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MotoGP
MOTOGP: Noyes’ Notebook - Rule España!
Dennis Noyes explores the anatomy of a Spanish rivalry: Jorge Lorenzo vs. Dani Pedrosa.
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo (Photo: Yamaha Racing)
The lead story in MotoGP should be that two Spaniards, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, who have had an intense rivalry since they first faced off in the 125cc class back in 2003, are locked into a duel that has divided Spanish fans into two camps, However, the story of the “Lorensistas” and the “Pedrosistas" has largely been overshadowed by off-track silly season events; a long series of distractions starting at Round 3 of the 18-round championship has shanghaied the attention of journalists and fans.
From the beginning of the season there was constant speculation regarding Valentino Rossi’s future, especially after a poor preseason and a disappointing start to the year made it very unlikely that the nine-time World Champion would continue with Ducati.
Then, just before the Portuguese Grand Prix, Spanish weekly magazine Solo Moto proclaimed on its cover that reigning World Champion Casey Stoner would retire at the end of the season. Stoner categorically denied this -- even publically insulting a Spanish journalist, who had echoed the story in a Madrid daily. (“You shouldn’t believe the stuff you write.”)
But just ten days later, after previously informing Honda (but not the Repsol press staff apparently), Stoner announced at the usually routine pre-event press conference at Le Mans, France, that he would, in fact, retire just as the story, leaked by someone inside Honda prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, had reported.
(There are theories about the origin of the leak and the reasons for it, but, until Stoner chooses to discuss this, it is all speculation.)
Meanwhile, Lorenzo went on a tear winning three in a row (France, Catalunya and Great Britain) before he was torpedoed at Assen by fellow countryman Alvaro Bautista (Gresini Honda) on the braking for the first corner at the start of the Dutch TT.
Stoner’s announced retirement meant that Honda, already planning to sign Spanish Moto2 star Marc Marquez in 2013, obviously intending to replace Pedrosa, now scrambled in an attempt to lure Lorenzo away from Yamaha.
When Lorenzo decided to sign on with Yamaha for another two seasons, Honda turned back to Pedrosa, who, angry about the treatment, said he was looking at other options. Whatever those options, if any, really were remains unknown because Pedrosa reached an agreement to sign with Honda just before the German Grand Prix and concluded the new two-year deal before the Italian GP in Mugello.
And in spite of the battles between the white lines, two new off-track stories stole the headlines: Just prior to the USGP in Laguna Seca, Ben Spies for reasons that he promises to explain someday, announced that he would not continue with Yamaha.
If that was because he had figured out that Yamaha was near to concluding the return of Rossi to Yamaha, he didn't have to wait long to find out that he was right. Just before Indy, Ducati, Yamaha, and Rossi himself confirmed that the Italian would be back on the M1 in 2013 and 2014.
During this spell, Lorenzo, after winning at Mugello, took three straight second places. Stoner won at Laguna, but was only fourth riding injured after a huge high-sider during qualifying at Indy. Upon returning to Australia, doctors determined that he had sustained fractures and severe ligament damage to his right ankle. (Note: Stoner has now undergone a successful operation in Australia and hopes to return as early as the Grand Prix of Malaysia.)
With Stoner now out of the running, Pedrosa did something he has only done once before in his seven years in the premier class -- he won two in a row, following Indy with a hard-fought victory over Lorenzo at Brno in the Czech Republic.
Since re-signing with Honda, Dani has outscored Jorge 111 to 105. In winning three of the last five races, Pedrosa pulled to within 13 points of the Lorenzo’s leading total of 245 points.
So, with Rossi’s future decided and only Spies’ 2013 plans still uncertain among the major players in MotoGP, we now have six races and 150 points left in play to determine the outcome of a battle between two young Spaniards.
Something very much like this happened back in 1988 when Spaniards Sito Pons and Juan Garriga fought down to the final race for the honor of becoming the country’s first 250 World Champion.
Now the battle is for the premier MotoGP title. Until Álex Crivillé became the first Spanish 500cc winner (in 1992) and first Spanish 500cc World Champion (in 1999) Spanish riders had only been successful in the smaller classes. In 2010, Lorenzo not only won the MotoGP title, he beat the world’s most popular rider, Valentino Rossi, in the process.
Once again two riders from the most motorcycle racing mad country on Earth are locked into a duel for the title, but unlike the acrimonious Pons-Garriga duel of 1988, Jorge and Dani have overcome past differences and actually seem to like each other.
It wasn’t always like that.
What started out as a bitter rivalry between Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in the smaller classes intensified when Lorenzo moved up to MotoGP and the two adversaries renewed hostilities on the big stage.
