The 2016 season found reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a man on a mission to defend his title, but it has not all gone to plan for the Mallorcan.
At the Qatar GP he sent a message to his rivals by winning the race in dominant fashion from pole position, crossing the line over two seconds ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team). A crash in Argentina and second place in Austin saw Lorenzo relinquish his championship lead to Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), but ironically he had enjoyed a better start to his season than in 2015.
In the run up to Jerez Lorenzo announced the shock news that had signed a two-year deal with Ducati for the 2017 season. After nine seasons in MotoGP™ with Yamaha and three titles, it will represent a huge challenge for Lorenzo as he aims to join the likes of Rossi, Lawson, Duke, Stoner and Giacomo Agostini in taking premier class titles on two different makes of motorcycle.
At the Spanish GP another second place followed, that saw Lorenzo become only the third rider to record 100 premier class podiums in the 68-year history of the World Championship.
Heading to the Italian GP, Lorenzo trailed Marquez by just 5 points in the standings and the two became involved in an epic last-lap battle with Lorenzo winning the drag to the line by just 19-thousandths of a second.
It was a case of delight to disaster for Lorenzo when he was taken out unceremoniously by Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) at the Catalan GP, recording his second DNF of the season.
At the Dutch GP, Lorenzo could only cross the line in 10th after struggling in the wet conditions.
His luck wouldn’t improve much at the Sachsenring as the Mallorcan had one of his hardest weekends in MotoGP™. Mixed conditions and a crash in free practice saw him forced to go through to Q1 for the first time in his career, then two more crashes in Qualifying saw line up on the grid in 11th, after recording more crashes in just two days than he had in the entire of the 2015 season. During the flag-to-flag race he struggled in the wet and dry conditions, recording his career worst premier class finish of 15th. Lorenzo now finds himself second in the championship, 48 points behind his title rival Marquez, but 11 point ahead of his teammate Rossi in third.