Yamaha Motor Racing Srl is pleased to announce the appointment of Wilco Zeelenberg as Team Manager for Jorge Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha Team.

Dutchman Zeelenberg joins the team from Yamaha’s World Supersport Team, where he won the World Championship in 2009 with Cal Crutchlow.

Zeelenberg previously had a successful career as a rider, contesting 100 Grands Prix from 1986 to 1995, racing with three different manufacturers including Yamaha. From 1995 to 2000 he then raced in the World Super Sport championship.

Wilco Zeelenberg takes the reins of Jorge Lorenzo's half of the Fiat Yamaha MotoGP team

On retirement from racing he joined Yamaha Motor Europe as Technical Coordinator and Test Rider until 2008, when he took over the role of Team Manager for the Yamaha World Super Sport Team.

Zeelenberg lives in Holland and is married with two children.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director for Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, added, “I would like to congratulate Wilco on his appointment and wish him every success in his new challenge. I am confident that the Team and Jorge will benefit from Wilco’s long experience as a rider, a Yamaha racing technician and more recently as a successful Team Manager. We look forward to integrating him into the Fiat Yamaha Team working alongside Davide Brivio, both Team Managers being under the supervision of Team Director Masahiko Nakajima.”

“After nine years working for Yamaha I am very proud to be joining the official Yamaha MotoGP team,” said Zeelenberg. “It’s a big reward and I am very excited about this new challenge. Jorge is a fantastic rider and I cannot wait to start working with him and the crew. The team is already a well-oiled machine and I am thrilled to be fitting into it. It’s clear that there are four main contenders for the title and Jorge is one of those four. I am a very competitive person, I will do everything I can in the team to create the right atmosphere and fight for the championship title.”

Yamaha Setup Report – Valencia

Fiat Yamaha Team aiming to confirm triple crown at Valencia season finale

The highs and lows of another stunning MotoGP season draw to a close this Sunday at the traditional season-ending finale at Valencia in Spain. The Fiat Yamaha Team of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have swept all before them this year, dominating the season by taking ten race wins between them and putting on some of the most entertaining racing displays of recent years. Rossi clinched his ninth World Championship title last time out in Malaysia and, with the Teams’ title already in the bag and Yamaha looking odds-on to confirm the Manufacturers’ title this weekend, the Japanese marque is hoping to take its second consecutive ‘Triple Crown,’ the third since Rossi joined in 2004.

A ninth world title shows that Rossi’s star shows no sign of waning yet but the 30-year-old admitted in Sepang that this season has been one of his toughest, due largely to his determined young team-mate. His six wins this year are less than he has taken in any of his other eight championship-winning seasons but he will be determined to try to increase that by one and round off the season on the highest possible note this weekend by finishing on top of the podium. The Italian hero admits that the tight and twisty track is not one of his favorites but he has two wins to his name there and a further three podiums, including third place last year.

Lorenzo’s second season in MotoGP has been even more spectacular than his first, with four wins and some stunning battles with his much older and more experienced team-mate. The 22-year-old has never won at the Ricardo Tormo circuit but has some great memories from the track, having finished as runner-up in 2005 before clinching the first of his two 250cc titles there in 2006. The Mallorcan needs just one point from this last race in order to confirm second place in the championship, which he says will be more than enough of a prize for him in just his second MotoGP season, but he, too is determined to end the year on a high note and will be aiming for the podium at the very least.

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Fiat Yamaha Setup Report – Sepang, Malaysia

Rossi and Lorenzo head to Sepang for first title match point

This weekend the MotoGP paddock heads to the tropics for the penultimate round of the season, the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have won 10 out of 15 races between them this year and there has only been one race when one of the pair has not been on the podium, making it the most successful season in the team’s history. This weekend Rossi has his first ‘match point’ – his first chance to win his ninth world championship title.

The 30-year-old’s second place last Sunday in Australia meant that he now holds a 38-point lead over his team-mate and he will win the title simply by keeping a buffer of 25 points between him and his rival after Sepang. Thousands of kilometers of testing at the Kuala Lumpur track mean that most riders have the advantage of local knowledge, but Rossi has an impressive five Sepang victories to his name, including last year when he took a resounding victory fresh from wrapping up the title in Japan. In 2005, second place at the track was enough to secure the Italian his second title for Yamaha and he will be determined to do the same this weekend and avoid a final-race showdown with his team-mate for his seventh premier-class title.

