Jorge Lorenzo (born May 4, 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain), is a professional motorcycle road racer. He was the 2006 and 2007 250cc World Champion.[1] He is currently a rider in the MotoGP Class, on the Factory Yamaha Team.125s and 250s
Lorenzo made his championship debut on his fifteenth birthday, on the second qualifying day for the 2002 125cc Spanish Grand Prix – having to miss Friday practice as he was not old enough to race. Lorenzo dominated the 2007 250cc World Championship.[2] His nine pole positions led to nine victories in 2007, and all his 2006 poles bar Motegi led to victories in 2006.
Jorge's victory at Misano in 2007 was his 16th in the 250cc class, making him the most successful Spanish rider of all time in the 250cc GP class – with one more victory than Dani Pedrosa and Sito Pons.
[edit] MotoGP
After being linked with a Yamaha MotoGP ride for 2008,[3] on 25 July 2007 he was confirmed as Valentino Rossi's partner on a two year deal for the 2008 MotoGP season.[4][5]
[edit] 2008
Lorenzo made a great start to his MotoGP career, after qualifying on pole for the Qatar night race on March 8 and placing 2nd. He followed this up with pole at the second round in Jerez, Spain and 3rd Position, and pole in round 3 at Estoril, Portugal. He converted this pole into a victory, his maiden win in the Premier Class. In doing so, he became the youngest rider in MotoGP to finish on the podium in his first three races,[6] taking the record from compatriot (and bitter rival)[7] Dani Pedrosa by a single day.

Jorge Lorenzo's major highside crash at the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix.
By this stage of the Championship, Lorenzo was in joint first place with Pedrosa, but on May 1, 2008 Lorenzo was thrown from his bike during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of China. Lorenzo suffered a chipped bone and snapped ligament in his left ankle, and a fractured bone in his right.[8] He was still able to finish the race in 4th place. Two weeks later at Le Mans, Lorenzo suffered two accidents in the practice sessions but managed to post a 2nd place result.[9] In the following race in Italy he crashed during the race after qualifying seventh on the grid,[10] The next week at Catalunya he experienced his fifth crash in four meetings, the practice session accident forcing him to miss the race.

Another major crash for Lorenzo at the 2008 United States Grand Prix.
At both Donington Park and Assen he was observed to be riding more conservatively after a series of injuries, but moved up the order in the later part of the race to finish 6th in each case. He has commented that he is stronger in the latter parts of races, preferring the bike when it is low on fuel. In the next meeting at Sachsenring, however, Lorenzo crashed out of the race during very wet conditions.[11] Lorenzo suffered yet more injuries to his feet at the USGP at Laguna Seca on July 20, when he experienced his seventh crash in only three months. During the first lap a spectacular highside left Lorenzo with a sore right foot (or ankle) and three broken bones in his left foot, specifically the third, fourth and fifth metatarsals. At Misano Lorenzo clinched 2nd place. Indianapolis saw him on the podium again this time in third position. He eventually finished the season in 4th position.
[edit] 2009
In 2009 Lorenzo stayed with Yamaha. His season started strongly, with two wins out of four races: in Japan and France. Two crashes later in the season, during rain hit British Grand Prix and at Brno have hampered his title bid, as he laid 50 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi prompting Lorenzo to claim his chances of winning the title have gone.[12] He won at Indianapolis, while both Rossi and Pedrosa crashed, reducing Lorenzo's gap to Rossi to 25 points.[13][14]
[edit] 2010
On 25 August 2009, Lorenzo ended speculation surrounding a possible move to Honda or Ducati by signing a contract to race with Yamaha in the 2010 MotoGP Championship.[15] Ducati reputedly offered him a 15 million dollar contract to take Nicky Hayden's position.
Lorenzo broke two bones in his hand in a pocket bike crash pre-season, therefore missing most of the pre-season testing. He fought through the field to finish second to Rossi in the season opener in Qatar, whilst still not fully fit.[16] During a break between the Italian and British rounds of the championship, Lorenzo rode a Yamaha in a parade lap around the world famous Snaefell Mountain Course at the Isle of Man TT. He rode alongside former World Champion Ángel Nieto, later describing the experience as 'amazing'.
