Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi’s partnership at Yamaha was one of the fiercest teammate rivalries in MotoGP history, and the Spaniard has revealed his reaction to The Doctor’s return to the Japanese constructor ahead of the 2013 season.
The Italian motorcycle racing icon was already a seven-time world champion by the time Jorge Lorenzo entered the sport in 2008, but that didn’t stop Rossi from feeling the heat of the Spaniard’s addition to the factory Yamaha team that year.
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Lorenzo’s relationship with Rossi was filled with ‘total tension’ from the very get-go, and the pair shared some of the most explosive moments in MotoGP teammate partnership history across the seven years they spent as counterparts.
The toxicity of their relationship reached an all-time high following the events of the 2015 title fight, but Lorenzo’s true trump moment over the Italian came two years before then, when Rossi expressed his desire to return to Iwata after an unsuccessful stint at Ducati.
- READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo tells Valentino Rossi he was ‘clearly’ too slow to win the 2015 world title
Jorge Lorenzo reveals how Valentino Rossi’s value at Yamaha was ‘in the gutter’ in 2013
Speaking during his Decoded documentary, now available on the Duralavita YouTube channel, Lorenzo revealed how Rossi’s reputation at Yamaha was at rock bottom upon his return to the team before the start of the 2013 season.
The three-time MotoGP title-winner said, “Valentino had two bad years at Ducati. And, with his tail between his legs, he decided to knock on Yamaha’s door and offer his services. So, wrongly, I didn’t stop him out of pride because he asked Yamaha, ‘Lorenzo or me?’
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“And Yamaha replied, ‘We want both of you, but we’re not going to get rid of Lorenzo.’ I was the king of Yamaha at that point. I’d given them the last two world titles, and Valentino Rossi’s value was in the gutter.
“I could have said, ‘Look, I’ll sign the contract, but I want to keep Ben Spies as my teammate.’ I didn’t think of that, I didn’t do it, and so he came back with his tail between his legs, earning far less than me.
“But in the first season, it’s true that there were three of us dominating: Dani, Marquez and me, and he was in the background, finishing fourth.”
- READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo reveals the ‘secret’ he kept from Valentino Rossi during MotoGP title battle
Despite the rivalry with #46, Jorge Lorenzo sees Marc Marquez as his toughest opponent
Even though Rossi was still a regular at the front of the pack during the latter years of his MotoGP career, Lorenzo is adamant that Marc Marquez was his toughest competitor.
After Lorenzo won his second premier class world title in 2012, the era of Marquez began. The Ant of Cervera was instantly thrust into the spotlight at the factory Honda team, and immediately lived up to the hype.
Marquez would go on to win the title in his rookie season, as well as the following year, putting himself on the same pedestal as the Yamaha star after just two years of racing.
However, the 2015 season would see Lorenzo claim the third and final title of his career, in an explosive season that saw the Spaniard go head-to-head with Rossi for the crown.
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