As much as I find the guy difficult to like, I do love watching him ride a bike. I don't know if any of you caught the MotoGP qualifying at Valencia on Saturday but the guy was looking like he was rolling around on an in lap when in fact he was humiliating the opposition. Such a contrast from Marquez's lairy style. If only he could learn to handle the media and stop being.......well.......Jorge then I think the guy should get a larger share of the fanbase. ........and he needs to get rid of that 'stache. It's just not happening. Facial hair just isn't your thing, son.
Spoilers I found it interesting after the race yesterday that 99 kept looking at the crowd and trying to get a cheer from them, but failing miserably, especially in Parc Ferme. I think he got a cheer on the rostrum, thankfully. Marquez was brilliant with his fans. A bit out of character for 93, I thought. 35 fell off as usual.
The thing with George is that he has the look of someone who bases his public interaction on what he's observed in others. He tries to look all Steve McQueen on the grid... but he looks a bit of a twat. He tries to look like Neil Armstrong when he wins... but he just looks a bit of a twat. He tries to look like Clint Eastwood in the press conference...but... He has done some things that genuinely made me laugh. The time he finished so far ahead of everyone else that he put out a picnic chair and watched them all coming in on the jumbotron while he ate popcorn... That was funny. Then there was the bit when he jumped in the lake. That made me laugh. But then he got out again... I get the feeling that he could do with a PR guy that's a bit more mature. He does ride like a metronome though.
Apparently he is going to be offering a free "Jorge's special edition wet lap timer"* to the first 10 people who sign up to his new fan club, aka the 99 Change-Hands-Where's-Me-Flake club. *A truly representative item that encompasses Jorge in the wet.
Cut the guy a bit of slack. He's a brilliant racer, with probably the best style on the grid. Unfortunately in modern motorsport most participants come across as a bit of a twat. This is because there is soooo much money tied up in it that they become caught between being the person they are ( and I think a few of them would be really quiet in real life ) and being a corporate tart. You only have to look at them in their garage and see that every time a camera appears they have to zip up their leathers, put on their sponsors silly hat and take a sip of water/drink out of a monster energy bottle. The fact that they can make it onto a MotoGP grid means they deserve our (or at least my) respect.
Absolutely clinical rider and on form there's no one out there that will beat him. As a person though 'or at least what you see through the press' he's a bit bland, which may come across as arrogant at times. End of the day no one actually knows the real man outwith MotoGP so not sure it's fair the amount of stick he gets.
Great rider no doubt! But he's trying to hard to be someone like Rossi! And there is only one Rossi He hasn't helped himself a few times complaining about others when he should just let his racing do the talking! Last year was a classic example moaning about Rossi and his incident with Marquez when it had nothing to do with him except if Rossi had started near the front of grid it possibly would have cost Lorenzo the championship
I seem to remember when Marquez arrived in MotoGP Marquez would use his bike to touch Lorenzo who would then almost jump out of the way in fright - letting Marquez through. The same same tactic used against Rossi resulted in Marquez sitting on the floor. I seem to remember that Lorenzo got better at dealing with that kind of treatment. Lorenzo crashed at the first race in Qatar, on lap 1, at the start of the season in 2014, just when you were expecting a great battle with new kid on the bloc - so disappointment. Also that terribly embarrassing false start at the Circuit of the Americas. So he gets beaten up by the rookie, crashes on Race 1 lap 1 of the new season, the most embarrassing false start I can remember - but he talks a good fight, and can ride lap after lap like a machine. Looking forward to seeing how he gets on with the Ducati.
Lorenzo seems arrogant, wants the crowd to love him when he wins, but when he does shit in the wet or crashes he goes off in childish sulk. Rossi or Marquez will still wave even on a bad day, fans have spent good money on helmets, tee shirts n flag and crap which they get a kick back from just to get blanked is wrong. Rossi is first to congratulate others or say he wasn't as quick as others, Lorenzo will make an excuse. I'm a Rossi fan, like him as a bloke and a rider. Lorenzo can ride. And it seems Marquez can overtake at Valencia unlike last year ????
I think as a younger guy being team mate to such a big star rider was a problem. He tried to copy and imitate VR when off the bike rather that being his own person and this is where he lost the plot and is not popular and people did not appreciate his behaviour. I must say I like his riding style which is smooth and precise no legs dangling out or elbows scratching the tarmac. His personality, I don't care for much
I might get scorned for this but I think Lorenzo and Lewis Hamilton are very similar, both great racers but both lacking in personality, Hamilton seems like a drone when being interviewed and when he does show anger it's like some middle class school boy throwing his teddy out of the pram whilst dressed like some wanna be gangster rapper
If we take out all the political issues within MotoGP, ignore the media and everything else then i would say, Lorenzo is a great racer and character. Everybody in this sport is selling an image anyway...
