A profile of Spanish Yamaha Rider and MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo – MotoGP Special
The 25-year-old Spaniard rider, Jorge Lorenzo, was born May 4, 1987.
Lorenzo started his motorcycling career on his fifteenth birthday when he raced in the 125cc Spanish Grand Prix in 2002. Riding a Derbi, he finished 22nd in his debut race. He participated in a total of 22 races in that 125cc championship with a best standing
of 7th in the 2002 Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix.
The first podium position and with that a victory came for Lorenzo when he finished 1st in the 125cc Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix in 2003. Although the season itself was not so god for Lorenzo because he had to retire from 6 out of a total of 16 races that
season, yet the first victory must have been soothing for young Lorenzo.
In the next season of the 125cc Championship, Lorenzo clinched 3 more victories and ended the season with 4th position on the grid with only 13 points behind the bronze winner Roberto Locatelli. This was also the end of Lorenzo’s 125cc and Derbi career.
He scored 4 victories, 9 podiums and 3 poles during his three year career with Derbi.
Lorenzo kept on improving in the following seasons. He moved on to 250cc World Championship in 2005. He finished 5th on the grid with 6 podiums and 167 points. No victories came that year for Lorenzo in the 250cc class.
Next season, Lorenzo switched from Honda to Aprilia. The switch proved quite fruitful as Lorenzo was able to finish 1st 8 times during the 2006 250cc World Championship. With these 8 victories, Lorenzo also clinched his first World Champion title.
Keeping up the winning run, Lorenzo won the 2007 250cc World Championship as well with 9 victories in the season. He scored 312 points that season and was way ahead of the runner up Andrea Dovizioso who was 52 points behind the champion Lorenzo.
Having won consecutive championships in the 250cc class, it was about time for Lorenzo to move on to the MotoGP class and so he did in 2008. For his MotoGP career, Lorenzo was signed by Yamaha Factory Racing. In the 2008 MotoGP Championship, Lorenzo clinched
1 victory and 6 podiums and ended the season on a high note with 4th position on the grid. He had to miss out in the Catalan Grand Prix because of injuries sustained during the practice sessions.
The ever improving Lorenzo made a valiant effort in the 2009 MotoGP Championship and finished the season with a silver medal. He was a strong contender for the gold medal but retirement in 4 races caused Lorenzo to finish behind Valentino Rossi, world champion
and Lorenzo’s teammate in the 2009 season. Lorenzo clinched 4 Grand Prix victories in that season.
Although Lorenzo had to miss most of the pre-season testing courtesy a pocket bike crash in which he broke 2 bones in his hand, even then 2010 proved to be a golden season for Lorenzo. He not only won half of the total races and 16 podiums but also went
on to claim his first MotoGP World Champion title. His performance throughout the season had been outstanding and it must be said that Lorenzo truly deserved the World Champion title.
Lorenzo went off to a flying start in the 2011 season scoring 4 podiums in the first five races. In the sixth race, The British Grand Prix, Lorenzo crashed out of the race. The 2011 season came to an early end for Lorenzo when he faced a crash in the warm
up session for the Australian Grand Prix. Lorenzo suffered severe injuries to his left hand in the crash but was able to recover after a surgery. Having missed last three races of the season, Lorenzo finished with a silver medal.
6 victories, 10 times 2nd place and 2 retirements were the statistics of the 2012 season for Lorenzo. Undoubtedly, the most brilliant season of Lorenzo’s racing career. He claimed the World Champion Title for the second time and finished the season with
350 points and a gold medal to his name.
Lorenzo’s racing career is at its apex nowadays and MotoGP fans expect it to remain that way – at least until the end of 2014 season at which point Lorenzo plans to ponder his future according to a statement that he gave to the press on November 19, 2012.
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