Lorenzo rules out fighting for 2009 title

Jorge Lorenzo has ruled himself out of the championship fight in 2009 despite his impressive debut season in MotoGP last year.

The two-time 250cc world champion was the rookie of the year in 2008 after finishing in fourth position in the standings, following one win a four pole positions.

But the Yamaha rider, whose team unveiled their new bike on Monday, believes he is still lacking experience to fight for the title this year.

"It is difficult," Lorenzo said of his expectations for the championship. "It is very difficult, firstly because I don't have the experience to fight for the title. I think that right now there are riders with more experience.

"Above all there is a great champion in the shape of Valentino Rossi, who I have in the box next to me, and in theory he is the favourite.

"Not only that, I have three riders who in principal are more of a favourite than I am so the most important thing is that we get closer to our objective every season, become faster and learn more. But I don't think I am the favourite for the title."

He added: "I think that people have higher expectations for the results of Pedrosa, Stoner and Valentino. Yes, it is true that I started the year really well, with a victory in the third race of my first season. I started very strongly but that doesn't mean to say that the same will happen every time and that every season is going to start out the same for me.

"Things change and every year is different. For example this year we have new rules and things could be different. I am currently working very hard so that one day I can become World Champion, which is my objective. I don't know if I will achieve it next year, within two years or within five but that is the objective."

Lorenzo, who had an erratic middle part of the season that included several crashes, admitted his injuries have not yet healed completely, but he is confident he will be perfectly fit for the first race of 2009.

"They're not 100% because I'm still missing a little mobility in my ankles, especially in the left one, but little by little they are clearing up.

"Many months have passed since the crashes and right now the problems I had with my forearms and my ankles, thanks to the specialists who I am lucky enough to have, the situation is gradually improving and I think that I will be if not 100% then around 95 or 97% before the start of the season."

The Spaniard, who used Michelin tyres in 2008, said he was already feeling confident with the Bridgestone rubber all teams will use this year.

"I like them a lot, especially Bridgestone's front tyre, which they have achieved over several years of hard work," he added. "It is a factory with a lot of hunger and in the end they were able to dethrone a giant, which is what Michelin were, even though I don't know what would have happened if the championship had stayed the same.

"What is clear is that Bridgestone is an impressive company and right now they have control in the championship. As far as rider feedback from the tyres is concerned, they are really good, especially under braking as I said, you can brake very, very late."

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Q and A with Jorge Lorenzo

Conducted and provided by Yamaha's press office.

Q. Jorge, how was your winter holiday? What have you been doing in your time off?

Jorge Lorenzo: At the end of the year I went to Mallorca. I was there for practically a week visiting my family, my sister and my mother. I had fun with friends and took some time to rest a little because it had been a really tough year, very stressful, with a lot of back-to-back races so it was good to relax and disconnect a little. Since the end of the year I've been in Barcelona, training a lot, training on a motorcycle and in the gym.

Q. Did your injuries from 2008 finally completely heal? Are all parts of your body back to 100% fitness?

JL: They're not 100% because I'm still missing a little mobility in my ankles, especially in the left one, but little by little they are clearing up. Many months have passed since the crashes and right now the problems I had with my forearms and my ankles, thanks to the specialists who I am lucky enough to have, the situation is gradually improving and I think that I will be if not 100% then around 95 or 97% before the start of the season.

Q. After having some time to think about it, how are your memories of 2008? You had many pole positions, podiums, your win, but also your crashes and injuries...

JL: Yes, it has been a 'special' season because it was my first in this category but also because of the things that happened to me, the good and bad moments we have encountered and the experience I have picked up, which has been very fruitful and will be fruitful in the future. But yes, it has been a strange year with lots of ups and downs, a lot of crashes - too many because normally I'm not the kind of rider who crashes a lot – but also great moments like the pole positions, the podiums and especially the victory at Estoril.

Q. If you could repeat your rookie year would you do anything differently?

JL: No, I don't tend to regret the past and I think I have been quite lucky in my life – apart from the injuries I have had. I have had setbacks but otherwise I'm a lucky guy, a guy who things have gone well for so far so I can't regret things from my past.

