Joined Jun 2007
3K Posts | 309+
UK
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/919369/1/lorenzo-logical-be-sad-disappointed-worried
He's struggling and he knows its up to him to sort it out...
He somehow conviced HRC to take him on, but he probably thought he coudl beat MM on the same bike....it is clear he cant and wont....
MM in my view will stay with HRC until he wins more titles than Rossi, and by then JLow will have retired...
Simple - The Honda is not very well developed at all. Only Marc's almost other worldly talents can do anything with it.
Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
I don't think Honda would be that narrowly focused on his worth to the team. I believe they thought he was the best qualified rider to fill the spot. He's mature and not likely to start any inter-team rivalry nonsense. He's realistic enough to know he's not going to be challenging Marquez for the championship. And, it's pretty clear that he quietly went about his business of making the Ducati more rider friendly - something HRC really need, because they can't afford to put all their eggs in one basket. If he can work with HRC to make the bike easier to ride for future riders, that will make him a very valuable asset. I know it's a case of 20/20 hindsight, but I've said it before; Dovi could have done for Honda what he's done with Ducati. They were very short-sighted when they let him go.
Joined May 2019
607 Posts | 459+
Where I am.
Hi guys, I don't see why we should not take Lorenzo's feedback as authentic. He describes difficulty riding the Honda because it requires a lot of upper body strength to get the most out of it. Upper body strength that he has lost a lot of because of his injuries and which he is having trouble getting on top of because of his current difficulties with strength training. I wish him all the best and would love to see him spectacularly improve, yet again.
Joined Jun 2008
1K Posts | 365+
USA
For those who believes HRC hired him to make him slow
https://www.marca.com/motor/motogp/2019/05/07/5cd04702268e3ea73a8b4610.html
https://www.marca.com/motor/motogp/2019/05/07/5cd04702268e3ea73a8b4610.html
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
Honda is (as it should) a machine made for Marquez.
Marc's riding is very violent on the front wheel, and he uses the back wheel almost as an extension of his body. Indeed all his crashes come from losing the front, he enters the corner in a more extreme way than any other rider and builds his corner speed by rough acceleration from the mid to the exiting part of the turn. Independently of his speed, that is a rather unique riding style.
For a rider like Lorenzo, who brakes from a very "vertical" body/wheels position and then comes very straight into the corner and builds his corner speed by turning and accelerating smoothly it's very hard to ride with a frame and setup that was created for the exact opposing style.
I am fully convinced Lorenzo will become competitive on the HRC, as he did with the Ducati, but it will take time.
This being said:
1) He sure is underperforming right now, even given the current situation.
2) HRC sure hired him ALSO as it took away a potentially very, very fast rival.
Marc's riding is very violent on the front wheel, and he uses the back wheel almost as an extension of his body. Indeed all his crashes come from losing the front, he enters the corner in a more extreme way than any other rider and builds his corner speed by rough acceleration from the mid to the exiting part of the turn. Independently of his speed, that is a rather unique riding style.
For a rider like Lorenzo, who brakes from a very "vertical" body/wheels position and then comes very straight into the corner and builds his corner speed by turning and accelerating smoothly it's very hard to ride with a frame and setup that was created for the exact opposing style.
I am fully convinced Lorenzo will become competitive on the HRC, as he did with the Ducati, but it will take time.
This being said:
1) He sure is underperforming right now, even given the current situation.
2) HRC sure hired him ALSO as it took away a potentially very, very fast rival.
Last edited:
Joined Aug 2013
902 Posts | 509+
USA
Ducati went out of their way to build a bike for Lorenzo, different frames, tanks, seats, etc.
I do not see Honda doing that for Lorenzo, they know they have a championship winning bike, and they will not try to fix something that is not broken.
I do not see Honda doing that for Lorenzo, they know they have a championship winning bike, and they will not try to fix something that is not broken.
Last edited:
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
I thought the same, but someone here posted a reputable source that stated otherwise. It would be a prudent course of action because Marquez is just one unlucky shoulder injury away from throwing away a championship. And who knows when he's going to decide to try winning a championship on a Ducati? (probably not till he's had his 10th) And then what? A more tractable bike not dependent on freak talent like Stoner or Marquez would be an attractive proposition. Hiring guys like Doohan, Stoner or Marquez is not always a given.