A difficult weekend for Lorenzo at Phillip Island ended in the gravel trap at turn one and the Mallorcan is happy to have the chance to put it behind him so quickly. He escaped with just a few cuts and bruises and, with the championship now all by out of reach, the youngster is simply focusing on a good finish to a brilliant championship and on confirming the number two spot in the standings. The 22-year-old crashed out on lap 12 of the race last year but he nonetheless has a good past record at Sepang, having won there in 2006 and clinched his second 250cc title there in 2007.

Built as a state-of-the-art motor racing venue 1999, at 16 meters across in some areas Sepang is one of the widest tracks on the calendar. With its tropical climate it could not present more different conditions to those of Phillip Island last weekend and the searing track temperatures and high humidity turn the race into a test of endurance and fitness for the riders. With four major hairpins and some fast and frequent changes of direction in its 5.542km layout, Sepang provides a stern workout for the entire bike set-up and its largely consistent, if demanding, climate makes it the ideal winter testing venue.

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Excitement builds as Rossi and Lorenzo take title tussle to The Island
Yamaha Setup Report – October 12, 2009

The victorious Fiat Yamaha Team make the long trip down under this week for the Australian round of the MotoGP World Championship, fresh from sealing the Teams’ title at the last race in Estoril. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have dominated the field this season and the moment of truth is fast approaching – one of the two is now guaranteed to win the title and with just 18 points lying between them this weekend’s action in Phillip Island promises to be exciting.

Rossi suffered a huge disappointment last time out when he was plagued with rear grip issues, which stopped him from making a competitive challenge. He has taken six wins so far this season and holds a cushion of 18 points over Lorenzo, but he knows that a lot can happen in three races and therefore he and his crew will be working tirelessly to ensure that they do not suffer a repeat of their Portuguese difficulties. Rossi cites Phillip Island as one of his favorite tracks and he has stood on the podium ten times in all classes, including an unbeaten five-year winning streak in MotoGP and title winning rides in 2001 and 2004. Last year he blasted through the field from the fourth row to finish second and will be hoping to go one better this time, having not won there since 2006.

Lorenzo heads east on cloud nine, having dominated every session in Portugal before taking a commanding win in the race, his fourth of the season. The Mallorcan drastically narrowed his point deficit in the process and there is now all to play for – and nothing to lose – in the fight for the championship. He won at ‘the Island’ in his 250cc title-winning years of 2006 and 2007 and he, too, says it is one of his favorite places to ride a motorbike. Last year he just missed out on a podium spot but he knows that he needs another top result in order to capitalize on the ground he made up with his Portuguese victory and also confirm the runner-up spot in the championship.

Phillip Island is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic racetracks in the world, perching on the cliffs above the Bass Strait, which always makes for changeable and often cold weather. The circuit is also one of the sternest tests of rider and bike, with its sweeping and flowing nature making for the ultimate challenge of machine control and throttle accuracy, not to mention the sheer bravery required from the rider.

Valentino Rossi – “Two of my best tracks”
“Estoril was a great disappointment but we have to look at the positive and consider that we still came fourth and took 13 points in these conditions. I know that Yamaha have been studying the data very hard to understand what went wrong for us, and we hope that the situation in Phillip Island will be very different. I love this track and have some of the greatest memories of my career there and I really want to be in the best shape for this race. It’s too long since I’ve won there! I think that the championship is going to be a great fight to the end with Lorenzo, but the next two tracks especially are two of my best.”

Jorge Lorenzo – “The most beautiful circuit”
“I am very happy after my fourth victory this year and now my target is to confirm second place in the championship in Australia. I have the chance it if I get a lot of points! This has been my aim all year and I will fight to get it as soon as possible. Phillip Island is a track that I love, it’s always special to race there and in my opinion it’s the most beautiful circuit in the Championship, along with Mugello. You are riding at 250 km/h but you can still see the sea and the birds, it’s incredible! Last year I couldn’t get the on the podium but I will always remember 2007, when I won with 20 seconds gap. All my team is confident and determined to get more good results in these two important weeks!”

Davide Brivio – “Aiming to get back on the podium”
“In Estoril we confirmed the Teams’ title which is a great achievement for everyone because the Fiat Yamaha riders have really dominated this season. Aside from this, it wasn’t such a great weekend for us and we had some unexpected problems to contend with. Our engineers have been working hard to understand what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again this weekend, and we’re looking forward to getting back on track and putting it behind us. Valentino has had some fantastic races in Australia but it’s a few years since he’s won there so we will doing everything we can to get back on the podium this weekend and increase our points lead in the title fight.”

