In full: Jorge Lorenzo's retirement speech at Valencia
Speaking during a press conference in Valencia, three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo looked back on his accomplished career and outlined his reasons for retiring.
"I've always thought there are four significant days in the life of a rider - the first one is when it's your first race, the second one is your first win, then [the third one is] your first world championship - not everyone can win the world championship, but some of us made it.
"And then [there's] the day you retire. As you all imagine here, I'm here to announce that this day has arrived for me. This will be my last race in MotoGP and at the end of the race I will retire as a professional racer.
"Everything started when I was three years old, almost 30 years of complete dedication to my sport. People who work with me know how much of a perfectionist I am, how much energy and intensity I always have put into my sport. To be so perfectionist requires a lot of motivation. That's why my nine years in Yamaha were so wonderful, probably the best years that I enjoyed in my career.
"I felt that I needed a change, if I wanted to keep this full commitment to my sport. That's why I decided to move to Ducati. This gave me a big boost in my motivation, and even though the results were very bad, I used this extra motivation to not give up and always keep fighting, till I achieved this beautiful and amazing Mugello victory in front of all the Ducati fans.
"Then later, when I signed with Honda, it gave me another big boost because I achieved all the riders' dream, to be an HRC rider for Repsol Honda. Unfortunately injuries came very soon to play an important role in my results, in my performance. I wasn't able to be in physical normal conditions, to be fast and to be competitive. And this, plus a bike that never felt natural to me, gave me a lot of problems to be competitive like I wanted to be.
"Anyway, I never lost patience, I kept working with the team, thinking that probably was a matter of time that everything came to the right place. Then when I was starting to see some light in this tunnel, happened a nasty crash in Montmelo test. And then some days later I crashed again in this ugly Assen crash, you all know the consequences that that created.
“I have to admit, when I was rolling on the gravel and I stood up, I thought to myself: ‘Okay, Jorge, is this really worth it, after what I achieved? To keep suffering? I'm done with it, I don't want to race anymore.’
“But then I came back home, I decided to give it a try, I didn't want to make any early decisions. I kept going.
“But the truth is, from that moment, the hill became so high and so big for me that I was not able to find the motivation, the patience, to keep trying to climb this mountain.
"You all know I love to ride, I love competition, I love this sport, but above all things I love to win. I realised at some point that this was not possible, at this short time with Honda.
"At this stage of my career, was impossible for me to keep motivation. My goal that I put into my mind at the beginning of the season was not realistic, as I said, in this short time.
"I have to say, I feel very sorry for Honda, especially for Alberto, who was the one who gave me this opportunity. I remember very well that day in the Montmelo test [in 2018], the first meeting that I got with him, to start chatting about my move to Honda, and I said to him: 'Alberto, don't make a mistake signing the wrong rider - trust me, and you will not regret it'.
“Sadly I have to say I disappointed him, I disappointed Honda – [tech director] Takeo [Yokohama], [HRC director Tetsuhiro] Kuwata and [HRC president Hiroshi] Nomura-san.
“However, I think this is the best decision for me and for the team because Honda and Jorge Lorenzo cannot be fighting to just score some points at the end of the race, or even to enter in the top five, or even fight for the podium - which I think would be possible with time. I think we both are winners, that need to fight to win.
"So, speaking a little bit more for happiness, coming back to my beautiful and successful career, I always said that I am a very lucky guy. Sometimes I feel a little bit like this movie called in 'One in a Billion', that narrates the life of this Indian basketball player [Satnam Singh] that was the only Indian that ever came to play in the NBA.
"Because I raced against dozens and dozens of unbelievable riders of my generation, and [not] any of them achieve what I achieve, and they were [not as] successful as I am, and especially most of them, they even didn't arrive in the world championship, had to go back to work, just doing normal jobs. That's why I've always felt very grateful.
"It's true that I've been always a very hard worker and I did a lot of sacrifice but without being in the right place and the right time, and especially without the help of many people who helped me to achieve what I achieved, this would be not possible.
"That's why I'm also here to thank a lot all the help that you bring me in this sport, especially I would like to thank Carmelo [Ezpeleta] and Dorna, for all this good treatment that they always give to me and to make this sport so great like they did.
"And also all the factories that believed in me, they signed me during my career - Derbi, Aprilia, Yamaha, Ducati, Honda... especially [former Derbi boss] Giampiero Sacchi, [Ducati tech chief] Gigi Dall'Igna, [Yamaha team manager] Lin Jarvis and Alberto Puig.
"And then, you know, obviously my mother, who brought me to this world, my father for transmitting to me this love for bikes and all the sacrifices that he did, Juanito [Llansa], for being always loyal and staying with me in my career. And my fans, my fan club, all the fans in general of MotoGP, who keep this sport as it is today.
"This is it. Thank you all for all the help. It was a pleasure to work with you, and with all my heart I wish you all all the best, all the luck professionally and also personally."
Lorenzo: From unsettling Rossi to back of the grid ignominy
Lorenzo sorry to have "disappointed" Honda and Puig
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.