Dealing with pressure key for Rossi and Lorenzo

Being able to live in the moment is one of the biggest challenges in racing. Being able to separate your ultimate goal of winning a championship and getting the most from yourself during a race weekend is a tough balancing act for any rider.

In tomorrow’s race Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will be at opposite ends of the grid but in very similar positions. They need to separate the gravity of the season from the act of tomorrow’s race. The challenge for Lorenzo is exaggerated because despite a seven point deficit to Rossi it is the Spaniard that will start the race as the title favourite.

Amazingly despite having led the championship all year Rossi will be the underdog. Starting at the back of the grid the task ahead of him can’t be underestimated but he has nothing to lose.

“From Thursday when I know that I have to start last, the situation is quite desperate,” said Rossi. “So it is anyway very, very difficult. I have just to try the maximum and try to make a good race from the beginning to the end and see what happens. It doesn’t depend just on us unfortunately.”

For Lorenzo the challenge is managing his expectations and maintaining his concentration throughout the 30 lap race tomorrow. Starting on pole position was “the first part of my mission” but the race is the most important part. Lorenzo’s mental strength is crucial for tomorrow. At times it has been a weak link for him but when he is as confident on the bike as he showed today there’s little doubt that he has the fortitude to win the race.

“I wasn’t always able to keep my concentration like this,” said Lorenzo. “I think when I was younger I would ride a little worse with pressure compared to without it, especially in the race. Some races I expected to get a better result but then in the race the pressure could with me.

“Experience  gives you the knowledge of how to handle that a little bit better. It sometimes happens that the in the moment of maximum pressure I can go even faster. It was not always the case for me and sometimes the pressure can make you more tense in the braking especially.”

Managing the minefield of your own mind is a tightrope that every rider has to walk at some point during their championship battle. Rossi has drawn his mindset for this weekend as a man against the system, one that has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Lorenzo has tried to push some pressure onto Rossi by saying that “he has seven points of advantage and the race still isn’t finished. If tomorrow for some reason I cannot finish the race Valentino is the champion. In the motorcycle racing anything can happen.”

The tension within the Yamaha garage has always been one of the most interesting dynamics in the paddock. This weekend the relationship between both riders and the team has been under the spotlight. Yamaha has gone to great lengths all season to ensure parity and equality between both riders but after 30 laps in tomorrow’s race that will matter little to the rider. One will be champion and the other will not. Managing the aftermath is key and it’s a huge challenge for a team boss.

Tech3 Yamaha’s Herve Poncharal told MCN about the difficulty of managing a final round shootout and most importantly how to ensure that the tension and strain of the fight doesn’t carry over into the following season.

“You have to be completely fair and neutral. I stayed in the middle and make it clear that I wasn’t favouring one rider. With such an important target it’s easy for a rider to make a mistake because you’re not going to have the possibility to win the championship every day so they know that day was huge. After the race it was even difficult for us. You have to show that you are happy for the guy who won the championship but you couldn’t be too happy and dancing and screaming because you have to respect the guy who lost it.”

Tomorrow’s 30 lap race is the final act of a thrilling MotoGP season. The title fight has been immense and there is now two riders standing on the cusp of a momentous title. Rossi can win his title and equal the premier class haul of Giacomo Agostini. Lorenzo can win a third MotoGP title and join the likes of Kenny Roberts and Wayne Rainey as triple champions.