Italian rider Alessandro Polita, former TT and World Superbike competitor, talks about Jorge Lorenzo: “He’s helped Ducati in getting closer to Marc Márquez and he can make Honda uncatchable.”
The end of 2018 season marks a new beginning. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing Jorge Lorenzo in Repsol Honda suit. Anyway, while I watched MotoGP race at Valencia, I spent much time thinking of Valentino Rossi. Years go by, but Valentino is always in the front and I think the title of “old lion” doesn’t suit at all. Yes, he’s a lion, but an Alpha one.
ROSSI COULD DO IT – Maybe we’re seeing the best Valentino Rossi ever. But something is to be remarked: since when Jorge Lorenzo left, Yamaha riders have been struggling at most of the races. Maybe I’m wrong, but I strongly believe that Lorenzo gave a strong contribution in the development of the bike and in the achievement of great results. With the right bike, Valentino Rossi would be unbeatable even for Marc Márquez. We all should understand that the difference is made not by Honda, but by Márquez and without him, Rossi would have won even more than 10 titles…
LORENZO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU THINK… – It may be accidental, but Ducati and Dovizioso are closer to Márquez thanks to the work done by Lorenzo, from the first till the last race of the championship. And don’t forget the wins and podiums scored by Lorenzo himself…OK, he wasn’t very consistent, but he was always in the front. I think he made it easier to Dovizioso and his feedback was interesting also for Ducati test rider Michele Pirro. Ducati satellite teams were much faster than before as well: for example, there are riders who struggled on a Honda, but were constantly in top 10 on a Ducati.
JORGE, THE ACE IN THE HOLE – Honda made a great choice when they signed Jorge Lorenzo, because now they can boast the strongest and most complete and hard-working rider in the field. If Jorge suits Honda, he will help Márquez in making RC213V the best bike in the field. And if it happens, their opponents will be in serious trouble…
Author: Alessandro Polita
Translated by Alessandro Palma
Photomontage Credit: Todocircuito