Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo got off to a blinding start in Sunday afternoon's wet Japanese Grand prix, shooting into the lead after starting from fifth on the grid.
However, his great start eventually ended up with the Spanish rider in sixth place.
After leading during the opening lap, Lorenzo dropped several positions following contact with Johann Zarco before suffering from a poor feeling with rear tyre grip.
Six laps from the end Jorge began his recovery from ninth and after passing Maverick Viรฑales, Aleix Espargarรฒ and Johann Zarco, he finished the race in sixth place, one place lower than he qualified.
โI can't be happy with my race, because we had the potential to try and win if there hadn't been so much water on the track. We weren't able to find the right setting to be quick in these conditions and without rear grip it was impossible for me to do anything more,โ he explained.
โI gradually succeeded in getting a better feeling with the bike, and I improved my pace and was able to pass Viรฑales, Zarco and Aleix Espargaro. In the end we were missing almost a second per lap, and that's a pity because this weekend we were always fast.โ
โI want to congratulate Andrea, because he's proving to be a really strong rider, mentally as well, and he is able to take advantage of every chance of fighting for the world title. Hats off, and congratulations to him and all the team!โ
