World Champion MotoGp rider, Jorge Lorenzo has announced that he will be relinquishing his familiar #99 number this year to use the #1 on his bike. He said that it is particularly hard to give up his old number but that, the struggle to win the world championship and the value that he placed upon it, made it worth the change. Lorenzo will use a graphic number that is the #1 but which also represents his initials. Very clever.
Yamaha management must be excited too, as this will be the first time their premier class Grand Prix bike has carried the #1 plate since Wayne Rainey carried it in the defence of his world championship in 1993.
(photo courtesy of mcnews.com.au)
Honda is also talking big after the team launch last night.
(l-r) Shuhei Nakamoto (Vice President, HRC), Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso.
2011 will be the last year of the 800cc formula and Honda will be desperate to win the championship and close it out. A mighty strong riding roster backed by an even more powerful bike than the one that showed itself to be the fastest of them all in the closing part of 2010, means that they head into testing at Sepang this week full of confidence.
Finally, thanks to one of my regular readers here, this video of Mike Esdaile (former editor of “REVS” magazine) interviewing Graeme Crosby. Incidentally, if you haven’t bought Croz’s book yet, you really should, it’s a cracking good read.