Jorge Lorenzo
| Date of birth: 04/05/1987 Birthplace: Palma de Mallorca – Spain Nacionality: Spanish Years as Repsol Rider: 1 |
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Sporting career
| First Gran Prix: 2002 Spanish GP (125cc) First podium: 2003 Rio GP (125cc) First victory: 2003 Rio GP (125cc) World Championships: 5 (250cc in 2006 and 2007, MotoGP in 2010, 2012 and 2015) |
Biography
Jorge Lorenzo was born on May 4th, 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He was three years old when he was given his first bike, and would learn to ride and also compete on the same machine in his first minicross races. After debuting in series held on the Balearic Islands, in 1997 he took part in his first national competitions. The following year he won the Aprilia Cup, a title he repeated in 1999, a year before making the move to the Spanish and European Championships.
On the day he turned 15 -Saturday, May 4th, 2002- he debuted in the Motorcycle World Championship. It was the third race of the season and he had been forced to sit out the previous two rounds -as well as the Friday practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, because he was not yet the minimum age. A year later he would achieve his first podium, winning the Brazilian Grand Prix.
In his third season he added three victories and four further podiums to his tally, earning him fourth place overall in the 125cc class. That led to him moving up to 250cc, where he took just two seasons to become World Champion in 2006. A successful defence of his title in 2007 opened the door to the premier class.
Lorenzo debuted in MotoGP in the 2008 season, starting off in style with a podium and claiming his first victory in the third Grand Prix of the season, in Portugal. His brilliant introduction contrasted with some big crashes that made him understand how tough the premier class could be. He would end the year as runner-up, picking up four wins along the way.
MotoGP title number one arrived in 2010, a year in which Lorenzo took nine wins and an additional seven podiums. He was the first Spanish champion of the MotoGP era, and the second rider from his country to win a premier class title, after Alex Criville. Two more titles followed for Lorenzo in 2012 and 2015, as well as placing runner-up in 2011 and 2013.
Changing team and factory for the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, he now takes on another new challenge in 2019. Eleven years into his premier class career, he joins Repsol Honda to partner Marc Marquez in one of the strongest rider duos in MotoGP history.
