Qatar MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo satisfied with second

Jorge Lorenzo maintained his 100 per cent podium record in the Qatar night race after a brilliant late attack in a dramatic opening to the 2010 MotoGP campaign.

Lorenzo looked like he was struggling to overcome rear grip issues that had plagued him in the build-up to the 22-lap encounter as he slipped down the order to sixth on lap three.

Still not completely free from pain in his recovering broken right hand, Lorenzo grew in confidence and starting to hunt down Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, who were engaged in an absorbing battle for second behind Valentimo Rossi.

Lorenzo made his crucial swoop on lap 20 when he executed a daring overtake on Hayden before doing the same to 2009 British GP winner Dovizioso on the same lap.

Unfortunately for Lorenzo, his charge was too late for him to have a crack at chasing down Fiat Yamaha team-mate Rossi, but the 22-year was still elated with his hard fought second.

He said: “I’m very pleased with this second position. I was thinking about being quiet and not taking so many risks, but you don’t know.

“My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. But when I am hot and when I am with high adrenaline, for me it’s impossible to be quiet.

“I have to be at the maximum. I have to ride with my heart and this is what I did in the last laps. I just rode with the heart and I was sliding and having fun.

“But I was also tired and it was risky. So at the end I finish second, but also I can crash. So it’s fantastic for me.”

Lorenzo, who is without a win in his last four races, will now spend the next ten days focused on getting his right hand back to 100 per cent fitness in time for Yamaha’s home race at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.

Lorenzo defeated Rossi for one of his four victories in 2009 and he added: “These two weeks will be important for the recovery of the right hand. It was been better than we expected, but is not 100 per cent.”