Lorenzo says overhauling Rossi now “realistic”
Jorge Lorenzo believes a third MotoGP title is now within reach after closing to within 14 points of Valentino Rossi following his Aragon Grand Prix victory.
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
The Yamaha rider reduced the points deficit to teammate Valentino Rossi from 23 to 14, with the Italian only finishing third after losing out in an intense duel with Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.
Lorenzo admitted that he was “lucky” not only that poleman Marc Marquez crashed early on, clearing the way for a straightforward win, but also that Pedrosa could deny Rossi the points for second place.
“Before the race I was expecting to take four points from Valentino, maybe seven, because I wasn’t certain of victory with Marc so fast all weekend,” confessed Lorenzo.
“Also, I have to thank Dani, because these four points are very important for the championship.
“Recovering nine points is important – now I just need to be first or second in the last four races, which I think is realistic.”
MotoGP points with four rounds remaining:
Pos. | Rider | Bike | Points |
1 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 263 (4 wins) |
2 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 249 (6 wins) |
3 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 184 (4 wins) |
4 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | 172 |
5 | Bradley Smith | Yamaha | 143 |
Lorenzo added that, had he lost more ground to Rossi as he did in mixed conditions at Silverstone and Misano, it would have been “impossible” to close the gap in the remaining four races.
“It was a really important race, because I feel that if I had lost even more points [to Valentino], it would be impossible to win the world title.
“I will try to recover more points in the next races, but it will be very difficult because Marc is always strong in Japan and Valentino, as he demonstrated today, never gives up in the races.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we have the potential.”
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