Daniele Romagnoli – “More and more interesting”
“This year the championship just keeps getting more and more interesting. After Brno the chances of catching up were very slight but after Jorge’s wins in Indy and Estoril there is a possibility, with just three races to go. For sure it is still very difficult but we will just continue in the same way – working as hard as we can! I think that Phillip Island will be one of the best races of the year. Between them Casey and Valentino have won here many times but this year we must add Jorge to the frame, this is his favourite track!”

Valentino Rossi: Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 103 (77 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 224 (164 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 58 (47 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 22
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 26 (5 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 125 (31 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 35 (9 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Phillip Island: Record Lap
N. Hayden (Honda) 2008, 1′30.059

Phillip Island: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1′28.665

Grand Prix Results: Phillip Island 2008
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 40′56.643
2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +6.504
3. N. Hayden (Honda) +7.205
4. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +11.500

History repeats for rocketman Lorenzo in Estoril; Rossi fourth

Jorge Lorenzo was untouchable once again in Portugal this afternoon and took a stunning fourth win of the season, 16 months on from his maiden MotoGP victory at this same track. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi had a disappointing day and came home a distant fourth, although the Fiat Yamaha Team secured the Teams’ Championship title, the first leg of the ‘triple crown’.

Jorge Lorenzo is closing the gap on his teammate, Rossi.

22-year-old Lorenzo had looked invincible all weekend and today was no different as he blasted off from pole for the 35th time in his career, reaching turn one in second place but regaining the lead a couple of corners later. Wearing special ‘astronaut’ leathers and helmet to commemorate the Moon Landing and match the one-off white ‘Fiat Punto Evo’ livery on his YZR-M1, the Mallorcan was unchallenged from then on and stretched his lead until the end, finishing a commanding 6.294 seconds clear of Casey Stoner to take his 26th career win.

Jorge celebrated the one year anniversary of his first MotoGP win with another vistory at Estoril

Rossi had struggled to match his team-mate’s pace all weekend and a problem with rear grip plagued him today and compounded his difficulties. He dropped to fourth on the first lap after starting from second and was unable to make any headway into the gap to Stoner and Pedrosa, eventually coming home some 13 seconds behind the Spaniard. It was the Italian’s 100th start for Yamaha, from which he has won an incredible 43 times.

Yamaha are now assured of one of their riders being crowned World Champion but with Rossi’s lead now cut to 18 points from Lorenzo in second, the tension is mounting as to which one it will be. MotoGP now has a week off before the ‘flyaway’ double-header in Australia and Malaysia.

Masahiko Nakajima – Fiat Yamaha Team Director
“Today we have achieved the first objective of our season – the Fiat Yamaha Team becoming 2009 Teams’ Champion. I would like to thank our riders, our team staff and YMC MotoGP Group Engineers for their invaluable support, which has allowed us to achieve this great result. My appreciation also goes to our sponsors and technical partners, because their contribution has been crucial for Yamaha and for our Factory Team. We look forward to working with all of them in the future and to being able to repay their support with many more victories”.

Lorenzo claimed victory at Estoril, but Casey Stoner proved he was back for real

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1st, Time: 45′35.522
“What a day! I’m so happy to win here again in the same track where I won my first MotoGP race last year. I worked so hard in the break on my fitness with my father and maybe that’s given me a little bit of extra speed, I certainly felt so strong this weekend and it is great to win like this after being top in every session as well. I got a good start and it took me just a couple of corners to get past Dani and take the lead, but I honestly didn’t expect to be unchallenged from then on or to finish with such a big gap. This is a good track for me but I am fast more or less everywhere now. The championship is closer now; it’s still not easy but we have nothing to lose! I’m proud that we have won the Team Title and I want to say thanks and congratulations to everyone. I liked my leathers and helmet a lot this weekend and I wanted to celebrate Neil Armstong and his landing on the moon so this is why I made this ‘moonwalk show’ after the race!”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 4th, Time: +23.428
“It was a very difficult race for me. I was never able to be fast because I did not have enough grip in the rear and our tyre did not work well, but I think it was more a problem of setting. After a few laps I was in great difficulties and I immediately understood that this was not going to be “our” race. Throughout the practice sessions I had some problems but I thought that today I would be able to at least stay with Stoner and Pedrosa, but they made another step forward for the race and then there was no chance for me. On Friday I was three tenths off the pace and unfortunately this stayed the same all weekend and in the race today. Here in Estoril we struggled last year as well, so it might be that, with our setting, the rear tyre gets very hot and this causes a lack of grip. It is a pity that I am off the podium, but we have three more races and they are three great tracks. We must think race by race and we must work to understand what the problem was today in order to make sure that we fix it in time for Phillip Island”.

