Jorge Lorenzo surprised with 50% win rate

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo says he didn’t expect to have won half of the opening six races of the 2013 MotoGP world championship.

The Spaniard heads into this weekend’s legendary Dutch TT at Assen on the crest of a wave after winning successive races in Mugello and Catalunya.

Back-to-back dominant victories in Italy and Barcelona have seen the factory Yamaha rider cut compatriot Dani Pedrosa’s advantage in the championship chase to just seven-points.

Lorenzo, who has been taken out in first lap incidents in 2011 (with Marco Simoncelli) and 2012 (with Alvaro Bautista) at Assen told MCN: “It is little bit better than I expected. I said before the season that probably we are more or less at the same level than in 2012 compared to our rivals and I didn’t know if we were a little bit worse or the same.

But compared to 2011 we are much better. In 2011 we only won three races in the whole year and now we have already won three in six and I have to be positive.”

Aside from his wins in Mugello and Barcelona, Lorenzo’s confidence continued to soar after he set the fastest time in test sessions last week at the Catalunya and Motorland Aragon tracks.

He has bounced back superbly from the disappointment of finishing seventh in a rain-hit Le Mans race.

The French race was his worst result since the final round of his rookie premier class campaign in 2008 and he spoke of how he arrived in Mugello more convinced than ever that he could retain his crown and capture a third MotoGP title.

He refused though to reveal what had been the reason behind his new belief and confidence and he added: “Before Mugello I felt stronger than before. I can’t tell you why but I feel stronger and I am more convinced to fight for the world title than before.

Sure it will be really hard because Dani and Marc (Marquez) are really strong, fast and consistent. But after the test in Jerez we improved the bike and now I think we improved a little bit more. I am happy that we improve in Jerez first and also in the last races.”