[edit] Other
In January 2010, Lorenzo got involved with the Oxfam international confederation's efforts in assisting support for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[17]
[edit] Grand Prix career statisticsBy season
Season
Class
Motorcycle
Team
Race
Win
Podium
Pole
FLap
Pts
Plcd
2002
125cc
Derbi RS 125
14
0
0
0
0
21
21st
2003
125cc
Derbi RS 125
16
1
2
1
1
79
12th
2004
125cc
Derbi RSA 125
16
3
7
2
2
179
4th
2005
250cc
Honda RS250RW
15
0
6
4
0
167
5th
2006
250cc
Aprilia RSW 250
16
8
11
10
1
289
1st
2007
250cc
Aprilia RSW 250
17
9
12
9
3
312
1st
2008
MotoGP
Yamaha YZR-M1
Yamaha-YMR
17
1
6
4
1
190
4th
2009
MotoGP
Yamaha YZR-M1
Yamaha-YMR
17
4
12
5
4
261
2nd
2010
MotoGP
Yamaha YZR-M1
Yamaha-YMR
5
3
5
1
2
115*
1st*
Total
133
29
61
36
14
1613
* Season in progress.
[edit] By class
Class
Seas
1st GP
1st Pod
1st Win
Race
Win
Podiums
Pole
FLap
Pts
WChmp
125 cc
2002–2004
2002 Spain
2003 Brazil
2003 Brazil
46
4
9
3
3
279
0
250 cc
2005–2007
2005 Spain
2005 Italy
2006 Spain
48
17
29
23
4
768
2
MotoGP
2008–Present
2008 Qatar
2008 Qatar
2008 Portugal
39
8
23
10
7
566
0
Total
2002–Present
133
29
61
36
14
1613
2
[edit] Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year
Class
Bike
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Pos
Pts
2002
125 cc
Derbi
JPN
RSA
SPA22
FRA19
ITA20
CAT14
NED16
GBR13
GER17
CZE20
PORRet
BRA7
PAC9
MAL20
AUSRet
VAL22
21st
21
2003
125 cc
Derbi
JPNRet
RSA24
SPA15
FRARet
ITARet
CAT6
NEDRet
GBRRet
GER21
CZE12
POR6
BRA1
PACRet
MAL3
AUS8
VAL11
12th
79
2004
125 cc
Derbi
RSA16
SPARet
FRA3
ITA10
CAT5
NED1
BRARet
GER6
GBR3
CZE1
POR3
JPN7
QAT1
MALRet
AUS2
VALRet
4th
179
2005
250 cc
Honda
SPA6
POR10
CHN9
FRA5
ITA2
CATRet
NED3
GBR8
GERRet
CZE2
JPNRet
MALEX
QAT2
AUS3
TUR4
VAL2
5th
167
2006
250 cc
Aprilia
SPA1
QAT1
TURRet
CHN4
FRARet
ITA1
CAT2
NED1
GBR1
GER3
CZE1
MAL1
AUS1
JPN3
POR5
VAL4
1st
289
2007
250 cc
Aprilia
QAT1
SPA1
TUR2
CHN1
FRA1
ITA8
CAT1
GBRRet
NED1
GER4
CZE1
SMR1
POR3
JPN11
AUS1
MAL3
VAL7
1st
312
2008
MotoGP
Yamaha
QAT2
SPA3
POR1
CHN4
FRA2
ITARet
CAT
GBR6
NED6
GERRet
USARet
CZE10
SMR2
IND3
JPN4
AUS4
MALRet
VAL8
4th
190
2009
MotoGP
Yamaha
QAT3
JPN1
SPARet
FRA1
ITA2
CAT2
NED2
USA3
GER2
GBRRet
CZERet
IND1
SMR2
POR1
AUSRet
MAL4
VAL3
2nd
261
2010
MotoGP
Yamaha
QAT2
SPA1
FRA1
ITA2
GBR1
NED
CAT
GER
USA
CZE
IND
SMR
ARA
JPN
MAL
AUS
POR
VAL
1st*
115*
* Season in progress.