Daniele Romagnoli – Fiat Yamaha Team Manager
“We were confident today that we had a strong chance for a good race, but we didn’t expect such domination. We were consistently fast through all the weekend but even so the team made another improvement after qualifying and Jorge rode the best he’s ever ridden. Now the championship is even more interesting and the last few races will bring great attention on us all, but we’re looking forward to the challenge! Finally I want to say well done to everyone in the team for winning the Team title again.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“In reality, we weren’t really racing today. Valentino experienced some problems, which meant that he was never able to make the tyres work well and he was unable to be competitive. We will go into these problems in detail in our technical debrief later this afternoon. Valentino was bravo to finish the race in a very difficult situation, but he knew that taking points was key and we got 13 very important points here. As a consequence of the entire season, which has been dominated by the two Fiat Yamaha Team riders, we have won the Team title today, which is the first step on the road to our main goal”.

Edwards and Toseland claim double top ten in Estoril

Colin Edwards strengthened his bid for a top five MotoGP world championship finish after a strong ride to fifth place at a sun-drenched Estoril circuit today. And helping the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team claim another double top ten finish was James Toseland’s determined performance, the British rider shrugging off the affects of a head cold to finish in a thoroughly deserved ninth place. Edwards started and finished the 28-lap race in fifth, the American fighting hard to match the blistering pace set by Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in front of him in the early stages. But his consistent pace saw him comfortably pull away from a chasing group that included Andrea Dovizioso, Nicky Hayden and Loris Capirossi. Edwards’ sixth top six finish of the season leaves the American trailing Dovizioso in the overall standings by just eight-points with three races remaining. And the 35-year-old easily maintained his position as leading non-factory rider. Toseland produced a rousing performance in front of 45,539 fans basking in glorious temperatures that hit 27 degrees, the 28-year-old ending ninth after he’d fought superbly in the opening half of the race to get involved in a battle involving Hayden and Capirossi for seventh. Today’s result saw Toseland move to within 12-points of a top seven championship finish.

Colin Edwards – Position: 5th, Time: +32.652
“Like I said yesterday, if you’re the next best rider behind the top four in the world then you’ve done a good job, and I rode the strongest race I could today. I got a good start but we’ve been fighting some front-end movement all weekend and I knew early on I wasn’t going to be able to go with Valentino (Rossi) in front of me. The tyres worked great but we were just missing something on the set-up that meant even though Valentino was struggling a little bit, I couldn’t really put any pressure on him. As much as I couldn’t comfortably stay with the four guys in front, it was pretty easy for me to run a pace that meant I could pull away from the group behind me. Once I’d got a comfortable gap it was just a case of staying consistent to make sure I didn’t give anybody a chance of catching me. I got a few more points back on Dovizioso for fifth in the championship and that is a good reward for the all effort my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have put in.We’ve got three races to go and I’ll be giving it my all as alw ays because I really want that fifth spot in the championship.”

James Toseland – Position: 9th, Time: +44.093
“I really enjoyed that race and it was good to be in an exciting battle with the second group. I was running pretty much the same lap times as Dovizioso and (Toni) Elias for most of the race and there was a great battle between myself, Hayden and Capirossi. I was having the most fun in that race that I’ve had for a while. The difficulty for me was that I’ve been struggling with a cold all weekend and it is very difficult to take any kind of medication when you’ve got to race. Over the whole race distance I didn’t realise how much the cold had taken out of me but it wasn’t a big problem. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team have worked incredibly hard all weekend to give me a really good package to ride today. I’m still only twelve points off seventh in the championship and that is my target now for the remaining three races. I really want that seventh place in the championship and am looking forward to giving the team a good finish to the year.”

