Jorge Lorenzo announces retirement ahead of Valencia GP

After a sterling 18 years, Jorge Lorenzo has decided to retire from MotoGP.

The Valencia Grand Prix will be the last race for five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo as the rider has announced his retirement ahead of this weekend’s race. Now at the age of 32, the Spaniard has made a decision to wrap up his impressive 18-year career in the MotoGP World Championship today.

In the span of almost two decades, Lorenzo has secured five World Championships, 152 podiums, 68 wins, 69 poles and 37 fast laps. He holds one of the most impressive and consistent careers in Grand Prix racing.

Lorenzo started racing on his 15th birthday on the second day of practice at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2002. He bagged his first-ever Grand Prix win a year later with his famous ‘Por Fuera’ move in Rio de Janeiro in 2003. He then ventured into the premier class with three-straight pole positions and then three consecutive podium finishes. This included his victory in his third MotoGP race.

With his stellar performance, Lorenzo then took on his MotoGP World Championship debut in 2010. He finished all 18 World Championship rounds in the top four, only twice off the podium. His final World Championship came in 2015 after he won the title at the last round in Valencia.

Lorenzo leaves an incredible mark in MotoGP history with his astounding achievements. This includes: the second most podium finishes in the premier class (114), the second-highest amount of pole positions across all classes (69), the fifth most successful rider in terms of wins in the premier class (47) and the third-highest point scorer of all time (2896) in the premier class.

Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team)

“I want to announce this will be my last race in MotoGP, and that at the end of this race I will retire from professional racing. I was 3 years old when everything started. Almost 30 years of complete dedication to this sport. Everyone who has worked with me knows how much of a perfectionist I am, how much hard work and intensity I put into this,” says Jorge Lorenzo as quoted from Honda Racing Corporation.

“Being like this requires a high level of motivation. When I signed for Honda I had an incredible feeling of motivation, achieving one of the dreams of every rider: to be an official HRC factory rider. Unfortunately, injuries came to play an important role in my season, being unable to ride in a normal way. I started to see some light but I had this bad crash in the Montmelo test, and some weeks later that ugly one in Assen.”

“The truth is from that crash, the hill became too high for me, and even if I tried, I couldn’t find the motivation and patience to be able to keep climbing it. I’m disappointed with that, I want to say sorry to Alberto Puig, to Takeo, Kuwata, Nomura and all my team, who I have to say have always treated me in an exceptional way. I would like to sincerely thank everyone at Honda for their support and understanding and also extend my thanks and gratitude to everyone who has been there through my career.”

Yoshishige Nomura (HRC President)

“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Jorge Lorenzo. He has been one of the strongest champions in the last decade that we have fought against and now worked with. The chance to have Lorenzo in Repsol Honda Team colours was something truly unique and 2019 was full of promise. Unfortunately, he suffered a lot of bad luck with injuries before the season started and also during the season with his fall in Assen. As a result, he wasn’t able to recover the confidence he once had. We will sadly be ending our cooperation early as he retires from racing. We at Honda Racing Corporation would like to wish him all the best for the future.”