Q. What are your expectations and aims for 2009? Do you believe you can challenge for the title from the start?

JL: It is difficult. It is very difficult, firstly because I don't have the experience to fight for the title. I think that right now there are riders with more experience. Above all there is a great champion in the shape of Valentino Rossi, who I have in the box next to me, and in theory he is the favourite. Not only that, I have three riders who in principal are more of a favourite than I am so the most important thing is that we get closer to our objective every season, become faster and learn more. But I don't think I am the favourite for the title.

Q. Do you feel that there is much more pressure on you this year? Are you worried about people's high expectations?

JL: I think that people have higher expectations for the results of Pedrosa, Stoner and Valentino. Yes, it is true that I started the year really well, with a victory in the third race of my first season. I started very strongly but that doesn't mean to say that the same will happen every time and that every season is going to start out the same for me.

Things change and every year is different. For example this year we have new rules and things could be different. I am currently working very hard so that one day I can become World Champion, which is my objective. I don't know if I will achieve it next year, within two years or within five but that is the objective.

Q. You haven't had the chance to try the full prototype bike yet. Will you have it in Sepang and what are you hoping for from it?

JL: I had the opportunity to try the 2009 prototype at Jerez. The only thing that wasn't there was the new engine, which I will have for Sepang. The truth is that in terms of handling and in terms of the chassis it seems like the bike has a bit more stability, or let's say that there is less movement on the front end of the bike. The bike tended to wheelie less on the way out of corners although obviously I have not had chance yet to test the new engine, which they say is going to be the biggest change with respect to this season.

Q. The wall is staying in your garage. Was this your request? Why do you want it to stay?

JL: Well the decision to keep the wall was made by Yamaha and I don't have much to say about it. As far as I am concerned it is fine like that, there's no problem and we will continue to be a team with a wall!

Q. Apart from yourself and Valentino, who do you think will be the main title challengers in 2009?

JL: Well, in sport and in particular in motorcycling you never know what can happen and every season new riders who are keen to win arrive on the scene and surprise a lot of people. So I don't like getting involved in discussing favourites in that way but obviously if I had to choose three ‘favourites' I would go for the top three in the championship last year, which was Valentino, Stoner and Pedrosa.

Q. What do you think about the MotoGP crisis and the departure of Kawasaki? Are you worried about the number of bikes on the grid? What do you think needs to be changed in order to try to increase it?

JL: Well it is evident that this is a global economic crisis and it has also affected the world of motorcycle racing, albeit on a smaller scale to, for example, other sports. But I do think we are going through difficult times. Luckily I am personally in a good period at the moment.

I just won the Rookie of the Year title so in terms of sponsorship and things I am not in a bad position. The only thing is that I am worried because motorcycle racing is a very spectacular sport and I think Dorna have done a great job, but it could still be exploited a little more and the show that motorcycle racing can offer could be broadened.

Q. After two tests what is your opinion about the new Bridgestone tyres? Do you like them and did you find them easy to adapt to?

JL: I like them a lot, especially Bridgestone's front tyre, which they have achieved over several years of hard work. It is a factory with a lot of hunger and in the end they were able to dethrone a giant, which is what Michelin were, even though I don't know what would have happened if the championship had stayed the same.

What is clear is that Bridgestone is an impressive company and right now they have control in the championship. As far as rider feedback from the tyres is concerned, they are really good, especially under braking as I said, you can brake very, very late.

Q. What's your opinion about the new ‘monotyre' rule? Do you think it's going to improve the racing or not?

JL: Well, it is definitely not the ideal solution because it is always better to have more companies involved in the championship but the fact is that it is impossible to establish a consistently level playing field over the course of the season. There was a lot of difference from race to race.

Sometimes Michelin were better, sometimes Bridgestone… in the end it tended to be Bridgestone so I think the only option Dorna could see, and I am in agreement, was to cut their losses and make a championship with just one brand of tyres. You have a new number.

Q. Please, tell us why you changed from 48 and why you have chosen the number 99.

JL: Let's say that at the end of September was the end of an era for me and the start of a new one. So, what better way to start than with a new number? It is a little bit sad because 48 has really meant a lot to me. I have achieved big things and enjoyed some great moments with that number on the front of my bike but, like I say, this is the start of a new era and the number 99 will be present throughout it.

Q. You also have new management. How is it working out with them? Are you happy and do you feel they will help you to fully concentrate on racing?

JL: I'm really happy with the people I have around me at the moment. Obviously when a person makes a change they are always trying to make things go better than they had done previously. It doesn't always turn out to be the case, you don't always achieve it but in principal I made a change so that things would go better for me and so that I would be happier at the races.

