54 replies to this topic

[Victor_RO]

3pm CET special press conference. Lorenzo retirement?

 

https://twitter.com/...905162642538496

[NixxxoN]

Lorenzo to retire!!!! Shock decision... He's only 32, not that old!

[thegamer23]

Well. Not surprising.

He looked scared on the bike this season after the injury. 

You cannot afford that driving a 350 + km/h MotoGP machine

[TecnoRacing]

When Lorenzo is winning I find him completely insufferable, but when he's in these troughs it's really quite sad to see.

Only as recently as mid-summer 2018, there were times where you started to believe he was again one of the top 2 riders on the planet.

 

I hope the HRC/Lorenzo experiment ends, but I hope that's not the end of the Lorenzo story. Ending a great career on such a sour note would be a shame. MotoGP will be poorer without him.

[NixxxoN]

Its so weird to see first Stoner, then Pedrosa, then Lorenzo, all retire before Rossi does.

[Lennat]

I DO expect him to retire, but ideally he should recover properly and get on a Yamaha in 2021 (on can dream, right?). There should be an opening at one of the Yamaha teams for 2021, with Rossi possibly retiring and Vinjales possibly going to Ducati. I have no idea what kind of contract Morbidelli has, but I don't expect him to be safe for 2021 either. To me Quartararo is the only rider (almost) certain to be on a Yamaha in 2021.

[Viryfan]

Seems like Zarco may have won a lotery recently...

[NixxxoN]

Seems like Zarco may have won a lotery recently...

Looks like a strong contender for the ride yes.
Also there have been some speculation of Alex Marquez joining his brother, but I dont expect that at all. Alex is nowhere near Marc in talent ahd he first has to prove himself in a small team.

[Myrvold]

Looks like a strong contender for the ride yes.
Also there have been some speculation of Alex Marquez joining his brother, but I dont expect that at all. Alex is nowhere near Marc in talent ahd he first has to prove himself in a small team.

Honda Marquez Racing?

 

It sounds good tbh.

[Yoshi]

It's official Jorge will retire by end of this season 

[Kulturen]

I was never a big fan of Alex Marquez joining Repsol Honda which I considered a silly idea as he's not good enough. However, seeing how Honda isn't using that seat, how could it be a bad thing to have him on it.

 

Also....there is one more thing to consider about a potential "team Marquez". Seeing how they are close and Marc would want him to succeed, he would probably get all the inside knowledge and personal training from Marc, never mind sharing data, on how to ride the Honda. I don't think the effect of that is something we can just disregard.

 

I also think that the seat of the factory team should go to Cal for one last year as a reward for his loyalty. I don't subscribe to all the stuff that he deserved more than the third bike role but he has also earned it for this one year. Zarco will be just fine taking Cal's place as the factory LCR bike.

[Kulturen]

Potentially unpopular opinion follows:

 

I remember once upon a time Lorenzo vs Pedrosa being presented as the future of MotoGP. Just looking at their sour resting-bitch-face faces made that prospect absolutely depressing. Thank god for MM.

 

I for one do not miss Dani and Jorge AT ALL.Them or their riding, as fast as they were. Don't miss them for a second. All the other young guys on the grid right now are much better characters and much more fun riders as well.

[NixxxoN]

Potentially unpopular opinion follows:
 
I remember once upon a time Lorenzo vs Pedrosa being presented as the future of MotoGP. Just looking at their sour resting-bitch-face faces made that prospect absolutely depressing. Thank god for MM.
 
I for one do not miss Dani and Jorge AT ALL.Them or their riding, as fast as they were. Don't miss them for a second. All the other young guys on the grid right now are much better characters and much more fun riders as well.

Meh... The most important is how talented they are on the track. And character-wise, at least they were not double-faced as Rossi.

[MrMonaco]

Its so weird to see first Stoner, then Pedrosa, then Lorenzo, all retire before Rossi does.

Each has His own story. Dani was very fast but just too small and fragile for those monsters in top class (meaning machines not other riders). He would be unstoppable in moto2.

Stoner retired way before he was past it. Seems to me it was a decision based 100% on personal reaaons. It robbed us from an epic Stoner vs Marquez clash.

Jlo - well I need to process that to give a fully thought comment.

[NixxxoN]

Each has His own story. Dani was very fast but just too small and fragile for those monsters in top class (meaning machines not other riders). He would be unstoppable in moto2.

Stoner retired way before he was past it. Seems to me it was a decision based 100% on personal reaaons. It robbed us from an epic Stoner vs Marquez clash.

Jlo - well I need to process that to give a fully thought comment.

All of them could have continued IMO, but Lorenzo, he seems to have had enough of crashes and injuries and now hes too scared to crash again. Still I think he could've regained confidence and speed with the smooth Yamaha that suits him. But looks like he didn't have any available seat so...
Stoner was complete nuts to have stopped that early but its his decision.
Pedrosa I think he should have gone to Moto2 and he would very likely won another championship there. But... Thats how it all went.

Edited by NixxxoN, 14 November 2019 - 14:50.

[barrykm]

Always sad when a once great rider, or driver, retires under these circumstances, but I would say Lorenzo's decision to retire at the end of the season is absolutely the right thing to do for him, and everyone else too.

[Thanatos]

Shame for Lorenzo, had pure talent but you can ride around the injuries and be so far off the pace. Sad day for him.

 

Zarco could be on to an amazing turn around, I do actually hope he gets the seat...

 

Should they give the last remaining rides this year to Zarco - to clinch the Team Award??

[THEWALL]

This is really, really bad news for Dorna and MotoGP fans. One less rider capable of potentially competing with Marquez, and making MotoGP championships entertaining again. All the chips on Viñales and Quartararo, fingers crossed.

[InSearchOfThe]

A great champion who should be remembered for taking Rossi to the brink. And winning on 2 different GP bikes.

 

Enjoy retirement 99. I for one, will miss you. 

 

As much as I don't like the 35, he should get the other HRC ride. Then we'll see what he can do head to head against the 93. 

[Atreiu]

Rossi's longevity has spoiled us, but the truth is most MotoGP champions retire due to crashes, injuries and their toll on the mind and body.

 

Rainey, Shcwantz, Doohan, Criville, Stoner (arguably, he was healthy whe he made up his mind but clearly burnt out) and now Lorenzo. I don't know if Kenny Roberts Jr. had a history of injuries whe he left and Hayden, we know what happened and it will always hurt. Besides them, Pedrosa had his carrier mired by injuries, Simoncelli died on track, Ben Spies never recovered from his shoulder injuries. Cal is another one who has crashed more than enough and could basically call it a day at any time.

 

So basically we have been focused on Rossi for so long to not remember how most champs retire.

 

It's sad to see Lorenzo leave like this, but at least he has had an incredible and fully accomplished career. Rossi, Pedrosa, Marquez, Stoner and everyone else in between? He beat them to 3 titles. Cheers. I don't much care for his charisma. He was a racer. I hope he recovers full health and becomes happy with whatever else he does now.

[JHSingo]

As a Rossi fan, perhaps inevitably I wasn't fond of Lorenzo to start with. I found him too cold and arrogant. But these last few years, despite the struggles, he has gained my respect.

 

I had hoped he'd be the team mate to give Marquez trouble. What a pity it hasn't happened, and what a shame for an otherwise top career to end this way.

 

Enjoy retirement, J-Lo. Thanks for the memories.

Edited by JHSingo, 14 November 2019 - 15:49.

[messy]

It’s a shame it ended like this. I really hope he shocks everyone with one last good performance at Valencia to remind everyone what he can do. It’s absolutely zero fun seeing a rider as accomplished as Jorge finishing 14th while his team-mate wins. I mean he’s 19th in the championship, it’s been a pathetic season and incredibly sad. We thought Pedrosa’s final season was bad but this has been on another level. To be honest, if he was going to be half this bad in 2020 then I’m glad he’s called it a day. 
 

in hindsight the decision to go to Honda when he was just starting to get on top of the Ducati (albeit not all his choice) was one of the most disastrous motor racing team switches that I can ever recall. It’s taken him from (briefly) Marquez’s most credible rival to retirement in less than a year. I wish he’d done the Petronas Yamaha deal personally, because seeing Quartararo almost winning on that.....

