Jorge Lorenzo – 2012 MotoGP™ World Champion

 

Jorge Lorenzo journey to his two MotoGP™ premier class titles began on the age of three when he entered in minicross competitions in their native Mallorca, then junior motocross along with a 50cc Copa Aprilia title in the Spanish Championship – an entry he was just granted with special permission. Lorenzo subsequently was crowned youngest ever rider to enter a global Championship race. Turning fifteen – the minimum age for Grand Prix participation long ago - within the second day of practice to the 2002 Spanish race at Jerez, he made his debut aboard a Derbi 125cc at the track where yet enjoy much success above the next several years.

Within his second season he took his first Grand Prix victory at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where his impressive "about the outside" overtaking manoeuvre on Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa won him the nickname "Por Fuera". In 2004 he sealed an additional three triumphs, prior to the rise towards 250cc category annually later and taking four poles and six podiums in their maiden season. 2006 would have been to really do the coming-of-age year with the Mallorcan, who switched to Aprilia machinery and immediately took over as the favourite for your World Championship. He justified the hype with the impressive eight victories, equalling the pole position record at the same time with ten, and lifting the title within the emotional final race of the year at Valencia.

Another dominant year in 2007 saw Lorenzo retaining the quarter-litre title, wonderful nine of his victories via pole. At only twenty years old, he would have been a two-time 250cc World Champion and took on his biggest challenge as of yet by signing with the Yamaha factory team in MotoGP alongside Valentino Rossi. Lorenzo made a sudden impact from the premier class that has a stunning first five races. He took pole on his debut - becoming the initial man to do so since Max Biaggi ten years previously - and finished second in the astounding performance in Qatar. He accompanied the feat with pole on the next two races, becoming the 1st rider to search ‘three from three’ as part of his rookie season and turning both top spots into podium finishes.

Unfortunately his debut MotoGP season in 2008 has also been marred by a number of big crashes and injuries, including two broken ankles in China that eventually forced the debutant beyond action for his home race in Catalunya. However he regained his fitness and confidence inside the latter perhaps the season, and selected the pace to complete fourth overall and become Rookie of the Year. Lorenzo went from strength to strength last year, pushing his then colleague and fierce rival Rossi entirely for that title. Their battle at Catalunya would have been a season highlight, and Lorenzo acquired four wins during a 12-podium haul for the year, with five pole positions also. Ultimately he was struggling to wrest the title from Rossi’s grip, but his challenge was becoming ever stronger.

2010 saw Lorenzo’s star rise further, and he was finally able to remove the ‘inconsistent’ tag by scoring podium finishes within the first twelve races with the season, winning seven of them at the same time. He took pole on six occasions that season, and qualified around the front row with the grid for every race except one. Still aged just 23, he become the second World Champion from Spain in the premier class after Alex Crivillé. 2011 saw the Mallorcan face a different foe in the form of a rejuvenated Casey Stoner aboard his Repsol Honda, which proved to be a near unbeatable combination. Yet despite a Yamaha that looked to get short of power, he fought his way to three wins and ten podiums, and were finish the growing season in second, despite missing the ultimate three races because of bad finger injury.

With all the change to 1000cc at the beginning of 2012 Lorenzo and his awesome Yamaha created a terrific start with winning the opening round in Qatar after a hard fought fight with the Repsol Hondas. In the future the Spaniard went on to take five further wins and ten second-places, only once or twice failing to finish a race after being taken out by Álvaro Bautista in Assen. The race at Phillip Island proved a dramatic one as his main rival Dani Pedrosa crashed out in early stages, with Lorenzo needing merely a three-point finish or maybe more to clinch the title. He however didn’t check and climbed about the podium all over again for taking his second premier-class title.



Jorge Lorenzo facts:

Lorenzo will be the first Spanish rider to win the premier-class world title more than once.

She has finished either first or second at each race that he has finished during 2012.  The only real occasion this year when he's still did not finish either first or second was when he was pushed off by Álvaro Bautista on the first corner on the Dutch TT.

Throughout the 2012 season only two riders have finished when in front of Lorenzo – Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.

He becomes exactly the third rider in the 64-year good reputation for Grand Prix racing to win higher than a single world title in the the intermediate-class and premier-class of Grand Prix racing.  The only real other riders to obtain achieved this are Mike Hailwood and Phil Read.



Biography

Date of birth: 04/05/1987

Birth place: Palma de Mallorca

First Grand Prix: SPA – 2002 – 125cc

First Pole Position: MAL – 2003 – 125cc

First Podium: RIO – 2003 – 125cc

First GP Victory: RIO – 2003 – 125cc

Grand Prix Starts: 178

Grand Prix Victories: 44

Podiums: 98

Pole Positions: 51

Race Fastest Lap: 23

World Championship Wins: 2 x 250cc, 2 x MotoGP



MotoGP Career:

2002: 125cc World Championship – 21st position on Derbi, 14 starts, 21 points

2003: 125cc World Championship – 12th position on Derbi, 16 starts, 79 points

2004: 125cc World Championship – 4th position on Derbi, 16 starts, 179 points

2005: 250cc World Championship – 5th position on Honda, 15 starts, 167 points

2006: 250cc World Championship – 1st position on Aprilia, 16 starts, 289 points

2007: 250cc World Championship – 1st position on Aprilia, 17 starts, 312 points

2008: MotoGP World Championship – 4th position on Yamaha, 17 starts, 190 points

2009: MotoGP World Championship – 2nd position on Yamaha, 17 starts, 261 points

2010: MotoGP World Championship – 1st position on Yamaha, 18 starts, 383 points

2011: MotoGP World Championship – 2nd position on Yamaha, 15 starts, 260 points

2012: MotoGP World Championship – 1st position on Yamaha, 17 starts, 350 points