Well, at the races and away from them, and at the moment I am really enjoying myself. I am playing football, going to martial arts classes… I'm doing lots of things that I couldn't do before and maybe for that reason I'm a little happier and that should be reflected on the racetrack. But we won't find out until the first race.

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Team want Lorenzo to reduce errors

Jorge Lorenzo will have to show that he has learned from the mistakes he made as a rookie last year, according to his team manager Daniele Romagnoli.

The Yamaha rider qualified on pole for his first three MotoGP races last season, winning the third at Estoril, but a practice crash at the next round in China began a series of accidents that ruined the rest of his campaign.

Romagnoli says Lorenzo will have to avoid a repeat of those errors if he is to be a consistent front runner in 2009.

"In 2008, Jorge should have thought more about the lessons learnt from MotoGP than the actual results," said Romagnoli. "Unfortunately, the first three good races he did and the good results he achieved made him feel under pressure and this lead to him to making mistakes. Nevertheless, he had a good championship as a rookie.

"In 2009, we aim to improve on the excellent result achieved in 2008. Doing so means hard work and a high level of concentration. Moreover, achieving good results regularly will be crucial, while at the same time avoiding overdoing things and being satisfied with a good result.

"He needs to modify his working method, as he did during the season. He has to avoid getting too close to the limit at the beginning of official practices, as happened when he fell in China and Barcelona.

"Firstly, setting the bike up is crucial. When this is done and the conditions of the racetrack will be better, it'll be easier to get gradually closer to the limit. Overdoing things before the bike is ready needs to be avoided.

"Last year's experiences were important, even if they were negative to some extent. He's improved a lot, even mentally. This year I'll insist on this direction, hopefully he'll manage to reach the bike's limit gradually during the official practices."

Romagnoli believes there will be more pressure on Lorenzo to succeed in his second season, but says he is capable of challenging for the title.

"Jorge will certainly have more pressure this year, he'll have to show he's improved," he said. "It'll be crucial for him to better manage official practices and races. Sometimes during official practices he felt under pressure from the beginning, wanting to ride fast from the outset and this led to errors. Anyway, the experience he gained during last season strengthened him and he'll handle pressure much better this year.

"This year Jorge could win some races and achieve a number of podium finishes, as he showed last year, but it won't be easy to do so in every race. The championship will be challenging this year. It's too early now to say he'll win the title, but he has the ability to challenge for it."

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Rossi bullish on new Yamaha's potential

MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is confident that the 2009 Yamaha M1 will be a significant step forward over the bike that took him to the 2008 title.

Yamaha unveiled their latest machine in an online launch this morning, ahead of this week's test at Sepang in Malaysia.

Rossi has already tested the prototype version, and reckons Yamaha will make substantial gains.

"I had the chance to try the 2009 prototype briefly after Valencia but more so in Jerez, when I was very fast," he said.

"The bike seems better and I was faster than I was with the 2008 version.

"I'm very confident, and anyway we're only at the beginning of our work and now we must use these months before April to improve the 2009 M1 even more."

But although Rossi is certain that he will have the equipment to fight for another championship, he expects a tough battle to overcome main rivals Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

"2008 was difficult because it was the year in which I had to give the most of myself in order to win," said Rossi.

"In 2009 it will be even more difficult because my adversaries, who suffered in 2008, are now out for payback and will be looking to beat me. I think it's going to be even harder than 2008."

Rossi also expects his teammate Jorge Lorenzo to be a title threat in his second year of MotoGP.

"I do think that Lorenzo will be one of my strongest rivals, because he has a year's more experience and this year there is also the monotyre, so we will start equal," he said. "He will be a very hard rival to fight."

The team will continue to operate a split garage with a wall separating the two riders, even though they are now racing on the same tyres due to the new Bridgestone monopoly.

Rossi said he was keen to retain the wall as the Yamaha duo could end up fighting each other for the title.

"In our team there are two very strong riders and both of these riders are setting out to win the world championship," he said.

"We found the arrangement to work very well in 2008 and so we will continue with it also in 2009."

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Yamaha call off Rossi's WSBK plan

Valentino Rossi has had to abandon his plan to make a one-off appearance in the Superbike World Championship after Yamaha decided they would be unable to prepare a competitive bike for him in time.

