FIAT YAMAHA TEAM

10.10.2010 ROSSI BACK TO WINNING WAYS AS LORENZO WRAPS UP THE MOTOGP TITLE

VALENTINO ROSSI - FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - 2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
JORGE LORENZO - FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - 2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
JORGE LORENZO - FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - 2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
VALENTINO ROSSI - FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - 2010 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

Valentino Rossi resumed 'normal service' this afternoon in Sepang as he notched up victory number '46' for Yamaha while his Spanidh team mate Jorge Lorenzo's third place gave him enough points to seal the MotoGP title.

Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2010 MotoGP World Championship on a day that saw Valentino Rossi return to winning ways in Malaysia. Third place for Lorenzo - his thirteenth podium from fifteen races so far this year - was enough to make him only the second Spanish rider ever to win the premier-class crown. Rossi meanwhile put on one of the displays of his career after dropping to 11th at the start, taking his 46th win for Yamaha on the number 46 M1.

Lorenzo got a brilliant start from pole and set off in front with Andrea Dovizioso in tow, whilst Rossi, starting sixth, slipped right back through the field in the charge to turn one. A few corners were enough to let the Italian know that all was not lost today however and he quickly began to pick off his competitors, scything through the field to make it up to third by just the fourth lap.

By now Dovizioso was putting pressure on Lorenzo and on lap nine the Spaniard gave way to the Italian, knowing that finishing safely was more important than the winner's laurels today. Next time around Rossi passed his team-mate and set off after his compatriot, despatching Dovizioso in turn at exactly the same point on the next lap. Dovizioso mounted one more challenge four laps from the end but Rossi, still the reigning World Champion for a few more minutes, was determined to stand on top of the podium and eventually crossed the line 0.244 seconds ahead. The win moves Rossi up to third in the championship, one point ahead of Casey Stoner.

It was Lorenzo's day however and third place for the 23-year-old was enough to seal him an emotional first premier-class title to add to his two 250cc crowns. It was a special moment for the Mallorcan, who has won seven races this year and finished off the podium only twice in a remarkable display of consistency that shows him to be a deserving champion.

Jorge Lorenzo

"This is a dream come true for me today, I can't really believe it yet; I need five minutes on my own just to relax, enjoy the quiet and take in what I have done! This is something I have always wanted and something I've dreamed of my whole life, so it is the most incredible moment for me. It is difficult to find the words to thank everyone, I am just so happy, but I have to say thank you to Yamaha, my team and everyone who has made this happen. I started very well today, I didn't lose any positions but then Andrea and Valentino came past me and I wasn't riding as well as I could have, so I didn't want to push too much. Anyway I knew that winning the race wasn't the most important thing this time. I had to just put myself on autopilot and get the points I needed. Now we can relax and enjoy the last three races of the championship, but first of all we are looking forward to celebrating tonight!"

Valentino Rossi

"This is a wonderful moment for me, I am so happy to win like this and take my 46th win with Yamaha on ‘my' M1. It was one of my worst starts and for a moment I was really worried, but within a few corners I understood that I could go for it, because my bike felt great today thanks to a small change we made in warm-up, Jeremy's idea really worked! I rode so well and it was a fantastic race, one of the best of my career I think. I wanted this 46th win so much because as everyone knows it's a special number for me! Thanks to my team because everyone worked so hard this weekend and I think this is a great repayment for everyone. To win like this, from 11th at the first corner, is a great feeling. Finally I want to say congratulations to Yamaha and to Jorge; he has been fast all season, at all tracks and in all conditions and he deserves to be the world champion."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager, Lorenzo

"This is a wonderful day for our team and I can't believe what an amazing first year I have had with Jorge in MotoGP! Jorge has proven over and over that he is a winner and our tactics this season - to always go for the podium - have paid off and here we are, World Champions! As usual Jorge was clever today and he knew that he had to be careful, as he has been many times this season, and it was the right move. He has won seven races and been on the podium many more so it really has been a wonderful season. Thank you to everyone for working so hard and well done to Jorge."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager, Rossi

"What a race! It was a fantastic race and great weekend because we had a difficult day yesterday and could only qualify sixth, but the team did a great job to change the bike and Valentino felt very comfortable in the race. He rode very well, making the fastest lap in the race and coming from 11th position and 2.5 seconds down on the leaders on the first lap. This milestone 46th win was a great way to celebrate Valentino's amazing time with Yamaha. It's a wonderful day for Yamaha all round because Jorge is the World Champion so we say congratulations to him, he's been very strong this year. All of our team are very happy today! Now we're looking forward to Australia, another great track for Valentino, and we hope his victories are not over with yet with Yamaha."
 

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