Jorge Lorenzo says he achieved something Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi never managed in MotoGP

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Jorge Lorenzo is one of the all-time greats. In the MotoGP era, only Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi have won more world championships.

Lorenzo’s tally of 47 premier-class victories ranks him fifth all-time behind Rossi (89), Marquez (70), Giacomo Agostini (68) and Mick Doohan (54). He’s also fourth for poles and third for podiums.

The Spaniard, who won two 250cc championships with Aprilia, took all three of his top-level titles with Yamaha (2010, 2012, 2015). Between 2009 and 2016, he was always inside the top three in the standings.

Lorenzo’s moves to Ducati and Honda didn’t pay off, and he retired at the end of 2019, a year where he suffered a serious crash at Assen. Speaking on the Mig Babol podcast, he assessed his place in the sport’s history.

Jorge Lorenzo points out he was the only rider to beat the other members of the ‘Fantastic Five’

It was put to Lorenzo that he was a member of the ‘fantastic five’ of the modern era, along with Rossi, Marquez, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Within that elite group, he achieved a unique feat.

Lorenzo was the only rider who defeated all those adversaries. Marquez has beaten all but one – Casey Stoner, whose 2012 retirement paved the way for his arrival at Honda.

He was keen to stress that this didn’t necessarily make him the best. But it is an achievement that commands respect.

“Forgive my insolence,” he said. “I was the only one to beat everyone in a championship. This doesn’t mean I’m better, but statistically, I was the only one to beat all the other four in a world championship.

“Valentino didn’t beat Marquez, Stoner missed riding with Marquez. Pedrosa didn’t win his world championship.”

Lorenzo is a huge admirer of Stoner, above all his ability to blitz the field during a practice session. He found the limit of a motorcycle far quicker than his rivals.

Marc Marquez’s greatest strength is also his biggest weakness

Lorenzo and Rossi had a tense relationship when they were teammates at Yamaha. They had two stints together, the first between 2007 and 2010 and the second from 2013 to 2016.

They each won two championships apiece, with 2015 their most memorable duel. Rossi was furious because he felt that Marquez was lending his fellow countryman a hand.

Lorenzo assessed each of the ‘fantastic five’ in the aforementioned interview and pinpointed Marquez’s only weakness. The 32-year-old may be on course to become the most decorated rider ever.

However, Lorenzo says Marquez sometimes takes too many risks. That fearlessness is his greatest strength, but has also been his undoing on occasion.