Repsol Honda Team’s Jorge Lorenzo has today called an end to his incredible 18-year Grand Prix career at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana. Since 2002, the Mallorcan has won five World titles and battled to 68 Grands Prix victories. But what are the top five races from the 32-year-old’s remarkable career?
1. 2008 Portuguese Grand Prix
Following his MotoGP™ debut at the 2008 Qatar GP, Lorenzo headed to the third round of his first premier class season with already two podium finishes to his name. He claimed a third consecutive pole position on Saturday in Estoril before finally converting it into a first MotoGP™ race win 24 hours later.
2. 2013 Dutch TT
The only race on this list not to be a race victory, but arguably the 2013 Dutch TT is the race Lorenzo will be forever remembered for. The Spaniard’s heart, fight and desire well and truly summed up by his fifth-place finish in Assen, coming just 48 hours after breaking his collarbone in a horror highside.
3. 2013 British Grand Prix
Lorenzo arrived at Silverstone 44 points adrift of Marc Marquez in the World Championship standings knowing a victory was vital to keep his title hopes alive. What ensued at the 2013 British Grand Prix would go down as an all-time classic as Lorenzo and Marquez went toe-to-toe, eventually separated over the line by 0.081 of a second.
4. 2016 Italian Grand Prix
The eighth closest finish in premier class history. Another epic Lorenzo versus Marquez scrap. The pair threw everything they had at each other before Lorenzo slipstreamed his way to victory in one of the most dramatic finishes of the MotoGP™ era.
5. 2018 Austrian Grand Prix
To date, the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix stands as Lorenzo’s last in MotoGP™, and what a race it was. The Mallorcan arrived at the Red Bull Ring having already claimed victory in Mugello and Catalunya earlier in the season, his first and second wins for Ducati. He then claimed his third of the year after getting the better of Marquez in another last lap scrap.