Brembo identify issue and preventative measures employed, but don’t detail what the actual problem was…
Italian brake manufacturer Brembo have confirmed their brake system was behind Jorge Lorenzo’s retirement from the season opening Qatar MotoGP round last month.
Brembo Statement
“In relation to what happened to the rider Jorge Lorenzo of Ducati Team during the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix, Brembo is really disappointed that the withdrawal of the rider during the lap 12 was caused by an issue connected to the braking system.
“At the end of accurate analysis of our technicians, we confirm that the issue has been identified and resolved so that this anomaly can’t recur”.
MotoGP braking components
A rough start to 2018 for Lorenzo
The brake problems had made it an unfortunate race for Jorge Lorenzo, who started from row 3 with ninth-quickest time. Lorenzo managed to get up to tenth place before brake problems with battling with Viñales and Miller on lap 12 saw the Spaniard go down.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – DNF
“It wasn’t one of the best weekends for me. I had a lot of problems and my crash was the result of a problem with the front brakes. Already on lap 2 I realized that something wasn’t right and I tried to manage the situation, but the problem was getting worse. I thought it was an overheating problem, but when I was about to catch Iannone I wasn’t able to stop the bike and I tipped myself off to avoid worse damage. Now we have to understand what exactly happened to prevent the same problem from repeating itself in the future. It’s a pity because I was lapping with good times and I think I could have got closer to the leading group.
Ducati’s Desmosedici with Brembo braking system
“After the disappointment of Qatar, as well as trying to understand the causes of the problem so it doesn’t happen again, for us the important thing is to continue to work as hard as ever, because I think we are close to finding a more suitable setting for my riding style. I’m working with my usual commitment and I’m sure that we are going to get good results soon, even in Argentina, because I don’t believe there are favourable or unfavourable tracks, and when I arrive at a circuit I always think I can fight for the win. Everything is possible in MotoGP: the championship is still very long and we have to think positively.”
Jorge Lorenzo’s Qatar MotoGP came to an unfortunate early end – Image by AJRN
