P118
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
W
ill he, won't he? The
question seemed to
have been answered,
in the affirmative, long before
it was officially confirmed, in
the week before the start of the
European season at Jerez.
Reports that Lorenzo was
holding secret talks with Ducati
first surfaced in the run up to the
first round at Qatar, and by the
second in Argentina, there was
already unofficial confirmation
from within Italy's racing hier-
archy, including from Agostini
himself.
By the third, it was open talk
that it would be confirmed by
Jerez. Only Jorge and the two
manufacturers kept shtum.
Yet it was still a jolt to see it in
black and white last week, with
simultaneous announcements
from Yamaha and Ducati. Jorge
Lorenzo will swap blue for red in
2017 and 2018.
Like Rossi before him, he is
going off to play sink or swim.
At first, it had all seemed a
bit unlikely. As though Jorge
was using Ducati as a bargain-
ing chip with Yamaha. After all,
he and the M1 are as one: a
marriage made on the drawing
board between two mature and
meticulous units. On track, the
Yamaha is faithful and true; its
rider accurate and consistent.
So why move?
JORGE PLAYS SINK OR SWIM
