Jorge Lorenzo bemoans loss of qualifying tyres

Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo has spoken of his sadness at the loss of qualifying tyres under the new single tyre rule in MotoGP.

The Spaniard was one of the best performers on super-soft qualifying tyre in his rookie campaign last year, claiming eight front row starts on the factory Yamaha YZR-M1.

Four of those were pole positions, including three successive poles in his first three races in the premier class.

But the introduction of the single tyre rule has seen qualifying tyres scrapped, and riders now have to claim all-important grid positions using race tyres.

Lorenzo, who finished fourth during last Sunday’s special 45-minute qualifying session for a BMW car in Jerez, said: “For me it is not so good because normally I’m a specialist in these conditions and I can do very fast laps with the qualifying tyres. 

“The important thing is the race and it is going to be even more important now to get on the first row to have a chance of a good position in the race.”