Rear brake use helping Jorge Lorenzo on Ducati's MotoGP bike
Jorge Lorenzo believes rear-brake use is proving pivotal to his improvements on Ducati's MotoGP bike, and will continue to do so
The three-time MotoGP champion endured a tough start with Ducati after nine seasons with Yamaha, struggling to adapt and even admitting that a riding-position error negated the value of winter testing.
Harnessing the Ducati's strength under braking has been one of Lorenzo's biggest lessons, which he feels is being conquered by adapting to using a thumb-operated rear brake.
"I started using the rear brake in Qatar," he said.
"I wasn't used to it, I used it for not enough time in most of the braking, now it's more natural for me and I'm using it more.
"This helps a little bit to stop the bike, to enter the corner a little bit sliding and more fluid.
"It's a little bit less physical, too. It's not completely natural for the moment, but it's getting there.
"With the other bike that I used for nine years, I didn't need to use the rear brake, especially on braking, to stop the bike.
"With this one, I need to use it, it helps much more to stop the bike."
Lorenzo claimed his maiden Ducati podium at Jerez earlier this month, with third place in his fourth start that he said felt like a win.
That weekend was the Spaniard's most-positive on the Desmosedici by a considerable margin, and he acknowledges that time on the bike is his main tool to improve and "flow more" on it.
"I keep making kilometres, I give a lot into learning how to stop the bike, especially with the rear brake and not struggle so much on braking - I'm getting better," he said.
"Sooner or later it will become natural for me to ride like this because I have had nine years without using the rear brake without the sliding in entry to the corners.
"On this bike I need to use it until probably the bike changes and maybe even if the bike is changing I will keep using it.
"So you always have to find a way to take the maximum of the bike, and every bike asks you [for a] different kind of way to be competitive."
Pol Espargaro says KTM riders opening to making MotoGP 'sacrifices'
Nicky Hayden in serious condition after cycling accident
Castroneves: “Too early” to think about potential replacement by Blomqvist
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves says it’s too soon to consider Meyer Shank Racing might want to swap him to the IMSA squad and bring Tom Blomqvist over to IndyCar.
Why some DTM teams take out crash insurance but others gamble
The 2022 DTM season featured several major pile-ups and accidents, costing teams several hundred thousands in repair costs. While some had insured cars against such damage, others weren’t so well prepared…
Ricciardo: Australian GP buzz will tell me a lot about F1 comeback
Red Bull third driver Daniel Ricciardo says attending his home grand prix in Melbourne will likely tell him whether he wants to make a full-time comeback to Formula 1 or not.
Kirkwood admits he overdrove as an IndyCar rookie
Kyle Kirkwood admits he was overdriving at AJ Foyt Racing in 2022 and is expecting to rebuild his reputation at Andretti Autosport.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.