Lorenzo on Ducati move: I needed a change
Jorge Lorenzo has said that he felt that he needed a change and a new challenge in his career after his move to Ducati was made official earlier this week.
The Spaniard heads to Jerez with the Ducati deal confirmed for the next two seasons. Yesterday Lorenzo spoke of a fantastic challenge ahead and he has today said that he felt like he needed a new challenge after nine seasons and three MotoGP World Championships with the factory Yamaha team.
“As you all know next season I won’t be with Yamaha,” said the 28-year-old.
“I felt I needed a change, a new challenge in my career, set new goals for me to try to achieve and keep my level of ambition at the maximum.”
Despite having the new contract already in his pocket for next season and beyond, Lorenzo insists he will remain to give his all to Yamaha and hopes to celebrate the final 15 races of his Yamaha career with a fourth World Championship.
“I have only words of gratitude to the Yamaha family because of all the moments we lived through together. I achieved much more than I’d ever dreamt,” he said.
“What will happen in the future is unpredictable but from here on I just want to enjoy these 15 races that I have left with Yamaha to try to ratify the World Championship. This is right now my only target.”
Lorenzo has endured an indifferent start to the 2016 season. Victory at the season opener in Qatar saw him get his title defence off to the perfect start before crashing out in Argentina in round two. A second place behind runaway leader Marc Marquez in Austin sees Lorenzo currently sat 21 points behind his compatriot. The Spaniard will be hoping to use his home Grand Prix in Jerez as the perfect opportunity to start a run of victories similar to last season.
“Finally we arrive in Jerez where the first European race is about to start. Jerez is one of my favourite circuits in the world because of the special lay-out of the track and the atmosphere and the people hugging us from the grandstands,” said Lorenzo.
“Last season we kicked off with a good set of four victories in Jerez after a difficult start so hopefully this year we can repeat such a great result.”
Photos via Movistar Yamaha
“I just want to enjoy these 15 races that I have left with Yamaha to try to ratify the World Championship.”
Interesting.. ratify the World Championship.. a strange choice of words.
It would suggest that Lorenzo thinks he has to win the title this year, to underline last year.
Which suggests he has doubts people think his 2015 crown was valid?
It’s the first bit of sense I’ve heard uttered from the small egged Spaniard for some time..
Quite unlike the blinkered agenda driven tripe some of his apologist preach, while claiming he was an innocent victim that did nothing wrong..
A lot of people don’t think it was valid but they’re not real fans of the sport anyway.
Why wouldn’t George like to stick it to those numbskulls?