Lorenzo first damaged his collarbone in a crash at Assen, then caused further aggravation by landing on it in a heavy fall at the Sachsenring two weekends ago. Having first planned to miss the Laguna Seca event, the Yamaha Factory Racing rider decided to travel to California as title rival Dani Pedrosa had also sustained injury.
“This was a difficult race because I am not in shape and it’s been one month or more without training and two general anaesthetics,” he explained. “I felt quite dizzy from the middle of the race to the end so my performance was getting worse.
“The bike was also not working the same as in Warm-Up. Maybe with more temperature the tyres were working differently and I couldn’t stop the same in the braking zones, so I didn’t have the same feeling and I was half a second slower.
“The important thing is that we saved a very dangerous situation because, if I crashed again, I might have finished my championship. We have one month to rest and train now to get back in shape, which will be important for Indianapolis. I hope to be in almost perfect condition there and have the same performance as before the crash.”
At the halfway point of Lorenzo’s second title-defending season, the Mallorcan sits third in the riders’ standings and 26 points in arrears of leader Marc Marquez.
In the matter of Pedrosa German Grand Prix, he had suffered a heavy blow during a highside accident at the Sachsenring. He travelled to California on Thursday, then missing both the first and third practice sessions at Laguna Seca.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone who has supported me over these past few days,” says the Repsol Honda Team rider. “This was a race in which it was very important to take points.
“I was seriously considering sitting out this race because the conditions were very difficult, so I am very happy to have taken fifth.
“We were close to the podium, but on the final laps I found things very hard. I think that I held up well in the race, although I was in a lot of pain the entire weekend. At least I was able to grip the handlebars and control the bike.
“A lot of times, moving the bike makes it tough for you and it is difficult to ride a long race. In the end, the 11 points are very important for the championship.”
Pedrosa crossed the Mazda Raceway finish line in fifth position; although he lost further ground to winning teammate Marc Marquez, he critically finished in front of Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to remain second in the standings.