Herve Poncharal – Tech 3 Team Manager
“I’m really happy with the effort of the whole Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team this weekend and a double ten is a good reward for all of us. Colin had a brilliant weekend and though I don’t like to say it, we were the best of the rest again. The top four are pretty much untouchable but to be the first of the rest is a great achievement for us. Colin could open a gap on the group behind him quite comfortably and he made no mistakes, which is always crucial. I’d also like to thank. James again for another determined race and again he proved he is a quality MotoGP rider. His lap times were really close to the top six again and today’s result helps us go on the long trip to Australia and Malaysia in a really positive frame of mind. Finally congratulations to Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha today. Jorge was incredible and Yamaha has won the Constructor Championship again which is a fantastic achievement.”

Circuit Length: 4182
Temp: 27
Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1′39.189 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1′35.715 (Jorge Lorenzo, 13/04/2008)
Last Years Winner: Jorge Lorenzo
2009 MotoGP Portugal – Estoril 04/10/2009

Lorenzo takes fifth pole of season, and Rossi makes it a one-two for Fiat Yamaha

Jorge Lorenzo took his first pole position since Laguna Seca back in June at Estoril this afternoon, the Mallorcan sealing his fifth pole of the season with a strong performance ahead of tomorrow’s Portuguese Grand Prix. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi meanwhile took his eleventh front row of the season and will start tomorrow’s race from second, with Casey Stoner taking the final front-row slot.

Having topped both practice sessions this weekend, Lorenzo was the clear favourite for pole this afternoon and the 22-year-old looked smooth and comfortable out on track as he made a few last-minute setting changes before the fight for grid spots. With twenty minutes remaining he took the lead and didn’t surrender it for the rest of the session, improving his time several times and never looking in much danger from his rivals.

Rossi had a few problems yesterday but was in better shape today, having improved the balance of his M1 in the hard braking zones. His penultimate lap was good enough to put him second although he was unable to quite match his team-mate’s pace on the softer Bridgestone tyre today. The championship leader is planning a few overnight improvements in order to ensure he is at the maximum for the race.

Tomorrow’s 28-lap race gets underway at the slightly earlier time than usual of 1300 local time, which is 1400 CET.

Jorge Lorenzo's last pole was at Laguna Seca in June

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1st, Time: 1′36.214, Laps: 29
“It’s been quite a few races since I’ve had a pole! I was getting a bit worried because doing one fast lap has always been one of my strong points but lately we haven’t been able to be quite competitive enough with the soft tyre. This weekend however everything is working really well and the setting with both tyres is great, so I was able to go out and do some very fast laps. Tomorrow is another day and we know that everyone will be strong, so we will just try and push to the limit and see what happens.”

Valentino Rossi leads his teammate, Lorenzo, by 30 points going into this weekend's race

Valentino Rossi – Position: 2nd, Time: 1′36.474, Laps: 28
“We improved the setting a lot this afternoon from yesterday and managed to fix a lot of the problems we had in the braking, so today was not so bad. We still need more traction on the exits from the slow corners however and we are also losing some time in the tight hairpin. We are not so far but we need to study the data and find a way to improve things a bit more for the race. It will be quite a strong fight tomorrow I think and 28 laps in this heat is going to be hard, but we will be ready.”

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Yamaha Free Practice Report – Estoril              02/10/2009

Lorenzo and Rossi first and third as MotoGP resumes in Estoril

After a month-long break, MotoGP was finally back in action today at Estoril in Portugal for the 14th round of the season. Carrying a special one-off ‘Fiat Punto Evo livery for this race, the Fiat Yamaha pair of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi made a strong start to the weekend, finishing Free Practice in first and third respectively.

Temperatures were comfortably in the mid-twenties and both riders were happy to be back on board, using the time to reacquaint themselves with their YZR-M1s after the holidays and work on tyre selection and set-up. Dani Pedrosa was on top for much of the first half of the session but with 20 minutes to go Lorenzo moved into the lead and he finished the session well inside the lap record and an impressive 0.359 seconds ahead of Pedrosa. Rossi was less than a tenth off Pedrosa in third and is confident that a little more time to work on set-up tomorrow will enable him improve the balance of his bike in the hard braking areas and close the disadvantage to his young team-mate.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1^st, Time: 1′37.185, Laps: 27
“It’s good to be back on the bike after one month but also quite hard! I enjoyed today though and we did a good job and made an encouraging start. After a bit of work we were able to do a very good time and I am happy to be in front, it’s important at this stage of the championship to make a strong start this weekend. We have one or two things to improve but we are in good shape. I am happy to see Casey back and also to see that he is already strong. Finally I want to mention the special sticker I have on my bike this weekend for Lukas Sembera, a young Czech rider who had a bad accident two weeks ago – I wish him all the best in his recovery.”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 3^rd, Time: 1′37.606, Laps: 26
“This is quite a difficult track to come back to after a long break because the braking is very hard and it’s quite stressful on the arms, but I think it will be better tomorrow. We have a slight problem in the balance of the bike in these hard braking areas which we need to work on tomorrow to find a way to improve; we’re already quite fast but we need to close the gap a bit more so we will make the most of our time tomorrow so that we’re in good shape for qualifying.”

