VOL. 51 ISSUE 15 APRIL 15, 2014 P25
do the first lap," Loren-
zo said. "So I decided
to take out the tear off.
That I never do and this
for sure distract me a lit-
tle bit and get my focus.
"And also the light
went red very late, more
late than normal. So I
see the riders prepare
for long time long, so
when I see the light… I
don't know why I decid-
ed to go."
Athletes have rou-
tines to help them fo-
cus and racers are no
exception. And Lorenzo
is definitely a creature of habit.
So in addition to a change in his
routine (and what he said was a
change in the routine with the
lights) equaled his over-eager
start.
"For simple if the light is red
before we arrive than there is no
problem," Lorenzo explained.
"But it's a little bit confusion that
never happen to me because I
was thinking what I have to do.
But this time I didn't think that, so
just when I see the light - like a
bull - I start."
His main opposition – Repsol
Honda's Marc Marquez and Dani
Pedrosa – had a front view of it.
And, for Marquez, who has been
focusing on improving his starts
and is used to being beaten by
the holeshot king Lorenzo… he
thought it was happening again
at first.
"My first thing was, 'again on
the start.' I'm losing the start,"
Marquez said. "But then I saw
immediately that he shake his
helmet and I understand that
was like that. I was concentrated
on my race. Didn't change any-
thing."
Pedrosa's first thoughts were
also to question if he made a mis-
take, but he did not budge.
"Yeah I mean for just a little bit
you think you're wrong, but I was
really focused on the light," Pe-
drosa said. "So I see the light still
red and my body couldn't move.
I was like, 'mmmm… no.' When I
see the light gone, I could start.
Maybe I didn't make the best
start because I see Jorge in the
way. So I was one eye on the light
and the other was watching him.
But in the end I saw he was shak-
ing the head so I could easily un-
derstand he was wrong and just
focus after on Marc."
Ducati's Andrea Dovisoso qual-
ified 10th behind Lorenzo (who
started from the second row in
fifth) and didn't have a front-row
view, but had his take on it.
"I was too much in the back. It
didn't really disturb me," Dovizio-
so said. "I think everybody knows
how strong and determined Lo-
renzo is, but maybe this moment
is a little bit because he want to
gain the difference of the speed
compared to [Marc] Marquez and
Dani [Pedrosa]. Maybe it's little
bit… I don't know in English…
tension?"
Andrea Wilson
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
ANDREA
WILSON
A change in routine caused the
normally rock-solid Jorge Lorenzo to
have a lapse in concentration and it
resulted in a jump start in Sunday's
Grand Prix of the Americas.
