Valentino Rossi and Yamaha: background from Lorenzo’s former chief technician

Important words about a rivalry that made history.

Valentino Rossi versus Jorge Lorenzo was a challenge that remained in the collective imagination of MotoGP fans, despite the fact that the two both raced for Yamaha. And among those who were closest ever to the Majorcan stands out his former chief technician Ramon Forcada, who years later has decided to reveal some behind-the-scenes details of his rider’s cohabitation with the ‘Doctor’.

“Winning with that pit neighbor we had was really fun,” Forcada explained in an interview granted to ‘Solomoto.es.’ “I remember our first race in Yamaha in 2008. We were in Qatar, Lorenzo finished on pole position and Valentino Rossi told me how much we should hold that guy in high regard. Until then he and I had practically never spoken to each other.”

Forcada then went into even more detail about that conversation with Valentino Rossi: “I explained to him that Lorenzo was a very stubborn guy, but he was absolutely able to deal with his pit neighbor. When Jorge came in, though, he maybe struggled a little bit more.”

Forcada’s speech then concluded on the current problems Yamaha is going through: “Valentino Rossi went away and landed in Ducati, although he came back. Jorge Lorenzo left and also landed in Ducati. The Maverick Viñales situation had been mishandled. Seeing then how the results were, at this point it is in Yamaha that something is wrong.”