In Pit Lane
MICHAEL SCOTT
The teammate from hell
BACK WHEN HE was just a boy, rather a strange one but very,
very fast, the Spanish used to call him “’Round the outside”.
For obvious reasons. In 2018, “Gorgeous Jorge” has earned a
new nickname: “Up the blind side”. His switch from difficult
Ducati to hairs-breadth Honda caught everybody napping.
It was in Mugello, where he went on to take his first win
since leaving Yamaha, that Jorge revealed that he was leaving
Ducati. This much had become obvious with his
poor results over the preceding races, especially
when Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo
Ciabatti had remarked crustily at Le Mans
that, “There is a big gulf between his fee
and our budget.”
He went on to spike the curiosity
by saying that he would be returning
“on a competitive bike” for the next
two years. This triggered a frenzy
of speculation, among a racing
twitterati already dizzy from a wildly
spinning silly season. Guessing who
would go where seemed almost as
important as the racing. For some
people, more so.
This being Lorenzo, it was necessary
to think the unthinkable. But only up to a
point. With Suzuki already spoken for, and
KTM and Aprilia not meeting his “competitive”
description, there could be only one answer. Jorge
was going back to Yamaha. A rumour that gelled still further
when Yamaha didn’t rule out the notion of supplying its still-
notional satellite team with factory-spec bikes.
That seemed settled then.
So when the news broke days later that he was to join
Marquez on Honda, there wasn’t anyone who wasn’t
flabbergasted. Plenty of people admire Lorenzo’s super-
smooth riding, his title achievements (three so far in the
premier class alone), and his tireless work ethic. There is
grudging respect also for his wilful independence, although
this is often over-ruled by disdain for his habit of dispensing
with his close allies at the drop of a hat. This started when he
dumped his rider-coach-manager father, when he was still
just a teenager.
But I am in a minority in the so-called MotoGP family
(a sentimental misnomer that strives to unite the
irreconcilable), because I seem to be one of only very few
who actually like Lorenzo.
Like might not be the right word. It’s not part of a GP
journalist’s remit to like the riders, though it helps
if you like the racing. But there’s something
about Lorenzo’s egotistic selfishness that fits
a great champion.
He’s struggled with the Desmosedici,
but always promised he was learning.
After leading a lot of laps then failing,
now he’s won a race, in typically
imperious start-to-finish style. I
venture to suggest it will not be his last
this year. If he then goes on to win also
on a Honda (and why not?), I believe
he will be the first rider in the premier
class to do so on three different makes.
His greatest achievement at Ducati,
however, was to negotiate a record sign-
on fee, easily eclipsing anything clocked
up by Rossi, or anybody else. The rumoured
amount for two years was 24-million Euros.
Phew!
Also typically Lorenzo, this first win was for himself
alone. As well as costing Ducati a huge amount of money, it
did little for the brand, for it robbed teammate Dovizioso of
five potentially crucial points. It was an echo of the last race
of last year at Valencia, where Dovi was still numerically
capable of winning the title. Against team orders, Jorge
decided the best way to help him was to beat him.
Many believe his style is wrong for the Honda. We shall
see. He’s an intelligent and hard-working rider, with
enormous will-power.
If nothing else, though, he’ll be a thorn in the side of
Marquez. The teammate from hell. That’ll be a novelty after
the amenable Dani Pedrosa.There’ssomething aboutLorenzo’s egotisticselfishnessthat fits a greatchampion