Lorenzo off to a fast start
Lorenzo makes a fast start on Honda and Yamaha stars are happy at last
Jorge Lorenzo seems to be making a swift transition from Ducati to Honda after his first outing on the RC213V at Valencia. Still unable to speak to the media and riding an unliveried plain black machine at the test until he is officially out of contract, he finished in 11th, less than a second off the pace set by Maverick Viñales and 0.673 behind Marc Marquez despite still riding with the aftereffects of a broken wrist. Looking more comfortable from the outset than he did on the Ducati when he made the switch from Yamaha two years ago, the Spaniard was able to make steady progress over the two days of the test despite continuing to recover from the injury he sustained when his Ducati suffered a mechanical problem during practice for the Thai GP. But while Lorenzo might have been sworn to secrecy until January 1, team-mate Marc Marquez was pleased with progress. Carrying much of the weight of Honda’s testing programme as Lorenzo learns the bike and with Cal Crutchlow absent, he trialled a series of new engines and frames.
He said: “It looks like step by step the problem with the front tyre overheating is being solved. The final day was the first that I was able to ride with the medium tyre. All season it was almost impossible to ride with it, and now we can ride with it all day.
“I haven’t checked Lorenzo’s feedback yet but it is normal that I was faster than him during his first days on the bike. Both of us want to win the title, but off the track we are team-mates, and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to work together as we’re both professionals.”