Yamaha has made headlines again after the news of their renewal of Maverick Viñales and their signing of Fabio Quartararo. The Japanese firm announced on Thursday that Jorge Lorenzo will be their official test driver during the 2020 season and that he will help in the development of the Japanese machine, although he will not compete in any 2020 calendar event.

The team from Iwata is getting all of its assets together in order to end with the hegemony of the Honda-Marquez duo:

“I was always planning on staying involved in MotoGP and returning to the paddock, and I think this is a suitable role for me. I know the team and the M1 well. The Yamaha really suited my riding style, and it will be very interesting to ’meet up with my old bike again” – the #99 has said about his new role -. 

His fans won’t, therefore, have to wait very long to see him on a bike again. In fact, Lorenzo will wear the blue and white jumpsuit again next Sunday, the 2nd of February at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. That is the day in which the curtain or the 2020 season will be raised with the pre-season testing sessions which are scheduled to last until the fourth of that month.

In Sepang, Lorenzo will have to face three intense days of training in which he must begin to adapt to his new bike, something that is bound to come quite easy to the Spaniard.

There, he will work closely with the former engineer of Valentino Rossi. Lorenzo’s passion for motorcycling has driven him back onto the track just two months after his retirement (November the 14th). From day one, bored at his home in Lugano (Switzerland), he felt the need to be a pilot again.

And what better place to heal his wounds from the last campaign, where he suffered innumerable falls, injuries and a strain of disappointing results onboard his Honda RC213V.

The pilot from Mallorca feels at home in Yamaha where he had his MotoGP World Championship debut in 2008, and where he stayed until 2018.

During those nine seasons, we could see the best of himself. He achieved three MotoGP world titles (2010, 2012, 2015) and starred in some of his best racing moments. In 2017 he left the Japanese team to sign for Ducati.

There were two difficult years in which he realised that the fame that the Desmosedici bikes had as being hard to tame was actually true. Unable to shine and not fully comfortable within the Italian team, he joined Honda HRC in 2019.

It was at Honda that he was supposed to form a dream team next to compatriot Marc Márquez and onboard the most powerful machine of recent years. 

The wild and unpredictable behaviour of the bike, however, turned into an ordeal for Lorenzo. The lack of confidence on a bike that did not adapt to his driving style saw his performance decline sharply from what was expected of Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo: Delighted to be back in Yamaha

“Returning to Yamaha brings with it some good memories. We secured many podiums and victories, and three titles together, so we know where our strengths lie. I want to thank Yamaha for this opportunity because this allows me to do what I love – riding motorbikes and pushing the limit – whilst enjoying a slightly calmer lifestyle than I did in previous years” – Jorge Lorenzo declared.

“I’m very motivated to get to work and can’t wait to start riding. I want to do my best for Yamaha’s future, and I hope my riding experience will help Yamaha’s engineers and riders bring the title back to Yamaha.” – concluded the pilot from Palma de Mallorca -.

Images of Jorge Lorenzo: Wikipedia