For the former American World Champion in the 500 cm3 category in 1993, Lorenzo is currently experiencing difficulties at the start of the season because he does not have full confidence in his Desmosedici.
Jorge only has one point in the general classification after two Grands Prix. We must take into account his braking problem which forced him to retire in Qatar, fortunately without injury. The Argentina race did not go much better and it is therefore not among the favorites that Lorenzo arrives in Texas.
Kevin Schwantz works to promote the Austin Grand Prix, and he gives his point of view on all the drivers. Regarding Jorge Lorenzo, “ His braking problem suffered in Qatar can have a significant impact on a driver and it is difficult to remedy ", explained Schwantz to motorsport-total.com. “ I had to jump off the bike to avoid landing in the wall ", described Lorenzo about the Qatar incident.
Schwantz believes the ex-champion has lost confidence in his machine. “ If everything comes together, then Jorge can beat everyone. However, I don't think he can ride a bike that is only at 95% - and that's his problem at the moment - the bike isn't bad, but is only at 95% of what he wants her to be. To complicate matters, he also lacks confidence », Declares the 1993 world champion.
His teammate Andrea Dovizioso looks completely different. “I don’t see why Dovi shouldn’t continue to fight for the title,” Schwantz said, adding: “ They won the first race, it wasn't a big victory, but they tried their best and did their job. »
Kevin also praised Dovizioso's ability to take even valuable points in difficult races, such as the last one with a sixth place in Argentina, when the Ducati team was "nowhere". Nevertheless, he took ten points, while his great championship rival Marc Marquez left empty-handed. While Schwantz believes the Italian has a good season ahead of him, he is less optimistic about Lorenzo.
Photos © COTA (above with Kenny Roberts Junior)
