Jorge Lorenzo, the five-time world champion, announced his retirement from MotoGP in Valencia last year during the 2019 MotoGP season. It indeed came as a surprise but witnessing his drop in performance, especially since he left Yamaha and joined Ducati and later Honda, with each passing season, his exit had always been a possibility. Good news is that the Spaniard will be back in MotoGP, in Yamaha, as a test rider.
Speaking about the same, Lin Jarvis, managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing, said, “Of course, we are delighted to welcome Jorge back at Yamaha. When we knew that Jorge would stop his active racing career, we immediately started to consider making a proposal for him to join us.”
“The statistics of his achievements with us in those nine years together speak for themselves. He is a vastly experienced MotoGP rider, who is closely familiar with the M1 and the people at Yamaha. We have come to know Jorge as a very precise and motivated rider, with flawless consistency and good technical insight: all the qualities you need in a test rider at this high level.”
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Lorenzo will make his official return to Yamaha duty at the Sepang shakedown test on February 2-4 riding the 2020-specification YZFR-M1 and will also take part in official and private tests for Yamaha this year.
Commenting on his new contract and returning to Yamaha, the 32-year-old Spaniard said, “I’m very happy with the decision to join the Yamaha Factory Test Team. I was always planning on staying involved in MotoGP and returning to the paddock, and I think this is a suitable role for me. I know the team and the M1 well. The Yamaha really suited my riding style, and it will be very interesting to ‘meet up with my old bike again.”
“Returning to Yamaha brings with it some good memories. We secured many podiums and victories, and three titles together, so we know where our strengths lie. I want to thank Yamaha for this opportunity because this allows me to do what I love – riding motorbikes and pushing the limit – whilst enjoying a slightly calmer lifestyle than I did in previous years.”
Source – crash.net
