Rossi will be riding the same GP11.1 version he rode at Aragon MotoGP, Lorenzo acknowledges uphill battle to retain title
MOTEGI, JAPAN, SEPT 29 – When last we saw Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix, they were fighting a bruising battle for third place that ultimately went to Rossi. Their post-race reactions couldn’t have been more different. Rossi relished the cut-and-thrust, Lorenzo sulked about Rossi’s rough riding. Now, a year later, that battle is long forgotten, replaced by more pressing concerns. For Rossi it’s getting a motorcycle under him that will lift him into the fight for the lead. For Lorenzo it’s keeping his increasingly diminishing championship hopes alive. And for both, being in Japan is a huge turnaround from only weeks ago, when both vowed not to set foot in the country that was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, forcing the postponement of the race.
Rossi rode the updated GP11.1 – it has aluminum head stock – to a seventh place finish in the Aragon Grand Prix two weeks ago, which was about par for the course this year. But it was what he rode afterwards that was newsworthy. Rossi tested an aluminum chassis, made by British specialists FTR, for the second time in two weeks. The first test of the 2012 MotoGP weapon had come earlier at Mugello, the follow-on test was at Jerez.
“Yes, we test after Aragon in Jerez,” Rossi said. “Yeah, we have some day to spend for work on the 1000 Ducati for next year, so we try to understand as more as possible during this season for have a good base already from Valencia", the final test of 2011, "or also for the first test of 2012 in Malaysia."
“And, yeah, the test was quite good. Nothing of special. We try to understand something more about the weight distribution and the rider position on the bike. Yeah, the track was a bit dirty, so no fantastic lap time, but a lot of information, so we have to do a lot of work now, because we have to reduce the gap and try to fix our problem.
“So we come from a very bad grand prix in Aragon. For sure the result is not what we expect. Sincerely, also last year in Aragon I was in trouble, but last year here in Motegi was a good race, good result.” The difference was that Rossi was on a Yamaha last year at Aragon and Motegi and Casey Stoner, who won both races, was on a Ducati. “I did the fastest lap on the race. I can fight close for the podium and not so far from the victory. So we hope to make the same this year with the Ducati and try to improve because always this track is quite good for me. So we have to see from tomorrow and try to make better work and better result than in Aragon.”
The bike Rossi’s riding at Motegi is the same specification that he raced in Aragon. “Unfortunately in Aragon we’re struggling a lot for the rear grip and also I destroyed the tire half-race, so it was difficult also arrive to the end. Usually, here is very different. We have to understand exactly the condition of the track, because after the earthquake they make a lot of work and a new surface in some part of the circuit, so we have to understand the work, but it looks very good, and understand our potential.”
Rossi was outspoken in his opposition to racing in Japan until quite recently. His mind was changed by the results of an analysis done by U-Series, a Bologna-based company that specializes in radiation detection. Their take on the situation on the ground in Motegi was that it was safe, though Rossi said the team still took precautions. They brought most of their food from Italy and what they didn’t bring they bought in Tokyo. One rival team member said that Ducati team members were sleeping on disposable sheets, though that wasn’t confirmed.
“Yeah, a lot of discussion,” revealed Rossi, who discussed a boycott with most of the MotoGP riders in his motor home at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. “When I speak about these things, everybody are very stressed, because is a danger that you don’t understand and also is impossible to see. Here the situation looks very normal and good, so all the analysis that we have in all this month are completely negative. Have some people also here with us, with Ducati, that continue to make some analysis and understand and it looks that all is in a normal way. So we are here, happy, and we hope that we give a small help to all the Japanese guys, all the Japanese fans that are coming on Sunday to see the race, so we are happy to be here.”
Lorenzo was equally outspoken, but suddenly of the opinion that all was good. Lorenzo was one of the first riders to go on the record regarding the boycott, but once the tests showed that there was little danger and the boycott support began to crumble, the reigning World Champion soon found himself as one of the lone holdouts. Then Yamaha officially announced on September 12 that the factory squad would be attending the Motegi GP in 50th Anniversary livery, thus implying that Lorenzo would indeed be racing there.
Lorenzo trails Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner by 44 points with four races remaining. Stoner, also a fierce opponent of the race until quite recently, was late getting to Japan. He was replaced at the pre-race press conference by Shinichi Ito, the 44-year-old Honda test rider who was racing as a wild card.
“Where is Casey?” Lorenzo asked with a smile before turning serious.
“Finally we came to Japan. We are here to race,” he remarked, before admitting that he and team have an uphill battle ahead of them. “You know, normally it’s a difficult track for us because it has a lot of acceleration and a lot of big straight. But anyway we come here with the motivation and the spirit to fight for the win and tomorrow we will see what’s going on.”
Lorenzo acknowledges that the 2012 MotoGP championship is Stoner’s to lose at this point, but he also knows that anything can happen in the remaining four races. “Yeah, he won so many races and make more podiums than any rider, so it’s normal that he has so many points. Maybe it’s too late, no, for try to beat him in the championship. But anyway four races still to the end, still a lot of points. 100 points to play, so you never know. You must keep the spirit and the motivation that everything is possible at least. And for sure fight for the win in any race.”
Nonetheless, Lorenzo’s attitude about the Motegi race has seemingly done a complete turnaround. “Yeah, I’m happy. I’m happy to be here to race and to be on the motorbike. We have so many polemics for all about this month, but finally with all the information we have and everything, we understand that the place is safe and we are here 100%.”
Photo Gallery: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo talk on eve of Motegi MotoGP - Sport Rider Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment