Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi spent nine years as Yamaha teammates between 2008 and 2016, but they were rarely anything more than racing for the same team.
Yamaha hired Lorenzo as an up-and-coming gem for the 2008 MotoGP season as the Iwata outfit feared that Rossi would ditch racing on two wheels to pursue a career in Formula 1. It did not sit well with the Italian that the Spaniard would be a major thorn in his side, though.
After making his premier class debut with Yamaha in 2008, Lorenzo quickly proved he would not be Rossi’s lackey. Yamaha were also made to build the famous wall in their garage due to the growing tension between the two riders before Rossi jumped ship to join Ducati in 2011.
Yet an underwhelming run with the Borgo Panigale brand convinced Rossi to return to Iwata for 2013. But re-joining Yamaha would not produce the same success that the Urbino native enjoyed amid his first run at the Japanese manufacturer, having won four of his seven titles.
Jorge Lorenzo still felt ‘proud’ after losing the 2009 German Grand Prix to Valentino Rossi
The 2009 season as Rossi won what proved to be his final premier class title also produced a raft of all-time classic battles between the Italian and Lorenzo. Rossi’s last corner overtake to win the 2009 Catalan Grand Prix also yielded one of the great last laps in MotoGP history.
But their battle for glory at the 2009 German Grand Prix should not be forgotten, after Rossi beat Lorenzo by 0.099 seconds at the Sachsenring. It was a historic result for the former, too, as Rossi matched Giacomo Agostini’s record of 159 world championship podium results.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth
Lorenzo kicked himself after the race, as the would-be three-time MotoGP champion felt he wasted a shot to win the 2009 German GP after passing Rossi too early. Yet Lorenzo still left feeling ‘proud’, given his teammate’s vast experience with 159 premier class races to his 26.
“I made a bit of a mistake because I thought there were a few more laps left when I passed him,” Lorenzo told BBC Sport after the 2009 German GP. “I hoped to overtake him and then try to pull away, but it didn’t work out.
“Of course, I’m disappointed to lose another very close race. It is always sad, but I know that we are capable of fighting with him and considering his experience, this is something I must be proud of.”
Valentino Rossi punished Jorge Lorenzo’s eagerness to lead the 2009 German GP
Lorenzo dived down Rossi’s inside at Turn 1 with five laps of the 2009 German GP remaining to get the lead from his Yamaha teammate. But the Spaniard could not shake the Italian off his tail, and Rossi struck back with an identical overtake into Turn 1 on the penultimate lap.
Rossi knew that Lorenzo would try and take the lead again into Turn 1 on their final tour of the Sachsenring. So, he covered the inside under braking and forced the Spaniard wide on the exit, which ultimately proved to be Lorenzo’s final chance to win the 2009 German GP.
Finishing second to Rossi in the 2009 German GP was not decisive in the Italian winning that term’s riders’ title by 45 points over the Spaniard, though. Instead, Lorenzo retiring from the following British Grand Prix and Czech GP helped turn a 14-point deficit into a 50-point gap.
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