This event intended for the Nantes motorcycling community, organized in partnership with the helmet brand Shark, honored the Spanish rider's track record.
A stage in the colors of the equipment manufacturer had been specially set up outside and, upon its arrival, Jorge Lorenzo inaugurated the square which now bears his name. This is a first for the Village Motos which calls for others, as its president Bertrand Macé confirmed to us: “Every time we have a famous driver, why not start naming the streets because we are in a village.”
Jorge Lorenzo, smiling and relaxed, therefore far from the image that we can observe during the Grands Prix, among other things responded to an interview of which we share the most interesting passages with you here.
You train very hard. By need or by pleasure?
“Well, I always take care of my physical condition, the preparation because it is very important not to get tired when you are on the bike. But especially this year, the Ducati is a very physical bike and I need to gain more muscle mass. I train very hard, about 5 or 6 hours a day, because I want to win with Ducati.”
After your move from Yamaha to Ducati, has your training changed depending on the bike?
“Yes, unfortunately I'm training very hard, harder than last year, harder than before because I have the fire in me. I want to win. I discover this motivation and the motivation is really very high. I am happy. Training really hard makes me happy.”
Is the Ducati harder than all other motorcycles?
“I don't know because I just rode the Yamaha and the Ducati. I can just compare these 2 bikes. If you ask me what about the Ducati? Ducati has a very powerful engine. When we open the accelerator, she is very nervous. So I need more muscles, more physical conditions to support this powerful engine. And also when you brake, you have a kind of inertia and you have to tense your arms strongly. So I've gained maybe 2kg of muscle and I'm training to gain another 2kg. I do a lot of weights, a lot of reps. My coach is here. Even in an event day, we train in the morning, so I’m really motivated.”
We're talking about how fast and hard the Ducatis are. How difficult is it to drive all weekend at over 300 km/h and still be cool on the road afterwards?
“For me, it's like walking or eating, like a normal thing, because I've been doing that since I was 3 years old. So I've been riding motorcycles for 27 years. A MotoGP is very physically demanding because it develops almost 300 horsepower. You are going 350 km/h. You have to put up with a lot of stress. So you have to be very fit, but obviously if you do that, it’s like it’s natural.”
The first time you became World Champion, what was the feeling in your head and in your heart. Can you explain this to us?
“I was able to sleep, I was able to relax because I had made my dream come true. So I couldn't do something bigger. I could repeat it, win the World Championship again but I couldn't do something bigger. That's why that night, when I became World Champion for the first time in MotoGP, I called my mother on the phone, and I said “Mom, I did it, now I can die peacefully”. I didn’t want to die, but I had achieved my dream and then I could relax.”
Then, did you immediately think about the next title or did you give yourself a little rest?
“When you are World Champion, especially in Spain where MotoGP is so popular, you have to do a month and a half of events every day, like going to some TV shows, going to events for your helmet brand, for example like here, or for your brand of leather, and that has a price. So you're in for a month and a half doing TV shows and media, and, when it's over, you might have gained a few pounds, because you can't stop eating! And when you finish all that, you take maybe a week or two off and then you start training really hard again.”
Have you ever been bored while winning a title? None of your five titles?
“It’s natural to get into a sort of routine, it’s natural, it’s human. It happens to everyone with everything you have. We buy a new car and the first 2 days or weeks we are really happy and very attentive to this new car. But when time passes, we find that it's normal. I had it a bit going for me when I was getting easier and easier competing with Yamaha. 8 or 9 years with the same team, with the same bike, working with the same people. So it turned into a bit of a routine and it was difficult to find motivation. That's why I decided to take on a very difficult challenge, like this one with Ducati, and now I have a lot of motivation to demonstrate to myself that I can win with a special bike like the Ducati . And then to also demonstrate to all my fans how I can do it, against all the critics and everyone. It’s a total motivation for me.”
Did you need it?
“I needed it because I was 29 years old. I started when I was 15, so I've spent half my life, I think, competing. And I was going to do my ninth year with Yamaha, I repeat, with the same people, the same bike, the same team. I needed something new.”
Do you ever feel alone during a race weekend or something?
“I’m never alone! Only when I go to the bathroom (laughs) and when I fall asleep, sometimes. But I'm never alone because I think it's more fun to live life with your friends and with someone you care about strongly. I don’t know if it’s bad, but I’m never alone.”
You live between Andorra and Switzerland. No longer in Switzerland? Can you go out, go shopping or is it impossible?
“When I live in Andorra it's completely impossible because in Spain it's a bit difficult. Because MotoGP as you know it in Spain and Andorra is very popular. In Switzerland and Lugano, it is a place that speaks Italian. So there are a lot of Italians. So they know who I am, but they are more respectful than the Italians for example. Normally, they leave me alone. It's a very peaceful place and we have a beautiful lake. It's a good place to have discipline, just to work out and go to bed really early. Which would not be the case in Milan, for example, where there are a lot of distractions.”
Do you like to sleep and need a lot of sleep?
“I sleep a lot, yes.” (Jorge Lorenzo goes to bed at 22 p.m., like many pilots)
You don't watch TV in the evening, except for football. Are you a real football fan?
“Yes, I like football, but when I'm at the hotel or at home, I normally watch motivational videos, sports videos, or I watch a series on Netflix. But I don’t normally watch TV.”
Let's talk about your helmets. Over the past two or three years, they have changed a lot. Can you explain to us why and how?
“I think all details are important and aerodynamics are very important in Road Racing. So when I came to Shark, their helmets didn't have this spoiler, so I told the technicians that we needed to improve the aerodynamics, so they made this new spoiler and we gained speed on straight lines. So now not only me but also the rest of the Shark drivers we use this spoiler. I am therefore proud to have taken a step forward in this area.”
The five-time world champion then carried out a traditional and long signing session for the fans. “Traditional” because the Motorcycle Village has been welcoming MotoGP riders since its creation in 2001: Loris Baz, Yonny Hernandez, Fabio Quartararo, Scott Redding, Randy De Puniet, Marc Marquez, Johann Zarco, Bradley Smith and Giacomo Agostini. A voluntary approach that the boss of the place explains through numerous contacts with brands.
A great initiative that we can only applaud and which is undoubtedly not ready to stop at the Motorcycle Village. “We put the pressure on” he says about the arrival of a next pilot “I like it when we get older riders because the analysis is always super interesting on MotoGP at the moment. After all, it all depends on the brands. And that’s the whole point.”
