Lorenzo more likeable this year?

bluegreen · Jul 31, 2011

I only started watching MotoGP last year and there is nobody else I know who does. So I really was starting from scratch. My take on Lorenzo was he was bloody fast but it seemed like he was trying to hard to be likeable. All of the post victory celebrations seemed so forced. I wanted to like him, I just couldn't.

This year after his victories, none of that. And I find myself instantly liking him more. It may help that him and Casey are making for a very interesting championship. And I find myself cheering for whoever is second in the standings at the time. But being a classy winner like Casey is a very good thing.

Anybody else feel this way?

Talpa · Jul 31, 2011

I agree he has changed his ways considerably, and is much more likeable as a result, I think he is still establishing his place after trying to come out of the shadow of Rossi in the Yamaha ranks. Copying the post-race stuff didn't work too well for him........however this season he is up against much stiffer competition from Honda, forcing him to eat some humble pie more often than not. He will struggle to take anymore wins from Stoner and Dani, so he won't have too much to celebrate anyway.

His general toughness though during this is to be applauded, and he has ridden some fantastic races this year which have endeared him to many more than his efforts in previous years. I was one of the few who predicted his strength here at the start of last season and certainly believe he will be a very strong contender for many years to come.

Andy Roo · Aug 1, 2011

This is something that Talp and I agree upon, I rated Lorenzo's title as a better title (or equal) than that of Casey in '07.

The last few races with the Yamaha up to speed again the racing has been a hell of a let better. He is a determined and calculated rider, he and Stoner are the cream of the crop at present and both would be deserving champions.

And yes, I think he has mellowed out his imitation Rossi theatrics and shown himself to be a real genuinely likable rider.

michaelm · Aug 1, 2011

Talpa said:
I agree he has changed his ways considerably, and is much more likeable as a result, I think he is still establishing his place after trying to come out of the shadow of Rossi in the Yamaha ranks. Copying the post-race stuff didn't work too well for him........however this season he is up against much stiffer competition from Honda, forcing him to eat some humble pie more often than not. He will struggle to take anymore wins from Stoner and Dani, so he won't have too much to celebrate anyway.

His general toughness though during this is to be applauded, and he has ridden some fantastic races this year which have endeared him to many more than his efforts in previous years. I was one of the few who predicted his strength here at the start of last season and certainly believe he will be a very strong contender for many years to come.

Does his likeability increase in proportion to his likelihood of beating casey stoner?

All jokes aside Lorenzo is simply a great rider, and his efforts this year with what is likely no longer the best bike confirm this and his defence of his title is worthy; he certainly won't be giving it away to anybody. If he is a little less brash this year he has now won a premier class world title and is a little older too.

spooky · Aug 1, 2011

i think he's a bit more likeable, the post win antics of yesteryear were pretty embarrassing... He's certainly determined though and he aint gonna let Casey run away with it.

Personally though i think Dani is quite a bit more likeable...seems to have a bit more personality this year...if only he'd get rid of Puig though...the ......

Ion Blaster4 · Aug 1, 2011

spooky said:
if only he'd get rid of Puig though...the ......

Unless Puig does something really stupid, that will never happen. He is the one that got Dani into MotoGP or really anything that has to do with motorcycles. Originally, he wanted to be a bicyclist.

Mental Anarchist · Aug 1, 2011

Ion Blaster4 said:
Unless Puig does something really stupid, that will never happen. He is the one that got Dani into MotoGP or really anything that has to do with motorcycles. Originally, he wanted to be a bicyclist.

I think Pedrosa is going to need Puig to run interference on the new Repsol midget if he is going to hold his Factory Repsol seat into the future.

Pedrosa has really changed this year and all for the better. He was actually smiling in the Laguna Podium Conference.

Tom · Aug 1, 2011

bluegreen said:
I only started watching MotoGP last year and there is nobody else I know who does. So I really was starting from scratch. My take on Lorenzo was he was bloody fast but it seemed like he was trying to hard to be likeable. All of the post victory celebrations seemed so forced. I wanted to like him, I just couldn't.

This year after his victories, none of that. And I find myself instantly liking him more. It may help that him and Casey are making for a very interesting championship. And I find myself cheering for whoever is second in the standings at the time. But being a classy winner like Casey is a very good thing.

Anybody else feel this way?

