Lorenzo ‘very confident’ of closing Stoner’s championship lead

Added on Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

Casey Stoner might be 35 points ahead in the standings, going into this weekend’s race at Aragon, but Jorge Lorenzo thinks he has the momentum to close the gap at the Spanish circuit, fresh from a perfect victory at Misano.

Lorenzo is hoping to catch Stoner by steadily closing the gap in the upcoming rounds at Aragon and the title-deciding series in Japan, Australia and Malaysia, with five races remaining. Aragon is Lorenzo’s home turf, so he’s guaranteed a warm welcome to the track, and is confident of his ability at the new circuit, which was only introduced to the calendar last season.

The Yamaha rider said: “I am very happy to be riding at home again and for a second time in Aragón,”

“I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans and especially my Fan Club who are coming.

“Last year I couldn’t get the podium, which was a big shame. I wanted it because I was competing in Spain, the season had been perfect and also because I was wearing Shoya (Tomizawa)’s helmet in his memory.”

Respol Honda’s Casey Stoner is ahead of the pack, with 35 points separating him in the standings, However, Lorenzo is fresh from a victory at Misano, his third of the season, whilst Stoner finished in third. It’ll be a tough challenge for Lorenzo to close that gap, but the reigning World Champion is determined to put in his best effort to get on the podium in Spain.

He added: “I had a good race two weeks ago at Misano and now I am very confident we can obtain another podium; we believe we can again reduce our gap to Casey.”

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