I Can Beat Rossi If I Dont Crash Says Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo says he can beat Yamaha team mate Valentino Rossi to the 2009 MotoGP title if he avoids another catalogue of crashes.

The former double 250cc champion finished fourth in 2008, his rookie year in the premier class, as Rossi romped to his eighth World championship across all disciplines.

Rossi had previously gone two seasons without a title – Honda’s Nicky Hayden took the honours in 2006 and Casey Stoner won for Ducati in 2007 – and Lorenzo feels he could be next in line.
“Why not?” he said at a Yamaha event in Milan.

“Valentino is an amazing rider off and on the track, but it is not impossible to beat him. Hayden and Stoner did it. I can only promise to work hard and have ambition.”

Lorenzo’s 2008 season was blighted by injuries and accidents Lorenzo made an impressive start on the Yamaha, qualifying in pole position for 2008’s opening night race in Qatar and finishing second before winning in Portugal.

However, his season was then blighted by injuries and accidents. He fell and fractured an ankle in practice for the Chinese MotoGP before crashing in France, Italy, Catalunya, Germany and the United States, where he broke bones in a foot.

Lorenzo wouldn’t speculate where he would have finished if he had stayed on the bike more often.
“I don’t know,” he said, “Definitely with more points. What position I couldn’t say. I think the fall in China completely changed the championship…my championship.”