I've been following Lorenzo since 02 and i think he is definitely easier to like recently compared to when he was younger, but i don't think he has changed significantly since he settled into motogp towards the end of 2008, although the maturity that comes with winning the title does often make people better allrounders. What i would say though is that he is a relentless and intelligent competitor, and last year he knew he wasn't just fighting for the title, but also fighting for Rossi's position in the team. Some people were critical of him for it, but it is a fight that he won, so clearly Yamaha though Lorenzo could do Rossi's job better than Valentino could.

Rootsman · Aug 1, 2011

Lorenzo is the future of MotoGP tbh, once Rossi leaves its up to him to carry it.

THE_FREAKY · Aug 1, 2011

Rootsman said:
Lorenzo is the future of MotoGP tbh, once Rossi leaves its up to him to carry it.

lorenzo is a part of the future of motogp, which includes stoner and pedrosa. as a group, motogp can only hope to sustain the interest rossi has generated over the years. lorenzo will never carry the torch for motogp on his own because there's simply no "marketability" in him. pretty much the same goes for the other two. but as a group and with the tight racing we've seen from them, the future is bright for motogp. just don't make the mistake of thinking lorenzo is the next rossi (same mistake lorenzo's handlers made) as rossi's combination of skill, mental toughness, charisma, and camera-savviness will never be duplicated. LMFAO!!!

The California Kid · Aug 1, 2011

Last year Lorenzo was putting foot to ... on everybody so he had time to play around with celebrations, this year he's going to fight tooth and nail for that championship, therefore leaving no time for .........

I agree with Lorenzo stoner and pedrosa being the future of moto gp, but I'm also excited to see how the younger guys like Marquez Brdal and Smith will run with them

gumby1 · Aug 2, 2011

Jorge and Casey seem to me to have an immensly healthy respect for each other and i dont see them riding over each other to get past.

Dani and Jorge im not so sure...

Jorge deserved the championship last season and i enjoy his usual banter leading up to a race usually suggesting yamaha are struggling with grip or race pace and they need to do something special overnight, steering the pressure and hype to Dani and Casey, only to switch himself on for quali and then lead 95% of the race....

The next weekend comes same talk ! Very amusing and he Dani and Casey are terrific to watch when their on....

Tom · Aug 2, 2011

THE_FREAKY said:
lorenzo will never carry the torch for motogp on his own because there's simply no "marketability" in him.

There is actually plenty of marketablility in Lorenzo, he does a lot of PR and works incredibly hard for the sport, his sponsors and his team. I wouldn't underestimate him just because he doesn't have the natural charm rossi does when he's in front of the camera. As Simoncelli has shown that kind of thing is useless without results to back it up, and Lorenzo is pretty strong in that department.

The California Kid said:
Last year Lorenzo was putting foot to ... on everybody so he had time to play around with celebrations, this year he's going to fight tooth and nail for that championship, therefore leaving no time for ........

Good point

FTE217 · Aug 2, 2011

My respect for Jorge has increased plenty this season - fast calculated and riding as a defending champion can with the right equipment......

He is smarter with the press leading up to race day and he probably watched listened and learnt well during the time Rossi was there.

CS and he are the future no doubt followed by Pedbot, just hope a couple more from 2012 on can get up amongst them to make it even more interesting for us motogp followers.

Keshav · Aug 2, 2011

I think everyone can agree that Lorenzo having to work that much harder to get those podium spots

must be fairly humbling. One thing I would remark on... is that when he's under pressure to speak

English to a room full of cameras, or when he's trying like hell to concentrate on what he did right

or wrong and what to do about it and trying to express it all to his crew chief while roving cameras

come up and shove in within two feet of his face in the garage - doubtless produces a bit of a

"deer in the headlights" quality with Lorenzo. I saw him several times up close in the paddock and

he was very light-hearted and made eye contact with fans in a very natural fashion that really surprised

me.

