Jorge Lorenzo says number-one status not key to Ducati MotoGP move

Having joined Yamaha in 2008, this year will be Lorenzo's last before joining Ducati on a two-year-deal, announced on Monday.

In discussing what he referred to one of the "most important difficult decisions of my life", Lorenzo said adding Ducati success to his three Yamaha titles was the main motivation.

Only Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Geoff Duke, Eddie Lawson and Casey Stoner have won titles with different brands in the history of grand prix motorcycle racing.

"There are many reasons but the biggest one has been my motivation," he said.

"The challenge to try to win with another bike. The challenge, for me, after so many years in the world championship, is to give my maximum effort every day as I always try to do, because I think I am one of the most professional riders and my focus in my work is 100 per cent.

"I felt I needed this new challenge to get this motivation to work as hard as I did until now.

"If you try to fight for a fourth world title with Yamaha, obviously a championship is a championship.

"But if you are able to win with Ducati, you can [make] more history."

Lorenzo's current boss Lin Jarvis had suggested one of Lorenzo's reasons for moving might have been Yamaha's policy of considering both the Spaniard and Rossi as equal number ones.

"I think probably to be the number one in a future team is probably something that was attractive," Jarvis said.

Lorenzo dismissed that notion, but did admit the potential to lead development rather than sharing input he does at Yamaha was something that appealed to him.

"I was never worried about being the number one or number two," he said.

"Like I always said, in Yamaha for me it was enough to have exactly the same cards or tools than my partner because I believe in my potential and for me that was enough.

"But of course, probably it could be a different philosophy.

"Yamaha [riders] made the evolution in the bike and probably in the future I will have more power to create the bike I want to ride.

"They will hear me with more focus."

LORENZO WON'T BE DUCATI'S NUMBER ONE

Even if Lorenzo left Yamaha looking to be a number-one rider, he would have been disappointed, with Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti saying it was not his policy.

"I don't want to give the opportunity to only one rider to win the championship," he said.

"I have to give, above all, at the beginning of the season, the best possible material to both of my riders.

"After the season [starts], if one of them is able to reach the best result [more] than the other, I have to help him to reach the target."