US MotoGP: Consistency the key for Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo believes consistency will be the crucial factor in deciding this year’s thrilling MotoGP world championship.
The Spaniard goes into this weekend’s American GP at Laguna Seca trailing Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi by just five-points with the 22-year-old only finishing off the podium once in 2009.
Lorenzo’s only non-finish was a late mistake in Jerez when he crashed out while chasing Casey Stoner for third, and he told MCN in Laguna Seca earlier that another non-finish could kill off his title hopes.
“It’s important to think about the championship because if you try and push more and crash then you’re finished. But if you compromise too much then it is difficult to win, so you have to be very calm and cold in your mind when deciding what is the best to do, “said Lorenzo.
Having been well beaten by Rossi in last weekend’s Dutch GP in Assen, Lorenzo doesn’t feel under any less pressure now that he is chasing the Italian rather than leading the series.
He added: “I’ve been second in the last two races and while maybe not at my maximum I’m quite close. I need to improve by some tenths to be more competitive. But I think the Yamaha can be fast in any track now and it’s not a situation like five years ago where they struggled a bit. Yamaha is now very competitive in every track and we can try to win.”
Lorenzo also believes that Aussie Stoner will soon be back to his best after his recent health problems that hindered him in Catalunya and Assen.
The double world 250GP champion added: “I don’t know but it is hard to believe that Casey will be the same in the next few races like he has been in the last two. It is obviously not a little problem and I hope that he is better because to ride with him is always fun and it is always difficult to beat him.