In fact, it took royal intervention from the Spanish monarch, King Juan Carlos, to defuse the animosity. Ironically, Lorenzo and Pedrosa, now that the battle for the world’s most prestigious motorcycle racing title is exclusively between the two of them, have gone from mutual loathing to mutual respect, and, rare among direct rivals in this sport, perhaps even something akin to friendship.
This is how it all began between them and how their relationship went from what it was at its worst to what it is today:
From the beginning of the season there was constant speculation regarding Valentino Rossi’s future, especially after a poor preseason and a disappointing start to the year made it very unlikely that the nine-time World Champion would continue with Ducati.
Then, just before the Portuguese Grand Prix, Spanish weekly magazine Solo Moto proclaimed on its cover that reigning World Champion Casey Stoner would retire at the end of the season. Stoner categorically denied this -- even publically insulting a Spanish journalist, who had echoed the story in a Madrid daily. (“You shouldn’t believe the stuff you write.”)
But just ten days later, after previously informing Honda (but not the Repsol press staff apparently), Stoner announced at the usually routine pre-event press conference at Le Mans, France, that he would, in fact, retire just as the story, leaked by someone inside Honda prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, had reported.
(There are theories about the origin of the leak and the reasons for it, but, until Stoner chooses to discuss this, it is all speculation.)
Meanwhile, Lorenzo went on a tear winning three in a row (France, Catalunya and Great Britain) before he was torpedoed at Assen by fellow countryman Alvaro Bautista (Gresini Honda) on the braking for the first corner at the start of the Dutch TT.
Stoner’s announced retirement meant that Honda, already planning to sign Spanish Moto2 star Marc Marquez in 2013, obviously intending to replace Pedrosa, now scrambled in an attempt to lure Lorenzo away from Yamaha.
When Lorenzo decided to sign on with Yamaha for another two seasons, Honda turned back to Pedrosa, who, angry about the treatment, said he was looking at other options. Whatever those options, if any, really were remains unknown because Pedrosa reached an agreement to sign with Honda just before the German Grand Prix and concluded the new two-year deal before the Italian GP in Mugello.
And in spite of the battles between the white lines, two new off-track stories stole the headlines: Just prior to the USGP in Laguna Seca, Ben Spies for reasons that he promises to explain someday, announced that he would not continue with Yamaha.
If that was because he had figured out that Yamaha was near to concluding the return of Rossi to Yamaha, he didn't have to wait long to find out that he was right. Just before Indy, Ducati, Yamaha, and Rossi himself confirmed that the Italian would be back on the M1 in 2013 and 2014.
During this spell, Lorenzo, after winning at Mugello, took three straight second places. Stoner won at Laguna, but was only fourth riding injured after a huge high-sider during qualifying at Indy. Upon returning to Australia, doctors determined that he had sustained fractures and severe ligament damage to his right ankle. (Note: Stoner has now undergone a successful operation in Australia and hopes to return as early as the Grand Prix of Malaysia.)
With Stoner now out of the running, Pedrosa did something he has only done once before in his seven years in the premier class -- he won two in a row, following Indy with a hard-fought victory over Lorenzo at Brno in the Czech Republic.
Since re-signing with Honda, Dani has outscored Jorge 111 to 105. In winning three of the last five races, Pedrosa pulled to within 13 points of the Lorenzo’s leading total of 245 points.
So, with Rossi’s future decided and only Spies’ 2013 plans still uncertain among the major players in MotoGP, we now have six races and 150 points left in play to determine the outcome of a battle between two young Spaniards.
Something very much like this happened back in 1988 when Spaniards Sito Pons and Juan Garriga fought down to the final race for the honor of becoming the country’s first 250 World Champion.
Now the battle is for the premier MotoGP title. Until Álex Crivillé became the first Spanish 500cc winner (in 1992) and first Spanish 500cc World Champion (in 1999) Spanish riders had only been successful in the smaller classes. In 2010, Lorenzo not only won the MotoGP title, he beat the world’s most popular rider, Valentino Rossi, in the process.
Once again two riders from the most motorcycle racing mad country on Earth are locked into a duel for the title, but unlike the acrimonious Pons-Garriga duel of 1988, Jorge and Dani have overcome past differences and actually seem to like each other.
It wasn’t always like that.
What started out as a bitter rivalry between Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in the smaller classes intensified when Lorenzo moved up to MotoGP and the two adversaries renewed hostilities on the big stage.
In fact, it took royal intervention from the Spanish monarch, King Juan Carlos, to defuse the animosity. Ironically, Lorenzo and Pedrosa, now that the battle for the world’s most prestigious motorcycle racing title is exclusively between the two of them, have gone from mutual loathing to mutual respect, and, rare among direct rivals in this sport, perhaps even something akin to friendship.
This is how it all began between them and how their relationship went from what it was at its worst to what it is today:
Grand Prix of The Americas
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