Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo sealed a weekend to remember in Qatar at the first ever MotoGP night race by finishing second on an impressive premier-class debut. The reigning double 250cc World Champion started from pole for the fifth consecutive year at this track, following three 250cc and one 125cc pole, and proved he will be a force to reckon with in 2008 with a mature ride to the runner-up spot behind Casey Stoner. Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi finished fifth after starting from seventh on the grid.
Lorenzo made a tentative start and dropped several places from his starting position, crossing the line after the first lap in fourth. The first eight laps were something of a dog-fight with the front six riders trading places back and forth several times, but the Yamaha rookie kept his head through the melee and gradually worked his way for ward, eventually passing Rossi to take second behind Stoner on lap 9. He hung on to the World Champion for a while but gradually the stress of the first part of the race took its toll and the 20-year-old began to tyre and suffer pain in his arms. He eventually crossed the line 5.323 seconds behind Stoner but the same distance clear of third-placed Dani Pedrosa.
Team-mate Rossi’s fifth-place meanwhile was added to by Yamaha Tech 3 riders James Toseland and Colin Edwards in 6th and 7th, making it four Yamaha’s in the top ten for the first race of the year. The MotoGP circus heads to Lorenzo’s homeland next for the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on 30th April.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position: 2nd
Time: +5.323
“For sure I couldn’t have expected a better debut than this and I am very, very excited to be on the podium. Second place is an amazing result for me and I had great fun. The start and first few laps were a bit crazy and really a bit of a scary time for me, but anyway I managed to make it through and get past some riders to get to second. I started to go with Stoner but after a while I became very tired and I started to have a lot of pressure and pain in my arms, so I really couldn’t push any more! Anyway he was faster than us and I want to say congratulations to him because he deserved to win tonight. I think if I could have got a better start, maybe I wouldn’t have got so tired later on and I would have been able to keep a better rhythm, but anyway I don’t think I can ask for more than this tonight. I wan t to thank Yamaha and Michelin for all the hard work they have put in over the winter to get me to this point, and of course my team for all of their work. I don’t want to start talking about the championship yet because this is only my first race, and now we will go to Jerez and do our very best again there and see what happens!”
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager“What a weekend! After a long winter it was great to finally arrive at the race and all of us in the team really enjoyed watching Jorge make such a fantastic debut. We couldn’t have asked for more and to do what he’s done here is really fantastic. From now on it will be easier for him because he will know what to expect from a MotoGP race, and of course we’ve also collected some important information about his race performance to help us to improve his package. Thank you to the team, to Yamaha and to Michelin for doing a great job throughout the winter and tonight and well done once again to Jorge.”
Team Director - Masahiko Nakajima
“The biggest problem here has been the track temperature but Michelin did a very good job here to counteract a difficult situation and their tyres have worked very well. We managed to find a good set-up for Jorge and we are very pleased with his first race. It’s impressive that such a young rookie can do so well in such a tough race so a big congratulations to him for a brilliant second place.”
Results:1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 42'36.587
2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 5.323
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda + 10.600
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 13.288
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 13.305
6. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha + 14.040
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha + 15.150
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 32.505
9. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 33.003
10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda + 38.354
11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro + 44.284
12. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing + 49.857
13. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 49.871
14. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team + 58.532
15. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team + 58.930
16. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing + 1'05.643
17. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 1 Lap
Not Classified: Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 6 Lap
Championship Standings: 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 25
2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 20
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 16
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 13
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 11
6. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 10
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 9
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 8
9. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 7
10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 6
11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 5
12. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 4
13. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 3
14. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 2
15. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 1
Losail Lap Record: C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'56.528
Losail Best Lap: V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1'55.002
