2009 MotoGP - Pre Season Interview - Daniele Romagnoli (Lorenzo Team Manager)

Daniele, Jorge had an outstanding 2008 in many ways, but at times it was also very painful. In hindsight, do you think he or the team could have done anything differently and better? In 2008, Jorge should have thought more about the lessons learnt from MotoGP than the actual results. Unfortunately, the first three good races he did and the good results he achieved made him feel under pressure and this lead to him to making mistakes. That was what jeopardised his season a bit in the middle of the championship. Then things started to work better, but this year we should avoid making mistakes. Nevertheless, he had a good championship as a rookie. He was the best among rookies and he did better than anyone else in the past as well. What are you aims and expectations for Jorge in 2009? In 2009, we aim t improve on the excellent result achieved in 2008. Doing so means hard work and a high level of concentration. Moreover, achieving good results regularly will be crucial, whilst at the same time avoiding overdoing things and being satisfied with a good result. If you shoot for the stars you can achieve an excellent position among the first three. We should avoid getting zero points, because this would have very negative consequences and reduce our possibilities very much. Do you think there is much more pressure on Jorge to be consistent in 2009? Jorge will certainly have more pressure this year. Due to the excellent season he did, he’ll have to show he’s improved. It’ll be crucial for him to better manage official practices and races. Sometimes during official practices he felt under pressure from the beginning, wanting to ride fast from the outset and this led to errors. Anyway, the experience he gained during last season strengthened him and he’ll handle pressure much better this year. Do you think Jorge is capable of winning and being on the podium consistently in 2009? And do you think he can challenge for the title? This year Jorge could win some races and achieve a number of podium finishes, as he showed last year. It won’t be easy to do so in every race. The championship will be challenging this year. It’s too early now to say he’ll win the title, but he has the ability to challenge for it. Do you expect there to be any problems within the team if Jorge is challenging Valentino for the championship? How do you think this will affect the atmosphere inside the garage and the working relationship between the two teams? I’d like to see Jorge and Valentino challenging for the championship. This would mean that Jorge has improved a lot, and at the same time that our bike, the Yamaha, is the most competitive and this would be great. I hope for it. I think there will be no problem within the team. We’ve known each other for a long time, the team work has always been excellent and this rivalry will only boost the desire both teams have to beat the other one. It’ll be positive. The wall in the garage will remain. Can you tell us the reason for this and your opinion about why it is the right thing to do? The wall was built last year for a technical reason: avoiding the exchange of data between the two sides, because of the two different tyre manufacturers. The wall was good because this enabled each rider to have his own working team. The rider and the team together can focus on their own problems and adjustments without looking at the other side. It worked well in 2008, so why not carry on with it as we have two strong riders in our team? Which riders, in your opinion, are going to be Jorge’s main threats this year? The best rider is Valentino Rossi. In 2008 he showed himself to be very strong and unique, both physically and mentally. He’ll be the leading rider. Also Casey was strong, he’ll be stronger having learnt from his 2008 errors and he’ll be very aggressive. They’ll be Jorge’s main threats. Have you given Jorge any advice in order to avoid some of the problems he had last year? Jorge needs to modify his working method, as he did during the season. He has to avoid getting too close to the limit at the beginning of official practices, as happened when he fell in China and Barcelona. Firstly, setting the bike up is crucial. When this is done and the conditions of the racetrack will be better, it’ll be easier to get gradually closer to the limit. Overdoing things before the bike is ready needs to be avoided. Last year’s experiences were important, even if they were negative to some extent. He’s improved a lot, even mentally. This year I’ll insist on this direction, hopefully he’ll manage to reach the bike’s limit gradually during the official practices. What do you think about Kawasaki leaving the championship? Do you think the FIM should be considering rule changes in order to reduce costs? What would you suggest? The withdrawal of Kawasaki represents a great loss both for the MotoGP and for sport in general. They’re not the first, other teams in other motor sports have left racing. It’s the time for those involved in this sport to think. I’d suggest to the FIM first of all to reduce winter tests; I’d eliminate the Jerez test in November. Or in March, I’d switch the Jerez test with Doha, and have Doha as the last test before the first GP race, thus having the Doha test and Doha GP one after the other. Logistically, this would lead to a reduction of costs, as the equipment would be already in the same place. The technical aspects require some intervention as well. The most expensive part of the bike is the engine, both in terms of cost of components and of the research involved. I’d suggest to drastically reduce the maximum engine revolution, for example to 16,000 revolutions. This would increase the engine life and would also allow the same engine to be re-used in different GPs, in two or three races. In decreasing engine revolution we could also use cheaper materials as well it being cheaper to manufacture. With regards to electronics, I’d use only one ECU and drastically reduce the use of expensive and complex sensors on the bike, such as inertial platforms and GPS. We could then use simpler electronic devices, as in the first years of MotoGP, thus eliminating some of the bike aid and control systems. I would also recommend to bring back the use of steel brakes, that would help to save money. I don’t think these changes would make the championship any less spectacular. As a matter of fact, it could lead to even have more surprises! What’s your opinion about the new tyre rule? How will it change the working system in your garage? I’ve always been positive about maintaining two different tyre manufacturers, increasing the competition between them. During the first test with Jorge, I expected to have some difficulties in adapting to the tyres. In fact, there were no problems and the rider is happy. The working method in our garage will change because priorities are different. Having just two compounds, the work on tyres will be reduced, compared to last year. However, it’ll be fundamental to work on the set up of the bike chassis. I think this will make the difference in next season. Do you think the new tyre rule will produce close racing, something that hasn’t been seen much for last couple of years? No, I don’t think the mono tyre rule will produce more hard-fought races. The winter tests showed that the best riders are still in the same position. This year there won’t be such races as there were in Laguna Seca or Brno, where some top class riders were unable to compete as a result of problems with tyres. Do you have any changes in your team staff or the structure of the team for 2009? Will you be changing any working practices in order to keep costs down? No, the team will remain the same because it worked very well during the last season and there’s no reason to change. Regarding the organisation and work on practice sessions, I don’t think it will be possible to get rid of any of them. We’ll use all the time we have. Many times we’ve used the Sunday warm-up to find successful solutions aimed at improving the bike performance. Jorge hasn’t had the chance to test the full prototype bike yet, but what is your opinion so far of the new parts you have tested and from what you have seen Valentino testing? In 2008 the bike was successful, so there was no reason to change the concept and the new bike is very similar to the previous one. Changing to Bridgestone tyres during the season, it became clear that the adjustments required were different from the previous set up. So, the new bike can have a wider range of adjustments. This allowed us, during the latest tests, to try different geometries, which improved acceleration after corners because we managed to increase the contact of the front tyre with the ground. We’ve also worked on engine management controls and maps, which enhance acceleration; our riders can open the throttle a few metres earlier. Valentino also worked on the engine and noticed an improvement in acceleration, and he said we are working in the right direction. So, we’ve just got to wait for the Sepang test with Jorge to have the whole package. This year the Japanese and Yamaha will surprise again. We’re confident the bike will be equally competitive in 2009.

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