Lorenzo blames 'rock'-like medium tyre for Misano MotoGP crash
Jorge Lorenzo says he puts his crash in MotoGP's San Marino Grand Prix down to his choice of the "rock"-like medium front tyre


Ducati rider Lorenzo slipped out of contention for a podium finish when he lost the front end of his GP18 bike under braking for the Turn 8 left-hander with two laps to go, while battling for second place with Marc Marquez.
He ultimately finished 17th after remounting.
The Spaniard chose the conventional medium-medium tyre strategy for the race, like main rivals Marquez and Dovizioso, but was left to rue that decision as he said the medium front didn't give him enough grip under braking.
"[The reason for the crash] was more to have to use the medium-medium that normally I don't like, especially the front," recalled Lorenzo.
"I didn't have any grip on the side, I didn't have good grip in the centre of the tyre at the front and rear to stop the bike.
"This made me stop the bike using a lot of brake, so choosing this 'rock' tyre made me have a lot of troubles during the race.
"The front didn't support my braking. So I think it was this, the impossibility to choose the soft front tyre that made me crash today and not go faster."

"With softer tyres I think I would have had something more for Dovi and Marc, but with the medium tyres, the pace was very similar for the three riders.
"I think especially in the second part of the race, both Ducati riders had more than Marc, but Marc had my wheel to keep there, especially in the last part of the race when I was pushing and I had more confidence."
Lorenzo had unofficially topped the times during a private test at Misano last month, where conditions were similarly warm, but the Spaniard said the tyres were behaving completely differently during the race weekend.
"It was a very strange thing that one month ago with very hot conditions, the rear soft tyre was really constant, and this weekend the soft rear tyre was impossible to keep going after five laps on Friday, it was destroyed completely," he said.
"It was impossible to use it for any bike.
"Medium rear and soft front could have been a good option, but we'll never know."

Misano MotoGP: Marc Marquez was 'fighting against myself' in race
Crutchlow: Fenati's Misano Moto2 actions warrant a lifetime ban

Latest news
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's Portugal win wasn't only vital for his MotoGP title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
How a MotoGP legend is preparing for an unexpected comeback at Goodwood
Wayne Rainey, who’s paralysed from the chest down, will ride his 1992 500cc world championship-winning bike again at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The American motorcycle legend explains how he's preparing to thrill on his first visit to the famed hillclimb