Three-time MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo has been out of the sport for a decade full-time and has shared whether he would still be competitive if he returned to the premier class grid.
The only rider to win every member of MotoGP’s Fantastic Four, plus Mark Marquezlive title fight, George Lorenzo It holds a special place in the lore of the premier class.
Unfortunately, injuries would hamper the Spaniard’s longevity in the sport. Later Lorenzo suffered a fractured vertebrae during the 2019 season.The three-time world champion felt it was a good time to call it a day, not long after announcing his intention to retire.
Lorenzo has since warned Marquez of the danger of opposing the inevitableThe seven-time MotoGP title winner has also suffered some serious injuries in recent years.
Jorge Lorenzo believes that he still has the ability to compete in MotoGP, but he is not physically fit
In a recent interview Make a markLorenzo asked his thoughts on whether he would be a contender if he returned to the premier class.
The Spaniard retired at the age of 32 following a disastrous MotoGP season, the same age as Marc Marquez secured his seventh championship last season.
Lorenzo, now 38, doesn’t believe he can still compete with the best, saying: “In the veteran category, yes, but no, it’s not possible.”
“Beyond age, which, as Rossi showed, you can more or less hold your own until you’re 40 or 42, it’s an act of quitting. If you quit for a year, you’ve lost everything when you come back.”
“It’s like footballers, you see Ronaldinho in legendary[games]and he hasn’t lost his touch or his skill, he’s lost his body.
“I can do a lap and be two or three seconds behind the fastest, but that’s it. By lap 20, I’m five or six seconds behind.”
Lorenzo was then asked if he misses competition and said, “I miss winning. There are athletes who love their sport and are passionate about it. I am a fan of winning.”
“I loved motorbikes, it was something I learned a lot about, but I also loved winning. I was born with a very competitive gene, and I wanted to be the best.”
- Read more: Marc Marquez’s former team principal has revealed how his ‘attitude’ won him an eighth MotoGP title.
Valentino Rossi has been told by his former engineer that he is retiring.
As mentioned by Lorenzo, Rossi showed that one can continue to compete in the premier class into their forties, but that does not mean one becomes competitive.
In fact, a former Honda engineer Juan Martinez believes Rossi is a bit late.Proving that the doctor was never quite the same rider as the one who won nine world titles in his illustrious Grand Prix motorcycle racing career.
On the other hand, one rider who retired very early was Casey Stoner. The Australian has announced his intention to continue his career on the MotoGP grid at the tender age of 27.
He won two World Cups from seven seasons, making his career-long potential one of the ‘what ifs’ in Premier League history.
