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Lorenzo took his first satisfaction, finishing the first day of the GP of Valencia ahead of the rest. It was a good way to begin the last round of a season that had an uphill start but which is ending on an upward trend.
“Let’s stay calm; it’s just a free practice session - Jorge is cautious - It's true, I was fast, but you need to look at the pace and in that case Marquez and Pedrosa are the fastest. I am not far from them, so I am happy, but I cannot consider myself the favourite.”
Valencia is also the chance to draw comparisons a year later, because it was on the Spanish circuit that the Majorcan first rode the Desmosedici.
“Okay, so I am already a tenth faster than those tests - he laughs - All joking aside, I feel much better on the Ducati and I also know that I can be faster using a new tyre. Now I know the bike better. I can take advantage of its strong points, like braking.”
As Dovizioso also maintains, it is still not enough and the Hondas have the advantage. Marquez and Pedrosa will be the men to beat as early as tomorrow for pole position.
“The times were high today. It will be hard to pull it off against them tomorrow, but I’ll try. I’m confident - Lorenzo says - In terms of pace, the Hondas are also better than us, but we are not far off.”
Lastly, drawing a parallel with 2013 when Jorge had to make up points on Marquez for the title, he does not feel comfortable giving Andrea advice.
“That was a particular situation. A few races from the end I was almost 50 points behind and then I managed to recover and I arrived here with a chance - he recalls - It was a gift even to find myself in that situation. I tried to slow the group down, but some riders just didn’t want to overtake Marc, so I took off at the front. I won the race, but lost the title.”