 

His replacement shouldn’t in any way shape or form be Cal Crutchlow. Cal is 34 but more than that, he’s by his own admission full of aches and pains, has a dodgy knee and is right in the twilight of his career himself. Cal’s time for a top team was five years ago, not now. He’s overreaching and crashing. He won’t be far behind Jorge. 100% it should be Zarco, who’s passed his audition nicely so far.

[Disgrace]

The right decision, obviously.

[Ellios]

All the motogp guys have a very similar talent level, 99% of it is in their heads. When that leaves you it's time to quit before it's too late. Big respect to Lorenzo, got out at the right time for him. Best of luck to him in the future and whoever replaces him at Honda. 

[KinoNoNo]

Funny if Zarco does get the ride, he would have postponed the move from last year on KTM's dime.

 

Hopefully his brush with career death has knocked some humility into him, and comes out the other side a better rider.

Edited by KinoNoNo, 14 November 2019 - 17:09.

[Clrnc]

I really wish Zarco will get the ride. He is talented enough to fight for wins with a proper bike

[Silberpfeil]

Well, good for Jorge. Maybe he’ll even get a point to celebrate. In all honesty, this is probably for the best. I wish him luck and joy in his future endeavours.

[DutchQuicksilver]

How lucky Zarco can be? Voluntarely giving up a seat at KTM only to be rewarded a few weeks later with the fastest bike on the grid. On Lorenzo. A shame, was great champion but ever since his move away from Yamaha he’s been a mere shadow of himself.

[MadYarpen]

What if he stayed in Ducati...

[Nova]

What are the odds that Lorenzo come back on a different bike? Is this goodbye to Honda or a final goodbye to motogp?

[manmower]

Well, there goes the only rider who's beaten Márquez to a premier class title.

 

Watching that montage of his career highlights, you realize time really does fly, and what a great run he had.

[messy]

Funny if Zarco does get the ride, he would have postponed the move from last year on KTM's dime.

 

Hopefully his brush with career death has knocked some humility into him, and comes out the other side a better rider.

I don’t think humility is his issue, it’s mental fragility and the need to have strong, positive characters around him to take care of the stuff he finds difficult. 
 

splitting with his manager left him in a right state apparently. He’s the anti-Rossi really.

[Ragingjamaican]

What a shame on the way Lorenzo's career has went ever since making his way back up on the Ducati. I've always watched his progress ever since his injuries, and I can tell you, at some point when so many injuries occur, it just becomes too much of an uphill battle. Recovering from a severe injury myself I've always went back into sports but I've never fully recovered and was nowhere near at my best which takes a toll mentally. Now I've taken a break from sports since March and just looking to recover, Lorenzo got too many at the one time that it just gets too much.

 

The re-surge in the Ducati was something I enjoyed last year only for it to disappear when he got injured and moved to Honda. Sad way to end a career, I hope he takes a year out and comes back at his best.

[Nova]

Saw over on Crash.net that Marquez had said something about Honda having to choose between an older experienced rider or a young up and coming rider, or something to that effect. Wonder if he was talking generally or in reference to Crutchlow/Zarco (experienced) alternatively going with some young gun?

[DS27]

I think Honda are mad if they don't give the ride to Zarco.

[NixxxoN]

Another contender that I would consider putting in there... Pol Espargaró.

An overlooked fast rider who battled Marquez back in Moto2 for the championship (and he lost) but he's always been competitive and he's done well in MotoGP with midfield and uper midfield bikes, he's beaten his team mates all the time (or almost) and he trashed Zarco himself with the same bike this year.
He's really the only one that got half decent results with the KTM so far.

Edited by NixxxoN, 14 November 2019 - 22:53.

[KinoNoNo]

It's going to be Zarco for the simple reason he's a free agent where as most of the other riders have got contracts already signed for next year.

 

Yes contracts can be bought out, but Dorna have been pulling strings behind the scenes to keep Zarco in the championship and HRC has already auditioned Zarco for the ride.

[NoForumForOldPole]

I would love Zarco, I hope Dorna does not push for Marquez brothers dream team.

[MCR]

What if he stayed in Ducati...

 

That is what he should have done.  He made a mistake to jump ship, though I understand why he did.

