Destiny may have a special sense of humor, or at least be ironic. Especially in MotoGP, where the stories of two riders cross at a distance after living together under one roof for years. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were the last and true dream team in the premier class. In their 7 years as teammates, they won 4 MotoGP titles, in equal shares. Everything happened in these seasons: rivalries, fights on and off the track, successes, disputes, divorces, walls.
It was also Jorge’s “mistake” that the Doctor left Yamaha for Ducati. Jorge, who a few years later did the same and for similar reasons. This is only the first similarity between the two drivers, who couldn’t be more different in character, but now it’s easy to find a lot in common.
Unfortunately, the saying “misery loves society” applies to them today. Both Valentino and Jorge made headlines recently for their disappointing results. Things are more difficult for the Mallorca driver, who does not seem to find his way around a Honda built for Marquez. The result is seeing the Spaniard in positions he didn’t even think existed and finds himself in that Bronx of scoring that sings upset for a high-ranking driver like him.
With the necessary differences, however, it doesn’t even work for Valentino, who has built up large gaps between him and his teammates in the last few races. The problem for the doctor is also the technology. Time and again he fails to turn his head around a bike that he knows like the back of his hand and how it is developing. In short, the extenuating circumstance of a new and unknown vehicle does not apply to Rossi as it does to Lorenzo.
When something goes wrong with two champions, rumors and speculation (more or less well founded) are the order of the day, and The two riders were the focus of motorcycle gossip in the summer. The word that accompanied both was “retirement”. Both Rossi and Lorenzo have signed contracts for 2020 and both have sent all allegations back to the sender. Even if, to be honest, Jorge has already looked for a loophole by reestablishing relations with Ducati, even if he came away empty-handed.
There is another similarity in the predicament they are in both in: a “snake in the grass”. Valentinos is Quartararo, Jorges is Marquez. Certainly the Spaniard knew very well what to expect when he said “yes” to Honda, but he might not have imagined how difficult it would be, Marc. to confront. Lorenzo is literally on enemy territory and there aren’t many allies on his side. The only way to gain meaning within the team would be to beat your teammate, which is almost impossible right now.
Fabio, on the other hand, surprised the doctor. He had probably expected to have to take care of Vinales. Instead, the Frenchman from Petronas shifted the balance much more clearly than Zarco. We should add that Quartarato is young enough to be his son and rides a satellite bike, so it’s clear how much the thorn in his side can be very painful.
So far, the points that Rossi and Lorenzo have in common are only negative, but in the midst of all this darkness there remains a burning flame. Since We must not forget that, as Jorge liked to put it, we are talking about two champions and not just two great drivers. We’re talking about two tough guys who have already fallen in their careers, but got up again.
Valentino has already made his move. In fact, upon closer inspection, he made two. Most noticeable was the separation from Silvano Galbusera, who brought David Munoz into the team. Critics will argue that it was a desperate move, but it can’t be denied that it shows the Doctor’s desire to get back into the game at an age when he’s (athletically speaking) properly thinking of Caribbean beaches. The least obvious, but not least important, was to focus on 2020 in these final raceswhich meant driving with the head of a tester and installing all sorts of innovations on your M1.
Sorry to say but a reaction from Lorenzo is harder to see for the time being. After all, the HRC has said more than once that Marquez is the reference for development and that the Mallorca driver has to make the most of a bad situation. It’s strange to see a fighter like Jorge give up. For him, the turning point has to come from within, and if there are good results, that would be even better.
Lorenzo and Rossi shared one of the best moments of their careers and today they are witnessing one of the worst from afar. It would be nice to see the two fight each other for the podium. The next few months will tell us if this is possible.
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