After a difficult start to the season, the new recruit of the Ducati team is now in the right rhythm, and Jorge proved it in Jerez on a circuit which is not traditionally favorable to the beautiful Italian.
The most important thing is already that he is the best placed on the Ducati riders' grid, after having been beaten in previous Grands Prix by his teammate Andrea Dovizioso and several times by riders from satellite teams, theoretically equipped with less equipment. efficient.
The first good surprise took place at the end of the three free practice sessions, when Jorge occupied second position just 0.218 behind Dani Pedrosa. He had developed his use of the rear brake, which gave him better overall balance when braking and easier entry into curves, especially less physical stress on the arms.
He continued to perfect this technique this Saturday, and it was successful for him in FP4 in racing conditions since he managed to obtain the fourth time, notably ahead of Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa.
Qualifying was a little less brilliant, but he will nevertheless start on the third row alongside Valentino Rossi. He set the eighth fastest time, 0.661 behind Dani Pedrosa.
According to Jorge Lorenzo, who are " Overall the feeling today was good and for the first time this season I had a similar pace to the riders in front of me.
“To be honest, in qualifying I was hoping to improve on this morning's result, but for some reason I didn't have good grip with the rear tire and I couldn't accelerate through the corners.
“Anyway for me, today was one of the best days I've had in this first part of the season from all points of view, which is really good news for We.
“It means we are maintaining good progress and tomorrow we will see if we can get a good result in the race. The most important thing is my consistency and I feel strong on the bike. »
Qualification results:
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 38.249s
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 38.298s +0.049s
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 38.453s +0.204s
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.677s +0.428s
5. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 38.744s +0.495s
6. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 38.861s +0.612s
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 38.908s +0.659s
8. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 38.910s +0.661s
9. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 39.108s +0.859s
10. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.125s +0.876s
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.152s +0.903s
12. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 39.400s +1.151s
13. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 39.090s
14. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 39.255s
15. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.282s
16. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 39.321s
17. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.462s
18. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 39.564s
19. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.678s
20. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 39.824s
21. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 39.906s
22. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 40.213s
23. Takuya Tsuda JPN Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 40.386s
