Lorenzo wins 2012 MotoGP championship
Lorenzo's cause was assisted by a fall from Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, who was the only rider capable of challenging Lorenzo for the championship heading into the Phillip Island round. The 2012 title also means that Lorenzo is now the first Spanish rider to win multiple titles in the premier class.
Following a pair of 250cc titles (2006 & 2007), Lorenzo stepped up to MotoGP in 2008, finishing second in 2009, before going on to win his first MotoGP championship in 2010. In that year, the 23-year-old scored seven wins from the first twelve starts, which along with a string of podium finishes, saw him become only the second premier class World Champion from Spain after Alex Crivillé.
2011 saw the Mallorcan face a new foe in the form of a rejuvenated Casey Stoner on board his Repsol Honda, which proved to be a near unbeatable combination. Yet despite a Yamaha that looked to be lacking in power, he fought his way to three wins and ten podiums, and managed to finish the season in second, despite missing the final three races due to a bad finger injury.
With the switch to 1000cc machinery at the start of 2012, Lorenzo and his Yamaha made a terrific start by winning the opening round in Qatar. From that point on, the Spaniard went on to take five more wins and ten second-places, only once failing to finish a race after being taken out by Alvaro Bautista in Assen.
Going into the Phillip Island race, Lorenzo needed only three points to secure the championship, so there was no need to push. Despite Pedrosa's fall that gifted him the title, Lorenzo still pushed hard to take second in the race, finishing on the podium in what was a championship-defining race.
"What a day! I'm very happy, it was easier than I expected because Dani made a mistake in a corner and crashed. I wanted to keep with Casey but he was so strong," Lorenzo said.
"Today all I had to do was finish the race and I have become World Champion for the second time. It's such a sweet feeling! I want to thank all the team, Yamaha, my family, my friends, sponsors and fans that support me. Today is an amazing moment. We've been very patient, very concentrated and finally the World title arrives!"
In the champion's press conference, Lorenzo was joined by Yamaha team manager Wilco Zeelenberg for a 'duet' signing of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' which was a source of much amusement in the Phillip Island media centre!
JORGE LORENZO STATS
Biography
Birth date: 04/05/1987
Birth place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
First Grand Prix: SPA - 2002 - 125cc
First Pole Position: MAL - 2003 - 125cc
First Podium: RIO - 2003 - 125cc
First GP Victory: RIO - 2003 - 125cc
First MotoGP Victory: POR - 2008
Grand Prix Starts: 178
Grand Prix Victories: 44
Podiums: 98
Pole Positions: 51
Race Fastest Lap: 23
World Championship Wins: 2 x 250cc, 2 x MotoGP
World Championship Racing Career:
2002: 125cc World Championship - 21st (Derbi), 14 starts, 21 points
2003: 125cc World Championship - 12th (Derbi), 16 starts, 79 points
2004: 125cc World Championship - 4th (Derbi), 16 starts, 179 points
2005: 250cc World Championship - 5th (Honda), 15 starts, 167 points
2006: 250cc World Championship - 1st (Aprilia), 16 starts, 289 points
2007: 250cc World Championship - 1st (Aprilia), 17 starts, 312 points
2008: MotoGP World Championship - 4th (Yamaha), 17 starts, 190 points
2009: MotoGP World Championship - 2nd (Yamaha), 17 starts, 261 points
2010: MotoGP World Championship - 1st (Yamaha), 18 starts, 383 points
2011: MotoGP World Championship - 2nd (Yamaha), 15 starts, 260 points
2012: MotoGP World Championship - 1st (Yamaha), 17 starts, 350 points
Images: motogp.com
