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Lorenzo disputes Crutchlow's Honda/Ducati assessment
Honda newcomer Jorge Lorenzo has disputed Cal Crutchlow's assertion that the Japanese manufacturer's MotoGP bike is the most physically demanding to ride in the class.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Published: Feb 2, 2019, 12:27 PM
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The RC213V made a big step forward in 2018, enabling Honda to sweep the riders', teams' and manufacturers' titles, but Crutchlow – who rode a works Ducati and a satellite Yamaha in the past - insisted that the bike remained the most unwieldy and challenging in MotoGP.
Lorenzo, who struggled for stamina aboard his previous Ducati bike before a fuel tank change turned his 2018 campaign around, was left disagreeing with Crutchlow's assessment after sampling the Honda for the first time in post-season testing.
“I don't agree about his comment, I don't know, because he's in Honda for several years already, maybe the bike changed or he don't remember how was the other bike,” Lorenzo said.
“My feeling is that the bike is not as physical as the Ducati, and in that area I will not have so many problems in the future.
“In Jerez [testing] I wasn't fit completely and I could ride quite well. So I'm not worried about that area, honestly.”
Lorenzo was still recovering from his late-season injuries when he rode the RC213V in Valencia and Jerez last year, but feels he has already made big steps in becoming familiar with the bike.
“It's very difficult to get the adaptation to the bike in MotoGP, is very complicated, as I could feel and live with the Ducati,” he admitted.
“So it's not simple, but the adaptation with the Honda, even if I wasn't fit completely, was quite well in Valencia and Jerez.”
Having fractured his left wrist in training ahead of the 2019 season, Lorenzo will skip the opening pre-season test at Malaysia's Sepang track.
But despite this, as well as the fact he wasn't fully fit in Valencia and Jerez, the three-time champion is convinced the three-day test in Qatar in late February will make for sufficient preparation.
“In Valencia was all about position, ergonomy and try to do as many laps as possible, knowing I wasn't fit on the wrist especially.
“Then in Jerez we started testing new parts already, especially the second day, so we could see some new little parts that were better than the previous ones.
“In Sepang they will have even more new pieces to test, that I will not be able to test. I will do it in the next test in Qatar - so more or less I will have the same quantity of test that [I had] when I went from Yamaha to Ducati.
“Could be worse, could be much worse, [the injury] could happen during the middle of the championship. So knowing the bad luck of the situation, is not so unlucky.”
Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova
Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Repsol Media
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