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Yamaha Setup Report – Estoril

Rossi and Lorenzo gear up for final four races

Fresh from a break of nearly a month, the Fiat Yamaha Team regroups this weekend at the coastal town of Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Returning to its more traditional end of season slot after moving to May last season, the race marks the start of the final phase of the championship with just the overseas double-header and the Valencian season finale remaining after it. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lie first and second in the championship and the Yamaha pair’s rivalry promises a tense climax to this year’s thrilling championship.

Going into round 14, Valentino Rossi leads his teammate by 30 points

Rossi signed off for the holidays in fine fettle after taking his sixth win of the season at the last round, in front of his home fans at Misano. The 30 year old has an exemplary record at Estoril and is the most successful rider in Grand Prix history at the track, having stood on the podium on all of his nine visits, including five wins. Last year he lost out to his then-rookie team-mate Lorenzo and finished third but the Italian will be looking for a maximum points haul this weekend as he stalks his ninth World Championship title.

With three wins under his belt this season so far, Lorenzo finished second in Misano last time out and will be hoping that a return to the scene of one of his greatest world championship performances will kickstart his championship run-in. The Mallorcan’s explosive entry into MotoGP last year culminated at the third race in Portugal when he took his third consecutive pole and his maiden premier-class win. 16 months on the 22-year-old is older and wiser and he knows that nothing less than a victory will do if he wishes to increase the pressure on his team-mate, who lies 30 points ahead of him in the standings.

Temperatures in early October usually settle around the mid-twenties in the region, although the Estoril circuit is located just seven kilometres from the Atlantic and is notorious for dramatic changes in weather, with spells of warm sunshine often interrupted by wild gusts of cold wind and rain. The layout of the Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is similarly contrasting, featuring one of the longest main straights in MotoGP and one of the slowest corners. Several other twisty sections make for the lowest average speed in the championship but the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider’s skill and bravery.

Valentino Rossi – “Ready to return to work”
“It was great to go away for the break after winning in Misano and with a good championship lead and I have enjoyed having three weeks off, but now I am ready to return to work. We’re in the final stage of the championship and we have a strong position but, as we’ve seen throughout this season, anything can happen and we know that the championship is far from over yet. The next three races are all good tracks for us and my team and I will aim to get as many points as possible each time and then we will see where we are in Valencia! Last year we struggled a little in Estoril but it’s been a great track for me in the past, especially with Yamaha, and it’s a place that usually produces good, close racing so I hope that’s the case again this year. I also hope to see Casey back in good shape and recovered because the championship misses him.”

Jorge Lorenzo looks to add to his three 2009 wins in Estoril

Jorge Lorenzo – “One of the best moments of my life”
“I am really excited to be coming back to race, a month is too long after the summer! It’s been strange to have such a long break but I’ve tried to use the time to prepare for the final races; I spent a week in Mallorca, training with my father and resting with my family and I enjoyed myself a lot. Now we go to Estoril, where I had one of the best moments of my life. In the past I was never strong there but last year I did an unbelievable race. This year it’s a different situation; a different time of year, everyone has the same tyres and we are in the closing stages of the championship. My aim is to have a good weekend in order to keep the championship going. I am also happy that we will see Casey back this weekend because he brings another challenge for all of us.”

Davide Brivio – “The most important period of the championship”
“Now we’re going into the final four races and this is the most important period of the championship, where we can achieve all that we’ve worked for. In Misano we showed our strong motivation to win once again and we’re looking forward to the next chapter. We expect another big battle with Jorge and also with Stoner and Pedrosa. Estoril was difficult for us last year but this year everyone is on the same tires and we know that we’re in great shape so we’re looking forward to a good weekend.”

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Today’s Motourage video of the day offers a rare view into the mind of AMA Formula Xtreme, Superstock and three-time Superbike champion and current World Superbike rookie and points leader Ben Spies.