Childhood & Early Life
Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero was born on May 4, 1987, in Palma, on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain. He rode a motorbike for the first time at the age of three, one that his father had built by putting together parts from different bikes.
He subsequently started participating in minicross races, and won his first race in Mallorca at the age of eight, winning the 1995 Balearic title competing against older rivals.
He then went on to win the Island’s minicross, trial, minimoto and junior motocross titles. He began competing in national competitions in 1997 and won the Aprilia 50cc Cup in 1998.
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Career
Jorge Lorenzo debuted at the 2002 125cc Spanish Grand Prix on the second qualifying day, which coincided with his 15th birthday, making him old enough to participate in the race. In 2003, he achieved his first win in the twelfth round of the 125cc championship in Rio de Janeiro and finished the championship at 12.
In the 2006 250cc World Championship, he rode for Aprilia and won his first championship with 8 victories. The following year, he defended his title with nine
victories from nine pole positions and surpassed Dani Pedrosa and Sito Pons to become the most successful Spanish rider of all time in the intermediate class.
He signed a two-year deal with Yamaha in 2007 and became the partner of Valentino Rossi for the 2008 MotoGP season. He finished his first Premier Class race in the 2nd position, and clutched his maiden win in the 3rd round at Estoril, Portugal, becoming the youngest MotoGP rider to finish first three races on podium.
He sustained a number of injuries during the rest of the 2008 season, causing him to miss one race, but he still managed to make a number of podium finishes. He was placed 4th by the end of the season, which was won by his teammate Rossi.
He continued to ride for Yamaha in the 2009 season, during which he had a tough battle with teammate Valentino Rossi, who eventually surpassed his four victories with two more to finish first. Till the fifth round, Jorge Lorenzo was leading the points chart, however, following a few crashes and injuries, Rossi took a considerable lead, a gap he failed to close despite two wins in the later rounds.
He declined a $15 million offer from Ducati and instead rode with Yamaha in the 2010 MotoGP Championship, in which he became the world champion for the first time. He finished most of the races on the podium to maintain a comfortable lead on the points table, a position solidified after the nearest rival missed two races due to injury.
8He had a strong start in the 2011 MotoGP Championship, with four podium finishes in five games, but a crash in the next round forced him out of the race. He still managed to compete with lead point getter Casey Stoner, but had to settle for 2nd spot after his season run ended following a crash in which he lost one of his fingers.
Following his return to the track in the next season, he went on to win the 2012 MotoGP Championship title, maintaining a clear lead with 1st and 2nd position finishes throughout the tournament. During the season, he signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha, extending his contract with the company till 2014.
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He had a tough competition from Honda riders Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa in the 2013 MotoGP Championship. He started with a win, but later fell behind Márquez, who beat him by only 4 points at the end of the championship, as his victories in the final three rounds proved insufficient.
In 2014, he started the championship with a crash in the first round, which slowed his progress in the following rounds as well. Starting the second half of the season 128 points behind lead point-getter Marc Márquez, he was able to merge the gap slightly with two wins and four 2nd place finishes, but finished the championship third.
The 2015 MotoGP Championship saw him competing with teammate Valentino Rossi, who maintained lead during the first few rounds despite Lorenzo's career best four back-to-back wins. Rossi tried desperately to maintain a considerable lead from him, but Lorenzo got the upper hand after Rossi had a collision with Marc Márquez in the penultimate round. He beat Rossi by 5 points and won the title after securing a victory in the final race.
He started the 2016 season with a win, and achieved two more victories following a crash and two 2nd place finishes. He subsequently fell behind Marc Márquez and his teammate Rossi, yet was able to clutch another victory in the final round and finished third. This was his final win with Yamaha as he signed to Ducati for the 2017 championship, in which he is yet to win a race and is currently ranked 7th.
Facts About Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo is an avid collector of toy turtles and has a vast collection from around the world.
In his free time, Lorenzo enjoys playing the piano and has been known to compose his own music.
Lorenzo is a big fan of sushi and often seeks out the best sushi restaurants in whatever city he is visiting.
Despite his fearless reputation on the track, Lorenzo is actually quite superstitious and always wears a specific pair of lucky socks during races.
Jorge Lorenzo has a knack for languages and is fluent in Spanish, English, Italian, and Catalan.
