Jorge Lorenzo Interview: “I would like to finish my career with Yamaha” [Video]

Along with the offical unveiling of the new Yamaha livery for this season [see separate story here] the Yamaha MotoGP press office also sent out a plethora of images, videos and information about the team and riders, including longer interviews with the riders as well team boss Lin Jarvis.

The guys at Yamaha kindly provided both the transcript and the video to Lorenzo’s interview, so you can check them out below.

How was it to be back on a bike after your injury last season, has the finger affected your riding?
Well as you know I crashed in Phillip Island and I suffered a big injury to my finger, so I spent four months not riding my MotoGP bike. When I came back it wasn’t so easy, but for me it was easier than expected as in the first two test things went well and I was really close to the fastest lap times, so for me maybe it was the best pre season of my MotoGP career. The injury doesn’t effect my riding style as I can catch the clutch with my full hand.

You missed testing at the end of 2011, do you think this affected how the bike was developed for this season?
I don’t think so. The perfect thing is to have all Yamaha riders there as Yamaha always listens to all riders’ opinions. Andrea, Crutchlow and Ben were there and gave the engineers the perfect feedback for the evolution of the M1.

Having completed two tests in Sepang do you think you are closer to Casey this year?
I think so but we must wait for the race simulations. In the last test I was the only one who did one and it was good but we must wait to be able to compare with the others.

You mentioned that the 1000cc is much more physically demanding to ride, is this going to make your season more difficult?
A little bit, the 1000cc has more power and acceleration so you must put more energy into controlling the bike. Also the weight is higher, but on the other side for us it is easier to ride, especially in the acceleration because we have more torque and the bikes moves less. So it can be harder on one side but easier on the other.

Your teammate’s performance was impressive in testing, how do you rate his chances this season?
I think Ben has a very big talent. He is very fast, aggressive and likes the fight. I think last year he made a very good season because our bikes weren’t so competitive compared to the previous years when we won almost everything. He won one race in Assen and conquered many podiums so for me he had a very good season. During winter testing he showed that with the 1000cc he feels a little bit better: he feels more comfortable as he can brake harder and open full
throttle quickly. I think this style suits him better so I think he can be one of the favorites for the World Title.

Your contract is ending with Yamaha at the end of this season; do you want to stay if the option is present?
Yes of course. When I first came to Yamaha in 2008 I felt already, suddenly like I was in a family. The ambience is excellent and we had a perfect bike from 2008 to 2010. Last year was a difficult year, we didn’t have a very competitive bike but in general we have always had a good package in these four years. So my first option is Yamaha. I would like to finish my career in Yamaha; if the bike is competitive this year I don’t see any big motives to change company.

What is your opinion of the CRT bikes entering the grid this season?
CRT is a good decision, because we didn’t have enough bikes in the last two years. In some races with so many crashes we only had fourteen riders finishing the races and it wasn’t enough. I think it was an emergency rule to have more teams, bikes and riders on the grid. Of course we all would like to have more competitive bikes and now CRT are not, but in the future I hope and I wish we will have 20-22 bikes that can fight for the podium. This would be the ideal category.

Apart from Casey, who do you see as your biggest rivals this season?
Apart from Casey of course also Dani will be there. My teammate Ben and also the two others guys at Yamaha. I am sure that Andrea can do a very good season as well as Cal Crutchlow. And let’s not forget Valentino and Nicky. I think there will be 5 or 6 riders that can fight for the World Title.

What do you think still needs to be improved on the 1000cc 2012 YZR-M1 after Sepang?
Well, we are in the process of an evolution of trying so many things during practice. In Sepang we tried so many parts: electronics, engine and chassis so we are throwing away the things that aren’t better and choosing the ones that
are clearly better. We arrived to the conclusion that the priority is that we need to improve the electronics in the acceleration. We are still not perfect, the bike moves a little bit, so if I can choose one thing to improve I would say that is the electronic system.

What do you think the advantages of the bike are compared to your rivals?
We still have very good corner entry and corner speed. We also improved the top speed and the end of the straight so it is also a good point we have reached. So for me the the acceleration and the electronics are the main points we have
to improve.

Source: Yamaha MotoGP