 

He is still one of the fastest riders but he needs a bike that suits his characteristics.  The Honda is not that bike.

 

I think his retirement is a mistake as well, but maybe there is some injury which he isn't telling us about.

[qwertyu]

That is what he should have done. He made a mistake to jump ship, though I understand why he did.

He is still one of the fastest riders but he needs a bike that suits his characteristics. The Honda is not that bike.

I think his retirement is a mistake as well, but maybe there is some injury which he isn't telling us about.

He didn't make any mistake, Ducati did.
JL was told he was gonna be fired, so he searched for other options and found HRC. Then Ducati changed their minds but he had already signed for HRC.

[messy]

That is what he should have done.  He made a mistake to jump ship, though I understand why he did.

 

He is still one of the fastest riders but he needs a bike that suits his characteristics.  The Honda is not that bike.

 

I think his retirement is a mistake as well, but maybe there is some injury which he isn't telling us about.

 

I think the injury was bad enough really....early stages of the season he was struggling but was actually in Q2 regularly, when he returned from his mid-season lay-off he was right at the back. 

 

I mean, I remember one race where he had to push to stay ahead of Syahrin and avoid being dead last on merit. 

 

It's not about age in MotoGP is it, it's about the accumulation of injuries and when your body tells you 'that's it'. And I think it has, in no uncertain terms. 

[AlexPrime]

I feel sad for Jorge and hope to see him in other series, WSBK or even four wheel racing (touring cars for example or GT).

[Kulturen]

BTW, should we expect a decision on the Honda seat the moment after the race ends? I assume that a)Lorenzo would have been scheduled to test on Monday and b)he isn't going to be testing.

 

So they're a rider short and while a test rider can cover I think they would want to throw whomever it is going to be on the bike immediately. I mean, if it's going to be Zarco for example, whether it's on Repsol or LCR, I imagine they'd want him to be testing ASAP. If it would be Alex Marquez, he should be on the bike ASAP as well etc.

Edited by Kulturen, 15 November 2019 - 14:30.

[Risil]

I've split this news out from the main MotoGP thread as it really deserves its own topic.

 

A true giant of the last decade in motorcycle racing. Three world titles against competition that matched the late-80s early-90s era for toughness. Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa and Marquez were hard as nails. He saw off some big names but time and tyres got the better of him.

 

Having witnessed his year of big crashes as the sole Michelin-shod factory Yamaha rider back in 2008, IMHO it's pretty impressive he got this far...

[HP]

In 2008 he was young and had no MotoGP crown to his name. Now he has won 3 championships and has the best rider of this generation as his teammate. Any sane person getting injured would ask himself if the risks are still worth it.

[TheGoldenStoffel]

Have never been a fan of him but it is a shame to lose him from the grid. Ducati really made a big mistake to get rid of him and not taking him back for next year, Petrucci simply isn't up to it and in the end Lorenzo really got the hang of it on the Ducati. His Honda adventure was never going to work with a very difficult to ride bike and a team that's completely focused on Marquez and his preferences.

[DS27]

Would be nice to think he will take a year out and then come back on a Yamaha fully fit, but I don't think it will happen - I think his injuries have taken there toll and he is making the right decision.

 

Fair play to him. He was often hard to like as a rider, but you have to have respect for all he achieved. I wish him a safe last weekend and a happy retirement.

[Yamamoto]

Well let's talk about some of the highlights of his career. What was his best performance or most memorable race for you?

 

I remember him fighting with Dani Pedrosa at Assen in the 250s in 2005, to the extent that they tripped each other up and Seb Porto won the race, I believe. Or the start of 2009, when he won at Motegi in Le Mans in short order and for the first time in his career, a teammate has Rossi on the back foot. Catalunya that year, obviously. Beating the Hondas at Mugello in 2011 - he was mesmerising to watch at that track. I'll return to this later with more.

[messy]

My memory of Lorenzo will be an absolutely perfect, uncatchable wire to wire demonstration run at a flowing track like Catalunya or Mugello, absolutely nailing every lap and running on rails, no hint of weakness and no crumb of comfort for the opposition. Unbeatable. 

[Risil]

Beating the Hondas at Mugello in 2011 - he was mesmerising to watch at that track.

I was there! It was a remarkable performance.