MotoGP news

Lorenzo fifth and looking for improvement

Fiat Yamaha Team rider and current championship runner-up Jorge Lorenzo was forced to contend with wind and rain at Estoril today as the Portuguese coastal circuit was battered with bad weather. Already faced with the task of adapting to riding a MotoGP bike on a circuit which he admits is not amongst his favourites, it was an added complication for the 21-year-old but he coped admirably with the task and finished the day in fifth position.

Conditions for the morning session were very wet and the Mallorcan made a tentative start, finishing 12th but nonetheless pleased to have improved his wet pace from the last time he rode the M1 in the rain, at the Jerez test back in February. The typically changeable conditions saw the sun come out this afternoon and the track was almost completely dry for the second session, meaning Lorenzo and his crew were able to put in some fruitful work with their setting to finish the day just 0.361 off the lead. Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi had an equally encouraging day despite a heavy fall this morning, finishing second overall with a best time of 1'38.547.

"We're fifth and we need to improve but it's only my first time at Estoril with the MotoGP bike and so I know I have to work slowly, step-by-step," said Lorenzo. "The biggest problem at the moment is the weather because it's changing so often; one it's minute raining, the next it's sunny but it's also very windy. It makes it quite hard to prepare! Everyone knows that this isn't one of my favourite tracks but I am not thinking about the past now, only about what is in front of us. We need to keep our focus and work very hard to find the best setting, and we also need to work on the situation with the tyres because it's not perfect at the moment. I was definitely more confident in the wet this morning than I was at the Jerez test so I am happy about this, but there is still more to do. One very good thing is that the new electronics we tested in Jerez are working well and so we're pleased about this. I think it's going to be a very competitive weekend with everyone very strong so we have another big job to do tomorrow!"

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