JORGE LORENZO POST-RACE INTERVIEW
01 November 2006 - Moto GP

250cc World Champion 2006 - Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo - 2006 250cc World Champion

Biography - Sunday 29th October




Jorge Lorenzo first began riding as a three year old back home in Mallorca, and just months later was taking part in his first minicross races, before taking the Balaeric title in 1995. A year later he won the island''s minicross, trial, minimoto and junior motocross titles.

In 1997 he had his first national races, winning the Aprilia 50cc Cup a year later, before a special dispensation saw him compete in the national 125 series aged just 13 in 2000. He also competed in Europe in 2001, and became the youngest ever winner of a European race.

Lorenzo became the youngest rider ever to compete in a Grand Prix when he made the legal age limit of 15 on the second day of qualifying at Jerez in 2002. He astounded onlookers by qualifying for the race on the Derbi machine and he quickly became an established figure, often out-qualifying his team-mate Emilio Alzamora, the former World Champion.

In 2003 Lorenzo came of age with his first Grand Prix victory at Rio and won three more races before the end of the 2004 season, taking his podium tally to nine, before stepping up to the 250cc class for 2005 with Fortuna Honda.

Although in 2005 the top step of the podium proved elusive, he still managed six podium finishes and four pole positions as he made his adaptation to the class. Changing from Honda to Aprilia machinery at the beginning of 2006, Lorenzo has dominated this season with 8 wins and a record-equalling 10 pole positions to clinch the title.

Birth date: 04/05/1987 (19 years)
Birth place: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
First Grand Prix: 2002 SPA 125cc
First Pole Position: 2003 MAL 125cc
First Podium: 2003 BRA 125cc
First GP Victory: 2003 BRA 125cc
Grand Prix Starts: 77
Grand Prix Victories: 12
Podiums: 26
Pole Positions: 17
Race Fastest Lap: 4
World Championship Win: 1 - 2006 250cc
Total Points 2006: 289

*all data correct at 29/10/2006

MotoGP Career

2002: 125cc World Championship, 21st position, Caja Madrid Derbi Racing, Derbi - 14 starts, 21 points

2003: 125cc World Championship, 12th position, Caja Madrid Derbi Racing, Derbi - 16 starts, 79 points

2004: 125cc World Championship, 4th position, Caja Madrid Derbi Racing, Derbi - 16 starts, 179 points

2005: 250cc World Championship, 5th position, Fortuna Honda Team, Honda - 15 starts, 167 points

2006: 250cc World Championship, 1st position, Fortuna Aprilia Team, Aprilia - 16 starts, 289 points

Some facts about Lorenzo''s achievement

• Lorenzo is the second youngest rider ever to win the 250cc title at the age of 19 years and 178 days old, just 160 days older than Dani Pedrosa when he won his first 250cc Championship in 2004.

• He is the third Spanish rider to win the 250cc title, joining Sito Pons who was the champion in 1988 and 1989, and Dani Pedrosa who has won the title for the last two years.

• He will be the first Spanish rider to win the 250cc title riding Aprilia machinery.

• His ten pole positions during 2006 equals the record number of poles in a season in the 250cc class, set by Anton Mang in 1981.

• Lorenzo has taken eight wins this year to equal the most wins in the 250cc class in a single season by a Spanish rider.

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