MotoGP: Yamaha duo gear up for battle for second

The Movistar Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo are gearing up to take each other on in the remaining three races of 2016 a the battle for the runner-up spot in this year’s championship goes down to the wire between them.

And after the pair both crashed out of the race at Motegi last weekend for the first time in their time as Yamaha teammates closed the battle down even more, Lorenzo says his goal is clearer than ever.

“It was a shame in Motegi, but we were at least able to fight for the victory despite the wrong decision with the tyre. My crash and Vale‘s gave Marc the title but honestly he was the most consistent rider. Now we have to fight for the second position in the championship, though the important thing – and why we are here – is to be a champion.

“Phillip Island is going to be a bit strange because the fight for the championship is over, but I would like to do a great race and try to win. That`s my goal for the next three races and take the vice champion title as well.”

However, his teammate Rossi goes into this weekend much more positive than Lorenzo, as MotoGP heads to a circuit that he loves in the shape of Phillip Island.

“The bad thing is that we took zero points in Motegi, but the good thing is that we showed that we are strong. Phillip Island is a fantastic track and a place that I like a lot. We have to try to be fast and strong there too. We already tested there with Michelin, but unfortunately we now go there after a very bad season, our worst season on paper. We hope that the weather conditions won‘t be very bad, because if it‘s cold it can be dangerous. We hope for good weather and we‘ll see.”