compatriot. Dani Pedrosa then passed him with three laps remaining, securing the double for Honda.

Lorenzo was far from disappointed with this third place, which demonstrated his adaptation to the improving Desmosedici. He had never led two thirds of a Grand Prix with his GP17. And he only finished two seconds behind the winner, which was a very small gap after 23 laps.

It was the fifth time this year that Lorenzo had finished in the top five, following third at Jerez, fourth at Barcelona and Austria, and fifth at Silverstone. The overall results of this Aragon Grand Prix (qualifying and race) are therefore positive, and Ducati expects Jorge to confirm this brilliant performance during the last four races of the season.

To Jorge Lorenzo, “I wanted a different result from this podium, because victory was very close. It's a shame to lead the race for so many laps and miss out on victory. But we are progressing, especially me, less the bike. My team provides me with a lot of information, which makes the race a little easier for me.

“Unfortunately, we didn't choose the medium or hard tire. I tried the middle one during warm up, but felt better with the soft one. The grip was very consistent, but in the last seven laps I had problems. The tire spun very hard and both Hondas simply had more traction. I couldn't continue to fight. I tried to follow Dani, but it wasn't possible. Still, it was a good race for us.

“In the last five years, Aragon was not the best circuit for Ducati. But maybe my first victory will happen at Motegi, because it is one of my favorite circuits on the calendar. With the many difficult braking zones and strong acceleration phases, we are aiming for a new start for the podium. »

Let's celebrate # JL99 's @MotoGP podium #AragonGP in 🇪🇸today, his 2⃣nd of the year. Next stop 🏁🇯🇵in three weeks' time! #forzaducati pic.twitter.com/K77UMcMAgs

— Ducati (@DucatiMotor) September 24, 2017

“I prefer this podium than the one in Jerez” – @ lorenzo99 #AragonGP pic.twitter.com/60zXrKOTGV

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) September 24, 2017

Ranking of the Aragon Grand Prix:

1- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 23 laps
2- Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team - Honda RC213V - + 0.879
3- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 2.028
4- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 5.256
5- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 5.882
6- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 6.962
7- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 7.455
8- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 7.910
9- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.002
10- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 14.075
11- Mika Kallio – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 17.192
12- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki ECSTAR – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 20.632
13- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 23.886
14- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 25.523
15- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 26.082
16- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 30.302
17- Alex Rins – Team Suzuki ECSTAR – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 31.874
18- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 31.948
19- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 36.296
20- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 37.842
21- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 47.599
22- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 47.647