Jorge Lorenzo Retires from MotoGP
T
he Valencia MotoGP week-
end began with a shock—if
not necessarily a surprise. After
growing speculation and a wors-
ening struggle to regain confi-
dence and form on the Repsol
Honda, 32-year-old five-time
World Champion Jorge Lorenzo
announced that he was to call it a
career at Valencia. It is the circuit
where he secured the first of two
250cc titles in 2006, the last of
three premier-class titles in 2015,
and where he achieved four of
his 47 premier-class wins, out of
a total of 65 in all classes.
Lorenzo spoke at length and
with clarity to the packed room,
where riders joined press and
team officials. He kept his emo-
tions in check, but for one brief
moment of dignified pause, only
tearing up slightly at the end of a
tribute film shown, celebrating his
achievements since his debut,
one day after his 16th birthday, at
Jerez in 2002.
The germ of the decision had
come, he said, "while I was roll-
ing through the gravel at Assen."
He suffered two spinal fractures
in that crash in practice. It came
just days after another massive
high-speed crash in tests at
Montmelo after the Catalunya
GP, in which he also crashed and
took out Valentino Rossi, Maver-
ick Vinales and Andrea Dovizioso.
It was an unfortunate and pre-
mature climax to his first year with
Repsol Honda, where he had
signed up for two years alongside
Marc Marquez, to make what was
hailed as a dream team.
At first he had trouble finding
the front-end confidence that
his smooth, high-corner-speed
style requires—a difficulty familiar
IN
THE
WIND
P28
Jorge Lorenzo's
career was one of the
most successful in
world championship
history, with five world
titles and wins for
Derbi, Aprilia, Honda,
Yamaha and Ducati
across all classes.