The MotoGP champion said late last year that he wanted to take on recently retired WSBK champion Troy Bayliss, who Rossi hoped would be tempted to return to the series to race against him.

Although Rossi's Yamaha team were supportive of the plan, they have now concluded that they did not have sufficient parts to provide a bike for the Italian.

"Unfortunately this wasn't possible because Yamaha is working on the new R1 motorbike, and there are not many spare parts available yet," said Yamaha team boss Davide Brivio.

"Setting up the bike for Valentino Rossi was technically impossible. Furthermore, because he is Valentino Rossi, we wanted to do things well and eventually we had to come to the conclusion that this wasn't going to be possible."

He said that Yamaha had been very keen to make the one-off outing happen, and did not rule out reviving the plan in the future.

"We were very excited at the idea of riding in a Superbike race," said Brivio. "Valentino influenced us with his desire for new challenges and experiences.

"The idea of going to Qatar and racing in Superbike was very exciting. We'd have done it with great respect and with the idea to have fun, this was our attitude. Valentino belongs to the MotoGP Championship, but he would have tried Superbike just to test himself against those riders, whom he always follows them because they, too, are very good.

"Valentino was very sad when we had to cancel this experience, but we might consider it again in the future. I believe he could be competitive, but we didn't intend to win the race.

"We'd have gone with the idea of doing our best to see what level we could reach in one race. It would have been interesting, like a challenge of the past. I hope we consider it again in the future, I will keep dreaming of it."

Rossi added that he hoped the event could be rearranged next season.

"It was a fun idea, and I would have been very happy," he said.

"I would still like to do a race in superbike and I would like to battle with Bayliss, because he is the world champion. Unfortunately it is a bit of a difficult period and I didn't have the chance, but I hope that in the future, maybe next year, we can do it."

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Suzuki pair hope for step forward at test

Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen are optimistic that the team's latest machine will prove to a be a step forward when they resume testing at Sepang this week.

The team had a disappointing 2008 season, scoring 60 points fewer than they had in their promising 2007 campaign. But Vermeulen and Capirossi believe that if Suzuki have been able to put their suggestions into practice over the winter, they should be more competitive when the 2009 build-up starts in earnest at the Malaysian test.

"It's been a couple of months since the last test, but that has been two months when Suzuki has been working really hard to make the 2009 GSV-R as good as it can be at this moment in time," said Vermeulen.

"It will be great to ride this year's bike and see the improvements and alterations the factory has made to last year's bike.

"All the other teams will be there so we will be able to see where we are at the moment in comparison to them and how we have moved on since the last time we were at Sepang."

Capirossi is also looking forward to seeing what progress Suzuki have made during the off-season.

"I'm very excited to see what the guys back in Japan have done to the GSV-R and for Chris and myself to get the chance to ride the latest version of the bike at Sepang," Capirossi said.

"I am sure that all the recommendations we made during the last tests will have been analysed and any improvements the factory could make they will have done in the winter."

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Suzuki: MotoGP needs major changes

Suzuki team boss Paul Denning says the MotoGP manufacturers are now agreed that the championship needs major changes in order to survive the economic downturn.

Although no firm details have yet been released, minor cost-cutting adjustments - such as reducing the amount of practice and test mileage - have been agreed for 2009.

But the sport's governing body, the FIM, has called for a dramatic re-think of MotoGP's technical regulations in order to reduce costs and entice new entrants, and Denning agrees that this is necessary.

"There is a generic agreement that cutting costs is a fundamental requirement," he told the official MotoGP website.

"It is not a wish, it is a fundamental requirement to safeguard the future of the championship.

"Some of the short term measures that have already been suggested are not going to be very effective, but they may be a minor help.

"The key point is that with the manufacturers, Dorna, IRTA, looking at things from a promoter´s perspective, an organisational perspective, a private team perspective and so on, all factors have to be considered in terms of priority and that big changes are needed, rather than small tweaks.

"I think there need to be some fairly fundamental, sweeping changes, to take a decent percentage out of the costs, in order to make the decision making process easier for manufacturers and teams, for participation and making it more attractive to provide further bikes and expand the championship in the future. That has to be the ultimate target."

MotoGP is currently down to 17 entrants and four manufacturers after the withdrawal of Kawasaki, although the Japanese manufacturer's ex-works bikes could yet reappear with a private team.

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