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Jorge Lorenzo (above at Phillip Island last
time out) has swept all before him this
season and the 23-year-old has a flawless
record at Estoril, having won from pole
position in both his MotoGP appearances at
the track. |
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Having wrapped up the
Riders' and Teams' titles already this season, the
victorious Fiat Yamaha Team returns to European shores
this weekend for the penultimate round of the season at
Estoril in Portugal. New MotoGP World Champion Jorge
Lorenzo and his team-mate Valentino Rossi are eager to
end the season on a high and hopeful that good results
in the final two races will help Yamaha wrap up the
coveted Triple Crown.
Lorenzo has swept all before him this season and the
23-year-old has a flawless record at Estoril, having won
from pole position in both his MotoGP appearances at the
track. The track was the scene of his first
premier-class win and he was equally dominant last year,
taking his fourth win of the season. This year he has
taken seven victories but, having not won since Brno,
the 23-year-old is keen to stand on the top step of the
podium at least once more before the circus shuts down
for the winter.
Rossi is still the most successful rider in history at
Estoril and has taken five wins there. Last year was the
first time in his ten visits to the track when he
finished off the podium and he will be determined to
return to it this year. The flyaway races saw an upturn
in his fortunes and he took three podiums, including his
stunning win in Malaysia, which have somewhat put the
gloss back on a difficult season. With just two races
left with Yamaha, the Italian hero is hopeful of ending
on a high and will be going for the maximum this
weekend.
Estoril circuit is located just seven kilometres from
the Atlantic and is notorious for dramatic changes in
weather, with spells of warm sunshine often interrupted
by wild gusts of cold wind and rain. The layout of the
Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is similarly
contrasting, featuring one of the longest main straights
in MotoGP and one of the slowest corners. Several other
twisty sections make for the lowest average speed in the
championship but the 200km/h kink at turn five and the
final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of
any rider's skill and bravery. The final two races will
feature a revised practice timetable, with four
45-minutes sessions over Friday and Saturday taking the
place of the usual three one-hour ones.
Jorge Lorenzo - "I always feel so good there"
"We now have the last two races in a row, and they are
two very special races. The first one is Estoril, where
I've had some of my best moments in MotoGP in the last
two seasons. I had never won there before in 125 or 250,
but since 2008 I have had two victories. It's the only
one place where I've won twice in this category! I like
the Estoril track and I always seem to feel so good
there. Also it always seems a bit like another Spanish
GP. Many people from home are coming and I am looking
forward to feeling their support, because it's the first
time I've ridden so close to home since becoming World
Champion. I am still on a high and I would try to win
again, like last year when the astronaut arrived!"
Valentino
Rossi - "I want to finish the season on a high"
"The flyaways were very good for us, three podiums
including one win - we were happy with how much we had
improved the bike and also the level of my shoulder. Now
we return to Europe and I feel very strongly that I want
to enjoy these final two races and try to win again.
Estoril was not a good track for me last year, we had
some problems and I couldn't make it onto the podium so
we will be trying to change that this year. After
Phillip Island we hope the weather will be a bit warmer
but Estoril can change very quickly so it could be a
factor again."
Wilco Zeelenberg - "Set for the last part of the
season"
"This will be my first visit to Estoril but I've watched
the 2008/09 races and seen that Jorge loves the place.
It's exciting coming back to race in Europe after the
long trip overseas as World Champions, and it will be a
big weekend for Jorge. He is definitely set for this
last part of the season - fit, calm and ready to try for
his third consecutive win in Portugal."
Davide Brivio - "Try to be strong from the start"
"We are arriving back in Europe satisfied and happy
about the flyaway races; three podiums including one
great win, and we are looking forward now to trying to
continue this trend over the last two races. Portugal
wasn't great for us last year so we will need to make
the most of the practice time to find a good setting and
try to be strong from the start."
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