Lorenzo keen to take as many points as possible without risking too much

The Fiat Yamaha Team heads to Yamaha’s homeland of Japan this week for the first in a punishing triple-header of ‘flyaway’ races in Japan, Malaysia and Australia. There are just five more races still left to go and championship-leader Jorge Lorenzo and his team-mate Valentino Rossi are determined to record a few more top results before the curtain comes down on the year in early November.

Lorenzo took a superb win at Motegi last season, passing his team-mate to take a memorable victory. The 23-year-old loves the track and is looking forward to getting back on the podium this time out, having missed out for the first time this season at the last race in Aragon. The Spaniard leads the championship from 56 points from Dani Pedrosa but, despite the points gap, he knows that he can not afford any mistakes if he is to realise his dream of clinching a first premier class world title.

Motegi has been a victim of the weather over the last couple of years, with qualifying cancelled in 2009 due to torrential rain and then the ash cloud earlier this year meaning the entire race had to be postponed, hence its delayed appearance in the calendar now. Designed in 1997 as a test venue, Motegi features a somewhat geometric track layout. The surface offers good levels of grip without being overly abrasive but the proliferation of second gear turns, linked for the most part by mini-drag strips, means braking and acceleration are the main prerequisite to a fast lap time.

Jorge Lorenzo: “Motegi is Yamaha’s home and I always feel proud to ride there. Last Year I got my first victory at this track in MotoGP and it was one of the best moments of the season. I like Motegi and I think it can be great for us also this season. The main goal is to get back on the podium and continue getting as many points as possible. We will try to be fast from Friday and start this run of three races as well as we can.

Wilco Zeelenberg: “After missing out on the podium for the first time this season we know that we have some work to do, because our rivals have taken a step forward. Jorge has a strong lead still but we can’t afford to relax too much because anything can happen. He likes Motegi a lot and we hope that we will be quickly able to find a good setting for our M1. As always our target will be the podium and as many points as we can take without risking too much.”

Source: Yamaha Racing