This pre-event conference for the 2016 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix brought together Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Vinales, Andrea Dovizioso and Bradley Smith.
We therefore offer you a full “raw” translation of Jorge Lorenzo’s words, without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Good memories here and two podiums in the last two races; The coming weeks are going to be important...
“Yes, we have become strong again, and we are also arriving at circuits that suit the Yamaha and my riding style well, especially this one. We have good track grip here and a lot of acceleration, which is usually good for us as a whole. We'll see! We are impatient. We will see how the tires, which are very important this year, and the new electronics will be. We are more or less as competitive as in the last two years, and that should be good. »
Three races in a row...
“Yes, it’s hard, but personally I like it. I like to stay on the bike as much as possible, and normally when you have one race and then the next one the days after, normally all your muscles are more ready and you have less problems. So it should be three good races. »
Why are the Yamahas so good at Motegi?
"Well, I don't know because, in theory, it's a track for Hondas, not only because it's owned by Honda, but normally and in theory, the hairpins and slow corners are better for the bikes more agile, but especially in the last two years, we have improved the acceleration a lot with the 1000cc and that suits me very well. So last year, apart from the race which took place in the wet, I dominated all the tests and even with the injured shoulder I had a very good pace. But you know, this year, with the Michelins and the electronics, you never know what you might find, so we'll see tomorrow. »
How was the F1 test at Silverstone?
" Wonderful! A wonderful experience to be able to test the best car of the moment, the Mercedes, even if it was two years old. And being able to say that you have tried the best motorcycle in the world, which is MotoGP, as well as F1; there aren't that many people who can say that. An experience that was one of my dreams. Incredible power, incredible braking ability, and especially in fast corners, the downforce and grip you feel in the car gives you very special sensations. »
You could use it on Sunday…
“Ah, then I would have a big advantage, but that's not possible so I'll have to try to win with the Yamaha. »
Are you disappointed that you won't be able to try the new bike until February next year?
“Of course I would like to do the Jerez test but in the end it doesn't depend on me. At the moment it looks like I will test in Valencia, although I don't have permission to do so yet. It seems that for Jerez, Yamaha is not so keen to allow it. We'll see what happens. I think that in the name of the years spent together, I deserve it, but of course it does not depend on me and I will respect any decision of Yamaha because I am a Yamaha rider. »
Is there anything from your F1 experience that can help you?
“(Laughs) I haven't thought about it, but... (grimace), they have a lot of technology, a lot of money, and a lot of people (laughs), so I don't think we can do the same, even if our championship has progressed a lot in recent years. »
