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MotoGP, Lorenzo: Goodbye Ducati, you didn't love me enough

Jorge let's off some steam: "A pity that the latest parts arrived now, Dall'Igna believed in me but late. I always told the truth, never made excuses" 

MotoGP: Lorenzo: Goodbye Ducati, you didn't love me enough

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Jorge Lorenzo is a river of words after his first win with Ducati. He can finally get a lot of thoughts off his chest that he has kept inside for months and, thanks to the outstanding performance today, he can finally shed this burden. “I never gave up. I have a lot of pride and self-love. There were many difficult moments, but I always thought that I could win with this bike, exactly like what happened fifteen years ago when I rode the Derbi in 125. My father thought that winning with that bike was impossible, and instead I succeeded like I did today with the Ducati.”

Jorge conveys his message not only with words, but also with his eyes, and continues speaking.

“I knew that it would take time and a few things in order to express my potential, it’s just a pity that Ducati didn’t give me these parts sooner, because I’m sure that I would have earned a lot of podium finishes and maybe the first win would have arrived sooner. It’s no use thinking about the past now, though. This is the sweetest victory of my career and I am happy to have won on Ducati’s home track and to have brought joy to my fans after a difficult year and a half.”

Could this change the atmosphere of the Ducati – Lorenzo relationship? Jorge is very clear about one thing.

“Unfortunately, it is too late. I did not ride better because there was no pressure. If the parts that I had in this race had arrived in Jerez or six months sooner, the results would have arrived sooner. Gigi [Dall’Igna – editor’s note] believed in me, but a bit late. If he had believed in me 100% before, maybe now I wouldn’t be saying that it’s too late to stay with Ducati.”

Words that undoubtedly sound like goodbye.

“I may have a lot of defects, but honesty is one of my virtues. If I say something, it is true and it is not an excuse like many people thought. Gigi tried to give me a bike closer to my style. They succeeded in some aspects and in others they didn’t. The effort was there on my part and incidentally, when the latest parts arrived, I took the win.”

Jorge has something for everyone, and he continues to get things off his chest.

“I can accept any criticism, but not when they tell me that I am making excuses, so I hope that from now on people will believe me when I say something. Ducati made a significant investment in me. I didn’t make the move for money, but to win with this bike. There is a 10% difference between the Yamaha and Ducati pay. On one hand, we did not succeed. On the other hand, a bit of trust was lacking in technical terms. I think that Gigi, as well as Tardozzi and Ciabatti, would like me to stay with Ducati.”

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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