MotoGP: Guess who's back
Midt i november sidste år kunne du her på siden læse, at den 3-dobbelte MotoGP verdensmester Jorge Lorenzo trak stikket, efter længere tids overvejelser samt bekymringer for sit helbred.
Efterfølgende har Lorenzo ved flere lejligheder udtalt, at han helt sikkert ville vende tilbage til sporten, men at han endnu ikke vidste hvilken rolle han skulle spille; det ved vi nu!
Yamaha og Jorge Lorenzo har netop offentliggjort, at den yderst velkørende spanier i 2020-sæsonen vil få en meget indflydelsesrig position i teamet.
Udover at være et rigtig stort navn i MotoGP-verden, er Jorge Lorenzo også en af de kørere folk verden over hylder for hans præstationer. Lorenzo gjorde sin debut hos de hårde drenge i 2008, og brugte de efterfølgende ni år på at vinde tre verdensmesterskaber hos Yamaha’s fabrikshold i henholdsvis 2010, 2012 og 2015 – og rejsen er ikke slut endnu.
Allerede på søndag vil Lorenzo igen være at finde i sadlen på Yamaha’s YZR-M1, hvor han som officiel testkører for Yamaha skal hjælpe med videreudvikling af raceren.
Gennem sæsonen vil han også deltage i en række IRTA-tests, samt nogle private Yamaha testsessioner.
Ifølge Yamaha er Jorge Lorenzo den perfekte mand til opgaven, da han er kendt for sit køretekniske flow og præcision, samt direkte og konstruktive feedback til teamets ingeniører.
Ind til videre er der ifølge Yamaha ikke planlagt nogen wild card opgaver for Lorenzo i 2020, men de fortæller samtidig at de uden tøven vil være åbne for muligheden, skulle Lorenzo beslutte sig for at genoptage konkurrencen.
Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing:
“Of course, we are delighted to welcome Jorge back at Yamaha. When we knew that Jorge would stop his active racing career, we immediately started to consider making a proposal for him to join us.
The statistics of his achievements with us in those nine years together speak for themselves. He is a vastly experienced MotoGP rider, who is closely familiar with the M1 and the people at Yamaha. We have come to know Jorge as a very precise and motivated rider, with flawless consistency and good technical insight: all the qualities you need in a test rider at this high level.
Combining Jorge‘s experience, knowledge, and riding speed with experienced Crew Chief Silvano Galbusera is an important element in Yamaha‘s strategy to strengthen the Test Team, which aims to bridge the gap between the engineers and test riders in Japan and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team.”
Jorge Lorenzo:
“I‘m very happy with the decision to join the Yamaha Factory Test Team. I was always planning on staying involved in MotoGP and returning to the paddock, and I think this is a suitable role for me. I know the team and the M1 well. The Yamaha really suited my riding style, and it will be very interesting to ’meet up with my old bike again‘.
Returning to Yamaha brings with it some good memories. We secured many podiums and victories, and three titles together, so we know where our strengths lie. I want to thank Yamaha for this opportunity because this allows me to do what I love – riding motorbikes and pushing the limit – whilst enjoying a slightly calmer lifestyle than I did in previous years.
I‘m very motivated to get to work and can‘t wait to start riding. I want to do my best for Yamaha‘s future, and I hope my riding experience will be helpful to Yamaha‘s engineers and riders to bring the title back to Yamaha.”
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