Jumkie · Aug 2, 2011

Lorenzo 250, didn't really like him because of the celebrations. Seemed arrogant. That goes for all production celebrations, and that includes Rossi. Lorenzo MotoGP, the celebrations thing was funny in a way, because it seemed like they highlighted just how silly his and Rossi's were. (Btw, not sure why Rossi's were liked and Lorenzo not, if they were the same ....). Anyway, I also suspect Lorenzo has become more "likeable" now that he is no longer a direct rival to Rossi. However, if you see Lorenzo's post race interviews and podium interviews, they have always been good. Its like he gets the silly out of him immediately after the race and is calm and collected during the interviews.

bluegreen · Aug 2, 2011

Jumkie said:
Lorenzo 250, didn't really like him because of the celebrations. Seemed arrogant. That goes for all production celebrations, and that includes Rossi. Lorenzo MotoGP, the celebrations thing was funny in a way, because it seemed like they highlighted just how silly his and Rossi's were. (Btw, not sure why Rossi's were liked and Lorenzo not, if they were the same ....). Anyway, I also suspect Lorenzo has become more "likeable" now that he is no longer a direct rival to Rossi. However, if you see Lorenzo's post race interviews and podium interviews, they have always been good. Its like he gets the silly out of him immediately after the race and is calm and collected during the interviews.

This mystified me and still does. Both of their post victory celebrations were as entertaining as vaudeville.

And yes, Lorenzo has always been likeable in interviews. Very genuine and thoughtful.

Then he would go out, win the race in some helmet Liberace had designed, and pull some stupid stunt at the end. This year, one outfit, a few fist pumps. It's like Casey sat him down. "listen George, we're racers, this isn't broadway..."

THE_FREAKY · Aug 3, 2011

bluegreen said:
This mystified me and still does. Both of their post victory celebrations were as entertaining as vaudeville.

And yes, Lorenzo has always been likeable in interviews. Very genuine and thoughtful.

Then he would go out, win the race in some helmet Liberace had designed, and pull some stupid stunt at the end. This year, one outfit, a few fist pumps. It's like Casey sat him down. "listen George, we're racers, this isn't broadway..."

simple, rossi's celebrations were an extension of his personality. it's what you'd expect from a fun-loving, easy-going character. lorenzo's on the other hand was not him. he's none of what rossi is or what "makes up" rossi. his handlers were disillusioned into thinking he could be the next "rossi". as some have already posted, watching his victory celebrations were embarrassing as they seemed unnatural and forced. unnatural cuz it wasn't lorenzo's personality.

michaelm · Aug 3, 2011

THE_FREAKY said:
simple, rossi's celebrations were an extension of his personality. it's what you'd expect from a fun-loving, easy-going character. lorenzo's on the other hand was not him. he's none of what rossi is or what "makes up" rossi. his handlers were disillusioned into thinking he could be the next "rossi". as some have already posted, watching his victory celebrations were embarrassing as they seemed unnatural and forced. unnatural cuz it wasn't lorenzo's personality.

I liked rossi's celebrations when he was a teenager in the lower classes, but found them a little lame more recently, but not actually objectionable if it adds to the show and keeps the fans happy, and I think few would begrudge him a major one for a win on the ducati.

Lorenzo's were lamer because he was fairly obviously copying rossi as you say. He seems to be pretty much his own man now he has won a championship and is a little older.

Mental Anarchist · Aug 3, 2011

THE_FREAKY said:
simple, rossi's celebrations were an extension of his personality. it's what you'd expect from a fun-loving, easy-going character. lorenzo's on the other hand was not him. he's none of what rossi is or what "makes up" rossi. his handlers were disillusioned into thinking he could be the next "rossi". as some have already posted, watching his victory celebrations were embarrassing as they seemed unnatural and forced. unnatural cuz it wasn't lorenzo's personality.

Interesting that you think that Rossi is an easy going fun loving character. I would suggest that someones nature is more truthful when they are under duress. Rossi has shown this season that he is anything but easy going and fun loving.

I would characterise him more as a fiercely competitive, vindictive and arrogant showman who knows how to work those around him to achieve his goals. I would compare him more to a religious cult leader who's blinded followers hold him up as the centre of the universe and all that is knowledgeable and good which is in stark contrast to those not under the spell who see his actions and manipulations as purely selfish.

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Lorenzo more likeable this year?

bluegreen

Talpa

Andy Roo

michaelm

spooky

Ion Blaster4

Mental Anarchist

Tom

Rootsman

THE_FREAKY

The California Kid

gumby1

Tom

FTE217

Keshav

Jumkie

bluegreen

THE_FREAKY

michaelm

Mental Anarchist

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