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MotoGP
MOTOGP: Noyes’ Notebook - Rule España, Pt. 2
Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa headline MotoGP's Spanish Armada, but can their rivalry capture the attention of racing fans outside their home nation?
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo (Photo: Yamaha Racing)
By 2005, when Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa's rivalry was at maximum intensity, Lorenzo had begun to acquire a reputation for at-the-limit moves.
At Motegi of that season, Jorge bumped Pedrosa on the inside on a corner on the last lap and then dove back under his rival on the brakes in the next turn, ran wide, and slammed into Alex De Ángelis, who held second at the time.
Both riders went down. De Ángelis was able to remount and finish seventh, but Lorenzo did not restart.
Race Direction gave Lorenzo a one-race suspension for “irresponsible riding.” At the time Lorenzo criticized the decision, but in 20011, after he had officially accused Marco Simoncelli of a pattern of dangerous riding before the Safety Commission, he said: “I was also guilty of dangerous riding early in my career but the sanction given to me by Race Direction caused me to reflect and change my approach to racing.”
Lorenzo was not involved in any further controversial maneuvers after his return to action in Qatar and there he was second behind Stoner with Dovizioso third and Pedrosa fourth. It was the first and only time he ever beat Pedrosa in 250cc.
Pedrosa went up to MotoGP and straight into the Repsol Honda factory team. Lorenzo won the 250 title in 2006, but this time he decided to stay a second year. He saw that Stoner had been unable to land a factory ride and had finished eighth. Lorenzo and his manager understood that without a factory bike in MotoGP you had no chance to win titles… or even races.
From the beginning of 2007, while Lorenzo was racking up victories in 250, his manager was already talking to Yamaha about MotoGP. There were rumors that Yamaha’s Lin Jarvis was working to convince Yamaha to replace Colin Edwards with Lorenzo.
One Friday in Assen I talked about this with Edwards and the Texan told me that the decision would be made by Valentino, and that if I wrote that he was staying in the factory team as Rossi’s teammate I would not be wrong. “It's what Rossi wants and in this team he gets what he wants.”
So I wrote that, and in the next race, at Germany's twisty little Sachsenring, Lorenzo's manager found me. “I am sure that Colin is right about what Valentino wants,” said Amatriain, "but the name on the tank is Yamaha not Rossi. I assure you that Jorge will be Rossi’s teammate next year over Rossi’s objections.”
(Note: The professional relationship between Amatriain and Lorenzo ended in 2008 after a dispute. In 2009, Marcos Hirsch became Lorenzo’s manager until the two broke off relations amicably just after Lorenzo renewed his contract with Yamaha. His current representative is Albert Valera. After signing his new two-year deal with Yamaha, Lorenzo expressed his gratitude to the three men who, at different stages, guided his career: his father, Chicho Lorenzo, Amatriain and Hirsch. Pedrosa continues to be managed by his original mentor Alberto Puig.)
Amatriain was right. Lorenzo came into the factory Yamaha team in 2008 as Rossi’s teammate. At the time Rossi said he didn't care who his teammate was although he would have preferred Colin. But more recently Rossi admitted that Yamaha had “angered” him in 2008 by replacing Edwards with Lorenzo.
Now, ironically, it is Rossi who returns to Yamaha in spite of the fact that Lorenzo said that he preferred Spies.
Could Lorenzo have blocked Rossi's return? Jorge's answer is that he never tried to and never would. (“That is Yamahas decision. But I can tell you there will be no wall dividing our garage. That was a stupid idea.”)
At Motegi of that season, Jorge bumped Pedrosa on the inside on a corner on the last lap and then dove back under his rival on the brakes in the next turn, ran wide, and slammed into Alex De Ángelis, who held second at the time.
Both riders went down. De Ángelis was able to remount and finish seventh, but Lorenzo did not restart.
Race Direction gave Lorenzo a one-race suspension for “irresponsible riding.” At the time Lorenzo criticized the decision, but in 20011, after he had officially accused Marco Simoncelli of a pattern of dangerous riding before the Safety Commission, he said: “I was also guilty of dangerous riding early in my career but the sanction given to me by Race Direction caused me to reflect and change my approach to racing.”
Lorenzo was not involved in any further controversial maneuvers after his return to action in Qatar and there he was second behind Stoner with Dovizioso third and Pedrosa fourth. It was the first and only time he ever beat Pedrosa in 250cc.
Pedrosa went up to MotoGP and straight into the Repsol Honda factory team. Lorenzo won the 250 title in 2006, but this time he decided to stay a second year. He saw that Stoner had been unable to land a factory ride and had finished eighth. Lorenzo and his manager understood that without a factory bike in MotoGP you had no chance to win titles… or even races.
From the beginning of 2007, while Lorenzo was racking up victories in 250, his manager was already talking to Yamaha about MotoGP. There were rumors that Yamaha’s Lin Jarvis was working to convince Yamaha to replace Colin Edwards with Lorenzo.
One Friday in Assen I talked about this with Edwards and the Texan told me that the decision would be made by Valentino, and that if I wrote that he was staying in the factory team as Rossi’s teammate I would not be wrong. “It's what Rossi wants and in this team he gets what he wants.”
So I wrote that, and in the next race, at Germany's twisty little Sachsenring, Lorenzo's manager found me. “I am sure that Colin is right about what Valentino wants,” said Amatriain, "but the name on the tank is Yamaha not Rossi. I assure you that Jorge will be Rossi’s teammate next year over Rossi’s objections.”
(Note: The professional relationship between Amatriain and Lorenzo ended in 2008 after a dispute. In 2009, Marcos Hirsch became Lorenzo’s manager until the two broke off relations amicably just after Lorenzo renewed his contract with Yamaha. His current representative is Albert Valera. After signing his new two-year deal with Yamaha, Lorenzo expressed his gratitude to the three men who, at different stages, guided his career: his father, Chicho Lorenzo, Amatriain and Hirsch. Pedrosa continues to be managed by his original mentor Alberto Puig.)
Amatriain was right. Lorenzo came into the factory Yamaha team in 2008 as Rossi’s teammate. At the time Rossi said he didn't care who his teammate was although he would have preferred Colin. But more recently Rossi admitted that Yamaha had “angered” him in 2008 by replacing Edwards with Lorenzo.
Now, ironically, it is Rossi who returns to Yamaha in spite of the fact that Lorenzo said that he preferred Spies.
Could Lorenzo have blocked Rossi's return? Jorge's answer is that he never tried to and never would. (“That is Yamahas decision. But I can tell you there will be no wall dividing our garage. That was a stupid idea.”)
Grand Prix of The France
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