The countdown has begun for Lorenzo who will leave Yamaha at the end of this season to start a new adventure with Ducati. A change which is all the more clear as this weekend, the Majorcan will make his last appearance in Japan with an M1 that he has been around since his arrival in MotoGP in 2008. This is therefore the opportunity or never to make a last time with a motorcycle stamped with three tuning forks at Motegi.
Afterwards, it will be another story. Still, the opportunity is real. Between the Japanese route and Por Fuera, relations are good. Victorious in 2009, 2013 and 2014, he only missed the podium on two occasions in MotoGP, in 2008 and 2010, when he finished fourth. Last year, he finished third after starting from third place on the starting grid.
So, it will indeed be a customer, as long as the weather is good: “ We're now heading off to a different time of the season, which is perhaps the most exciting because we have three races in a row and they're all overseas. Which also makes them very demanding races for the body and mind. On the other hand, it's still an enjoyable adventure » commented the teammate Valentino Rossi.
« The first stage is Motegi and it is a circuit of which I have excellent memories. I love Japan and I really like this circuit because of the crowd and Yamaha, but it's an equally important Grand Prix for the other Japanese manufacturers. This is their real home race! We have several races left before the end of the Championship and we will have to continue to do our best in order to be competitive and return to victory. It would be fantastic to do it at the Yamaha National Grand Prix ».
Jorge Lorenzo would therefore not blame his employer who only tolerated the two days following the last Grand Prix of the season in Valencia to discover his next Ducati in this 2016 financial year. Currently third in the championship, he is 66 points behind the leader Marc Márquez and 14 units from his pair Red which is its objective. However, he keeps an eye on the title still in play: “ the end of the championship is still far away so we have to continue to drive as best as possible, be competitive and play our luck ».
