MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo: Rossi’s possible replacement in motorsports
Jorge Lorenzo, the FIAT Yamaha rider and Valentino Rossi’s teammate, is the hottest rider on the circuit right now, especially when Rossi is sidelined due to a broken leg. The Italian driver, Valentino Rossi has had one of the most distinguished careers in Motorsports, as he dominated the field 9 times in only 14 years. He made his entry into 500cc in 2000, when a lot of big names like Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau had already established themselves as the leaders in the sport.
As soon as Rossi entered the 500cc class, he entered into one of the fiercest rivalries in the Motorsports, with his Italian compatriot, Max Biaggi. Both these egomaniacs fought hard with each other on the track, but Rossi proved dominant in the end. The rivalry lasted for almost six years, and Rossi remained ahead of Biaggi throughout that period. He also won 5 out of 6 times, which was a major blow to the popularity of Max Biaggi in the sport. In short, Valentino Rossi made a real impact from the very start of his career in the 500cc class, and after that in MotoGP.
Maybe, Jorge Lorenzo did not make such an impact from the start, but he has proved himself to be the one to be feared. He joined MotoGP in 2008, alongside Rossi, after winning the 250cc championship twice. The youngster made his mark in the highest class, by winning the pole position in his first ever GP in Qatar. He also got his first podium finish in that race, as he came second. He continued his fine form to win the pole position again in Jerez, Spain, and Estoril, Portugal. Lorenzo won the third race in Portugal, making it his first victory in the Premier Class. Also, with this start to his maiden season, Lorenzo established the record in MotoGP, to be the youngest driver who finished his first three races on podium. This also came as a threat to his compatriot, Dani Pedrosa, who previously held that record.
As Lorenzo was enjoying the top position in the drivers’ championships, the disaster struck. In the next few races, Lorenzo crashed on a number of occasions, but he remained on the track racing for the title. However, after a fifth crash in a row in only four races, Lorenzo had to drop out of Catalunya GP, which also meant that he would not be able to challenge for the top spot. Rossi had a good come-back season and ultimately he won the title for the eighth time, while Lorenzo finished in fourth place.
The 2009 season provided a level playing field for both drivers from FIAT Yamaha, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi had a slight advantage on his teammate, as he was running on different tyres during the 2008 season. However, the advantage was lost in 2009, as all the riders switched to Bridgestone. Thus, everyone was looking for a rivalry between the teammates for the drivers’ championship. Lorenzo had a very dominating start to the season, as he finished two of the first four races in first position. However, Rossi did not lose sight of him for a single moment, and twice Lorenzo crashed under pressure, in British GP and Brno, giving the first position to Valentino Rossi instead. After that Rossi had a smooth sailing for most of the season, and Lorenzo had to be content with the second spot in the championships.
This time, however, in the 2010 season, Lorenzo is once again the biggest challenge to Rossi’s title. In the first race, he came in second behind Valentino, while winning the second and the third race ahead of the Italian. But, it was unfortunate that Rossi crashed and broke his leg before the fourth grand prix of the season, thus clearing the field for Jorge Lorenzo. In the absence of the defending champion, Lorenzo won three races in a row, to establish his firm lead at the top.
The young Spaniard is right now the only one who can really claim the title of Rossi, as he is not being challenged at all, by the likes of Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden. Maybe Lorenzo did not have a start that Rossi had, and he might take a little extra time to establish his supremacy, but there is no doubt that he is the only rival to Rossi right now. He is the only driver who can really push hard to force Rossi to an early retirement, while enjoying the superiority in the MotoGP, for a very long time.
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