THANK YOU, JORGE DORNA MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Coming into the last race weekend of the year at Valencia, it seemed that everything was going to be, well, uneventful. All of the championships were already sewn up, the weather was looking to be fairly predictable, and everyone was ready to unwind after what has been an incredibly hectic season.
Then, in comes Lorenzo like a wrecking ball, announcing his retirement. At the first sound of the Press conference being called it was the only feasible outcome, but still, I can’t get over it. Seeing the #99 race has been utterly incredible, and still to this day the man is the only one to race with and win titles against all of the modern greats: Rossi, Stoner, Marquez and Pedrosa. He took it to Rossi from the start; he won against the odds on the brutal Bologna bullet; he showed at Catalunya this year that he was starting to make things work on the Honda; but after that monster crash at Assen earlier in the year, who can blame him?
I certainly can’t. He’s had a terrific career, which he can walk away from in one piece. At the end of his final race, you could even see the ecstasy and relief as he took his helmet off for the last time, lifting that burden of being a factory-racing superstar, and finally having some time to chill out. It almost begs the question now, with Rossi being the last of the original ‘aliens’ in the GP paddock, will he be looking across at Lorenzo with envy? Only he knows.
The funny thing was, with Lorenzo vacating so imminently, who on earth would luck in on one of the best, and most sought after seats in the racing world? I mean, with only four days before the kicking off of the 2020 campaign, everyone who’s anyone had a nice contract sat in their pocket for many months. I think I heard near enough every rumour going, from the LCR Honda duo of Crutchlow and Nakagami, to Zarco and even Bautista, until, of course, it was finally announced that the younger of the Marquez brothers, Alex, had managed to nip out of his existing contract and fill the gap.
I’ve seen a lot of negativity surrounding it, and a lot of people pointing out that it’s just because of his name, but you have to remember, this man is a former Moto3 World Champ, and is the Current Moto2 Champion.
They don’t just hand those out on a plate, and it was when Marc had won the middleweight class, that he stepped into the premier arena with the Repsol Honda squad.
So, do I think he’ll do well? That’s a hard question. Honda haven’t built a bike that’s easy to ride, or rookie friendly by any stretch, but having a training partner, best mate and brother that’s spearheaded the direction of development, might just help him out. I know a lot of people have already made judgement from the Valencia test, but in all honesty it’s a waste of time. The real show will come at the beginning of next season, and I for one can’t wait.