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
From Motosport Magazine https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/motogp/motogp-mutterings-2019-spanish-grand-prix-part-2
Dovizioso will certainly be less worried going to Le Mans than his former team-mate. Jorge Lorenzo had a horrible first home grand prix with Repsol Honda – 11th in qualifying, 12th in the race, 14th in the championship – and cannot yet see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m sad, disappointed and worried,” he said on Sunday afternoon. “I put everything on the track but I couldn’t go faster. I don’t like the situation, but I’m a champion and champions keep fighting and I will find a solution.”
Lorenzo has a very particular riding technique and therefore needs a very particular machine set-up. At Ducati it took him 24 races to find winning speed and he doesn’t want to wait that long with the RC213V.
In fact the problem he’s having with the Honda isn’t that dissimilar to one of the problems he had at Ducati. It’s all about getting him in the right position during braking, although this is complicated by the fact that the RC213V is a shorter, smaller motorcycle than his previous bikes.
“The Honda is much more compact, so I don’t feel really comfortable, especially in braking,” added the three-time MotoGP champion. “I have problems in corner entry because the bike is transferring too much weight to the front.
“I’m braking quite late but because I don’t feel comfortable in braking. I arrive too late at the corner and I make the corner too late. I’d like to stop before and lean before and finish the corner faster with more corner speed and to exit faster. I’m losing a lot of time compared to all the other Honda riders and I won’t be fast until we solve this problem. We need to find solutions; maybe something with the engine-braking or the chassis.”
Old timers here will remember Jum dubbing the 2007 RC213V "the Pedrocycle" and this is it's legacy. At 5.6 and 130 Lbs Marquez is surely the right tool for the job. Funny to think that Lorenzo only one inch taller but 16 Lbs heavier is practically chubby in comparison. The bike isn't bad per se, just too narrowly focused.
Dovizioso will certainly be less worried going to Le Mans than his former team-mate. Jorge Lorenzo had a horrible first home grand prix with Repsol Honda – 11th in qualifying, 12th in the race, 14th in the championship – and cannot yet see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m sad, disappointed and worried,” he said on Sunday afternoon. “I put everything on the track but I couldn’t go faster. I don’t like the situation, but I’m a champion and champions keep fighting and I will find a solution.”
Lorenzo has a very particular riding technique and therefore needs a very particular machine set-up. At Ducati it took him 24 races to find winning speed and he doesn’t want to wait that long with the RC213V.
In fact the problem he’s having with the Honda isn’t that dissimilar to one of the problems he had at Ducati. It’s all about getting him in the right position during braking, although this is complicated by the fact that the RC213V is a shorter, smaller motorcycle than his previous bikes.
“The Honda is much more compact, so I don’t feel really comfortable, especially in braking,” added the three-time MotoGP champion. “I have problems in corner entry because the bike is transferring too much weight to the front.
“I’m braking quite late but because I don’t feel comfortable in braking. I arrive too late at the corner and I make the corner too late. I’d like to stop before and lean before and finish the corner faster with more corner speed and to exit faster. I’m losing a lot of time compared to all the other Honda riders and I won’t be fast until we solve this problem. We need to find solutions; maybe something with the engine-braking or the chassis.”
Old timers here will remember Jum dubbing the 2007 RC213V "the Pedrocycle" and this is it's legacy. At 5.6 and 130 Lbs Marquez is surely the right tool for the job. Funny to think that Lorenzo only one inch taller but 16 Lbs heavier is practically chubby in comparison. The bike isn't bad per se, just too narrowly focused.
Last edited:
Joined Apr 2019
20 Posts | 2+
Seattle Washington
Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
Joined Jun 2007
3K Posts | 309+
UK
- JLo to be rider coach for Biaggi's racing team...
- Rossi to get 'honorary' seat on Dorna board
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
Call me crazy but IMHO on the right bike they would both still be capable of winning a race every now and then, on certain tracks. Especially Jorge.
Just Rossi, he could open a t-shirt stall....that's the one thing he's good at.
Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk
Similar threads
