Battered Lorenzo sits it out
Marquez finally gets one over on Dovi in last-lap dash for glory
Jorge Lorenzo was forced to skip Sunday’s race after a monster highside during free practice left him even more injured than he already was going into the weekend.
Still recovering from the effects of his fall on the opening lap of the race in Aragon, the five-times world champion suffered severe bruising to his ankle and a cracked right wrist. The highside was caused by a technical problem on Lorenzo’s factory Ducati (one that the Italian manufacturer refused to go into detail on, but is believed to be engine or gearbox related, see p68). Lorenzo has raced on with more severe injuries in the past, but with no championship on the line and believing that he has more chance
‘Next time I jump on the bike I may be a bit more afraid’
of winning next time out in Motegi anyway, the Spaniard decided that discretion was the better part of valour on this occasion.
He said: “My confidence will be different when I get back on the bike from where it was after the Aragon crash because I know that one was my fault. The next time I jump on the bike I might be a little more afraid to enter the corner.”
The Spaniard is now hoping for better luck next time out. Admitting that part of his reason for sitting out the Thai race was to be in better form for Motegi in two weeks, he’s targeting it as one of his remaining chances to increase his Ducati win tally.