Valentino Rossi is a name well known to anyone who knows anything about motorbikes. Widely considered as the greatest rider of all time, he has spent the last decade of his career smashing world records and leaving audiences open-mouthed at his seemingly endless talents. For a decade he has been the darling of audiences, journalists and manufacturers alike, winning races and winning hearts. Until now. Time then to meet the man who could topple Valentino from his throne - and he just so happens to be his team-mate. Enter Jorge Lorenzo.
Born in 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Lorenzo began his 125cc MotoGP career in 2002 on his fifteenth birthday after missing practice on Friday before the race because he was still too young. He quickly moved up to the 250cc class where he dominated races and became 250cc World Champion two years running in 2006 and 2007.
Then, in 2008, Jorge Lorenzo was confirmed as Valentino Rossi’s team-mate with the Fiat Yamaha team, after signing a two year deal to ride for them in the premiere class.
After a stunning debut season – leaving aside a now infamous highside crash at the Chinese Grand Prix – he finished fourth in the Championship. His podium finish at Estoril meant he snatched the record for youngest rider to have a podium finish in his first three races from his compatriot and bitter rival Dani Pedrosa.
But it is 2009 that has really been Lorenzo’s year. After a season of amazing wins, disappointing crashes and rivalries that have left audiences divided, Jorge ended 2009 in second place after his closest rival, Rossi. Tipped by Rossi’s long-time rival Max Biaggi as ‘The New Roman Emperor’ and a rider who has the potential to do well, Jorge Lorenzo looks to be the only man who can knock Valentino from the top spot, prompting people to ask the questions that nobody dare think about: Is Rossi approaching the end? Is Jorge the ‘new Valentino’? And is MotoGP really now Lorenzo’s Land?
“I wouldn’t like to brand him as that [‘the new Rossi’]” says BBC MotoGP presenter Matt Roberts. “Obviously I know it sounds cliché but there will never be another Valentino … for anyone to be compared to him is impossible.”
But the comparisons between them are already being drawn. Lorenzo has been accused time and time again of being a copycat of Valentino, with his showmanship and his post-race celebrations, and that may not be so far from the truth. “Lorenzo is trying to copy Rossi.” Comments Times journalist Rick Broadbent. “He was jealous of Rossi, no doubt about that. He wondered ‘why is he so successful?’”. Matt adds “Lorenzo’s looked at it from a critical point of view and thought ‘Why? Why is this guy so well liked? And how can I be liked and successful in the way that he is?’”
The problem for a guy like Jorge Lorenzo is that he’s always been a rough diamond. When he was younger and riding in the 125cc and 250cc classes, he was only noticed as the spoiled brat of the paddock and was liked by very few people. But the public persona and the showboating isn’t the only side to Jorge. “In private he’s actually very humble and he’s very shy and he’s a very nice person to talk to. He’s always very interested in you, he always asks questions about you, he’s not the type of person to be talking about himself. Basically this kind of arrogant, show-off attitude that he’s got is not really him at all.” Says Matt.
Behind the scenes Jorge has had his fair share of ups and downs. Unlike Rossi, who has managed to forge a good relationship with his parents Graziano and Stefania despite their separation, Lorenzo has a past filled with a bitter breakup between himself and his father, Chicho. In 2006 Jorge was forced to make the gut-wrenching decision between his manager, Dani Amatriaín, and his father. He picked the former, sparking bitter retorts from Chicho that his son and Amatriaín owed him for the huge sums of money he had invested in Jorge over the previous years. “There was a really nasty, bitter atmosphere going on for a long time [afterwards].” recalls Rick.
Strange then, that at the end of 2008 Dani Amatriaín should simply disappear from the paddock. The media would report that he had decided to retire in order to spend more time with his family, but the sad and uncovered truth was that Amatriaín was suffering from cocaine addiction and had subsequently split from the team.
Meanwhile in the Rossi camp, Valentino was also having managerial problems. Gibo Badioli, a long-time friend of Graziano, and Valentino’s long-time manager, was fired after the media reported that Valentino had been fiddling his taxes back home in Italy. Away from the public eye, Rossi blamed everything on Badioli and he was fired shortly after.
So, what of the future? MotoGP 2010 is by no means a two-horse race. Lorenzo and Rossi will have to fight off competition from Honda and Dani Pedrosa and, more importantly, Casey Stoner on the formidable looking Ducati. Throw 2009 World Superbike Champion Ben Spies in to the mix and the new season looks evermore exciting.
“I think Lorenzo has what it takes to win.” Says Kenny Pryde, editor of Superbike Magazine. “I don’t think that Pedrosa or the Honda will be good enough and Spies won’t be able to repeat what he did in WSB. The joker in the pack is Stoner, but I think Lorenzo will finish ahead of Rossi in 2010. Whether that means he will win the title will depend on Stoner and Ducati’s performance.”
2011 looks to be a tense year, as Valentino has given Yamaha an ultimatum that he won’t stay with them if they resign Lorenzo to ride for them. This has sparked rumours of a long-anticipated move by Rossi to Italian factory Ducati. “If Yamaha do resign Lorenzo, I would say 99% that Valentino will go to Ducati.” Predicts Matt, with Kenny adding “The paddock says Ducati and Marlboro would pay a fortune to see Rossi in red.”
Both the fans and the media would love to see an Italian rider, and the world number one no less, riding with an Italian team. And as Matt points out, it’s not just about the racing: “It’s not just what he does on the track, it’s what he does off it and even though he’s not racing anymore you’re still gonna have that name and that brand associated. If you’re Ducati and Valentino finishes his career there, then you’re gonna have him for the rest of his life.”
“From what I can gather Lorenzo is very confident in his own ability and he knows, I suspect, that he represents the future of MotoGP racing and Rossi – at 30 – is the past.” Continues Kenny. “I think Lorenzo believes he can beat Rossi and I suspect he has enough fans within Yamaha Racing to back him as the best bet for the post-Rossi era.” And Rick agrees “I think he’ll [Lorenzo] be good, because Rossi’s not going to be around forever, he’s what 31 now? He’s probably got 3 or 4 years left before he starts to fade a little bit, if he sticks around that long.”
So what happens when Valentino Rossi is merely a distant memory of years gone by, his name resigned to the history books alongside other greats such as Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene and Mike Hailwood? Who then will be Jorge Lorenzo’s greatest rival? The finger points firmly at Casey Stoner.
“If Stoner’s fit then Stoner vs Lorenzo would be a really good rivalry, because no doubt Lorenzo would get under Stoner’s skin, like Rossi’s done… it’s not hard to get under Casey’s skin though.” Rick muses.
Known for years as ‘Rolling Stoner’ because of his penchant for throwing himself off the bike, Casey has improved vastly since his debut – becoming the World Champion in 2007 - and is now widely known not only as a ‘whinging Aussie’, but as being the only man who has managed to tame Ducati’s beastly Desmosidici GP bike.
Nobody can say for sure what the future holds for Lorenzo and his MotoGP career. The new season is a three-horse race; Yamaha vs Ducati; Lorenzo vs Rossi vs Stoner; with Honda and Dani Pedrosa clinging desperately to the coat tails of the top three.
Matt Roberts thinks it’ll be Casey who walks away with the trophy at the end of the year. And as for Rick? “I think you could say Stoner or Lorenzo could win the world title,” he ponders “If they can stay on their bikes.”
He may not be there just yet, but rest assured the man is poised and ready with his flag, biding his time and waiting to usurp the ‘Greatest of all Time’ and claim the championship in the name of Lorenzo’s Land.
• Jorge Lorenzo’s biography ‘My Story So Far’ is available now (Haynes Publishing).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment